DES MOINES, IA - Grand View outscored Culver-Stockton 40-0 after falling behind in the second quarter, rolling to a 47-17 win at Duke Williams Stadium on a sunny, 75-degree Saturday afternoon. The Vikings improve to 7-1 on the year and 4-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play, extending their winning streak to four games.
Culver-Stockton came out swinging. Grand View took the opening possession 53 yards on 12 plays, using more than six minutes of clock and finishing with a 6-yard touchdown run from Casey Rooney to make it 7-0. The Wildcats answered with a 73-yard scoring drive that took just over two minutes and ended with a 51-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 7-7. After the Vikings lost a fumble on their next possession, Culver-Stockton recovered at the Grand View 31 and scored on a 1-yard run to take a 14-7 lead. Bradyn Cory's punt then pinned the Wildcats at their own 8, and the Grand View defense forced a punt as the first quarter ended.
Culver-Stockton stretched its lead to 17-7 early in the second quarter on a 24-yard field goal, but the Grand View defense held firm inside the 15-yard line to limit that drive to three points, and the Wildcats would not score again. The Vikings answered in a hurry. Dalten Van Pelt ripped off runs of 9, 2, and 10 yards to start a six-play, 77-yard drive, Rooney found Bryant Williams for 28 yards, and Rooney hit Lance Clayburg for a 21-yard touchdown to make it 17-14. After a three-and-out by the defense, Jack Jepson entered at quarterback and went 6 plays, 63 yards, completing a 30-yard pass to Triston Williams before Isaac Kracl ran it in from 16 yards out to give Grand View a 21-17 lead.
Culver-Stockton had one more chance before the break and marched to the Grand View 3-yard line in the closing seconds. With eight seconds left, Simeon Reichenbach stepped in front of a pass at the goal line and raced 100 yards for a touchdown as time expired, sending Grand View into the locker room with a 28-17 lead. The Vikings scored three touchdowns over the final 6:39 of the half.
Culver-Stockton opened the second half with a 13-play, 72-yard drive that reached the Grand View 3-yard line but came up empty on a missed field goal. The Vikings flipped the field from there. Cory launched a 70-yard punt that pinned the Wildcats at their own 1-yard line, and two plays later Culver-Stockton was tackled in its own end zone for a safety, making it 30-17. Kracl returned the free kick 33 yards, and Jepson capped a four-play, 38-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Quez Hall to make it 37-17. Reichenbach picked off his second pass of the day on the Wildcats' next possession, and Van Pelt finished the ensuing drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 44-17 with 1:33 left in the quarter.
The fourth quarter brought one more score. Bryant Williams had an 85-yard touchdown run wiped out by a holding penalty on the first snap, but Grand View still worked its way down the field, and Dominic Witt's 46-yard field goal with 7:37 left made it 47-17. Culver-Stockton drove to near midfield on its next possession, but Jake Trenary sacked the quarterback on fourth down to end the threat, and the Vikings' reserves ran out the final minutes.
GAME NOTES
- Grand View outscored Culver-Stockton 40-0 after trailing 17-7 in the second quarter, and has now won four straight games
- Simeon Reichenbach intercepted two passes for 108 return yards, including a 100-yard touchdown return on the final play of the first half
- Jack Jepson was 9 of 10 for 114 yards and a touchdown, and Casey Rooney was 7 of 10 for 89 yards and a touchdown to go with a rushing score, as Grand View totaled 394 yards, 203 through the air and 191 on the ground
- Triston Williams led all receivers with 45 yards, Lance Clayburg caught four passes for 44 yards and a touchdown, and Ja'Quez Hall added 44 yards and a score
- Bryant Williams ran for 76 yards on 11 carries, Dalten Van Pelt added 61 yards and a touchdown, and Isaac Kracl scored on a 16-yard run and totaled 70 yards on two kickoff returns
- The Grand View defense broke up 11 passes, led by 5 from Corin Greenwell, while Drew Gerdes had 9 tackles and Kellen Moore added 8
- Bradyn Cory punted twice for 114 yards, including a 70-yarder, and both landed inside the 20; Dominic Witt hit a 46-yard field goal and had 5 touchbacks on 7 kickoffs, and Cory Wood was 6 of 6 on extra points
UP NEXT
Grand View wraps up its regular season home schedule on Senior Day at Duke Williams Stadium in Des Moines, IA, against William Penn University (Iowa) on October 31st at 12:00 PM.
