MVC football: No. 10 Vikings crush Evangel

Junior quarterback Chris White had reason to celebrate, throwing four touchdown passes and running for another one during the Vikings' 38-6 win over Evangel.
(Chris Allen/Democrat-News)

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Saturday's wasn't one of them.

The 10th-ranked Vikings jumped all over their Homecoming guests in rechristened Volney C. Ashford Stadium with four first-quarter touchdowns en route to a 38-6 Heart of America Conference victory. After building a 35-0 lead during the game's opening 20 minutes, Valley coasted the rest of the way.

The Vikings scored two plays into the game, a 14-yard catch by senior Walter Ingram followed by the first of junior Chris White's four touchdown passes -- 52 yards to junior Darrell Madry.

The haplessness of the Crusaders' offense under sophomore quarterback Freddie Brown was demonstrated when he was separated from the ball on a sack by promising freshman Sam Jackson, junior Rodney Thomas recovering on the Evangel 29-yard line.

After a holding penalty negated a first down, White tossed a 31-yard scoring strike to tight end Scott Humphrey -- winner of the annual Ted Chitwood Award for the game's top Valley senior.

Jackson almost had a defensive score, but dropped a possible interception at the EU 30. Still, the Vikings' defense held and White's 12-yard pass to Humphrey began a five-play drive capped by Madry's zigzagging 30-yard catch and run.

It was only on the next series that the Crusaders (1-5, 1-5 HAAC) managed a first down, but the end result was a punt which pinned Valley at its own 8-yard line.

It didn't matter, though, as White found sophomore Josh Reid on a 62-yard bomb to set up a 7-yard quarterback keeper into the end zone during the final minute of the first period.

That's when Brown was lifted in favor of junior Richie Roepke, Evangel's starter before an injury sidelined him last week. The payoff wasn't immediate for the Crusaders, but Roepke eventually completed 20 of 33 pass attempts for 150 yards and the team's only score -- a 3-yard flip to junior Brenton Roggow with 18 seconds left in the game.

Meanwhile, after being forced to punt for the first time early in the second period, the Vikings got the ball back on the visitors' 9-yard line when a snap sailed over the head of Evangel punter Trevor Gies. Three plays later, junior Bryan Blackley scored on a 3-yard pass.

Before finally cashing in during the game's closing seconds, Roepke directed Evangel's offense deep into MVC territory three times -- only to come up empty on three field-goal tries. Two were blocked, by junior Sam Toomer with 2:26 remaining the first half and freshman Ryan Buster with 1:15 to go in the third.

The other try, also in the third quarter, was an errant snap which resulted in an 8-yard loss and fumble recovered by junior Jesse Putnam.

The last Valley score was a 24-yard field goal by senior Adrian Trevino, which followed Madry's 45-yard punt return and seven straight carries by sophomore Ethan Leigh for 35 yards.

White was 15 of 26 passing for 265 yards, his sixth game with an efficiency rating of 148 or better. He currently ranks 11th in the NAIA with a 160.1 rating, having thrown 18 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.

The Vikings (6-1, 6-1) now enter the stretch run in their quest for a third playoff appearance in the last four years, facing ranked teams the next two weeks -- including Saturday's tilt at No. 20 Central Methodist, which probably won't be downgraded much for a 52-7 loss at NCAA Division I Football Championship Series member North Carolina Central.