DWU falls in Blue & White Days showdown

MITCHELL, S.D. – Coming home for the first time in 2020, the Dakota Wesleyan University football team hosted Dordt University for its annual Blue & White Days game. DWU was unable to defeat Dordt as the Defenders upended the Tigers, 47-10 on Saturday at Joe Quintal Field.

 After forcing DWU to punt on its opening possession, the Defenders (2-0, 2-0 GPAC) took their first drive 71 yards for a touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead. With eight minutes left in the first period, Dordt took its next possession 47 yards for another touchdown to extend its lead to 13-0.

 On the third drive of the game, Kiel Nelson (Mitchell, S.D.) found Spencer Neugebauer (Mitchell, S.D.) for a 43-yard connection. The Tigers (0-3, 0-3 GPAC) stalled from there, but Tate Gale (Irene, S.D.) knocked through a 39-yard field goal to put DWU on the scoreboard.

 Dordt took control of the game in the second quarter as they scored 20 points to take a commanding 33-3 lead heading into the locker rooms at halftime.

 The Tigers opened the second half on defense and held Dordt 3-and-out to receive the ball on their own 48-yard line. DWU drove 52 yards in 10 plays to put up its first touchdown of the game as Zachary Lester (Fairbanks, Alaska) found Garrett Determan (Watertown, S.D.) for an eight-yard touchdown pass to pull within 23 points.

 However, the Defenders responded to score 14-unanswered points and held DWU out of the endzone for the remainder of the game to down the Tigers on homecoming, 47-10.

 Lester finished 15-of-21 for 122 passing yards and a touchdown, while Neugebauer led the receivers with 93 yards on six catches. Defensively, Samuel Kretschmar (Huron, S.D.) paced the Tigers with nine tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Adam DeJong (Watertown, S.D.) tallied seven tackles and a tackle for loss.

 The Tigers hit the road to battle Doane University at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Crete, Neb.