SILVER BAY— A stiff lake wind held back the heavy rain here last Friday, but it couldn’t hold off North Woods as the Grizzlies routed the Mariners 42-0. It was all Grizzlies from the early-going as North Woods stopped the Mariners’ opening drive and marched the ball back down the field for their first of many touchdowns. “Basically, we averaged 12-15 yards on every carry until we scored,” said Head Coach John Jirik.

Even a couple of Grizzlies miscues, which led to turnovers in the first half, made little difference, said Jirik. “They just weren’t able to do much on offense, and they had a difficult time stopping us.”

With light rain falling, both teams kept it on the ground and the Grizzlies racked up 388 yards and four touchdowns on 50 rushing attempts. They completed three of nine pass attempts for 34 yards and a touchdown. The Grizzlies went into the break up 36-0 and sent in the second string to play almost the entire second half. “We got a chance to see what the younger guys can do,” said Jirik.

Tate Olson led the initial passing attack, with two completions, including one to senior Matthew Schultz for a touchdown, on four attempts. Senior running back Brendan Parson carried the weight on the ground, rushing for 114 yards and three touchdowns on ten carries. Sophomore running back Nathan Crain carried nine times for 69 yards, while junior Jake Hyppa carried seven times for 56 yards. On defense, the Grizzlies were led by junior Stefan Johansen and Matt Schultz, who tallied eight tackles apiece. Johansen also added a sack, while Tate Olson picked off a Mariners’ pass and took it 69 yards for a touchdown.

Jirik acknowledged that the Mariners were playing with a handicap. “Silver Bay is a decent team,” said Jirik, “but they had four starters out for injuries or illness, which made it a tough game for them.”

Jirik said the Grizzlies will have a few injuries of their own to worry about as they prepare to host “the Cook County juggernaut,” this Friday. The undefeated Vikings have outscored opponents 196-8 through their first three games of the season. And they might be looking to even the score after the Grizzlies eliminated the Vikings in the semi-finals of the Section 7 Nineman tournament last November.

The game is expected to be played in near-record heat, with a chance of thunderstorms and a forecast high of 80 degrees. Game time is set for 7 p.m.