Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes LaBrae tight end Eric Riebold catches a touchdown pass against Valley Christian earlier this year.

LEAVITTSBURG — Last season was rough for LaBrae.

With a new coach and a relatively fresh roster, the Vikings finished with a dismal 1-9 record.

Now, that roster has some much-needed experience under its belt and LaBrae is getting things back on track.

After the five-week slaughterhouse that was the first half of their schedule, the 2-3 Vikings are looking to finish the year strong and end their one-season playoff drought.

LaBrae has yet to play a team that’s had a losing record all season, and while mentally, it wasn’t an easy task on the young roster, the Vikings are better because of it.

“Our first few games were a gauntlet,” LaBrae coach Jon Elliot said. “It was really hard for the kids to get yourself ready for practice when you’re going up against somebody better. The good thing was they played hard throughout the games and never quit. We told them that a lot of times, teams get to the playoffs every year and beef up their out of conference schedule to get them prepared.

“I tried to tell them how we’ve got to look at this as a way to prepare us for our (final stretch of games). It’s going to make it harder for us and force us to be better and work harder. Last week, I think that kind of happened where those games kind of prepared us for Newton Falls. The kids came in and played real hard, got some breaks early and jumped on them right away and it kind of springboarded us for the rest of the game.”

The first sign that 2023 was going to be a much different year than 2022 for the Vikings came in Week 2 of the regular season. Last year, Valley Christian dominated LaBrae in a 40-12 stomping. This season however, the Vikings turned the tables, handling Valley Christian in a comfortable 20-0 victory.

They controlled the clock, opening the game with an 11-minute, 19-second drive and just ground-and-pounded their way to a shutout victory.

That win did a lot for the confidence of the group.

“Going into the game, we said we have to control the ball to keep them from having it, so we basically had the ball the whole first quarter and then at the start of the second quarter they went three and out,” Elliot said. “Defensively our kids just played outstanding. The whole thing was to control their gaps to make sure that none of their skill guys got out in the open and they did a great job.”

Ironically the other moment that sparked LaBrae was following a 42-13 loss to league rival Garfield.

After that game, there was almost a sense of relief because their hardest stretch of the season, with Lakeview, Valley Christian, Niles, and Garfield, was over. They could really buckle down and prepare for games without the anxiety of playing juggernaut teams week after week.

They were re-energized in Week 5 as the Vikings dispatched rival Newton Falls 41-7.

“It almost seemed like after the Garfield game our kids were kind of relieved because they realized that those first four games were really difficult and that going forward, not that it was going to be easier, but it was going to lighten up a little bit,” Elliot said. “I told them how we can’t just show up and you still have to go into each game one at a time, prepared for that game and to battle as much as you can if you want to win the games, because if you just show up, you could be beaten by anybody.

“The practices have been a little bit more energized. I think we’ve simplified things a little bit more so they understand what they’re supposed to do, and have just been getting better every day.”

Like Elliot said, their remaining slate of games isn’t easy by any stretch, but it’s a lot more forgiving than the opening weeks of the season.

With the remaining games on the schedule, the battle-tested Vikings have every opportunity to put a real dent and make a playoff push.

First up on that slate is Champion, a team that beat them 37-14 last season. The chance to have a “revenge tour” is something that’s motivated LaBrae so far this season, so don’t expect any less throughout the rest of the year.

“I think a lot of it too is that they’re a little bit mad about last year,” Elliot said. “They like their revenge factor, where they want to kind of get back at all these teams that kind of took advantage of us last year when we were young and new. I think each week they come with an energy to get revenge on every team that’s helped us.

“I think they’re looking forward to playing Champion and going in there and beating them to try to get back on back to .500. I think that’s one motivation factor. The fact is, I told them going into this week that as of right now, we’d make the playoffs. I think that’s one goal in the back of their minds that they realize we have to win out just about if we want to achieve that goal.

“I think they’re looking forward to that and so they come ready to practice and ready to play so that we can reach that goal.”

Start time is set for 7 p.m. at Champion.