Dordt held off a late Midland rally to remain unbeaten with a 17-14 victory Saturday afternoon at Open Space Park in Sioux Center. The Defenders scored twice in the third period to take a two-score lead and then sat on that lead the rest of the way.

BOX SCORE (PDF)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Dordt opened the scoring midway through the first quarter, driving 49 yards in 10 plays over 5:47. The Defenders mixed the run and short passing game before Thomas Fritz broke free for an 8-yard touchdown run with 7:15 left in the first quarter, giving Dordt a 7-0 lead.

Midland answered in the second quarter, covering 80 yards in six plays. Quarterback Brodey Johnson connected with TJ Covington on a 43-yard touchdown pass with 5:23 remaining in the half, evening the score at 7-7. Earlier in the period, Midland appeared poised to score when a 15-play, 70-yard drive reached the Dordt 5-yard line, but the Warriors were stopped on fourth down with 14:20 left in the second quarter inside the one yard line when Dordt's Zach Quiring wrecked the fourth down try with a tackle for loss.

After a defensive stalemate closed the first half, Dordt regained control early in the third quarter. The Defenders marched 51 yards on six plays and took a 10-7 lead with 11:27 left in the third on a 22-yard field goal by Stephen Leinen. Dordt then extended its advantage with an eight-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown run from Preston McCoy at 5:52 of the third, making it 17-7.

Midland stayed within striking distance but missed two field goal attempts in the fourth quarter. A Dordt fumble late in the game set the Warriors up at the Defender 21-yard line, and three plays later Johnson found Tae Marks for a 6-yard touchdown with 1:55 to play, trimming the margin to 17-14.   Dordt recovered the ensuing onside kick and got a first down and turned the ball over on downs deep in Midland territory and left Midland with one play to go 80 yards and that lateral filled play ended short of midfield.

Turnovers were critical in the outcome. Dordt forced three fumbles and one interception, including recoveries deep in its own territory, while Midland's takeaways led to its late score but couldn't offset earlier missed chances. 

THE NUMBERS

• Total Yards: Dordt 333 | Midland 399
• Passing Yards: Dordt 132 | Midland 376
• Rushing Yards: Dordt 201 | Midland 23
• Time of Possession: Dordt 31:43 | Midland 28:17
• Turnovers: Dordt 2 | Midland 3

Dordt Leaders

• Rushing: Preston McCoy – 14 carries, 86 yards, 1 TD; Thomas Fritz – 13 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD
• Passing: Noah Strickfaden – 4-for-7, 102 yards; Kolson Kruse – 4-for-6, 30 yards
• Receiving: Rhett Williams – 5 receptions, 90 yards
• Tackles: Coleson Quiring – 10 total tackles; Cole Johnson and Isaac Kacmarynski – 6 each
• Interception: Nathan Feldmann – 1

NEXT
Dordt is on the road to Hastings on Saturday, November 1 for a 1:00 kickoff.  Dordt is 7-0 and Hastings is 4-4 after a 23-20 win over Mount Marty.
  Read Full Article