That is exactly what Posen had to do on Saturday, however, as they hosted the back-to-back-to-back eight-player Division 2 champions Powers North Central.

The fourth-ranked Vikings (8-1 overall) were unable to keep up with the eighth-ranked Jets (8-2), who claimed a 54-20 victory.

“We had a pretty tough draw there for the first round of the playoffs,” Posen head coach Greg Pietsch said. “They took advantage of some of the mistakes that we made and capitalized on them, and it got us in a pretty big hole in the first half.”

That deficit at the half was 46-8 after the Vikings had no answer for the potent Jets offense and stingy defense.

News Photo by Ben Murphy Eli Chojnacki hits the edge for a positive gain.

“I think they were able to just kind of beat us off the ball with their big, physical offensive lineman, and they ran some double-tight formation and they spread us out and they were effective out of both of them,” Pietsch said. “In all honesty, I think we just got beat by a better team.”

North Central scored on a 33-yard touchdown run less than two minutes in the game. On the Vikings’ first offensive series, they converted a fourth-and-11 thanks to a 12-yard completion from Jack Romel to Ethan Romel. They got as far as the three-yard-line but were stuffed on a fourth-and-one attempt.

The Jets responded with a long drive down the field, cashing in on a one-yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper for a 12-0 lead with 2:40 to play in the first.

Posen had an answer for that score, though, getting Jack Romel to score on a 49-yard touchdown run. Jack Romel also ran in the two-pointer to make it 12-8 with 1:28 to go in the opening frame.

“We got some life and momentum,” Pietsch said of the score. “Our kids played hard and fought hard.”

There was no stopping the Jets, though, as they scored again before the first quarter ended, connecting on a 13-yard touchdown pass for an 18-8 lead after one.

North Central scored four touchdowns in the second, two on pass plays of nine and five yards, one on a run of 21 yards, and one on a 35-yard pick six.

In a bit of silver lining, the Vikings outscored North Central in the second half, getting Jack Romel to score a pair of rushing touchdowns.

“The second half, we were gritty,” Pietsch said. “I was proud of the way our kids responded and didn’t back down, and we finished strong.”

The Vikings had Jack Romel finish with 140 yards and three touchdowns on 13 rushing attempts, and he was four-of-14 passing for 67 yards. Ethan Romel had 12 carries for 39 yards and Eli Chojnacki had two rushes for 15 yards. Logan Timm had two receptions for 42 yards and John Ennest added one grab for 12 yards. On defense, Timm had 16 combined tackles, Chojnacki had 11, Ethan Romel and Alex Soik each had 10, Ennest took down eight, and Owinn Comerford had six tackles.

“It was the last game for a great group of seniors (Jack Romel, Ethan Romel, Timm, Grayson Hincka, Conner Paull),” Pietsch said. “They have just been an integral part of our program. Those five have been great kids in our program. Their attitude and work ethic will be a great model for our next group of players.”

Despite the loss, the Vikings still enjoyed their first undefeated regular season since 2015 and also won the North Star League Little Dipper.

“Our kids accomplished every goal that we wrote down as a team, which is something to be said,” Pietsch said. “I’m just really proud of them.”