[Football] No. 7 Grand View Defeats Graceland 56-14

Des Moines, Iowa – Grand View hosted and defeated Graceland on a blustery Saturday afternoon. The Vikings forced 4 turnovers on defense and averaged 8.5 yards/play on offense to cruise to a 56-14 victory. Grand View improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the division, while Graceland remains winless at 0-8 overall and 0-2 in the North.

The Vikings made the first big play of the afternoon when Kemaad Jones (SR/Wharton, TX / Wharton HS) intercepted the pass attempt from the Yellowjacket quarterback at the home teams' own 4-yard line. The safety returned the ball 35 yards to regain the possession for Grand View.

It was also the Vikings who first found a way onto the scoreboard. In their 3rd drive of the game, Ben Ferkin (SO/Waukee, IA./ Waukee HS) kept the snap and ran 66 yards to the end zone. This gave Grand View a 7-0 lead with 5:36 left in the first quarter.

After forcing a Yellowjacket punt, the Vikings found themselves on their own 1-yard line after the ball was downed. Even though they began with their backs against the wall, the offense was able to take the football 99 yards downfield and score for the second straight possession. The drive took 12 plays and 8:08 off the clock. It was highlighted by 35 and 24-yard runs by running backs Jerry Lowe (JR/Tama, IA./ South Tama HS.) and Jett Kettwick (SR/Clarinda, IA./ IWCC) respectively. Lowe would be the man to finish the job as he powered his way past the goal line from 2 yards out to give Grand View a 14-0 advantage.

The following defensive possession, the Viking defense would garner its second interception of the contest. This time it was Tony Anderson (SR/Elancourt, FR / Santa Barbara High School) who picked off the errant pass and returned it to midfield.

It wouldn't be long for the offense to make their opponents pay for the mistake. In a single play, Ferkin pitched the ball to Ben Rooney (JR/Donnellson, IA. / Ellsworth CC) who sped downfield 50 yards for the score. This was the third week in a row that the Vikings scored in their first play of a drive. The home team now held a 21-0 lead.

Graceland would score once before the end of the first half and push for a second touchdown. Russell Jones (SR/Waterloo, IA./East High/IWCC), however, forced and recovered a fumble from the Grand View 9-yard line as the clock expired. The Vikings would go into the halftime intermission ahead 21-8.

The Vikings were absolutely dominating in the 3rd-quarter. They began the second half on defense. The defensive unit forced a 3-and-out which was highlighted by a forced fumble by Brian Grace (JR/Salinas, CA. / Hartnell CC) on the quarterback keeper.

Lowe once again came up with a big run for the Vikings as he rumbled 43 yards to paydirt and gave Grand View a 28-8 advantage.

The defense followed up their previous performance with another 3-and-out and a blocked punt by Cameron Maxfield (SO/Bettendorf, IA / Bettendorf HS). The block gave the ball back to the offensive unit on Graceland's 17-yard line. Ferkin would keep it himself and carry the ball into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon. Grand View now held a 35-8 lead.

After forcing a third straight 3-and-out, the Vikings would take over in their own territory once again. 7 plays and almost 3:00 later Kettwick would carry the ball into the end zone from 7 yards out and give the home team a 42-8 advantage.

The big plays kept coming as Tray Brown (SR/Lawrenceville, GA / ICCC) intercepted the Yellowjacket quarterback for the third time on the afternoon. Brown returned the turnover 37 yards for a defensive touchdown with 0:13 left on the clock. Grand View now held a 49-8 lead going into the final quarter of play.

Graceland would score on their first possession of the 4th-quarter to decrease the Grand View lead to 49-14.

The Vikings would answer the touchdown with a touchdown of their own. With the ball on the Grand View 39-yard line, the offense would begin its trek downfield. With J.T. Brown (JR/West Des Moines, IA./ Dowling Catholic HS) in and running the offense, the Vikings continued to rack up the points. Brown connected with Will Whiton (JR/Perry, IA./ South Dakota State University) for a 39-yard pitch and catch to highlight the drive as well as running in the football on a quarterback keeper from 5 yards out. This gave the Vikings a 56-14 advantage and the final score of the contest.

Keys of the Game…

The Vikings gained 502 yards of offense on only 59 plays. This resulted in an impressive 8.5 yards gained/play.

Grand View scored touchdowns on 8 of its 12 offensive drives.

The Vikings were dominant in the 3rd-quarter. The team scored 28 points while having the football for less than 6 minutes of game time. The defense also forced three 3-and-outs in the period.

Grand View forced 4 Graceland turnovers. They returned those turnovers for a total of 160 yards. This included an interception by Tray Brown that he returned for a touchdown. The defensive unit also accumulated 14 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.

Players of Note...

Ben Ferkin completed 6 of his 12 passes for 82 yards and 1 touchdown on a windy afternoon. The sophomore signal caller also ran for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Jerry Lowe rushed for 157 yards on 18 carries. His longest carry was of 43 yards. Lowe also scored 2 touchdowns.

Ben Rooney caught the lone Viking receiving touchdown. The quick wideout scored from 50 yards out after the quick pass from Ferkin.

Ben Slavens (JR/Bettendorf, IA./ Pleasant Valley HS) anchored the Viking defense with 10 tackles which included 3 tackles for loss.

Up Next…

Grand View travels next Saturday, September 27th to Canton, Missouri to battle the Culver-Stockton Wildcats. The Wildcats are currently 2-6 overall and 0-2 in the division after a 13-49 loss to the 11th-ranked Benedictine Ravens. Kickoff is set for 12:00 PM. Check back with gvvikings.com for a complete recap and follow the Vikings on social media (@VikingAthletics) for in-game updates.