On a windy day when kicks were far from a sure thing, Arredondo punched the game-winner through the uprights to deliver VCSU to a 24-21 victory on their Homecoming weekend. The win also moves the Vikings into a tie for first place in the North Star standings.
"Against a very good football team, I thought this was a great team win," said VCSU head coach Dennis McCulloch. "We had a lot of guys contributing and some huge plays in all three phases of the game. It's hard to remember the last time we played this kind of complete game."
The Vikings are now 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the North Star Athletic Association. Waldorf drops to 3-4 overall and 3-1 in the NSAA. Dickinson State is also 3-1 in conference play after a victory Saturday. VCSU and Dickinson will play next Saturday in Dickinson. Presentation College could also potentially move to 3-1 later on Saturday, creating a four-way tie for first place.
VCSU started its game-winning drive with just 28 seconds remaining, taking over at Waldorf's 46-yard line after a Warrior punt. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Jalen Pfeifer threw a deep pass to the sideline and Tyler Ukestad ran under it to make a great catch and go out of bounds at the 3-yard line. After three quick incomplete passes in the endzone, Arrendondo hit the game-winner with 5 seconds to go.
It signaled a bit of last-second revenge for the Vikings, who last year lost at Waldorf on a Warrior touchdown with 12 seconds remaining.
Valley City dominated the first half Saturday, building a 14-0 lead at the break. VCSU freshman Javin Iloilo forced a fumble on the opening kickoff, and Ryan Poehls recovered for VCSU to set the offense up with great field position at Waldorf's 14-yard line. Six plays later, Louis Quinones ran one in from two yards out to give the Vikings a 7-0 early lead.
It was another takeaway that set up VCSU's second first-half touchdown as well. Viking cornerback Brandon Elton intercepted Waldorf quarterback Hilton Joseph at the Waldorf 35-yard line late in the first quarter. Six plays later, Pfeifer hit Jake Peterson for a 14-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead after the extra point.
Waldorf's offense came alive in the second half. The Warriors scored on their first three drives of the second half to tie the game at 14-14 and 21-21. Waldorf went 76 yards in eight plays on its first third-quarter drive, capping it with a 2-yard touchdown run from Bo Evans. VCSU pinned Waldorf at its own 5-yard line to start the next possession, but the Warriors put together an impressive 15-play, 95-yard touchdown drive. Evans again punched it in from 3-yards out, and then Joseph found Don Jones in the endzone for a two-point conversion that tied that game at 14-14 with 11:26 remaining.
The Vikings answered with their own touchdown drive. Getting a big hole from blocker Tafua Mataele, Eli Luna took the kickoff back to Waldorf's 35-yard line. It took 10 plays to cover the 35 yards, but the Vikings finally found the endzone on a 2-yard run by senior Raymonte Maynard. Arredondo's extra point gave the Vikings a 21-14 lead.
Waldorf didn't waste any time through as Joseph hit Jones for a 65-yard pass on the first play of the ensuing possession. Joseph then found Samuel Huntley in the endzone for the touchdown that tied the game at 21-21.
The Vikings drove to the Waldorf 24-yard line before turning the ball over on downs with 2:30 to go. Waldorf's drive started disastrously with two big penalties that put them in a 1st-and-27 situation from their own 7-yard line. VCSU's defense forced a punt from the 17, which went out of bounds at the 46-yard line and set up VCSU's game-winning drive in the final seconds.
Valley City State's defense forced four turnovers in the game while the Vikings did not commit any turnovers. Waldorf held a 388-286 advantage in total offense. VCSU had 141 rushing yards and 145 passing yards. The Warriors finished with 146 rushing yards and 242 passing yards.
Louis Quinones carried the ball 23 times for the Vikings, racking up 93 yards and a touchdown. Maynard had four big carries for 20 yards and a touchdown, and Pfeifer carried the ball eight times for 30 yards, including a couple big first-down scrambles. Pfeifer was 12-for-24 passing for 145 yards and a touchdown. Peterson caught four balls for 45 yards and a score, and Ukestad hauled in two passes for 73 yards.
Bo Evans picked up 90 yards and two touchdowns on the ground for Waldorf. Joseph was 14-for-25 passing for 242 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Ryan Martinez caught five passes for 100 yards, and Huntley had four catches for 53 yards and a TD.
Elton led the Viking defense with six tackles, an interception and a tackle for loss. Arron Martin had five tackles before missing the second half with an injury. Sal Avila, Kendrick Lenzen, Sean Sibley and Riley Fredrickson all had five tackles as well. Sibley, a freshman, had a huge game with an interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery and tackle for loss.
The Vikings picked up the victory in front of a large Homecoming crowd, which braved 35-degree weather and winds up to 30 miles per hour to see a Viking victory. It was also Senior Day for VCSU as 13 Vikings played their final home games.
"What a great environment for our seniors' last game on Lokken Field," said McCulloch. "They will remember this for a long time. What a great way to go out on their final home game."
Up next: Valley City State battles Dickinson State on Saturday, Oct. 20, in Dickinson. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MT/3 p.m. CT. Waldorf University hosts Presentation College on Saturday.
