Second-half surge propels Tigers over Warriors
FREMONT, Neb. – Heading into halftime with a four-point lead, the No. 18 Dakota Wesleyan University football team knew they had to find a way to put more points on and the scoreboard, and that they did as they defeated Midland University 42-31 on Saturday in Fremont, Neb.
FREMONT, Neb. – Heading into halftime with a four-point lead, the No. 18 Dakota Wesleyan University football team knew they had to find a way to put more points on and the scoreboard, and that they did as they defeated Midland University 42-31 on Saturday in Fremont, Neb.
The victory marked the 32nd win for the DWU seniors, becoming the winningest class in program history. Saturday's win also put Head Coach Ross Cimpl in a tie for second-place with DWU great Bud Dougherty on the DWU all-time wins list with 38.
Trailing 3-0 heading into the second quarter, Dillon Turner (Salem, Ark.) found Hayden Adams (Villa Park, Ill.) on a 10-yard touchdown pass and Lewis Hofer (Onida, S.D.) on a four-year touchdown pass later in the quarter to put the Tigers up 14-3.
With 8:12 to go in the third quarter, John Fabrizius (Casper, Wyo.) found an open hole for an 18-yard touchdown run, capping a 7 play, 71-yard touchdown drive. The Tigers would go on to score three times in the fourth quarter, including a 78-yard touchdown pass from Turner to Dustin Livingston (Irene, S.D.) to put the Tigers up by 11. Fabrizius found another seam from 27-yards out, securing his second touchdown of the afternoon. Fabrizius totaled 99 yards on the ground to go along with two touchdowns. Finally, Turner found Adams once more, putting the Warriors (6-5) out of striking distance in the Great Plains Athletic Conference battle.
The Tigers (8-3) tallied 591 total yards on offense, compared to 308 from Midland. DWU passed for 341 yards, while rushing for 250. Turner completed 22-of-38 passes for 341 yards and five scores. The junior also added 128 yards on 20 carries on the ground. Livingston hauled in six catches for 156 yards and a touchdown, while Adams caught five catches for 41 yards and two scores.
Senior Brady Mudder (Garretson, S.D.) capped-off his senior year with a performance he won't forget, recording eight tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Adam Bormann (Stickney, S.D.) pitched in seven tackles and half-a-tackle for loss. Also anchoring the defensive line was Zack Clement (Hartwick, Iowa) who tallied three tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.