Vikings offense started with a bang on Sept. 6 against West Hills Coalinga Falcons with a walloping  49-26 to begin the 2019 season.

Freshman quarterback Dylan Graham threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Tyerell Sturges-Cofer ran for 124 yards with one touchdown.

“We did a lot of really good things tonight,” said head coach Mike Darr, who emphasized the team’s focus on fundamentals and player responsibility on the field. “The first game is always tough. We’re a better team than last year. But we also made some mistakes tonight.”

Darr said the Vikings had too many penalties—13 in all, which cost them a total of 133 yards.

Jerone Davidson, a 6’2” cornerback who recorded one tackle, said he felt good in the opener.

“I could have been a little more physical with the receiver in front of me, but overall I held my own.” Davidson said.

Austin Williams also contributed to the win, rushing for 66 yards on 10 carries.

Besides dominating on offense, the Vikings defense posted some good numbers, turning in four interceptions for 93 yards.

However, they also made a lot of mental errors, according to 6’3” cornerback Teaun-Tr’e Pierce.

“We gave up 26 points, and with a team like this we shouldn’t have really done that,” he said.

Quarterback Nic Visser, who was 2 for 2 in pass receptions for 28 yards, said he did his homework before coming to the season opener.

“I woke up this morning, pulled out my phone, looked at the play sheet, and made sure I was physically and mentally ready for today’s game.” said Visser.

The Vikings play again Saturday 5 p.m. at Feather River College, located in the Sierra foothills, northeast of Chico. The next home game is Sept. 28 against Sierra College.