DWU wraps up season against Broncos on senior day

MITCHELL, S.D. – On senior day, DWU will honor 16 seniors as the Dakota Wesleyan University football team will look to close out the 2018 season with a victory as they will take on Hastings College in a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Joe Ouintal Field in Mitchell.

 DWU found themselves down early in last week's game against Doane University. On the first play of the game, Doane intercepted a pass and returned it into the end zone for a touchdown. But Dakota Wesleyan responded as they received good field position and Tate Gale (Irene, S.D.) nailed a 37-yard field goal to cut the Doane lead to 7-3.

 The Dakota Wesleyan defense had a strong performance holding the Doane offense to three-straight field goals but it was not enough as Doane came away with the victory 30-3 over DWU.

 Cody Reichelt (Mitchell, S.D.) led the DWU defense with 15 tackles and a sack, while Tyler Wagner (Webster, S.D.) finished with eight tackles and two tackles for loss. Freshman Alex Pohlen (Minneota, Minn.) got the start on Saturday, finishing 15-of-28 for 155 yards through the air. Luke Loudenburg (Canova, S.D.) rushed for 85 yards on 22 carries. Jonny Withrow (Kimball, Neb.) caught two passes for 40 yards, while Spencer Neugebauer (Mitchell, S.D.) tallied four catches for 35 yards.

 Freshman Daniel Libolt (Chambers, Neb.) ranks fourth in the NAIA in total kickoff return yards with 539 yards on the season. He also ranks fifth nationally in kickoff return yards per attempt with 28.4 yards. As a team, the Tigers rank fourth nationally in punt return yards per attempt with 16.6 yards per return. DWU also ranks 11^th in total sacks with 31 on the season. 

 About the Series 

 The Tigers are 8-16 in the all-time series against Hastings College. DWU has won five straight matchups, including a 38-35 narrow victory last season at the Dakota Dome in Vermillion, S.D. 

 About the Coaches 

 Ross Cimpl is currently in his seventh season as the head coach of the football program. He is second in school history on the all-time wins list by a football coach with a record of 46-29. Cimpl has coached 77 All-GPAC players during his tenure at DWU.

 Tony Harper was named head coach of the Hastings football program in 2011. This will be his 12^th season as a part of the Hastings College football program, as he served as the defensive coordinator from 2006-11. Harper served as the Dakota Wesleyan University football head coach from 2002-04. 

 About the Hastings Broncos 

 The Broncos are currently 4-6 overall, with a GPAC record of 2-6 and sitting in seventh place in the conference. Hastings is led by 1,000-yard rusher Tahj Willingham who has rushed for seven touchdowns on 240 attempts. He also ranks 11^th in the nation for total rushing yards with 1,087. The Broncos have played three different quarterbacks this season as Clark Livingston has passed for 1,150 yards and four touchdowns. The leading receiver is Jordan Johnson who has caught 43 passes for 683 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, the Broncos rely on Wesley Jardim who has collected 94 tackles in nine games this season.