DWU battles Defenders in GPAC tilt
Mitchell, S.D.- The Dakota Wesleyan University football team looks to get back into the win column tomorrow following a loss to Northwestern College a week ago. DWU will take on Dordt University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup as they head to Sioux Center, Iowa, for a 1 p.m. showdown.
Mitchell, S.D.- The Dakota Wesleyan University football team looks to get back into the win column tomorrow following a loss to Northwestern College a week ago. DWU will take on Dordt University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup as they head to Sioux Center, Iowa, for a 1 p.m. showdown.
Last week, NWC returned the opening kickoff 65 yards to the DWU 35 yard line. The Red Raiders took advantage of their positive field position as they went four plays for a touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead.
The Tigers did not take long to respond as Kiel Nelson (Mitchell, S.D.) dished the ball to TreVyon McDaniel (Lakewood, Wash.) on a screen pass that broke open for a 79-yard touchdown pass to tie the game in the opening moments.
On the following Raider possession, they marched all the way to the Tiger's one-yard line. They were met by Brandon Slama (Chaka, Minn.) and Emmanuel Christopher (Sioux Falls, S.D.) who combined for a 13-yard loss to force the Red Raiders to convert a field goal instead.
DWU was unable to find the end zone throughout the remainder of the half. After two more Northwestern scores in the second frame, the Tigers trailed 31-7 heading to the break.
Late into the third quarter the score remained 31-7 when the Tigers blocked a punt and took over at the Northwestern eight yard line. Despite the field position, NWC stopped DWU from reaching the end zone.
Northwestern would tack on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to defeat the Tigers, 52-7.
Defensively, Tyler Wagner (Webster, S.D.) currently sits at fifth in the GPAC with 4.5 tackles for loss this season. Alan Murtic (Phoenix, Ariz.) is currently ranked 13th in the GPAC with four tackles for loss on the season.
About the Series
Last season, the Tigers fell short to Dordt University in a 50-23 contest. That was Dakota Wesleyan's first loss to a Dordt team, as the all-time record is in favor of the Tigers at 10-1.
About the Coaches
Ross Cimpl is in his eighth season with the Dakota Wesleyan Tigers. During that time, he has coached 83 All-Conference players, while holding a career record of 47-33.
Joel Penner is in his fourth season with the Dordt Defenders. Since taking over in 2016, Penner has led the Defenders to a pair of five win seasons, and a program best record last year, at 7-3.
About the Dordt Defenders
The Defenders come into this game yielding a 2-2 record to start the season. They come off a dominating 41-16 performance against GPAC opponent University of Jamestown. Dordt ran the ball 66 times for a total of 468 yards on the ground against Jamestown. They will be led on the ground by running back Levi Schoonhoven who led the way last week with 298 yards on 35 carries. Schoonhoven ranks second in the GPAC with 133 rushing yards per game.
