URBANDALE, Ia. — The Roland-Story Norsemen football team returns to the gridiron on Friday Night, as they make the trip to the Des Moines metro to take on the Des Moines Christian Lions in non-district action at Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale. Roland-Story enters at 1-0 and ranked #3 in Class 2A, while Des Moines Christian also enters at 1-0 and ranked at #8 in Class 3A. Roland-Story leads the all-time series 2-1 dating back to 2023, as Des Moines Christian won the 2025 meeting by a score of 28-7.
Des Moines Christian comes into Friday fresh off a statement victory over defending Class 2A runners-up Van Meter by a score of 34-17. The Lions enter with a strong rushing attack, spearheaded by senior running back Davis Tokheim, who rushed for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns in the victory, as senior quarterback Tate Olsen complimented Tokheim with 57 rushing yards and a score, while throwing for 123 yards and a touchdown as well. Olsen’s favorite target on Friday was junior Ajay Bakke would make 6 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, while senior Malachi Osborne caught 2 passes for 41 yards. The Lions offensive line is anchored by junior Declan Heying, a 6-6, 290-pound junior who harbors numerous Division I offers.
Defensively, the Lions put together a complete performance against Van Meter, as the linebacking core of Henry Gorter, Andrew Clement and Jaxon Marsh were busy, combining for 13 tackles and 1.5 TFL on Friday, while fellow linebacker Alex Derkenne recorded an interception. DMC possesses a talented secondary, as senior Drake Braun led the unit with 7.5 tackles while forcing 2 fumbles, as junior Oliver Grice finished with 3.5 tackles. The Lions defensive line will have a challenge ahead of them with a veteran Norsemen offensive line, as the likes of Bo Carlson and Cooper Handsaker will be the challenge for the Norse offensive line.
Roland-Story will look to build off a dynamic offensive performance against Des Moines Christian on Friday, as Colin Willis threw for nearly 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, while senior running back Fiston Carlson totaled well over 100 yards of total offense and 3 touchdowns. The Norsemen defense is tasked with slowing down an elite running back for the 2nd week in a row with DMC’s Davis Tokheim.
LISTEN: Roland-Story coach Matt Finn previews Des Moines Christian
Kickoff is slated for Friday Night at 7 PM from Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale.