A late interception by Cole Johnson at the Dordt 16-yard line with :35 remaining sealed a 31-26 road win for Dordt at Hastings on Saturday afternoon, preserving the Defenders' unbeaten record and halting the Broncos' final threat after they had driven 33 yards in six plays.

Box Score (PDF)    

Dordt built a 21-14 halftime lead and never trailed again, but Hastings stayed within one score most of the second half. The Defenders forced two interceptions on the day and turned the first one into points, while their offense generated four scoring drives of 69 yards or more and produced four plays of 30+ yards.

Hastings opened the scoring with a 7-play, 33-yard drive after a Dordt fumble, capped by a 3-yard quarterback keeper at the 8:23 mark of the first quarter. Dordt answered immediately, marching 70 yards in nine plays and tying the game on a 3-yard Preston McCoy run.

The Defenders took their first lead early in the second quarter on the biggest play of the day—Noah Strickfaden hit Isaac Looker for a 66-yard touchdown pass on the third play of a 76-yard drive. After Treveon Dawson's interception set up Dordt at its own 11, the Defenders converted again, this time moving 89 yards in four plays, finished by another short McCoy score for a 21-7 advantage. Hastings cut the margin to 21-14 just before halftime on an 11-play, 70-yard march.

Dordt added the only points of the third quarter when Stephen Leinen converted a 40-yard field goal after a 30-yard drive. Hastings responded with an 11-play, 74-yard touchdown drive but missed the point-after, keeping Dordt in front 24-20.

The Defenders' final touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter. McCoy broke free for a 37-yard run to complete a 69-yard, eight-play possession, giving Dordt a 31-20 lead with 8:38 remaining. Hastings again answered, scoring with 4:52 left on a 10-yard pass, but failed on the two-point attempt to stay within five. The Broncos forced a punt and got the ball back with 2:45 left, but Johnson's interception on 3rd-and-10 ended the comeback attempt.

THE NUMBERS

Big Plays (20+ yards – Dordt)

• 30-yard run – Thomas Fritz (1Q)
• 66-yard TD catch – Isaac Looker from Strickfaden (2Q)
• 72-yard reception – Thomas Fritz (3Q)
• 37-yard TD run – Preston McCoy (4Q)

Scoring Drives – Dordt

• 9 plays, 70 yards – McCoy 3-yd run (1Q, 3:47)
• 3 plays, 76 yards – Looker 66-yd TD catch (2Q, 14:17)
• 4 plays, 89 yards – McCoy 1-yd run (2Q, 10:09)
• 5 plays, 30 yards – Leinen 40-yd FG (3Q, 11:39)
• 8 plays, 69 yards – McCoy 37-yd run (4Q, 8:38)

Turnovers Forced – Dordt

• Treveon Dawson interception (2Q, 11:59)
• Cole Johnson interception (4Q, :35 – game-clincher)

Team Totals

• Total Yards: Dordt 400 | Hastings 419
• Rushing Yards: Dordt 138 | Hastings 139
• Passing Yards: Dordt 262 | Hastings 280
• Time of Possession: Hastings 31:24 | Dordt 28:01
• Turnovers: Dordt 1 | Hastings 2

Dordt Statistical Leaders

• Passing
  • Noah Strickfaden – 7/8, 191 yds, 1 TD
  • Kolson Kruse – 4/13, 71 yds
• Rushing
  • Preston McCoy – 11 att, 55 yds, 3 TD
  • Thomas Fritz – 8 att, 58 yds (long 30)
  • Kolson Kruse – 8 att, 15 yds
  • Keenan Valverde – 4 att, 18 yds
• Receiving
  • Isaac Looker – 4 rec, 111 yds, 1 TD
  • Rhett Williams – 5 rec, 66 yds
  • Thomas Fritz – 1 rec, 72 yds
• Total Touchdowns
  • Preston McCoy – 3 (all rushing)
• Defensive Leaders
  • Tackles – Isaac Kacmarynski (11)
  • Sacks – Kaleb Weyenberg (1)
  • Interceptions – Cole Johnson (1), Treveon Dawson (1)

NEXT

Dordt will host Concordia on Saturday, November 8 in a 1pm kickoff to conclude the home portion of the regular season.  Concordia is 6-2
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