(Wednesday, December 21; Sioux Center, Iowa) The Dordt Defender football team has announced its initial signees for this year's recruiting class with 27 individuals making up the initial list. 

Timothy Buckholtz is a senior at Maple River High School (Minnesota) and is 5-11, 190 pounds. Buckholtz played linebacker and running back with 1,145 career rushing yards on 170 rushing attempts with 16 touchdowns and 41 yards receiving. Buckholtz had 130 total tackles with 19 tackles for loss and one interception and will study exercise science.

Carter Bylsma is a senior at Unity Christian High School (Michigan).  He's listed 6-1, 205 pounds and plays tight end and he earned all-region honors along with academic all-state accolades. Bylsma caught eight passes for 235 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He plans to study business administration at Dordt.

Garrett Divis, a senior at Hinton High School (Iowa), played offensive tackle and is 6-4, 250 pounds. He earned second team all-state honors in 2022 and earned first team all-district honors in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Divis will study engineering.

Elijah Dougherty is a senior at Le Mars High School (Iowa) is a 6-0, 200 pound, running back and linebacker.  He ran for 1,933 yards during his career and caught passes for 134 yards and scored a total of 17 touchdowns.  Dougherty also had 96 tackles with an interception during his career and was a first team all-district pick on defense in 2022 and a second team all-district honoree at running back in 2021.  He also earned honorable mention honors from the district in 2020.  He plans to study criminal justice. 

Jack Fancher is a wide receiver, cornerback and kicker at Pella Christian High School (Iowa).  He earned first team all-state honors from the Des Moines Register and IFCA and he was an academic all-state selection.  He's converted 134-150 point after tries over the course of his career and is 7-9 on field goals with a long of 47 yards. Fancher is 6-2, 180 pounds and plans to study business administration.

John Fenter is a senior at Lubbock Cooper High School (Texas) and played center and guard while earning all-district honors.  Fenter is listed 6-1, 265 pounds and plans to study business administration at Dordt.  He was also a three-year varsity letterwinner and helped Lubbock Cooper to the state semifinals in 2021.

Benjamin Flora is a 6-1, 175 pound wide receiver at Chaparral High School (Colorado).  He earned honorable mention all-conference honors along with academic all-conference honors and served as team captain.  He made 35 catches for 306 yards and plans to study criminal justice.

Jaden Groen is a senior at Lakeville South High School (Minnesota) and is a 6-3, 195 pound, tight end and defensive end. He forced two fumbles, recovered two and had 12 tackles with four for loss. Groen plans to study engineering.

Kaden Harken is a senior at the Oaks Classical Christian Academy (Washington) and caught 30 passes for 613 yards and eight touchdowns for Central Valley High School (Washington).  He was a second team all-GSL pick and is 6-3, 170 pounds. Harken plans to study business administration.

Sam Janes is a senior at Discovery Canyon Campus High School (Colorado) and is listed 6-1, 160 pounds and has played a variety of skill positions on offense and safety on defense. Janes recorded 146 total tackles with six career interceptions and caused three fumbles.  He scored seven touchdowns as a senior and averaged 72.7 yards per game on offense. He was honorable mention all-state as a senior while claiming first team all-conference honors on defense and second team honors at quarterback as a senior. Janes plans to study engineering.

Joseph Johnson is a senior at Aplington Parkersburg High School (Iowa) and is a 6-4, 220 pound defensive end.  He totaled 16 solo tackles in 2022 with 2.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss while claiming third team all-state honors.  In 2021 he had seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss and earned first team all-district honors both seasons. He plans to study psychology at Dordt.

Isaac Kacmarynski is a senior at Pella Christian High School (Iowa) and is 6-1, 205 pounds.  He passed for 1,044 yards and ran for 1,237 yards as a high school senior and had 83 tackles on defense along with two interceptions.  Kacmarynski played linebacker and quarterback for the Eagles and was a three-year starter. He was named the district's offensive most valuable player in 2021 and 2022 and he was a first team all-state selection in 2022 and third team in 2021.  Kacmarynski has also been selected to play in the Iowa Shrine Bowl this summer and plans to study health and human performance.

Brighton Kudej, a student at West Hancock High School (Iowa), is listed as a 6-0, 215 pound offensive and defensive tackle.  He earned first team all-state and all-district honors in 2022 and plans to study health and human performance.

Stephen Leinen, a senior at Harlan High School (Iowa), is a 6-0, 190 pound kicker and punter and averaged 37.4 yards per punt in 2022 and was 82-84 on point after tries as Harlan won a state title this season. Leinen will study agriculture.

Sean Medlock is a senior at Mead High School (Colorado) and gained 1,046 yards rushing and 940 yards receiving the last two seasons combined.  He's a two-time all-conference selection and a three-time academic all-state pick.  He also had 28 tackles and has played running back, wide receiver, safety, linebacker and cornerback and has returned punts and kicks.  Medlock is listed 5-7, 155 pounds.

Ethan Mills is a 5-10, 157 pound senior at Sioux Central High School (Iowa).  He ran for 295 yards on 79 carries and had three touchdowns and caught eight passes.  Mills also had 12 kick returns for 196 yards and five punt returns for 113 yards.  He played wide receiver and cornerback and will study business administration.

Noah Mills is a 6-1, 215 pounds and played quarterback and linebacker at Nevada High School (Iowa).  He passed for 1,585 yards and 11 touchdowns and ran for 762 yards with 13 touchdowns while earning first team all-district honors. He plans to study criminal justice.

Lorenzo Nelson is a 6-1, 165 pound safety at Brandon Valley High School (South Dakota).  He plans to study engineering at Dordt.

Carter Quiring is a 6-1, 175 pound wide receiver and kick returner from Westlake High School (Utah). Quiring caught passes for 601 yards and five touchdowns during his senior season.

Coleson Quiring is a 6-1, 185 pound defensive back at Westlake High School (Utah).  He had 83 total tackles  with two interceptions and two pass breakups.  He totaled two tackles for loss, had a sack and forced four fumbles with two fumble recoveries this season.

Zachariah Quiring is a 6-3, 200 pound, linebacker and running back. He ran for 711 yards and caught passes for 172 yards and totaled 20 touchdowns.  On defense Quiring averaged 12.1 tackles per game for Heartland High School (Nebraska) and plans to study agribusiness.

August Scholting, a senior at Wisner-Pilger High School (Nebraska), is a 6-1, 195 pound defensive end, linebacker and fullback.  He has 599 career rushing yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carry as a senior and averaged 13.4 tackles per game in 2022 and 12.4 in 2021. Scholting totaled 293 tackles during his career and 25 tackles for a loss. He plans to study agriculture at Dordt.

Jacob Van Donge is a senior at Unity Christian High School (Iowa) and is a 6-1, 180 pound, wide receiver and safety.  Van Donge earned first team all-district and second team all-state honors during his career.  He caught passes for 1,539 yards and scored 20 touchdowns during his career.  On defense he was credited with 119 tackles.  Van Donge plans to study criminal justice.

Trey Van Hauen is a 5-11, 165 pound safety at Pella High School (Iowa).  He totaled 82.5 tackles with an interception, three force fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He caught 12 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns while also returning 18 kickoffs for 363 yards and eight punt returns for 66 yards. He earned first team all-district honors in both 2021 and 2022.

Trevor Wieringa is a senior at Unity Christian High School (Iowa) and is 5-11, 195 pounds.  He played running back and linebacker during his career.  He claimed Class 2A All-District honors and Academic All-State honors while at Unity and he rushed for 1,288 yards on 309 carries and ran for 10 touchdowns.  He had 71 tackles on defense with 15.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.  Wieringa will study business administration at Dordt.

Rhett Williams, a senior at Marysville High School (Kansas), is a 6-4, 200 pound wide receiver and will be studying journalism.

Nelson Wright,  a senior at Sioux Falls Jefferson High School (South Dakota), has committed and is a two-time all-state and all-conference selection and ran for 1,311 yards on 194 carries with 19 touchdowns and seven pass catches for 59 yards and one score. Wright is listed 5-9, 195 pounds and was also selected to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader Elite 45 list and played for a 2022 state champion team. Wright plans to study business administration.