Sports : Viking gridiron practice has one goal: Championship football

Sophomore backfield members work on pitch drills Thursday.

Coach Dave Boisen demonstrates the mechanics of a fake hand-off to sophomores.

Coach Pat Farley told his linemen that the goal of their practices is championship football.

Linemen work on blocking drills, focusing on their stance and blocking low.

Coaches inspect the stance of players during blocking drills.

Viking coaches guide the 2011 Vinton-Shellsburg team through blocking drills Thursday morning.

With the sounds from the horns and drums of the marching band echoing around them, the members of the 2011 Vinton-Shellsburg Viking football team continued practicing as they approach their season opener in 15 days at Benton Community.

"Our goal is championship football," head coach Pat Farley told his players as they worked on some blocking drills Thursday morning. The linemen had been through most of the various types of blocking, and were reviewing some of their previous drills before beginning work on their pass blocking technique.

Sophomore coach Dave Boies, meanwhile, was working with his backfield, teaching quarterbacks and runners the mechanics of pitches and fake handoffs.

The season opens for the Vikings on Friday, Aug. 26. Vinton-Shellsburg again faces Benton Community in its August opener. The Vikings seek to avenge last year's 21-7 loss at home to the Bobcats.

2011 schedule: Same teams, same order as 2010
There is not much originality in the 2011 schedule for the Vikings. They play each of the same teams they faced in 2010, in the same order. Only the site of the games has changed from last year.

Below is the 2011 schedule:

Aug. 26: At Benton Community

Sept. 2: South Tama

Sept. 9. At Maquoketa

Sept. 16 Western Dubuque

Sept. 23: At Marion

Sept. 30: Anamosa

Oct. 7: Center Point-Urbana

Oct. 14: At Central Clinton (DeWitt)

Oct. 21: Union

Last year, the Vikings finished 4-5, winning against South Tama, Maquoketa, Anamosa and CPU.