Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – On a day when Midland University honored its senior class and welcomed back numerous alumni, it was an underclassman stepping into the spotlight against Doane University. Sophomore Tyson Denkert scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and went over the 200-yard mark on the ground in a 27-10 victory on Saturday at Heedum Field. Midland earned the win after recognizing 26 seniors who played their final game in front of their hometown fans.
Doane received the opening kickoff and marched down the field, but after its drive stalled, it was forced to attempt a field goal. Kelen Meyer’s 33-yard attempt sailed wide left, giving Midland the ball for its first possession of the day. After a drive of six plays, the Warriors were forced to punt and the Tigers took over the ball at their 18-yard line. The Doane offense clicked on the next drive and scored 10 plays later. Rian Green carried the ball into the endzone from 28 yards out and after Meyer’s extra point, Doane led 7-0 with 5:20 remaining in the first quarter.
Midland tried to get its offense going on the next drive, but a seven-play march halted at midfield, forcing a punt. Doane took over at its 16-yard line. The Warriors looked like they had stopped the Tigers’ drive on 3rd down and 1, but a penalty for too many players on the field, gave them a first down as the quarter expired.
Three plays into the second quarter, the Midland defense held and forced Doane to punt. The Warriors got the ball back and started the next drive at its own nine-yard line. Midland put together its best drive of the game, to that point, going 91 yards on nine plays. The drive was capped off by a 31-yard touchdown pass from Teryn Berry to Brodie Anderson. The Warriors elected to try a two-point conversion instead of kicking into a strong wind from the north. Desmond Prusia‘s carry ended a foot short of the goal line, making the score 7-6 with 7:56 remaining in the first half.
The Tigers tried to put together another scoring drive before the end of the half. Seven plays into the series, they were forced to punt from their own 35-yard line. With punter/kicker Meyer in the backfield, Doane ran a fake around the right end, earning three yards and a first down. Midland’s defense stepped up once more, forcing two incomplete passes, and on third down Chase Hanger sacked Doane’s Rook Williams to force another punt. This time, Meyer uncorked a 71-yard boot into the Midland endzone for a touchback, giving the Warriors the ball at the 20-yard line with 2:42 left in the half. The Warriors’ offense could not get going, though, and Zach Hodge had to punt after a three-and-out. Both teams exchanged punts on the next two drives, and Doane took a knee on the final play of the half, taking a 7-6 lead into the locker room.
Midland got the ball to begin the third quarter, but the offense went backward on the opening drive. After a delay of game penalty and a false start before any time came off the clock, three incomplete passes forced the Warriors to punt into a 20 miles-per-hour north wind. Hodge’s punt went just eight yards and Doane took over the ball at the 26-yard line.
The Tigers looked to capitalize with the short field but after eight plays, their drive stalled, forcing a Meyer field goal attempt from 21 yards out. The kick sailed through the uprights and nearly on Military Avenue with the wind at the back of the strong-legged kicker. Doane led 10-6 with 10:38 remaining in the quarter.
Both teams exchanged punts on their next drives, and then Midland’s running game took control of the contest. On a drive that began at its own 3-yard line, Midland marched down the field, 97 yards, and scored on a 35-yard touchdown run by Denkert. With Jared Quinonez‘s extra point, Midland took its first lead of the game, 13-10, with 4:40 remaining in the third.
The Warriors’ defense played inspired as they forced a three-and-out on the next drive by the Tigers. Another solid put pinned the Midland deep, this time at its own 1-yard line. Denkert ran the ball on four consecutive plays before the quarter came to an end with Midland leading 13-10, going to the final fifteen minutes of action.
After a Denkert two-yard carry to begin the quarter, Midland’s stalled and it was forced to punt. With the wind at his back, Hodge unloaded a 75-yard punt to the Doane 1-yard line, returning the favor from the drive before. After three plays, Doane was forced to punt into the strong wind. Meyer’s punt went 28 yards and was downed at the 36-yard line, where Midland went to work. Running predominantly out of a wildcat formation, Denkert carried the ball on four of the drive’s six plays, punching the ball into the endzone from the 1-yard line for the touchdown. Quinonez split the uprights and Midland led 20-10 with 10:06 left in the game.
On the ensuing drive, Doane picked up a first down, then was forced to punt. Midland took over the ball at the 20-yard line and ran the ball on nine straight plays. Faced with a third down and five at the Doane 32-yard line, Midland went to the air. Berry connected with Kalynd Coats for 32 yards and a touchdown, putting the game out of reach. Quinonez’s PAT made the score 27-10 with 2:34 left in the game.
During the Tigers’ next drive, Rook Williams’ pass on second down was intercepted by Robert Vega Jr. at the Midland 43-yard line. With 2:16 remaining, the turnover, which was the only giveaway by either team in the contest, sealed the game completely. After two carries by Denkert, Doane used its final timeout with 1:17 to play. On third down and four, Denkert carried the ball for five yards, picking up a first down which allowed the Warriors to a knee on the final play of the contest, and win the, 27-10.
Offensively, Midland rushed the ball 42 times for 242 yards. Through the air, they completed 13-of-25 passes for 177 yards. Midland ran a total of 67 plays on the afternoon for 419 yards.
Head coach Jeff Jamrog commented on the Warriors’ second-half performance. “We’ve talked with the team about some of our losses, and how we’ve played in the second half. To be down by one at half today and have a 21-3 score differential in the second, was huge.”
Doane ran the ball 31 times for 56 yards. In the passing game, they completed 13-of-28 passes for 187 yards. The Tigers ran 59 plays for a total of 240 yards, on the day.
Midland quarterback Teryn Berry completed 12-of-24 passes for 172 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The story of the game was Tyson Denkert. He carried the ball 36 times for 231 yards and two touchdowns.
“We knew Tyson was special coming out of Kennesaw. Give the offensive line credit, but Tyson had a lot of yards after contact today. He’s a special player and I’m really excited for that young man”, said Coach Jamrog.
The Warriors’ top receiver was Kalynd Coats. He caught three passes for 71 yards and a score. Brodie Anderson hauled in two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, the Warriors were led by Jay Ballard. The freshman linebacker recorded eight tackles, five of which were solo. Xavier Green had six tackles and recorded a half of a sack. Gabriel VanWinkle also had six tackles, half of a sack, and one and a half tackles for loss. Tayver Thornbrugh had four tackles, plus a pass breakup. Uiti Moe had three tackles and a sack. Noah Ethan recorded two stops and a sack. Treden David-Reed and Viliami Makoni both had two tackles, and half of a tackle for a loss. Dane Christensen added two tackles, both of which were in the Tiger backfield. Robert Vega Jr. had one tackle and recorded the game’s lone interception. Chase Hanger had one tackle, which was a sack for nine yards.
Doane quarterback Rook Williams was 13-for-28 passing for 66 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Rian Green led the Tigers in rushing, carrying the ball 12 times for 64 yards and a touchdown. John DeRiso was the top receiver in the game. He caught three passes for 94 yards. The Tigers’ defense was led by Fremont native Jarett Boggs. The sophomore, who played at Archbishop Bergan High School, had nine tackles. Cooper Hancock had three tackles and one pass breakup.
Midland (5-4, 4-4 GPAC) will play its final two games of the season on the road. The Warriors travel to Seward, Nebraska next week to play Concordia (3-4, 3-4 GPAC). With the win on senior day and homecoming as well, Coach Jamrog hopes that momentum carries over into the final two contests of the year, starting next Saturday.
“We’re going to have a great week of practice and look forward to going down to Seward next week and playing our best game of the year.” Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.
Doane (0-8, 0-7 GPAC) will return home and host Mount Marty next Saturday, at 1:00 p.m. in Crete, Nebraska.
