VALLEY CITY, ND (NewsDakota.com) It took four timely turnovers for the Vikings to fight off a game effort by Presentation College Saturday.
Martin Jones (Sr., Wasilla, AK) recovered a Saints fumble on the Viking one-yard line with the Saints threatening to take a third-quarter lead, and an interception by Jahidi West set up early points, with Blake King’s (Sr., Sydney, Australia) second pickoff sealing a sluggish 21-10 Valley City State win at Lokken Stadium.
The game featured a blocked punt by the Saints, a blocked field goal by the Vikings, 18 penalties, and a Viking offensive effort that struggled to find rhythm after halfime, while Presentation threw for 194 yards after halftime and 276 total.
After a Viking fumble by quarterback Noah Chambers (Fr., Juneau, AK) led to an early Saints field goal for the initial lead, King grabbed the first of his two interceptions, a pick that would directly lead to the first Viking points of the game. A 21-yard throw from Chambers to Faaris Amegonkpoe (So., Maple Grove, MN) opened the drive, and Justice Bice (Jr., Bonifay, FL) capped it with a one-yard dive for a Viking 7-3 lead.
West would snatch a Kaeden Frasier throw and return it to the PC one, with Shayden Luna (Sr., Towner, ND) plunging in a play later for a 14-3 lead at the break. The Vikings had held the Saints to -24 yards rushing in the half, and appeared to be in control of the game.
That control evaporated on the opening second-half possession. Tim Evett would complete five passes and drive the Saints 65 yards in 2:57, hooking up with Kevin Wright for an 18-yard score to cut the lead to 14-10. Wright finished the day with eight grabs for 110 yards.
The Vikings would stall, but force a Saints punt on their next drive. However, Luna would drop the punt, and the Saints took advantage by driving to the Viking one, and threatened to take the lead. The threat would when Evitt’s pitch to Abdulahi Yusuf found the turf, with Jones scooping and running to the end zone from 99 yards away, a score negated by a Viking clipping penalty.
Presentation would again fall victim to a turnover when Cameron Sheperd caught a pass that Viking Micah Olson (So., Dawson, MN) would knock from his grasp, a fumber recovered by Georgia Mageo (Fr., Anchorage, AK). The Vikings would drive 44 yards to the PC one, only to be stopped on two straight running plays.
On third and goal, Chambers was injured on a roll-out pass, and Avery Thorsgard (So., Northwood, ND), the original Viking starting quarterback to start the year, returned from his second-week injury and snuck into the endzone from a yard out for the final score of the game, delivering a Viking 21-10 edge. King would then pick off an Evitt pass at the Viking 18-yard line, ending the final Saints threat of the day. King would be selected as the Ivy Real Estate Player of the Game.
Chambers ended the day 11-25 for 113 yards, and 74 yards rushing on 19 carries. Evitt ended his day for the Saints with 276 yards on a 31-49 day, with a score and two picks.
The Vikings finish their season vs Mayville State at the FargoDome Saturday.