Valley City State upends Waldorf in Dacotah Bank/NSAA opener
By: Waldorf Sports Information Director
VALLEY CITY, North Dakota – Valley City State University carried out its game plan to hand the Waldorf University football team a 36-7 loss during Saturday’s Dacotah Bank/North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) opener.
“They executed, they played with intensity and they were disciplined,” Waldorf coach Kent Anderson said. “Basically, that was everything we were not. It’s disappointing, because we were absolutely listless in our effort and focus.”
The Vikings (2-2, 1-0) produced 416 yards of total offense, rolling up 205 yards on the ground in a balanced attack.
“They just did exactly what we thought they would do, and they do it well,” Anderson said.
Offensively, the Warriors (1-4, 0-1) were limited to a season-low 225 yards. Waldorf’s offense entered the day averaging 393 yards per game and also experienced setbacks with three lost fumbles.
“It’s a bit of an anomaly. I don’t know what happened. We were just not in it from the very beginning,” Anderson said. “We were extremely flat and extremely unemotional. You can’t do that against a good team.”
Waldorf quarterback Hilton Joseph completed 18-of-33 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. The redshirt freshman from Miami also ran for 27 yards.
Khalil Walker led the Warriors with 30 yards on four receptions. The sophomore wide receiver from Philadelphia scored the lone TD for the Warriors as he hauled in a 1-yard pass from Joseph with 46 seconds remaining in the game.
Waldorf senior LaRyan Fletcher added 29 yards while catching three passes. Redshirt freshman Cameron Newsome provided 27 yards while pulling down three receptions and junior Ja’Ron Kellem finished with 18 yards on two catches.
The Warriors came into the contest averaging 174 rushing yards, which ranked 30th in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Valley City State held Waldorf to 76 yards on the ground. Redshirt freshman Maliek Stephens led the Warriors, rushing for 35 yards on 15 carries. Freshman Darryel Bethune ran for 15 yards on nine attempts, and redshirt freshman Kerry Curran contributed a 14-yard run.
Senior Trent Jones recorded a team-high 14 tackles for the Warriors, and senior Rigo Verdin collected 10 tackles, including two tackles for a loss. Waldorf senior Jeffrey Heflin turned in nine tackles, freshman Marcel Lindner and junior Wisley Jean came away with six takedowns each, while freshmen Patrick Harris, Martel Emerson and Oreande Glover closed out the game with six tackles apiece.
Valley City State quarterback Kurtis Walls went 19-of-28, passing for 193 yards and TD. Kiefer Langan also completed an 18-yard pass as the Vikings accounted for 211 yards through the air.
Louis Quinones rushed for 90 yards and a TD to pace Valley City State’s ground attack. Anthony Logan powered forward for 44 yards, Walls scrambled for 30 yards and Jacob Duilio added 21 rushing yards.
The Vikings cashed in during the game’s opening possession when Darius Graves found the end zone a 3-yard run. Harrison Hammel, who converted on all three of his point-after attempts, split the uprights to give Valley City State a 7-0 lead with 11 minutes, 39 seconds to play in the first quarter.
Disaster struck for Waldorf on its first possession when a fourth-down punt attempt resulted in a fumble in the end zone. Gavin Kolden recovered the loose ball in the end zone to boost the Vikings to a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest.
Hammel went 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts and knocked through a 22-yard field goal one second into the second quarter, pushing Valley City State to a 17-point advantage.
On the ensuing possession, the Warriors turned the ball over on a fumble at their own 21-yardline. Hammel connected on a 25-yard field goal as the Vikings quickly built a 20-0 lead with 13:23 remaining until halftime.
Valley City State struck again when Quinones busted a 34-yard TD run with 5:05 left in the opening half. The two-point conversion attempt came up empty, sending the Vikings to intermission with a 26-0 lead.
Waldorf put together a 42-yard drive to start the third quarter, but saw it come to an end as the Warriors lost a fumble on Valley City State’s 34-yardline.
The Vikings capitalized on the turnover once again. Walls hit Jake Peterson on a 9-yard TD pass as Valley City State extended its lead to 33-0 with 6:50 to go in the third.
Scoring 36 unanswered points, the Vikings received a 27-yard field goal from Hammel with 14:03 on the clock in the fourth quarter.
Walker pulled down a 1-yard TD pass from Joseph with 46 seconds left in the game. Senior German Ponce added the PAT.
The loss was a tough start to conference play for the Warriors, who Anderson said lacked attitude and effort.
“You can get beat, but if you get beat with little effort and emotion, it’s extremely disappointing,” Anderson said.
Waldorf returns to Bolstorff Field next weekend, starting a two-game homestand. The Warriors host Dakota State University (4-1, 1-0) in next Saturday’s 4 p.m. conference matchup.
Dakota State is ranked No. 24 in the latest NAIA poll and handed Waldorf a 36-14 loss two weeks ago in a nonconference game at Madison, South Dakota. The Trojans entered Saturday ranked seventh in the nation in total offense with 511 yards a game.
“They’ll be balanced,” Anderson said. “They’re going to be good, and we certainly cannot come out like we did on [Saturday].”