Tigers host Concordia in season finale

MITCHELL, S.D. – Entering its final matchup of the season, the Dakota Wesleyan University football team hosts Concordia University at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon from Joe Quintal field in Mitchell. Dakota Wesleyan enters the matchup after a persuasive 35-16 road victory over University of Jamestown a week ago.

 Eyes of the Tigers

 The Tigers defeated Jamestown last week for their fifth-straight win versus the Jimmies as DWU cruised to a 35-16 victory. Senior quarterback Zachary Lester (Fairbanks, Alaska) posted a career high in touchdown passes sparking the Dakota Wesleyan offense. Meanwhile, Dominick Warmbein (Sioux Falls, S.D.) anchored the Tiger defensive unit once again recording 3.5 tackles for loss.

 Lester completed 66.7% of his passes for 199 yards, just missing out on his seventh-career 200-yard passing game. The Fairbanks, Alaska, native also threw for a career-high four touchdown passes en route to the road victory. Lester's performance earned him weekly honors on both the conference and national levels as the senior signal caller was tabbed as the GPAC and NAIA Offensive Player-of-the-Week.

 With one game left in the 2020 campaign, Lester ranks nationally in both total passing and total offense. His 1,395 yards through the air sits ninth nationally while his 1,439 total yards of offense is 11^th. Lester now boasts 2,629 passing yards in his career along with 22 touchdowns off 411 completions.

 Fellow senior teammate Warmbein also garnered GPAC honors for his performance as he was named the GPAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week. The Sioux Falls, native created havoc in the Jamestown backfield notching 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and six tackles. The performance was Warmbein's third career multi-sack game as the edge rusher now ranks ninth nationally with 0.9 sacks per game in six starts this season.

 Warmbein's first career multi-sack performance came in 2018 versus Concordia University when he tallied five tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. In his career, the senior defensive leader boasts 91 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss including back-to-back seasons with 7.5 tackles for loss.

 Beyond the Stripes

 Concordia holds a slight 11-9 margin in the all-time series, however, Dakota Wesleyan won four-straight home victories from 2012-16. Since 2012, the series has been tense with the average margin of victory just under 11 points, including four one-score contests. DWU defeated Concordia 26-23 at home in 2012 and returned the favor in 2015 with a seven-point victory at Joe Quintal field, 17-10.

 In week seven of 2019, the Tigers fell 24-17 despite a second-half offensive surge which saw Lester complete multiple touchdown passes to wideout Garrett Determan (Watertown, S.D.). The DWU offense accumulated 308 yards through the air while Cody Reichelt (Mitchell, S.D.) led the defense with 10 tackles.

 Keeping it Cimpl

 Head coach Ross Cimpl is in his ninth season at the helm for the Tigers where he currently resides as the second winningest coach all-time. He currently boasts an overall record of 52-43 while becoming just the second coach in program history to amass 50-career victories. Lastly, Cimpl holds a 4-4 record versus the Bulldogs including 4-out-of-5 victories from 2012-17.

 The opposing sideline will feature Patrick Daberkow who enters his fourth season as the Concordia head coach after being promoted in December of 2016. Daberkow took over the position having served on the Bulldog's coaching staff for 10 years previously as both a secondary and defensive coach. Under his direction as defensive coordinator, Daberkow coached 29 first or second team All-GPAC selections.

 Stocking the Hunt

 CUNE enters Saturday's matchup with a 4-3 record after winning four-straight games to open the 2020 season. The Bulldog's defensive unit currently sits 10^th nationally in total sacks with 19 while surrendering 25 points per contest. Offensively, Concordia averages 357.1 yards per game including 126.1 yards on the ground and 231 yards through the air.

 The duo of Karson Dickson and Gerald Morris has anchored the CUNE defensive unit through seven games this season. Causing mayhem in the offensive backfield, the pair has combined for 39 tackles, nine tackles for loss and six sacks.

 Meanwhile, tailback Jonah Weyand and quarterback Blake Culbert have accounted for 17 touchdowns to lead the Concordia scoring. Culbert ranks eighth nationally in both total offense and total passing while Weyand registers 13^th in total rushing.