VALLEY CITY, ND. (NewsDakota.com) The Viking offense inflicted plenty of second-half damage on the 17th-ranked Dickinson State Bluehawks Saturday.
But the Hawks inflicted a bit more in the first.
Noah Chambers, playing in his first game in three weeks, threw for 352 yards and three scores, but the Vikings could not overcome four second-quarter Bluehawk touchdowns in a 42-24 loss to Dickinson State in the 2024 home finale.
Exavian Westbrook had a breakout game for the Vikings, catching six passes for 101 yards and two scores, including a 77-yard grab-and-dash for the first score of the third quarter.
Jake Deutsch had five catches for 101 yards and a score, highlighted by a 22-yard jumping catch in tight coverage for a touchdown that sliced a 25-point lead to 11 with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.
But the second quarter proved a blow the Vikings could not recover from. Bluehawk quarterback Will Madler led Dickinson State down the field after the Vikings had taken a 3-0 lead, hitting Gage Gilbert for a 35-yard scoring strike, delivering a Hawk 7-3 lead with 11:15 left in the half.
What followed was a spiral.
The Bluehawks would block a punt on the next Viking possession, setting up at the VCSU six-yard line. Jackson Simonson would start a big day with a two-yard plunge for the second Dickinson State score in 1:28.
Westbrook would make an inadvertent fair-catch signal on the ensuing kickoff, and the Vikings would stall on a drive that started at their own five giving the ball back to Dickinson State at the Bluehawk 45. Simonson would score on a 10-yard scamper to push the lead to 21-3 at the 5:32 mark.
Dickinson State would get the ball a final time in the half, and Madler hit Semaj Clark for a 14-yard score with 44 seconds left in the half. Its was a 10:31, 28-point scoring spree that put the Vikings in a 28-3 hole at the break.
After the Vikings cut the lead to 28-17 on the scores by Westbrook and Deutsch, Sadler answered with a two-yard strike on fourth-and-goal with 13 seconds left of the third. The Vikings answered with Westbroook’s second score, a four-yard grab to again reduce the lead to 11 at 35-24 with 11:29 left.
Dickinson State landed the final punch with a Carson Hunter eight-yard score to seal the result with 5:56 left. The final Viking drive came up empty and the Hawks held on for their eighth win of the season.
Chambers finished 22-38 for 352 yards and three scores. Madler ended his day 17-24 for 246 yards and three scoring throws. Simonson rushed 22 times for 136 yards and two scores, and added three catches for 33 yards and a receiving touchdown.
Dickinson State has wrapped up the NSAA championship, and is now 8-1. The Vikings fell to 2-5 in league play, 3-6 overall, and finish the season at University of Jamestown next week.