The Vanden Vikings will take on the Sacramento Dragons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Vanden's defense has only allowed ten points per game this season, so Sacramento's offense will have their work cut out for them.
On Friday, Vanden was just a hair shy of victory and fell 7-6 to Vacaville. The matchup marked the Vikings' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Despite the loss, Vanden had strong showings from Xavier Zambrano, who threw for 164 yards on 11 of 21 attempts, and Kimani Dokes, who picked up 79 receiving yards.
Jaeden Dickens
| 08/29/25 vs Amador Valley | 1 |
| 08/22/25 vs Cosumnes Oaks | 2 |
| 09/05/25 @ Dublin | 3 |
| 09/19/25 vs Rodriguez | 6 |
| 10/03/25 @ Vacaville | 7 |
Vanden didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Jaeden Dickens, Elijah Thompson, and Brandon Brown picked up one apiece. Dickens also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with seven. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sacramento, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They blew past Rodriguez, posting a 45-18 win. The Dragons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by 27 points or more this season.
Vanden better keep an eye on Cordell Radcliffe. He was instrumental in Sacramento's win, rushing for 249 yards and three TDs while picking up 9.6 yards per carry, and also picking up 69 receiving yards. Those 249 rushing yards gave Radcliffe a new career-high. Laron James-Radcliffe was another key player, throwing for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 14 passes.
Sacramento was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 286 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in 12 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Sacramento has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 46.0 points over those games. As for Vanden, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
Vanden was able to grind out a solid win over Sacramento in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, winning 21-14. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Dragons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
