Dordt Athletics
CRETE, Neb. – After a rough start the Dordt Defender football team used a dominating defensive performance to defeat the Doane Tigers in Crete, Nebraska, Saturday, Sept. 25 by a 27-7 score. It was the second week in a row Dordt was triumphant by that score.
Doane’s score came early in the game when its defense forced Dordt to punt and Blake Koons’s punt was blocked and Cooper Bates recovered it and returned it eight yards for a score. Dordt’s offense was held without a first down on the ensuing drive and the field position battle began. After a Doane punt the Defenders next drive ended with an interception. It wasn’t until the 5:10 mark of the first period when the Dordt offense was able to put together a sustained drive and eventually tied it with a three yard touchdown run by Ethan Thomas with 1:19 left in the first quarter. Thomas also had a 16 yard completion on third and 11 to keep the drive going and Carter Schiebout also had a one yard run on third and one to move the chains.
Dordt’s defense continued to limit Doane and the Defenders had first and goal at the Doane four after starting at the 33 but two rushes for no gain and an incomplete pass left Dordt with a field goal attempt that unlocked the tie from 22 yards. The field goal was the first of two field goals Brett Zachman converted.
Abe Stoesz set up Dordt’s second touchdown drive with an interception at the Doane 22 and Anthony Trojahn ran it in from two yards out to finish the drive with 3:15 left in the half. Kade McDaniel completed a 19 yard pass to Levi Jungling to set up the halftime score of 17-7.
Doane showed signs of life midway through the third quarter when the Tigers went from their own 16 to the Dordt 19 where they settled for a 36 yard field goal after Colton Vander Berg recorded a sack to push the Tigers back from the four yard line. The kick was blocked by Cooper Hidalgo and Dordt got the stop it needed.
Playing with the 17-7 lead Dordt didn’t expand the lead until late when five rushing plays took the ball from Dordt 43 to paydirt with Anthony Trojahn plunging in from eight yards out for a 24-7 lead and Zachman tacked on a 23 yard field goal to finish the scoring at the 4:20 mark of the game.
“I was pleased with our defense allowing no points but as a team we will have a lot to work on in our bye week,” head coach Joel Penner said.
Dordt outgained Doane, 379-217, and had 212 yards rushing and 167 passing while Doane had 76 yards on the ground and 141 passing.
Trojahn ran for 98 yards on 17 carries and Carter Schiebout and Ethan Thomas had 39 and 33 each.
Levi Jungling had three catches for 68 yards and Hayden Large had three for 37 while Carson Brown caught two for 30.
Kade McDaniel completed 9-20 passes for 151 yards.
Brayton Van Kekerix and Colton Vander Berg each had six total tackles and Vander Berg and Julius Buchanan each had credit for 1.5 sacks. Abe Stoesz got credit for one interception.
Dordt is now 3-1 and will have a bye week next week before hosting Mount Marty on Saturday, October 9. Doane will host Jamestown and is 1-3.