Rocky's offense was slow to start, being forced into a pair of three-and-outs to open the game. Valley City built early momentum on its opening drive, advancing deep into Rocky territory, but a blocked field goal kept the contest tied at 0-0. The Battlin' Bears struck on their third offensive possession when Jhett Schwahn connected with Javonte King on a high-point catch-and-run for a 48-yard touchdown, giving Rocky a 6-0 lead following a missed PAT.
Valley City State recorded its first points of the day early in the second quarter, capping a 13-play drive with a 42-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 6-3. Schwahn and King answered with another splash play, hooking up for a 42-yard completion to set Rocky up inside the red zone. Two plays later, Ty Battle punched it into the end zone to extend the Battlin' Bears' lead to 13-3 with 11:30 remaining in the half.
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With a pair of Battlin' Bear running backs sidelined, Reid Chauvin stepped into an expanded role in the backfield after the Rocky defense forced a fourth-down stop near midfield. Chauvin carried six times for 29 yards as the Battlin' Bears methodically worked their way downfield, setting up Schwahn and King for a three-yard jump-ball touchdown in the corner of the end zone to push the lead to 20-3. Valley City State responded before halftime, capping an 11-play, 76-yard drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown with just 20 seconds left. However, the Battlin' Bears blocked the extra point attempt, keeping the score at 20-9 at the break.
After both teams opened the second half with three-and-outs, Valley City State mounted a drive midway through the third quarter. Rocky's defense held firm in the red zone, forcing a 32-yard field goal to make it a 20-12 game with 6:03 remaining in the quarter. As Rocky's offense sputtered, Valley City nearly erased the deficit, executing a six-yard trick-play touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. However, the Battlin' Bear defense preserved the lead by denying the two-point conversion, holding a 20-18 advantage.
Rocky regained offensive rhythm by leaning on its ground game, as Battle and Chauvin combined for 25 rushing yards on a 10-play, 52-yard drive. Jordan Legg capped the march with a 24-yard field goal, pushing the Battlin' Bear lead to 23-18 with seven minutes remaining. Valley City quickly swung momentum back, needing just five plays to cover 75 yards and take a 24-23 lead, but the Rocky defense came up big once again on the two-point attempt to keep the deficit at a single point.
Things looked grim for Rocky when Schwahn was intercepted for the first time this season on the second play of the subsequent drive. However, the Rocky defense stepped up with a critical three-and-out, forcing a Viking punt at the two-minute timeout. Schwahn returned to center and orchestrated an eight-play, 63-yard game-winning drive. He hit Battle in the flat for 18 yards, then found Bergen Mysse two plays later for a 16-yard gain to move into field goal range. A pair of Valley City penalties pushed the Battlin' Bears inside the 10-yard line, and with just 19 seconds remaining, Schwahn found King in the back corner of the end zone for another jump-ball touchdown, the duo's third scoring connection of the day. Rocky then ran a trick play of their own on the two-point conversion, as Gage Goltz took a reverse pitch and threw to Tyler Anderson to push the score to 31-24.
With 19 seconds left and one timeout, Valley City made a last-gasp attempt to drive downfield, but the Battlin' Bears broke up a final lateral attempt to seal their first home victory of the season and a 1-0 start to East Division play.
