Sagan Osborne – Dickinson State Sports & Marketing Information Director
Valley City, N.D. – Dickinson State extended its conference dominance with their 40th consecutive North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) win on Saturday with a 42-24 victory over Valley City State at Lokken Stadium.
"I am really proud of our guys in the win against Valley City," said Head Coach Pete Stanton. "We got off to a slow start but played as well in second quarter as we have in a while. We had great balance on offense and our offensive line was outstanding. We just need to finish it off in our last game in the North Star on senior day [against Dakota State]."
The Blue Hawks (9-1, 8-0 NSAA) maintained their grip on the NSAA, controlling both sides of the ball. After a scoreless first quarter, Dickinson State erupted in the second quarter with 28 points, creating a lead VCSU (3-6, 2-5 NSAA) couldn't recover from.
The Vikings opened the scoring early in the second quarter with a 36-yard field goal by Yzan Lorenzo, capping a 12-play, 73-yard drive. Dickinson State responded quickly when quarterback Will Madler connected with Gage Gilbert on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Following that, Jackson Simonson scored two consecutive rushing touchdowns, pushing the lead to 21-3.
Madler then found Semaj Clark for a 14-yard touchdown, wrapping up a 7-play, 67-yard drive before halftime and giving Dickinson State a 28-3 lead. This decisive second quarter performance put Valley City State in a deficit it could not overcome.
Valley City State emerged strong in the third quarter, as quarterback Noah Chambers orchestrated an 80-yard drive, finishing with a 77-yard touchdown pass to Exavian Westbrook. Chambers later connected with Jake Deutsch for a 22-yard touchdown, trimming Dickinson State's lead to 28-17.
However, Dickinson State responded quickly, with Madler throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Simonson late in the third quarter after a 10-play, 78-yard drive, widening the lead to 35-17.
Valley City State scored once more in the fourth quarter with a 4-yard pass to Westbrook, but Dickinson State maintained control. Carson Hunter's 8-yard rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter sealed the victory, finalizing the score at 42-24.
Madler finished the game with 246 yards, completing 17 of 24 passes and throwing three touchdowns. Simonson, who added two rushing touchdowns and a touchdown reception, led Dickinson State on the ground with 136 yards on 22 carries. Clark caught five passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, highlighting Dickinson State's offensive versatility.
Chambers threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns for Valley City State but faced persistent defensive pressure from Dickinson State, who held the Vikings to just 76 rushing yards.