Diablo Valley 54, Feather River 18

Determined to turn things around after last season, the Vikings came out on Friday, Sept. 5 showcasing a strong offensive performance, with the team's first drive of the season resulting in a touchdown after only 8 plays. The score came early when quarterback Adam Wood connected with wide receiver Marcus Armstrong-Brown from 33 yards out, giving DVC the lead.

Wood would not stop there, as hecompleted 17 of his 24 passes, and threw for 308 total yards with three touchdowns on the day.

The Viking run-game was on point as well – the team rushed for a total of 268 yards and five touchdowns from four different backs without a single turnover the entire game.

Defensively, the team proved to be solid throughout the game's entirety. The Viking secondary contributed as well, yielding two interceptions from Jerek Rosales and Justin Williams.

Defensive back, Austin Lemak felt as though the team was ready for the start of the season, "Our game plan definitely worked well," Lemak said. "Adam (Wood) performed really well and so did our defense, making tackles and containing the quarterback."

With the first game of the season behind them, the coaching staff is looking forward to see how the changes made in the off-season will pan out. This past year, the coaches have been hard at work recruiting players that they feel will have a positive affect on the team.

Head coach Mike Darr explained, "Our recruiting was focused on getting big bodies on both offense and defense, and we feel we were successful in doing so."

The team has been preparing since early January, and Darr said the players are ready. It was voiced that the team is deep on both sides of the ball and this season is going to be very different from last year.

"We have a stronger core and are more athletic than last year," Lemak said.

With more depth this year, players have been fighting for top spots, which has led to a tremendous amount of competition.

"Our guys want to win every play, every day," coach Darr said.

The Vikings made a statement with an explosive season opener, but are now back at work preparing for their next opponent, Chabot College.

This should be a very exciting year for the Vikings, pending on whether or not they can maintain the momentum of their season opener. Coach Darr concluded, "We feel as though we've got the deepest, most talented group of guys we've ever had." DVC's next game will be at Chabot College on Friday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m.

http://www.dvcinquirer.com/sports/2014/09/09/green-and-white-beats-green-and-gold-in-season-opener/

STORY BY ZACHARY DALTON

PHOTO TAKEN BY ANDREW BARBER