The Vikings first game of the season kicked off in an unfamiliar venue, as this game had to be moved last minute to Jordal due to a surprising amount of snow falling in Oslo the day before the game. In less surprising news, the Vikings came out of the locker rooms fired up and ready to battle.
The Royal Crowns elected to defer after winning the coin toss, setting the stage for C.J Fowler to lead a loaded offense onto the field. The Vikings did not disappoint, driving down the field efficiently and scoring on the first drive of the season. Offense proved to be the main story of the game for both teams in what was a game with a lot of different players contributing offensively for both teams.
Standout performances
Vilgot Valeskog had himself a day, finishing the game with 8 rushing attempts for 111 yards and 2 TD’s, 1 reception for 9 yards and a TD, and 1 kick return for 89 yards and yet another TD. All in all, Valeskog had 4 TD’s and 209 total yards. Valeskog looks like a star in the making.
Anthony Thach averaged 8,6 yards per attempt, rushing 5 times for 43 yards, picking up three first downs on consecutive runs and finishing off with a TD. Thach would also add 4 kick returns for another 46 yards, totaling 89 all purpose yards on the day. Thach looked solid in his first outing, proving the Vikings are set at the RB position for years to come.
C.J Fowler finished the game with 204 yards passing, going 15 of 28 with two touchdowns. Fowler also had 8 rush attempts totaling 31 yards along with two more touchdowns. What the stats do not show is the times Fowler evaded pressure and turned potential sacks and negative plays into gains. One example of this was on a crucial fourth down. Fowler took the snap and willed his way to the first down.
Game recap
After the Vikings initial score, young phenom on the Royal Crowns, RB Vilgot Valeskog, took the ensuing kick off 89 yards for his first score of the day. On the Royal Crowns very next drive, QB Jared Heywood would find Valeskog out of the backfield. Valeskog caught the ball and walked into the endzone for his second score. The Royal Crowns started to build momentum and Valeskog would score on a 48 yard run, completing the hat trick and putting up scores returning, receiving and rushing.
The Vikings offense started showing some life again after a being shut down after the opening drive. Late in the second quarter, QB C.J Fowler found Elias Moland-Wulff deep down the right sideline, setting the Vikings O up on the two yard line. After a failed FB dive, Fowler took matters into his own hands, leaping over the pile for the score. The Vikings elected to go for two, and Fowler hit receiver Niklas Fengler for the two-point conversion.
The Vikings started to pick up momentum, especially when The Sackening, Thomas Holt Sundby, stripped Heywood and recovered the fumble himself. Fowler and the rest of the offense picked up right where they left off, needing only one play to score. Fowler hit receiver Matthew Snawder for the 15 yard score, cutting the lead to 21-28.
The Royal Crowns would respond immediately, driving the length of the field in just over a minute. Heywood found the 2023 scoring leader Edvin Almeida Taborda for the score. The Vikings would do their best two minute drill, but ultimately fell short as the last second field goal attempt was blocked. Score heading into halftime: 21-34.
The Royal Crowns started the second half with the ball and their offense looking promising. The Vikings D held strong, eventually forcing a turnover on downs. This didn’t seem to matter much, because after a short drive from the Vikings, the Royal Crowns offense was back on the field, and QB Heywood quickly went deep to Taborda for another score.
The Vikings offense kept on churning, running the ball well between the tackles and sprinkling in deep passes. Fowler would connect on another deep ball, this time hitting Snawder for a 50 yard score. On the play, Snawder caught the ball before putting the safety on skates and running into the endzone.
The Royal Crowns and Vikings traded blows as Heywood passed to receiver Oscar Atterhall for a touchdown before up and coming running back Anthony Thach rushed for a five yard score, his first ever for the Vikings senior team. Not to be outdone, Valeskog and the Royal Crowns put up one more rushing TD for good measure, speeding through the middle of the Vikings defense for a 32 yard score. Final score: Vikings 37 – Royal Crowns 56.
**All photos credited to @shotbyanika (Instagram)**