Lancers’ Fourth Quarter Comeback Topples Warriors

FREMONT, Neb. – Three first-half touchdowns by Midland University set up a prime position for a home Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) football victory. However, Mount Marty University scored three touchdowns in the final eight minutes of the game as they knocked off the Warriors, 28-21, on Saturday afternoon at Heedum Field.

After Mount Marty began the contest with a five-play drive and was forced to punt, Midland took the ball and engineered a scoring drive on its first possession of the game. Tyson Denkert put the Warriors in excellent field position with a 27-yard punt return to the Mount Marty 35-yard line. On the fourth play of the drive, Midland went for it on a fourth-and-two at the 27-yard line. Denkert carried the ball for exactly two yards to pick up the first down and keep the drive alive. Three plays later, quarterback Teryn Berry, who got the start in place of the injured Garrison Beach, delivered a push pass to Kalynd Coats who found the endzone from eight yards away. Jared Quinonez's extra point put Midland ahead 7-0, with 8:48 to play in the first quarter.

The Midland defense held the Lancers to a three-and-out on the next drive. However, the Mount Marty punt was fumbled by Tyson Denkert and the Lancers recovered at the Mount Marty 34-yard line. The Warriors' defense stepped up, however, and forced another Lancers' punt, six plays later. Midland capitalized. On the fifth play of the drive, the Warriors ran a flee-flicker, with Berry finding Jordelle Lacy wide-open for a 27-yard touchdown pass. The Quinonez PAT put Midland up 14-0 with 3:08 remaining in the opening quarter.

The two teams exchanged punts on their next drives before the Lancers' offense got going. On the final play of the quarter, Mount Marty running back Isaiah Thompson carried the ball off the left side and busted off a 50-yard carry to the Midland 30-yard line. As the teams switched sides, the Lancers' drive stalled three plays later and a Maxwell Welch 45-yard field goal attempt came up short, giving Midland the ball at its 28-yard line. The Warriors' offense sputtered and Midland punted back to the Lancers, who took over at their 36-yard line. Eight plays into the drive, Mounty Marty faced a fourth down and three, from the Midland 38-yard line. Quarterback Ken Gay carried the ball but Midland's Samias Pickett tackled the Lancers' signal-caller a yard short of the first down, giving the Warriors the ball back at the 36-yard line. However, Midland could not pick up a first down and punted back to the Lancers. Mount Marty started its next drive at midfield. Three plays later, the Lancers faced fourth down and three at the Warriors' 43-yard line. The Warriors' defense stepped up forcing Gay to throw an incomplete pass, intended for Jonah Miyazawa, giving Midland the ball back. The Warriors put together another scoring drive that was helped out with some trickery. On a fourth down and three at midfield, Midland ran a fake punt, in which blocking back Burton Brandt took a direct snap and carried the ball nine yards for a Warriors' first down, to extend the drive. Three plays later, Tyson Denkert carried the ball into the endzone from five yards out. Quinonez's extra point put Midland ahead 21-0 with 1:25 remaining in the first half.

Midland forced Mount Marty into a three-and-out on the next possession and looked to be in a position to get the ball back with the potential to score again, before halftime. However, a Lancers' punt was fumbled away by Denkert for the second time in the game, and the Lancers took over at the Midland 32-yard line. Mount Marty cashed in. On the very next play, Ken Gay connected with Jonah Miyazawa on a touchdown pass, to get the Lancers on the board. Maxwell Welch's extra point brought Mount Marty within 21-7 with 29 seconds remaining in the half.

An excellent kickoff return by Tyson Denkert of 54 yards gave Midland the ball at the Mount Marty 44-yard line with 18 seconds remaining in the half. After two pass completions by Teryn Berry, Jared Quinonez came on to attempt a 46-yard field goal and missed, however, Mount Marty jumped offsides and Quinonez would get a second opportunity, this time from 41 yards out. However, the kick, into the wind, landed short, on the final play of the half, sending the teams to halftime with Midland leading 21-7.

In the third quarter, the teams exchanged punts, as Midland kicked it away twice and Mount Marty, once. With 6:55 remaining in the third quarter, the Lancers began a drive at its own 20-yard line. Eleven plays into the drive, Mount Marty pushed the ball down to the Midland six-yard line as the third quarter expired, with the Warriors still leading 21-7.

Two plays later, Mount Marty faced a fourth down and goal at the Midland one-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Ken Gay rushed up the middle, but Xavier Green made the stop, short of the goal line, giving Midland the ball back at its own one-yard line. Midland ran six plays on the next drive but was forced to punt, giving the Lancers the ball at the Warriors' 42-yard line with 10:10 remaining in the game. Mount Marty executed an eight-play scoring drive which was capped off by a two-yard touchdown pass from Ken Gay to Rex Ryken. The Maxwell Welch PAT made it 21-14, in favor of Midland, with 7:03 left in the game.

The Lancers' defense stepped up on Midland's next possession, forcing a three-and-out. After the Warriors' punt, Mount Marty took over the ball at the Midland 48-yard line with exactly five minutes remaining in the game. The Lancers moved the ball to the Warriors' 33-yard line and faced a third down and ten with 2:36 remaining. On the next play, a Ken Gay pass, under pressure, was incomplete, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Midland, after the play, extended the drive, giving Mount Marty a first down at the Midland 18-yard line. After an incomplete pass and a sack, Gay threw another incomplete pass on third down, setting up a fourth down and 17 at the Midland 25-yard line with 1:31 to play in the game. Out of a Mount Marty timeout, Ken Gay threw a touchdown pass to Trey Hansen, and Maxwell Welch's extra point tied the game at 21-21 with 1:25 remaining.

Mount Marty's defense stepped up again, forcing Midland into another three-and-out. After a punt, Mount Marty got the ball back at its 39-yard line with 33 seconds left in the game. On the next play from scrimmage, Ken Gay connected with Rex Ryken on a 61-yard touchdown pass to put the Lancers ahead for the first time in the game, with 23 seconds to play. Welch's PAT made it 28-21, in favor of Mount Marty.

Midland tried to put together a game-tying drive on the next possession. Teryn Berry completed two passes, setting the Warriors up with a first and ten at the Mount Marty 41-yard line with six seconds remaining. On the next play, Berry threw a "Hail Mary" pass into the endzone, which Jordelle Lacy caught for what looked to be a game-tying scoring, pending the PAT, on the final play of regulation. However, Midland was penalized for offensive pass interference in the endzone, and the Warriors had to run another play, which was an untimed down with no time on the clock. From the Midland 44-yard line, Jacob Jones came in at quarterback. After the snap, Jones was flushed to the right of the pocket and was hit as he threw the ball, which fell incomplete, and the Warriors fell short to the Lancers, 28-21.

The win by Mount Marty snapped a five-game losing streak for the Lancers, and gave the visitors from Yankton, South Dakota, their first victory over Midland, in the short three-game series between the schools, that began in 2021.

Offensively, Mount Marty rushed the ball 40 times for 170 yards. In passing, the Lancers were 15-for-32 for 175 yards. Mount Marty ran a total of 72 plays for 345 yards of offense. Midland ran the ball 31 times for 144 yards. The Warriors completed 16 of 24 passes for 139 yards on the afternoon. Midland ran a total of 55 plays for 283 yards of offense.

Individually, Mount Marty running back Isaiah Thompson carried the ball 20 times for 115 yards. Quarterback Ken Gay completed 15-of-32 passes for 175 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Mount Marty's top receiver was Rex Ryken, who caught four passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Trey Hansen had three receptions for 52 yards and one score. Jonah Miyazawa hauled in just one pass, but it went for a 32-yard touchdown.

The Warriors' top ball carrier was Tyson Denkert. He carried the ball 15 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. Teryn Berry completed 16 of 23 passes for 139 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Midland's top receiver was Kalynd Coats. He caught nine passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Jordelle Lacy had one reception which went for a 27-yard touchdown.

On defense, Mount Marty was led by Tyler Ivy with ten tackles and one pass breakup. Joshua Pickthorn had seven tackles, one for loss. Tyrell Klein added four stops and recorded one sack, for seven yards. Gabe Baptista and Cameron Middleton had three tackles and one pass breakup, a piece. Isaac Crownover had one tackle, but forced one fumble and recorded two fumble recoveries.

Midland was led defensively by Treden Davis-Reed. He had 12 tackles, plus a half of a tackle for loss. Dane Christensen had seven tackles, one of which was a sack for four yards. Gabriel VanWinkle had seven stops and one tackle for loss. Tayver Thornbrugh had four tackles and a tackle for loss. Rowdy Truksa had three tackles and recorded a half of a sack of three yards. Zane Stenger had two stops, plus a pass breakup. Burton Brandt had two tackles and a half of a sack for four yards. Carter Wagner had one tackle, and a half a tackle for a loss of two yards.

Mount Marty (3-5, 2-5 GPAC) will return to Yankton and host Hastings (3-5, 2-5 GPAC), on Saturday, October 21 at 1:00 p.m. Midland (4-4, 3-4 GPAC) will play its homecoming game next Saturday, hosting Doane (0-7, 0-6 GPAC). Not only will it be Homecoming, but it will also be Senior Day, as the Warriors play their final home game of the year. Kickoff at Heedum Field, in Fremont, will be 1:00 p.m.