VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Valley City State pulled within a touchdown early in the third quarter Saturday, but Dakota State scored the final 14 points to hand the Vikings a 42–21 loss at Lokken Stadium.
Laggarius Marshell scored twice and Brayden Medeiros threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns as VCSU finished with 338 yards of total offense. The Vikings twice tied the game in the second quarter before Dakota State used two late touchdowns to take a 28–14 halftime lead.
Trailing 7–0 after the opening quarter, VCSU capped an 11-play, 64-yard drive with Marshell's 1-yard touchdown run. Walker Brondos added the extra point to tie the game at 7–7 with 11:25 remaining in the second quarter.
Dakota State regained the lead on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Tray Hettick to Maddox Kihne, but the Vikings answered with their biggest play of the afternoon. Medeiros connected with Jonathan Hunter for a 53-yard touchdown, bringing VCSU even at 14–14 with 3:40 before halftime.
The Trojans responded quickly. Hettick found Tim Halbur for a 34-yard touchdown, then connected with Kihne again on a 5-yard scoring pass with 39 seconds remaining in the half.
VCSU opened the second half with a three-play, 71-yard touchdown drive. Medeiros found Marshell for a 19-yard score, cutting Dakota State's lead to 28–21 with 13:18 left in the third quarter.
The Trojans answered on their next possession as Hettick threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Terik Streets to restore a two-score advantage. VCSU later drove to Dakota State's 14-yard line but turned the ball over on downs.
Caleb Torke gave the Vikings another opportunity with a fourth-quarter interception, but VCSU was unable to turn the takeaway into points. Dakota State added a 1-yard touchdown run by Trajan Davis with 3:59 remaining to finish the scoring.
Medeiros completed 20 of 30 passes with one interception. Hunter led the Vikings with 91 receiving yards on three catches, while Exavian Westbrook added four receptions for 62 yards. Tyson Ball caught four passes for 47 yards.
Marshell paced the ground game with 57 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, adding three catches for 28 yards and another score.
Khalil Toney, Anthony Madsen and Lorenzo Luchi each recorded eight tackles to lead VCSU's defense. Luchi added two tackles for loss, including a sack, while Torke finished with five tackles and an interception. Oliver Melin blocked a field goal.
Dakota State totaled 482 yards of offense. Hettick completed 27 of 32 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns, with Kihne catching 11 passes for 152 yards and two scores.
Up next for the Vikings, VCSU will travel to Dickinson State on Saturday, Oct. 24, for a 3 p.m. kickoff at the Henry Biesiot Activities Center in Dickinson, N.D.
