Dickinson, N.D. – No. 13 Dickinson State opened the 2025 football season with a 30-15 victory over Valley City State on Thursday night at the Biesiot Activities Center.

The Blue Hawks (1-0) used a balanced effort on both sides of the ball, capitalizing on two turnovers and holding the Vikings (0-1) scoreless in the second half.

Quarterback Marcus Sanders accounted for three touchdowns, throwing for 215 yards and two scores while adding a one-yard rushing touchdown to put Dickinson State ahead early in the first quarter. Sanders finished 14-for-24 passing without an interception.

After Sanders' rushing score capped a 13-play, 73-yard opening drive, Valley City State answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Nick Mears powered in from two yards out to tie the game at 7-7.

In the second quarter, kicker Chase Miller connected on a 27-yard field goal to give Dickinson State a 10-7 lead. Less than a minute later, cornerback Jack Hartman returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Blue Hawks ahead 17-7. Hartman added a second interception later in the half.

Valley City State responded quickly when quarterback Joey Cave found Jake Deutsch on a 47-yard touchdown strike. Mears added a two-point conversion run to cut the deficit to 17-15. That proved to be the Vikings' final score of the game.

Dickinson State took control in the third quarter. Sanders connected with wide receiver Semaj Clark on a 24-yard touchdown pass to cap a 94-yard drive midway through the quarter. On the Blue Hawks' next possession, Sanders hit Chase Crockett for a seven-yard score, extending the lead to 30-15.

"We got off to a great start," said head coach Pete Stanton. "We struggled on both sides in the second quarter, and their quarterback gave us some issues with his scrambling, but we settled in and played a solid second half."

Clark led all receivers with seven catches for 116 yards and one touchdown. Adrien Calderon added two receptions for 45 yards, and Crockett had the short touchdown catch.

The Blue Hawks leaned on their running game to control the clock, rushing 43 times for 111 yards. Jackson Simonson paced the backfield with 49 yards on 16 carries, while Caleb Rist added 34 yards on seven attempts.

Cave led Valley City State with 228 passing yards on 19-for-32 passing, but he was intercepted twice and sacked four times. Deutsch caught four passes for 80 yards and a score.

Defensively, Dickinson State was anchored by Nathaniel Jilek, who recorded four tackles and a sack. The Blue Hawks finished with four sacks and six tackles for loss.

Dickinson State held a 326-302 advantage in total offense and a 31:11 to 22:39 edge in time of possession. The Blue Hawks converted 10-of-17 third downs, while the Vikings were limited to 3-of-10.

Dickinson State will have a bye week before returning to action Sept. 13 on the road at Montana State-Northern.