FRANKLIN, Ind. -- Vikings Football kicked off their season Saturday evening on the road making the trip to Indiana to face the Grizzlies of Franklin College. This marks the first of two non-conference games for North Park to open the season as the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) must to wait until 2027-2028 for Concordia University-Wisconsin to be a full-time core member.
North Park wasted no time putting points on the board as sophomore quarterback Paul Palmer, who started a handful of games last season, made the start this evening and led the Vikings down the field for a touchdown on their opening drive. On 2nd & 6 just outside of the redzone, Palmer took it up the middle for a 24-yard touchdown run that put the Vikings up 7-0 early after the extra point from Robert Kubon. Early in the second quarter, the Vikings continued their offensive rhythm marching down the field again for another touchdown to take a 14-0 lead. This time Palmer found freshman receiver Kendale Cade in the middle of the endzone on a deep slant for his first score of his college career.
Through most of the first half, North Park's defense held the Grizzlies scoreless; linebacker Kory Pradia had his nose around the ball often, leading the Vikings' early defensive success with 3 tackles and a sack to his name. With just over six minutes left in the half, Franklin broke their scoring spell with a 31-yard touchdown catch from receiver Isaiah Miller. After some key defensive stops, the Grizzlies scored once more on a catch and run 12-yard touchdown from Owen Wright to tie the game at 14-14. North Park's offense was able to move the ball down the field quickly to set up a field goal to close out the half and regain the 17-14 lead.
Both teams struggled coming out of the break, however it was Franklin who struck first offensively while continuing to hunker down on the defensive side of the ball. The Grizzlies jumped ahead 28-17 after scoring twice within the final four minutes of the third quarter. Franklin quarterback Marshall Kmiecik's found Owen Wright and Dawson Slaughter for his third and fourth touchdown passes of the day respectively. The first drive of the fourth quarter for the Grizzlies was a 99-yard series that resulted in Kmiecik throwing his fifth touchdown of the day to Owen Wright who ended with three receiving touchdowns on the day.
At 34-17 with less than five minutes remaining, the Vikings refused to be put away so easily. Palmer drove the North Park offense down the field with his legs as well as his arm, capping off the quick four-play drive with a 23-yard pass to running back Bryce Black for the touchdown, inching the Vikings closer 34-24. With a little life left, North Park's defense forced a three-and-out punt on Franklin's proceeding drive, giving the ball right back to their offense in advantageous position at the Grizzlies' 48-yard line. Palmer again used his running backs in the pass game to inch the Vikings closer, this time dumping it off to running back Aidan Delisi three times to get the offense to the 20-yard line; and after getting inside the 10-yard line it was Delisi who capped off the drive with a rushing touchdown to pull the Vikings even closer at 34-31. Unfortunately, the onside kick attempt was no good and Franklin was able to run out the clock from midfield.
Top Performers
- Aidan Delisi - 13 rushes for 53 rushing yards, rushing TD; 6 catches for 44 receiving yards
- Paul Palmer - 21/34, 185 yards, 2 passing TDs; 9 rushes for 67 yards, rushing TD
- Bryce Black - 4 catches for 50 yards, receiving TD
- Armando Martinez - 9 total tackles, 5 solo, 4 assisted, 2 TFL assists
- Kory Pradia - 3 solo tackles, 1 sack
- DJ Johnson - 4 solo tackles, 1 PBU
What's Next?
North Park will stay on the road next week when they head to Michigan to face off against the University of Olivet on September 12th at 1pm ET.
