Battle of the Vikings in football section championship

The Cook County Vikings will look to continue their undefeated season this weekend when they face the Littlefork-Big Falls Vikings in the Section 7 championship. The game is set for 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at Cheever Field in Hibbing and will be broadcast on WTIP.

Cook County advanced to the section title game after defeating the Northwoods Grizzlies 56-6 last Saturday. During the section title game against the Northwoods Grizzlies, quarterback Nick Spry dislocated his shoulder. Head Football Coach Steven Anderson said Spry will not be playing in Friday’s matchup against Little-fork-Big Falls.

A win Friday would send the Vikings to the state tournament quarterfinals.

The two teams met in the final game of the regular season, with Cook County earning a 28-21 victory. Littlefork-Big Falls advanced to the championship by shutting out the South Ridge Panthers 35-0 last week.

Should they advance to the State Tournament, Cook County will join seven other section champions. The teams will be broken into a North and South bracket and seeded 1-4. Each game is played at a neutral site, with the semifinals and championship hosted at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.

Mr. McHugh, a teacher at Cook County Schools spoke with Head Football Coach Steven Anderson on Thursday, Oct. 30 about the upcoming game on Friday. The audio is below.

Josh Hinke October 30, 2025