Vikings

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 ...

It's easy for a player or team to get amped up for a league game or one against a long-standing rival, but what if your schedule looks like Archbishop Wood's? The Vikings opened the girls' basketball season against Bishop Ford, which had reached the Brooklyn/Queens Division I championship game last season. Then they traveled to Arizona, where they competed in the Nike Tournament of Champions, featuring some of the top teams in the nation. The next challenge for the Vikings was Archbishop Molloy, considered one of the best teams in New York state and boasting three Division I recruits.

Lansdale Catholic had not beaten Archbishop Wood in girls' soccer in three years. But the overtime regular-season victory in 2009 was nothing compared to Wednesday's 2-0 defeat of the Vikings in a Catholic League semifinal at Archbishop Ryan. "I feel like I'm floating on a cloud right now," Lansdale Catholic coach Tom O'Donnell said. The feeling was contagious, as the Crusaders barely contained their excitement after the game ended. "As soon as that whistle blew, we all just broke down into tears," said Bryn Wassel, a senior captain.

STATE COLLEGE - Even through a season that saw Archbishop Wood lose more games than the previous two seasons combined, the Vikings found ways to win. For the third straight year, the PIAA Class AAA girls' state championship trophy won't be moving from its trophy case as Wood cruised to a 52-33 win over Lancaster Catholic Saturday night in the Bryce Jordan Center. "Every team is different, but I don't think it ever gets old," coach Jim Ricci said. "And if anyone ever tells you it does, they're lying.

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.

Playing goalie against the field hockey team that is ranked No. 1 in the nation, Alex Pecora knew she would be in the middle of the action. That was the good news. "No pressure, no fun," said Pecora, Bishop Eustace's standout senior. The bigger news on Monday night was that both goalies were busy as Bishop Eustace and Eastern, which is No. 1 in the topofthecircle.com national rankings, played a fast-paced game with lots of scoring chances at both ends of the field. Pecora, who is headed to Iowa on a scholarship, made 14 saves - including a spectacular diving deflection of a penalty stroke and several sliding stops.

The West Chester East girls' soccer team has been on a high 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.

Libby Lannon had a one-track mind all week: foul shots, foul shots, foul shots. After missing crucial free throws in Cardinal O'Hara's one-point loss to Neumann-Goretti, the senior guard relentlessly practiced shooting from the stripe leading up to her squad's showdown Friday night with Archbishop Wood. In what was a serendipitous occurrence, Lannon found herself at the line, shooting two, with a little more than two minutes remaining and her team up by four. She converted both, giving the Lions some needed cushion as they defeated the Vikings, 30-27, in a Catholic League game.

STATE COLLEGE - Even in a season in which Archbishop Wood lost more games than in the previous two seasons combined, the Vikings found a way to win it all again. The PIAA Class AAA girls' state championship trophy won't be moving from its trophy case, as Wood cruised to its third consecutive state title by defeating Lancaster Catholic, 52-33, Saturday night in Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. "Every team is different, but I don't think it ever gets old," Vikings coach Jim Ricci said.