The Valley City State University football team overcame a sloppy start on Homecoming Saturday to roll over Waldorf College, 58-26, for their fourth straight win.
The Vikings improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play after the Homecoming victory in Valley City. VCSU sits alone in first place atop the North Star Athletic Association.
A pair of Viking seniors had the best days of their careers Saturday to lead the Viking offense. Senior tight end Jake Miller set career highs with nine catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Senior running back Ian Keller had 12 carries for 136 yards and a score.
The Vikings led 10-0 before Waldorf rallied to tie it at 10-10 early in the second quarter. VCSU scored the next two touchdowns and led 24-13 at halftime. Waldorf got to within 24-19 after Jamaar Crayton returned a fumble for a touchdown early in the third quarter. But from there it was all Vikings as they scored the next 34 points to rout the Warriors.
"I think our kids responded to some adversity today, and I thought they did a good job of bouncing back after our two turnovers to start the second half," said VCSU head coach Dennis McCulloch. "That's a time when we could have panicked and started to crumble a little bit, but our kids came back and responded well to it. Instead of blaming each other they picked each other up."
Viking quarterback Kurtis Walls passed for 288 yards and five touchdowns. Junior quarterback Josh Hansana rushed for 59 yards on eight carries. He also completed 5 of 9 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. Antoine Griffin, Zach Johnson, Danny Hangaard, DeJhon Edwards and Trevor Goerts all added touchdowns for VCSU.
The Vikings racked up 643 yards of total offense compared to 298 for Waldorf College. VCSU had 279 yards rushing and 364 yards passing.
Quarterback Isaac Sanchez rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown for Waldorf College. He also completed 13 of 23 passes for 85 yards.
VCSU lost three fumbles and threw one interception. Waldorf lost four fumbles and also threw one interception.
Up next: Valley City State University hosts Mayville State University on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m.
