Saif Sarfani, Campus Carrier Asst. Entertainment Editor
The Vikings football team won its inaugural game at the new Valhalla Stadium and Williams Field against the LaGrange Panthers, beating them 16-13 in overtime Saturday. With more than 4,500 students, family, friends and alumni in attendance, seats were packed with fans cheering on the Vikings.
The Vikings started out slow, allowing the Panthers to score the first point. But they picked up later on. Fans anticipated the Vikings to score the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, closely watching each move.
However, the score was tied and the game went into overtime. Each team started planning how they wanted to win. Junior kicker and punter Mitchell Blanchard was tasked with scoring the winning field goal. “The offense just set me up: one, two, three down the middle and gave me a chance to do my job and I put it through,” Blanchard said.
The goal immediately caused fans to jump out of their seats in excitement and rush towards the field. After the singing of the alma mater and fireworks, fans were allowed on the stadium turf to congratulate the Vikings on their victory.
Junior wide reciever Chris Lilly talked about the Vikings’ advantage in spite of the Panthers’ first point.
“Strengths in the game were being able to combat adversity even though they scored first,” Lilly said. “We were able to capitalize on some things we messed up on first try, but [we] were able to get a score out of it.”
Senior full back and tight end Carsten Boehm talked about preparing for the game against LaGrange.
“Just making sure to be motivated to go out and practice and get better, not just personally, but also help the team get better,” Boehm said. “I think we were both solid teams and we both stepped up our game.”
Head football coach Tony Kunczewski said that Dan Reeves, an NFL coach and player, came in to speak to the team about building confidence as a young program.
Reeves helped the team understand that there will be ups and downs in the game, “but to put that aside and play the next play,” Kunczewski said. In terms of the game, Kunczewski also talked about how team ran the football from an offensive standpoint in order to tackle LaGrange’s defensive strategy. He said that Blanchard was “outstanding” at scoring the winning point.
Blanchard’s field goal immediately caused fans to jump out of their seats in excitement and rush towards the field.
After the alma mater and fireworks, fans were allowed on to the field and congratulate the Vikings on their victory. Williams Field was packed with joy and celebration in honor of the inaugural win.
Attendees expressed their views about the new stadium and winning.
“I think it’s a lot of fun and I’m really excited about it. It adds kind of a fun weekend atmosphere,” senior Peyton Teem said.
Sophomore Anna Loncar said that she was really excited for the game. “It was awesome that we won because it was the first game in the new stadium,” Loncar said.
Alumnus Bob Williams (62H), the namesake of Williams Field, said the stadium will bring attention to the campus.
“Having the stadium on campus will increase the vibrancy on campus tremendously. I think that four or five times a year, we’re going to have five to six thousand people come into the campus,” Williams said.
He also said that the stadium will increase the football program’s recognition all across the country.
Stacy Bluse, mother of freshman quarterback Steven Bluse, spoke about her excitment. “Our family is very excited about the opening of Valhalla,” Bluse said. “We were here for the first game at Barron Stadium and now he’s a freshman for the first time in Valhalla so it’s a very exciting experience.”
John Edden, father of freshman quarterback Joe Edden, said that the pride level with the new stadium will increase the name recognition of Berry College.
According to the Berry LifeReady Campaign website, “‘Valhalla’ refers to the ‘Great Wall of Viking Warriors,’ a fitting name for the Berry Vikings’ new home.” With the new stadium fully operational now, other sports teams will also play on the field including. Encircling the perimeter of the field is Clark Track and Dickey Field used by track and field student athletes for training and meets.
The Vikings’ next home game is Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Rhodes College Lynx.