The storied rivalry between the Valley City State and University of Jamestown football teams had its 115th chapter on Saturday afternoon, and in the end it was the Vikings who continued to write history in their favor with their 59th victory over Jimmies.
Valley City State scored 20 straight points to open the third quarter, erasing an 18-14 halftime deficit, as the Vikings opened the 2015 season with a 41-31 victory at Rollie Greeno Field in Jamestown. VCSU now leads the all-time series 59-51-5, and leads the Paint Bucket series with Jamestown, 36-30.
"No matter what happens in the game, the 'W' at the end matters the most," Viking head coach Dennis McCulloch said. "We were down; we were in adverse situations and the guys rose up and played together as a team and played well in some tough situations."
It was an aerial show for the Viking offense, which managed just 35 rushing yards but passed for 512 yards of offense.
Junior quarterback Kurtis Walls – the reigning North Star Athletic Association Offensive MVP – set new school records for passing yards (512) and completions (30) in the 41-point outburst. He connected with receiver Josh Tovar nine times for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Colby Lum had eight catches for 175 yards. Zackary Schmidt added six catches for 77 yards, and DJ Edwards tallied five grabs for 47 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior running back Jacob Duilio carried the ball 20 times for just 40 yards, but pounded in two touchdowns behind the Viking offensive line. Walls finished the day 30-for-45 for 512 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked only once in the game.
At times it was evident the teams were playing their first games of the season as they combined for five turnovers and 27 penalties in the game. Offensively, the two teams combined for 1,006 yards of total offense, with the Vikings holding a slight 547-459 edge.
After forcing and recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff, the Vikings wasted little time as Duilio ran it in from five yards out on VCSU's fourth play of the game. Jamestown would score the next 12 points with a safety, an 88-yard touchdown pass from Beau Eriksson to Michael Sena, and a field goal to build a 12-7 lead.
The No. 17-ranked Vikings appeared to grab a 14-12 halftime lead when Walls found Tovar for a 24-yard touchdown with 38 seconds remaining in the first half. But Jamestown quickly answered back before halftime as Eriksson ran it in from 20 yards out with five seconds to go. The Jimmies elected to go for two points and did not convert as they held an 18-14 lead at the half.
The third quarter belonged to the Vikings as they scored on their first three drives. A 5-yard run by Duilio capped off a 5-play, 76-yard drive to put the Vikings up 20-18. Walls connected with Tovar on an 11-yard touchdown to cap a 10-play, 79-yard drive. And then DJ Edwards caught an 11-yard touchdown from Walls to make it 34-18 with 4:31 left in the third quarter, capping a 3-play, 73-yard drive.
After Jamestown cut it to 34-24, Walls found Edwards from 13 yards out for another score. The extra point by Lucas Norblom gave the Vikings a 41-24 lead with 11:55 to go. Jamestown got to within 41-31 and had the ball deep in Viking territory, but VCSU's Beau Winchester sealed the victory with an interception inside the 5-yard line in the final minute.
Sophomore linebacker Nicholas McBeain led the Viking defense with 12 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Defensive end Harvey McMahon had six tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Defensive back Andre Peppers came up with six tackles and a forced fumble. Ethen Preston and Ben Bruenjes each added five tackles.
VCSU had now won the last three meetings against Jamestown and is 7-2 against the Jimmies dating back to the 2011 season.
Up next: Valley City State (1-0) travels to Mayville State for a non-conference game on Saturday, Sept. 5. Kick off is set for 1 p.m. in Mayville.
