JAMESTOWN (VCSU) – The 75th meeting for the Paint Bucket Trophy lived up to the hype Thursday night.
Valley City State rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the fourth quarter, tying the game with 31 seconds remaining to force overtime. In OT, Valley City State had the ball first and took a 24-21 lead on a Masila Siua field goal. Jamestown found the answer through, scoring a touchdown on its possession for a 27-24 victory.
Valley City State drops to 0-1 to start the 2022 football season. Jamestown improves to 1-0.
In 75 meetings for the Paint Bucket, Valley City State continues to lead the series 43-32. Thursday's victory for Jamestown was just their second win in the last 12 meetings. The Vikings also lead the all-time series with Jamestown, 64–54-5.
Valley City State racked up 411 yards of total offense Thursday, compared to 236 yards of offense for Jamestown.
The Vikings were hampered by two first-half turnovers that helped the Jimmies take a 14-0 lead into the locker room. VCSU's offense came out firing in the second half, opening the third quarter with a 64-yard touchdown drive capped by Justice Bice's 6-yard dash into the end zone. Jamestown answered with a score of their own in the third quarter, extending the lead to 21-7.
The Vikings put together two impressive drives in the fourth quarter, covering 76 yards in 18 plays to pull within 21-14 on a 4-yard touchdown run by Taylor Simmons with 7:38 remaining. After a quick defensive stop, the Vikings went 91 yards on 13 plays for the game-tying drive. Avery Thorsgard's scramble from 11 yards out capped the drive with 31 seconds remaining in regulation, and Masila Siua nailed the extra point to force overtime.
In overtime, the Vikings lost yards on 3rd-and-3 and elected to kick a field goal on 4th-and-5 from the 20-yard line. Siua again came up clutch, making the 36-yard field goal to give the Vikings a 24-21 lead. VCSU's defense had the Jimmies facing 3rd-and-9 and 3rd-and-4 on their overtime possession, but each time Jamestown had the answer – the last being the game-winning 6-yard touchdown pass from Cade Torgerson to Micah Madyun.
The Vikings gained 230 yards on the ground and 181 through the air. Making his first career start, VCSU quarterback Avery Thorsgard went 28-for-45 for 181 yards and an interception. He also rushed for 95 yards on 17 carries. Justice Bice had 18 carries for 96 yards, and Taylor Simmons gained 40 yards on 11 carries. All three players scored a touchdown on the ground.
Austin Young hauled in five passes for 57 yards, while Faaris Amegankpoe and Justice Bice each had six catches for VCSU.
Riley Gerhardt led the Viking defense with two sacks, four tackles for loss and eight total tackles. Sal Avila had seven tackles, including one for a loss. Ashton Aquino totaled six tackles and Jahidi West had five. Dustin Kasowski forced and recovered a fumble to go along with four tackles.
Jamestown had just 236 yards of offense, including 61 rushing and 175 passing. Jimmie quarterback Cade Torgerson was 20-for-34 passing for 175 yards and three touchdowns.
Up next: Valley City State hosts Concordia-Moorhead on Thursday, Sept. 1 for the 2022 home opener. The game is the fourth annual VCSU Ag Bowl, presented by First Community Credit Union. Tailgating begins at 5 p.m. with kickoff at 7 p.m.
