Vikings

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - The Minnesota Vikings have acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb from the Washington Redskins in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick. Two people with knowledge of the transaction confirmed the deal to the Associated Press last night. They requested anonymity because the longtime Eagle has yet to officially sign his restructured contract. McNabb had to agree to restructure the 5-year, $78 million deal he signed with the Redskins because the Vikings don't have enough cap room to fit him in with the way the deal is structured.

Bill Sheppard, the Northeast coach, said it was going to be a trying season - a season in which the losses might outnumber the victories. The second defeat of the young season came Tuesday when the Vikings lost a cliffhanger at Edison, 68-64. Kyle Carter, the Vikings' senior forward, led all scorers with 26 points, and senior Ken Einhorn chipped in with 16. Northeast had trailed by as much as 18 points in both halves. "We came back and got close in the fourth quarter," Sheppard said.

MINNEAPOLIS - Adrian Peterson rammed his way into the end zone to make Minnesota's early lead even larger, lowering his shoulder to finish the run as if to pour four weeks of frustration out on his unsuccessful tackler. The Minnesota Vikings finally ended their habit of stumbling down the stretch. Peterson powered in for three first-quarter touchdowns to build a cushion so big the Vikes couldn't lose it, and they earned their first victory Sunday by beating bumbling Arizona, 34-10.

Last season, the Archbishop Wood girls' soccer team captured its second straight Catholic League title, then went all the way to the PIAA Class AAA final before losing to Peters Township, 1-0. The Vikings finished 23-2. Coach Bill Cappo said it would be nice to put together another string like that, but first, there's the matter of winning a third straight league title. That has never been done in the history of the league. "It's tough to win two in a row, let alone three.

MINNEAPOLIS - Christian Ponder didn't flinch, even against that swarming San Francisco defense. Minnesota's quarterback has come a long way from his rough rookie season. Ponder threw two touchdown passes to tight end Kyle Rudolph and ran for another score to help the Vikings hand the 49ers their first defeat, 24-13, on Sunday. After a dominant start to their NFC North tour by decisively beating playoff teams Green Bay and Detroit, the 49ers (2-1) were beaten in every way by the team least likely to do so. The Vikings (2-1)

Eastern football is on the 1-yard line. Darius Merriweather could sense it in the summer. He could feel it during the first two games. He looks at the Vikings and doesn't see just another 0-2 team. He sees a 0-2 team on the brink of a good season. "We're not the same team as last year," said Merriweather, the Vikings' senior wide receiver and strong safety. "I think we're ready to show South Jersey just what kind of team we can be. " Eastern is one of the hard-luck teams of the early season.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - As much as Gene Allen loves Martel Johnson's company, the Atlantic City coach hates when his point guard is sitting next to him on the bench. He wants his floor general on the floor. He wants his captain to direct the Vikings' offense, ignite their defense and steady the ship through the turbulent waters of the state tournament. The ship was sinking on Sunday. And Johnson was anchored on the Atlantic City sideline with two fouls. "It was tough [to keep Johnson on the bench]

For North Penn, next in line on murderers' row is defending PIAA Class AAA state champion Archbishop Wood. The Knights, ranked No. 4 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, are coming off a 20-7 loss to top-ranked La Salle. They will face No. 3 Wood at 7 p.m. Saturday at William Tennent. No. 9 St. Joseph's Prep awaits in Week 3. The Vikings, who come in with a 15-game win streak, are looking to build on an opening 44-7 romp over Bensalem. Here is a closer look at the North Penn-Wood showdown.

MINNEAPOLIS - Rookie Doug Martin racked up 214 total yards and two touchdowns, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew out Minnesota, 36-17, on Thursday night to hand the Vikings their first home loss of the season. Martin took a screen pass 64 yards for a score, one of three touchdowns thrown by Josh Freeman, to give Tampa Bay (3-4) a 27-10 lead 1 minute, 21 seconds into the second half. Adrian Peterson had a season-long 64-yard run for a score that brought the Vikings to 30-17. Buccaneers 36, Vikings 17 Tampa Bay 10 10 10 6 – 36 Minnesota 0 10 7 0 – 17 First quarter TB–FG Barth 28, 9:48.

The West Chester East girls' soccer team has been on a scoring run after it suffered its first loss of the season last Saturday, a 3-1 stunner against Central Bucks South. Wednesday night, the Vikings, ranked 10th in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer, blanked visiting Avon Grove, 6-0, behind Carly Gulasarian's three goals for their second straight shutout. Kathleen Brown made two saves in goal to record the shutout for East, which has scored 12 goals in its last two games.

Penn State linebackers Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti have signed contracts with Minnesota, the Vikings said Tuesday. Hodges, a Paulsboro graduate who will play one of the outside spots, was picked in the fourth round. Mauti, whose position is in the middle, was a seventh-round selection. Also signing was defensive tackle Everett Dawkins, a seventh-round pick out of Florida State. Muncie dies. Chuck Muncie, 60, a Pro Bowl running back with both the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers, died of heart failure Monday at his Los Angeles-area home.

Penn State linebackers Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti signed contracts with Minnesota, the Vikings said Tuesday. Hodges, a Paulsboro graduate who will play one of the outside spots, was taken in the fourth round. Mauti, who plays in the middle, was a seventh-round pick. Chuck Muncie , 60, a Pro Bowl running back with both the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers, died of heart failure Monday at his Los Angeles-area home. Muncie played 41/2 seasons in New Orleans before being traded in 1980 to San Diego, where he finished his nine-year NFL career.

Jackie Ingram's first home run was the shot in the arm that her West Chester East softball team needed. Her second brought the Vikings to within a run of visiting Downingtown East. By the time her third long ball of the day cleared the high fence and rolled on the football field, her coach, Chuck Lindsay, was shaking his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable," he said, as Ingram rounded the bases with a similar look of amazement across her face. On practically any other day, the moment would have belonged to Ingram, as the senior had seven RBIs Friday.

The Minnesota Vikings plucked a pair of Penn State linebackers in the fourth and seventh rounds of the NFL draft on Saturday. Gerald Hodges was taken by the Vikings in the fourth round with the 120th overall pick, and Michael Mauti was chosen in the seventh round with the 213th pick. Earl Watford, a graduate of Simon Gratz and a guard at James Madison University, was selected in the fourth round with the No. 116 overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Florida State outside linebacker Nick Moody, who starred as a defensive back at Roman Catholic, was tabbed in the sixth round, No. 180 overall, by the San Francisco 49ers.

NEW YORK - Sharrif Floyd, who first made his name playing football for a high school on Bustleton Avenue - George Washington High, in the Philadelphia Public League - was picked 23d overall in Thursday's first round of the NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. The surprise was that Floyd didn't go a lot higher. A massive defensive tackle with a sprinter's burst, the former Florida Gators star left after his junior year after his college coaches told him he would be a first-round draft choice.

First round 1. Chiefs 2. Jaguars 3. Raiders 4. EAGLES 5. Lions 6. Browns 7. Cardinals 8. Bills 9. Jets 10. Titans 11. Chargers 12. Dolphins 13. Jets from Buccaneers 14. Panthers 15. Saints 16. Rams 17. Steelers 18. Cowboys 19. Giants 20. Bears 21. Bengals 22. Rams, from Redskins 23. Vikings 24. Colts 25. Vikings, from Seahawks 26. Packers ...

MATT MANDES is experiencing one of those go-figure springs. He played some shaky baseball when the weather was cold, then emerged as the ultimate hero on an early April day with outrageously warm temperatures. The 5-9, 175-pound Mandes, a junior and lefty swinger, serves Archbishop Wood High as the second baseman and leadoff hitter. His other sport - and he's the only diamond Viking who plays this - is ice hockey, and this past winter, skating at center, he finished second on the team in scoring.

TOMS RIVER, N.J. - Atlantic City looked finished. Even its coach had his doubts. Sure, this has happened before in their incredible two-year run, but nothing suggested that with the Vikings down by 19 points in the third quarter of Wednesday night's Tournament of Champions boys' basketball quarterfinals that this season would be extended. Yet Atlantic City, two-time state Group 4 champion, is still standing - and standing proudly. The comeback took some time and then needed even more time, but finally after two exhausting overtimes, Atlantic City defeated state Group 1 champion Point Pleasant Beach, 80-73, at Toms River North's Pine Belt Arena, earning the chance to play another day. Losing can be quite a motivator.

TOMS RIVER, N.J. - Atlantic City looked finished. Even its coach had his doubts. Sure, this has happened before in their incredible two-year run, but nothing suggested that with the Vikings down by 19 points in the third quarter of Wednesday night's Tournament of Champions boys' basketball quarterfinals that this season would be extended. Yet Atlantic City, two-time state Group 4 champion, is still standing - and standing proudly. The comeback took some time and then needed even more time, but finally after two exhausting overtimes, Atlantic City defeated state Group 1 champion Point Pleasant Beach, 80-73, at Toms River North's Pine Belt Arena, earning the chance to play another day. Losing can be quite a motivator.