PERU, NE - Grand View opened the season on the road and never let Peru State breathe, rolling to a 51-0 win at Oak Bowl on a warm and sunny Saturday night. The Vikings improve to 1-0 on the year and 1-0 in conference play behind three phases all pulling their weight.
Grand View found the end zone twice in the final two minutes of the first quarter. Casey Rooney hit Ja'Quez Hall for a 21-yard touchdown to make it 7-0. Two possessions later, a blocked punt by Mason Sheldahl gave the offense the ball at the Peru State 26, and Rooney needed just one play, a 26-yard strike to Curtis Horras, to push the lead to 13-0.
The second quarter turned into a track meet for the Vikings defense and offense alike. Cory Wood connected on a 32-yard field goal to make it 16-0. A few possessions later, Bryant Williams punched in a 9-yard touchdown run to cap a 10-play, 56-yard drive, and the lead grew to 23-0. Then the Peru State offense imploded on back-to-back series. A bad exchange on a rushing play squirted loose and Leo Jones scooped it up in the end zone for a Grand View touchdown, making it 30-0. On the very next Peru State snap, another fumble was recovered by the Bobcats themselves deep in their own territory, which led to Harry Leinen intercepting CJ Dixon and returning it 42 yards down to the 1-yard line. Dalten Van Pelt walked it in from there, and Grand View led 37-0. Peru State could not answer, and a long field goal try at the buzzer sailed off the crossbar as the Vikings took a 37-0 lead into the locker room.
Grand View kept its foot down in the third quarter. A two-play, 40-yard drive ended with Rooney finding Peyton Goode for a 32-yard touchdown, making it 44-0. The Vikings defense continued to swarm, with Simeon Reichenbach dropping the Peru State quarterback for a 14-yard sack on a key third down. Backup quarterback Jack Jepson saw his first action of the night late in the quarter, moving the offense with completions to Isaac Kracl and Rex Woodley.
The Vikings put the finishing touches on the win early in the fourth quarter. After Peru State turned it over on downs, Jack Jepson found Koah Thompson for a 45-yard gain to set up an Isaac Kracl touchdown run, making it 51-0. Peru State strung together its longest drive of the night afterward, 14 plays, but could not find the end zone and turned it over on downs again after a pair of sacks. Grand View closed the game out with reserves Peyton Rottinghaus and Landon Vander Werff running the offense until the clock hit zero.
GAME NOTES
- 71-game regular-season win streak
- In his debut, Casey Rooney threw for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns, connecting with three different receivers, Ja'Quez Hall, Curtis Horras, and Peyton Goode
- Grand View forced 4 takeaways, including a fumble recovery touchdown by Leo Jones and a 42-yard interception return by Harry Leinen that set up a score
- Mason Sheldahl blocked a Peru State punt in the first quarter, setting up a Grand View touchdown
- Three different Grand View running backs scored on the ground
UP NEXT
Grand View will have their home opener at Duke Williams Stadium in Des Moines, IA, against Central Methodist University (Mo.) on September 5th at 12:00 PM.
TEAM. TEAMMATE. SELF.
