The 2024 Valley City State Vikings football team represented Valley City State University in the 2024 NAIA football season as a member of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA). The Vikings, led by 28th-year head coach Dennis McCulloch, finished the season with a 3–7 record (2–6 in conference play). The team played its home games at Lokken Stadium in Valley City, North Dakota. While the win-loss record was challenging, the season featured several standout individual performances and marked the final NSAA campaign before transition into the Frontier Conference.
The Vikings opened the season on the road against Minot State Beavers (L 7-38) before recording a road win at Augsburg Auggies (W 24–14). Conference play proved difficult, but VCSU earned victories over the University of Jamestown Jimmies at home (W 38–7) and the Mayville State Comets (W 10–6) to round out the season. Sophomore DB Emanuel Spiyee earned First-Team All-NSAA honors, and several other Vikings were recognized on All-Conference teams.
Offseason
Coaching staff changes
Departures Ethan Postler Quarterbacks / wide receivers coach Arlington Renegades Offensive assistant Alec Brown Special teams coordinator / linebackers coach Bates College Tight ends coachSpecial teams coordinatorhttps://www.sunjournal.com/2024/09/20/winthrop-grad-alec-brown-back-in-maine-coaching-at-bates/
Additions Garrett Baldwin Quarterbacks / wide receivers coach Black Hills High School (WA) Head coach Alan Busey Graduate assistant (Wide receivers) Feather River College Wide receivers coach Jahidi West Graduate assistant (Linebackers) Valley City State Former linebacker
Preseason
Victory Sports Network preview On August 7, 2024, Victory Sports Network released its preseason preview of the North Star Athletic Association, projecting Valley City State to finish third behind Dickinson State and Jamestown.
Victory Sports Network noted that Valley City State returned seven starters on offense and six on defense from its 7–3 team in 2023. Quarterback Avery Thorsgard, tight end Trent Finney, wide receivers Dominic Sotomayor and Exavian Westbrook, offensive lineman Taylor Jones, and first-team all-conference defensive lineman Georgie Mageo were highlighted as key returning players for the Vikings.https://victorysportsnetwork.com/2024/08/07/naia-football-preview-north-star-athletic-association/
+ 2024 Victory Sports Network NSAA preseason prediction 1 2 Jamestown 3 Valley City State 4 Dakota State 5
North Star Athletic Association coaches poll The North Star Athletic Association released its 2024 football coaches' preseason poll on August 19, 2024. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.https://vcsuvikings.com/news/2024/8/19/vcsu-football-picked-2nd-in-nsaa-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx
+ 2024 North Star Athletic Association preseason coaches poll 1 25 5 2 Valley City State 19 — 3 Jamestown 15 — 4 8 — 5 Dakota State 7 —
Schedule
Coaching staff Dennis McCulloch – Head Coach / Defensive Backs (31st season) Gregg Horner – Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Line (31st season) Dustin Yorek – Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line (6th season) Brandon Bouma – Recruiting Coordinator / Running Backs / Tight Ends / Kickers (8th season) Garrett Baldwin – Quarterbacks (1st season) Alan Busey – Wide Receivers (1st season) Jahidi West – Linebackers (1st season) Trent Kosel – Offensive Assistant (4th season) Dave Rausch – Defensive Assistant (38th season)
Postseason awards All-NSAA First Team DB Emanuel Spiyee – So.
All-NSAA Second Team WR Jake Deutsch – So. DL TaQuez Chatman – Jr. OL Bryce Prouty – So. Specialist Exavian Westbrook – So. QB Avery Thorsgard – Sr.
Honorable Mention OL Jonah Larson TE Trent Finney LB Loke Iese DB Gavin Gerhardt
References