JAMESTOWN – That was quite a way to go out.

Ezra Belingheri blocked a punt and carried the ball into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter Saturday as University of Jamestown Football, playing in its last game as an NAIA member, rallied from a 17-0 deficit to defeat Valley City State University 28-17 at Rollie Greeno Field at Charlotte & Gordon Hansen Stadium.

The Jimmies (3-7, 3-5 NSAA), who lost to VCSU 38-7 on October 12 at Lokken Stadium, claimed the Paint Bucket Trophy for the first time since a 2022 home victory.  And UJ will likely keep the prized trophy for a while.  With Jamestown moving to NCAA Division II and the NSIC next season, these schools probably will not meet in football for the foreseeable future.  VCSU will move to the NAIA’s Frontier Conference next season with fellow current NSAA members Dakota State, Dickinson State, Mayville State and Bellevue, which does not have a football program.

At the start of the fourth quarter, VCSU (3-7, 2-6 NSAA) led 17-15 and faced third down & 11 from their 22 yard line.  UJ’s Tyler Dean sacked quarterback Noah Chambers for a 13-yard loss.  Then, Belingheri made a remarkable play, blocking the punt of the Vikings’ Jim Miller and grasping the ball immediately into both of his hands and racing untouched into the end zone for Jamestown’s first lead of the game, 22-17, with 14:14 left.  Belingheri, playing his last game for UJ, scored his third touchdown of the season, with the others being on fumble and interception returns.

VCSU punted on their next possession, after which Jamestown’s next drive began with a 43-yard completion from John Grann to Erastus Antsino that moved the Jimmies from their 26 to the VCSU 31.  A holding penalty stalled the Jimmies into fourth & 10, but Grann found Colton Schumacher for an 18-yard catch and first down to the Vikings’ 13.  After an eight-yard run by Zach Hammett and a VCSU personal foul penalty, Grann rushed in for a two-yard score and a 28-17 Jamestown lead with 7:32 left.

On the ensuing kickoff, as the Vikings’ Kolby Jones returned, the Jimmies’ Gabe Krick forced a fumble, which was recovered by Jamestown’s Gunnar Stephens at the VCSU 37.  Jamestown held the ball for 3:20, but Grann threw an incompletion on fourth down and the Vikings had the ball with 4:12 left.

But they only had it for 1:19, because on the drive’s fourth play, Chambers was intercepted by Mason Parker with 2:53 left.

The Jimmies had the ball for just 51 seconds, then punted.  VCSU started from their 21.  UJ’s Jed Rantz had a sack, but Chambers then completed a pass to Nick Mears and two to Dominic Sotomayor.  A Jamestown pass interference penalty placed the Vikings on the UJ 40.  Shortly after, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Jimmies gave VCSU a first down at the Jamestown 25.  After three incompletions, Yzan Lorenzo missed a 42-yard field goal and Jamestown ran out the last 23 seconds.

Belingheri had an interception to end VCSU’s opening drive, but Jamestown’s Aanon Peterson missed a field goal.

Chambers found Austin Richter for a 40-yard completion on third down to the UJ 29, but VCSU had to settle for a 46-yard field goal by Lorenzo and a 3-0 lead with 2:54 left in the first quarter.

Jamestown went three-and-out, but a bad snap on a punt gave the Vikings the ball at the UJ one.  Following a penalty, Laggarius Marshell rushed for a six-yard touchdown with 50 seconds left in the first quarter and a 10-0 VCSU lead.

A Jamestown punt led to a 67-yard scoring drive for the Vikings.  Marshell rushed for 27 of those yards, including the last three for a touchdown with 6:11 left in the first half and VCSU led 17-0.

Jamestown scored their first points with 48 seconds left in the first half.  Grann was four-for-five, with the last completion coming to Schumacher for a 24-yard touchdown and the Jimmies were within 17-6 at halftime.

To start the second half, Jamestown punted, then VCSU punted.  Then, the Jimmies struck big.  Grann hit Isaiah Roebuck for a 70-yard touchdown with 10:26 remaining in the third quarter and trailed just 17-12 after a two-point conversion failed.

Jamestown then recovered an onside kick, but couldn’t move the ball and punted.  VCSU had to again punt, but UJ’s Carlos Julian fumbled the ball away at the end of a 30-yard run and Gavin Gerhardt recovered at the Vikings’ 10.

Again, Valley City State punted and Jamestown started from the Viking 45 and moved to the 10 before a 27-yard field goal by Peterson made the VCSU lead 17-15 after three quarters.

Grann was 23-of-36 passing for Jamestown with 262 yards & two touchdown and also rushed for 12 yards & a score.  Roebuck, in his final game as a Jimmie, had three catches for 76 yards and the big touchdown.  Schumacher had five receptions for 74 yards.  Jed Rantz had eight tackles to finish with 87, edging Gerhardt by three to end the season as the NSAA’s leader in tackles.

Marshell had 70 yards rushing on 18 carries for the Vikings.  Chambers was 13-of-30 passing for 143 yards and two interceptions.  Mears and Sotomayor each had four receptions.  Loke Iese and Georgia Mageo led VCSU in tackles with five each.

VCSU	10	7	0	0	17
UJ	0	6	9	13	28

FIRST QUARTER
VCSU – Yzan Lorenzo 46-yard field goal 2:54 – 3-0 VCSU – 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:42 – Key play: Noah Chambers 40-yard pass to Austin Richter to UJ 29
VCSU – Laggarius Marshell 6-yard TD run 0:50 (Lorenzo XP) – 10-0 VCSU – 1 play, 1 yard, 0:04 – Key play: Bad snap on UJ punt recovered by VCSU at UJ 1

SECOND QUARTER
VCSU – Marshell 3-yard TD run 6:11 (Lorenzo XP) – 17-0 VCSU – 12 plays, 63 yards, 6:05 – Key plays: Marshell 10-yard run to UJ 49, Avery Thorsgard 14-run yard to UJ 3 on 3rd & 3
UJ – Grann 24-yard TD pass to Colton Schumacher 0:48 (XP failed) – 17-6 VCSU – 7 plays, 62 yards, 1:07 – Key play: Grann 18-yard pass to Schumacher to VCSU 44

THIRD QUARTER
UJ – Grann 70-yard TD pass to Roebuck 10:26 (2-point conversion failed) – 17-12 VCSU – 1 play, 70 yards, 0:11
UJ – Aanon Peterson 27-yard field goal 0:31 – 17-15 VCSU – 7 plays, 35 yards. 3:16 – Key plays: VCSU holding penalty for UJ 1st down at VCSU 35, Zach Hammett 11-yard run to VCSU 24, VCSU pass interference penalty for UJ 1st down at VCSU 10

FOURTH QUARTER
UJ – Ezra Belingheri 1-yard blocked punt return TD 14:14 (Peterson XP) – 22-17 UJ – Key play: Tyler Dean sack, 13-yard loss to VCSU 9
UJ – Grann 2-yard TD run 7:32 (XP failed) – 28-17 UJ – Key plays: Grann 43-yard pass to Erastus Antsino to VCSU 31, Grann 18-yard pass to Schumacher to VCSU 13 on 4th & 10

Individual Statistics

RUSHING
VCSU: Marshell 18-70-2 TD, Thorsgard 3-17, Kolby Jones 1-3, TEAM 1-0, Chambers 12-(-17)
UJ: Hammett 13-55, Carlos Julian 6-37, Grann 6-12-TD, TEAM 2-(-27)

PASSING
VCSU: Noah Chambers: 13-30-143-2 INT
UJ: Grann 23-36-262-2 TD

RECEIVING
VCSU: Nick Mears 4-45, Richter 1-40, Trent Finney 3-31, Dominic Sotomayor 4-23, Exavian Westbrook 1-4
UJ: Roebuck 3-76-TD, Schumacher 5-74-TD, Antsino 2-47, Caleb Powell 4-29, Ethan Hoffman 3-26, Dawson Schmidt 3-7, Gage Solano 1-3, Cody Pellaton 1-0, Nate Burke 1-0

	VCSU	UJ
First Downs	17	16
Rushing	35/73	27/77
Passing	143	262
Total Yds	216	339
Att/Comp/Int	13/30/2	23/36/0
Punts/avg	6/26.2	5/36.4
Fumbles/lost	1/1	2/2
Penalties/Yds	12/95	12/104
Time of possession	28:52	31:08

photo credit: University of Jamestown Athletics