Sioux Center, Iowa — The Dordt football teams opens their season Saturday in Sioux Center against GPAC foe Midland at 1:00 pm.
The Dordt Defenders finished the 2020 season with an 8-3 record and a 7-2 league record that was good for third place in the standings. The season culminated with Dordt advancing to the 16-team NAIA playoff field for the first time in program history.
The 2020 team averaged over 43 points per game and allowed 17. The offense generated 320 yards per game on the ground and 212 in the air while the defense limited teams to 122 yards on the ground and 161 passing.
Dordt is scheduled to host five home games this season out of the 10-game GPAC schedule. Four of Dordt’s first six games are at home before facing Morningside and Northwestern on back to back Saturdays in late October. Midland was picked fourth in the league race and is Dordt’s first opponent and is a critical contest to open the season. Mount Marty, in its first season of football, is the week six opponent on October 9 with that game coming on the heels of the bye week on October 2. The season ends on the road on November 13 at Jamestown. All 10 games are GPAC contests.
The Warriors opened the 2021 season last weekend and lost a 38-36 battle with Sterling. The Warriors led 22-7 late in the first half but allowed 21 unanswered points in the second quarter and the start of the third. Midland retook the lead on a long pass play but a field goal by Sterling with 6:28 left in the game proved to be the difference. Midland was forced to punt with nearly six minutes left in the game but never got the ball back as Sterling worked the ball down the field and converted five first downs to seal the win.
Midland got 13-24 passing from River Walker with 105 yards and he ran for 13 yards. Levi Marke ran 20 times for 78 yards and Austin Harris had five catches for 29 yards. Quentin Ternus had a touchdown catch of 68 yards and had two total catches.
Dordt will be on the road to face Hastings next week, Saturday, September 11 at 1:00.
