The No. 20 Viking football team took to the field Saturday afternoon in front of nearly 1,800 fans at Williams Stadium. Grand View (1-0) did not disappoint with a 28-0 defeat of Black Hills State University (0-1) in the season opener.

The Vikings offense struck first after quarterback Gregory Charles connected with Lester Moffett for a 25-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. The pass from Charles to Moffett gave the Vikings a 7-0 lead, which proved to be more than enough for a tenacious Vikings defensive unit.

The Vikings defense, which was ranked nationally in numerous categories last season, picked up right where they left off in 2009. The Black Hills State offense was only able to muster 42 yards of total offense in the first half, as only gained one first down over the first thirty minutes of football.

The Vikings offense found their momentum in the third quarter, scoring on three rushing touchdowns to take control of the game. Junior Darryl Ford scored twice for the Vikings on a pair of 5-yard runs, while fellow junior Dante Sims scored on a 3-yard run.  

The second half was much of the same for the Vikings defense, as they allowed one first down to the Yellow Jackets and forced two turnovers. The first turnover came when senior defensive back Travis Mohler intercepted a Yellow Jackets pass and returned it sixteen yards. The Vikings forced another turnover when junior Gus Mormann was able to fall on a fumble by the Yellow Jackets Drew Neilsen. 
 

Offensively, the Vikings were led through the air by junior Gregory Charles who finished the afternoon connecting on 11 of 20 passes and one touchdown. Fellow junior quarterback Taylor Bennett was efficient behind center, completing 12 of 18 passes for the Vikings.

Ford finished the afternoon with game-highs in carries and yards, rushing 15 times for 91 yards. Ford's most exciting carry of the contest came in the second quarterback when he took a hand-off and busted loose on a 51-yard run from scrimmage.

Moffett was the Vikings number one target through the air, finishing the season opener with six catches and one touchdown. Senior tight end Nick Eaton kept many drives alive for the Vikings on Saturday, catching five balls for 69 yards. In his first game as a Viking, freshman Taylor Goebel finished with 4 catches and 45 yards.

The Viking defense, which held the Yellow Jackets to 12 yards rushing, was led in tackles by senior E.J. Peterson. Peterson ended the afternoon with 4 solo tackles and five assisted tackles. Mohler picked off the Yellow Jackets twice to lead the Vikings in interceptions on Saturday.

Grand View will face Saint Francis in the Vikings first road contest of the season on September 11^th at 6:00 pm. The contest against Saint Francis will be the MSFA Midwest League opener for both teams. The Vikings will return home on September 18^th for the VSN NAIA Game of the Week against Marian College at 1p.m.