WALLED LAKE >> You can find yourself with your back against a wall in a rivalry game in any sport. Luckily for Walled Lake Central, its back was up against the Wahls — Corey Wahls.

The Vikings found themselves in a defensive struggle the entire game with rival Walled Lake Northern on Friday night until the second half, when Corey Wahls took over.

His three touchdowns, two defensively, gave Central the separation it needed to beat the Knights, 28-7.

“All I can say is, I scored two of those on defense. But I don’t know (what got into me),” Wahls said with a grin. “It was a heck of a game. The student section was buzzin’. The sideline was buzzin’. At the end of the day, I

don’t play for myself; I play for my team.

“We’ve established a little bit of identity on defense, and we want that to translate over to offense. We know we have a lot of work to do. I don’t play for myself; I play for my team.

“Tonight was special.”

The game entered the second half tied at 7-7 thanks to defensive scores by each team. WLN took an early lead in the first quarter when senior Jackson Ferguson ran through the offensive line and forced a fumble that he immediately scooped and returned for the only score in the quarter. WLC senior defensive tackle Jason Strohl and others forced a fumble in the end zone where Strohl fell on the football to tie the score with 3:40 left in the half.

“We felt like we were doing the right things on offense, but we were just a block away. We wanted to stay the course. We knew we were close (to finding a rhythm). We just had to make some little corrections and ask the kids to really pay attention to detail,” first-year Central head coach Jeff Penrod said.

The Vikings (2-0) started with the ball in the second half and used the entire third quarter to bludgeon the Knights on a 19-play drive that contained 16 run plays — 10 by Wahls who finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter for a 13-7 lead.

“Coming out of the half, we just wanted to smack them in the mouth. That entire drive starts up front,” Wahls said.

The other of Wahls’ touchdowns came 30 seconds apart, and both were on defensive plays on consecutive drives with the game still on the line.

As the Knights tried to move the ball through the air, Wahls dropped back into coverage and picked off a perfect spiral and ran it 32-yards for a score. Eli Sanders added the 2-point conversion for a 21-7 lead with 1:57 remaining.

On the second play of the following drive, Wahls rushed the quarterback and performed a strip-sack that he was able to scoop up and carry into the end zone to seal the game with a 28-7 lead.

“He’s such a special player, and has been great for four years. He’s a coach on the field, and he makes plays all over the place,” Penrod said.

“We’ve established a little bit of identity on defense, and we want that to translate over to offense. We know we have a lot of work to do. We’re going to celebrate every time this happens.”

The night was also the annual “Salute to Service” game between the two schools, a tradition which began in 2014. First responders, Veterans, and others were honored by both teams who wore special uniforms, which would be handed out after the game in a postgame celebration.

After a single bugle player played TAPS at midfield to honor those who couldn’t be in attendance, families joined from the sidelines to receive the special uniform.

Walled Lake Northern head coach Mark Brimmer held a jersey No. 45 Rouse jersey for his step-father who served in Vietnam.

“He means a lot,” Brimmer said, fighting back tears.

“He helped raise me, and helped me become the man I am today. From high school to 28 years of coaching, he’s always been there. They’ve never missed a game. It’s a tremendous honor to stand on the field with him and give him a jersey.”