VALLEY CITY, N.D. – The final score was in doubt until the final minute as Valley City State dropped their Frontier Conference opener to Rocky Mountain College 31-21.

The Vikings are 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the Frontier Conference East Division. The Bears are 1-4 overall and 1-0 in the conference.

The Vikings thought they scored a defensive touchdown one minute into the game when TaQuez Chatman sacked Bear's quarterback Trent Nobach. The ball came free and Moziah Rogers-Tivao scooped it up at then 21-yard line and raced in for an apparent Viking touchdown. But Rocky Mountain College challenged the play, and the call was reversed to an incomplete pass. The Bears would get a 36-yard completion from Nobach to Darius Haskins to get the ball down to the Viking 37-yard line. However, two plays later, Fafo Lefano would intercept and Nobach pass at the 16-yard line and returned it to the Viking 27. The Vikings would go three-and-out on their drive and kick the ball back to RMC. The Bears could not get a first down and had to punt the ball away, at least that was the plan. The snap went through the hands of the Bears' punter Jordan Legg and was scooped up by Fafo Lefano who returned it 16 yards for a touchdown. Walker Brondos' extra point made it 7-0 Vikings with 9:30 to go in the first quarter.

The Bears wasted no time to get their own special teams score. Darius Haskins received the kickoff at his own three-yard line and raced up the far sideline to complete the 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Austin Drake added the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 9:20 to go in the first quarter.

The Viking would go three-and-out on their next possession and Rocky Mountain would take over at their own 42-yard line. Tuff Adams did the rest with two carries and 58 yards on the drive. After a 43-yard run one the first play, Adams went the last 15 for the touchdown. Drake's extra point made it 14-7 RMC with 7:22 to go in the first quarter. The two teams combined for three touchdowns in 2:03.

While Rocky Mountain used on needed two plays to score, the Vikings move the ball methodically down field on its next drive. On the kickoff, Exavian Westbrook returned the kick to the 22-yard line. But a penalty on VCSU would push the ball back to the eight-yard line. The Vikings would go 92 yards on 20 plays and take 11:24 off the second quarter clock to tie the game. Joey Cave hit Jake Deutsch with a laser across the middle for an eight-yard touchdown. The big play on the drive was a 13-yard completion from Cave to Deutsch on a fourth and five to keep the drive alive at the Bears' twelve-yard line. With 10:15 to go in the first half, the game was tied at 14-14.

 On the next drive for the Bears, Fafo Lefano struck again with his second interception of the game. Again, the pick came in the red zone at the Valley City State nine-yard line.

VCSU would have to kick the ball away and Rocky Mountain College would take over at the Viking 46-yard line. The Bears would use ten plays to go 46 yards, the last twelve on a completion from Nobach to Haskins for a touchdown. Legg's extra-point made it 21-14 Bears and that was the score at halftime.

To start the second half, the Vikings would receive the kickoff. Westbrook called for the fair catch but then let the ball bounce before securing it. By rule, instead of the getting the ball at the 25-yard line. The Vikings would have to take over at their own four. No problem. The Vikings would have their second 90+-yard drive of the game. This one went 96 yards on 15 plays and take 7:37. On the touchdown, Cave rolled to his left, turned back right and found Trent Finney all alone in the end zone for the seven-yard touchdown. Brondos added the extra-point to tie the game at 21-21 with 7:23 to go in the third quarter.
Brondos' pooch kick was touched by a Battlin' Bear before it went out of bounds, giving RMC the ball at the Bears 36-yard line. Rocky Mountain College did get deep into Viking territory, but the drive stalled at the VCSU 17-yard line, and the Bears had to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Austin Drake to take a 24-21 lead with 2:13 to go in the third period.

The Vikings would punt the ball back to Rocky Mountain to start the fourth quarter.

The Bears would go 79 yards on 14 plays and take 6:31 off the fourth quarter clock. Nobach throws a pass between two defenders into the stomach of Eric Lira for a 16-yard scoring strike. Drake's extra-point made it 31-21 Bears with 8:19 to go in the fourth quarter.

Neither team did much of anything the rest of the way and the Bears would walk off the field with a 31-21 win.

Joey Cave was eleven of 15 passing for 99 yards and two touchdowns. But the junior quarterback was sacked five times. Devyne Pearson led the ground game with 77 yards on eleven carries. Jake Deutsch had five receptions for 45 yards. While Pearson had 44 yards on four catches.

Gavin Gerhardt led the defense with twelve tackles. Moziah Rogers-Tivao and Aiden Russell had eight each and Malachi Torres had seven. Fafo Lefano only had two tackles, but he had two interceptions and a fumble recovery that he ran in for a touchdown.

UP NEXT: The Vikings are home next Saturday, Oct. 11th as Mayville State comes to Valley City for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.