DICKINSON, N.D. — Ty Dassinger rushed for a career-high 107 yards and accounted for two touchdowns as Dickinson State produced its best rushing performance of the season in a 24-3 Frontier Conference East Division victory over Valley City State on Saturday at the Biesiot Activities Center.
The Blue Hawks rushed for 268 yards, surpassing their previous season high of 204, and finished with 425 yards of total offense. Dickinson State also held Valley City State to 191 yards and three points, both season-best defensive marks.
Dickinson State improved to 4-5 overall and 3-1 in Frontier East play, keeping the Blue Hawks in contention for the division title and its automatic berth in the NAIA Football Championship Series. Valley City State fell to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in the division.
Dassinger, a Dickinson native and Trinity High School graduate, carried 22 times for 107 yards and a touchdown while also catching a 3-yard touchdown pass. His rushing total marked the first 100-yard performance by a Blue Hawk this season.
Dickinson State established the run early and controlled the ball for more than 36 minutes. The Blue Hawks put together two long first-half touchdown drives that covered a combined 164 yards and took nearly 16 minutes off the clock.
The first covered 70 yards in 14 plays. Dassinger finished the possession with a 7-yard touchdown run to give Dickinson State a 7-0 lead with 4:21 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Blue Hawks followed with an even longer possession after taking over at their own 6-yard line late in the first quarter.
Dickinson State marched 94 yards in 17 plays, converting four third downs along the way. Hudsen Grovom capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Dassinger, extending the lead to 14-0 with 9:26 remaining in the second quarter.
The Blue Hawks took that advantage into halftime and continued to control the game after the break.
Nik Halvorson added a field goal late in the third quarter to extend Dickinson State's lead to 17-0.
Valley City State broke through early in the fourth when Walker Brondos connected on a 30-yard field goal, but Dickinson State answered immediately.
The Blue Hawks went 80 yards in four plays, with Grovom connecting with Adrien Calderon for a 36-yard touchdown to push the lead to 24-3 with 8:52 remaining.
Grovom completed 11 of 18 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also contributed 49 yards on eight carries as Dickinson State averaged 5.4 yards per rushing attempt.
"It was a complete team effort today and we played some Blue Hawk football," said head coach Pete Stanton. "We played hard on defense, ran the ball well and competed well on the special teams. I'm very proud of our guys."
Calderon led the receiving corps with three catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. After recording 161 yards against Rocky Mountain last week, Calderon has totaled 244 receiving yards over Dickinson State's past two games.
Scott Eckel added three receptions for 43 yards. Markiel Cockrell rushed for 39 yards on eight carries, while Caleb Rist added 38 yards on seven attempts.
Dickinson State's defense kept Valley City State out of the end zone and limited the Vikings to 60 rushing yards and 131 through the air.
Chase Selle and Brody Jenness led the Blue Hawks with five tackles apiece. Dylan Dahlgren recorded a sack and forced a fumble, while Armani Smith contributed to two sacks as Dickinson State finished with three sacks and six pass breakups.
Saturday's victory also avenged Dickinson State's 28-25 loss at Valley City State on Sept. 3 and ended a two-game losing streak against the Vikings. Dickinson State now holds a 54-37-5 advantage in the all-time series.
The Blue Hawks close the regular season with consecutive road games, beginning Saturday, Oct. 31, at Montana State-Northern in Havre, Mont. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Mountain. Dickinson State then travels to Montana Tech for its regular-season finale Nov. 7.
