OSKALOOSA, IOWA – No. 2 Viking Football held off William Penn for a big road win to advance to 9-0 on the season and to claim the Rock and Ladder trophy for the sixth straight season by a 35-6 victory. The Vikings are now 4-0 in the conference and have 49 consecutive conference wins.
After William Penn deferred the coin toss, the Vikings would run nine plays for 62 yards to open the game against the Statesmen, melting 4 minutes off of the first quarter. The second-ranked Vikings would score on their opening drive after Jackson Waring found Seth Juhl for six, striking first.
The Statesmen would find ground in their opening offensive possession, but Jaylen Perkins would pick off Jaris Acklin before William Penn could find the end zone. Following the defensive stop, Grand View would again have a successful drive. A 40-yard pass downfield for Juhl would set the Vikings up at the Statesmen's 48-yard line and allow them to trim another 4:43 off the clock and add to their lead after Waring found Avery Gates in the end zone.
Grand View would hold the Statesmen to a 42-yard field goal for their first points of the game following Grand View's first empty possession of the contest. The Vikings would get back on track after Waring found his third receiver of the afternoon for a touchdown, this time in Damon Street for the 39-yard reception.
After exchanging empty possessions, the Vikings would again find the end zone. This time, Waring would punch it in himself for the 5-yard rushing touchdown, giving GVU a 28-3 lead.
To start the fourth quarter, Waring would connect with Aisea Toki for his final passing touchdown of the day and the final Viking score of the game. Giving Grand View their 6th straight win over the William Penn Statesmen with a score of 35-6.
Waring finished 18-27 passing with 245 yards and four touchdowns to four different Vikings. Waring also added 30 rushing yards and scored the Vikings' only rushing touchdown. Tyler Vitzthum was the leading rusher with 90 yards on 13 carries. Seth Juhl had 54 yards on three receptions and one touchdown for Grand View's offense.
Grand View's defense held the Statesmen to just 24 total rushing yards, and they also left them empty-handed in two red zone attempts. Seth Adrian led the Vikings in tackles with 13 total; Adrian also recorded three TFLs.
KEY STATISTICS:
- Grand View notched their 49th-straight conference win after today's victory over William Penn.
- Jaylen Perkins' INT in the first quarter marks his fourth of the season and stopped the Statesmen's first quarter-scoring drive.
- Grand View recorded 411 total yards of offense to WPU 184 yards.
- The Vikings offense was a perfect 4-4 on red zone score/chances.
- Nathan Hamilton pushed to 53-53 PATs made on the season.
UP NEXT
Grand View will conclude its regular season in Dubuque, IA, versus the Clarke Pride next Saturday, November 11th; with a victory, the Vikings will look to claim their fifth straight Heart of America North Division Title.
