The games from Week 7 had one Big surprise, and many of the SGI teams we cover continued to create distance in their respective conferences.
The Biggest Upset of the Weekend was in Orange City
I was able to get back in time from the Drake Football game I was at on Saturday just in time to catch the last quarter of this game on the excellent game feed. Morningside scored to make it 14-13 with about 5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter in a very intense rivalry game with plenty of rain and wind.
I was thinking excellent, I get to watch extra football, thinking overtime was in the bag. But…Au Contraire, Kyler Fritz (Sioux Center, IA) decided he would take matters into his own hands and blocked the PAT.
The Raiders then held the ball for a first down and then punted and left the Mustangs a long field and got a huge 4th down stop to win a stunner in Orange City and knocked off the #4 Morningside Mustangs. It was another huge game for these two NAIA superpower schools (4 National Titles and 2 Runner Up Trophies since 2018 between them), but Northwestern had been struggling coming in at 3-3 and was unranked.
This game shakes up the GPAC standings and Dordt now stands alone at the top.
P.S. A big thank you and shout out to the Great Plains Athletic Conference (photo above is from their excellent feed). They provide FREE Game broadcasts with excellent production and commentators for their games. It is huge for fans that can’t make the trips to all the games in person, and helps grow fan interest in the programs.
NAIA Scores and Recaps
Grand View (6-0) remained unbeaten against a very stout Peru State this Thursday night in Des Moines. The top-ranked NAIA Vikings were trailing at halftime before turning it on for a 34-20 win.
Dordt (6-0) beat Mt. Mary 33-13 to keep their unbeaten season rolling.
Culver-Stockton beat Clarke (1-5) 28-21 in Dubuque. The Butter Burgers were just a little too much for the Pride.
Briar Cliff (4-4) lost to Midland NE 49-0.
#25 William Penn (6-1) continued their special season with 48-14 win over Missouri Baptist. The Statesman are rolling in Oskaloosa this fall.
St. Ambrose (2-5) defeated Graceland (2-4) 43-36 in a shootout in Davenport. The Bees got the last sting in on the Yellow Jackets.
FCS and D2 Recaps
Drake (4-2) manhandled the Davidson Wildcats in Des Moines 45-0. I was able to attend this game in person and the Bulldogs looked to use a phrase: Dominant on both sides of the ball. They are undefeated in the Pioneer League (PFL) and look like a top contender for the crown. The level of football in the PFL has improved from top to bottom in the league.
If you have not been to a Drake home game this year, I would encourage you to get down to Drake Stadium and catch a game live.
They play a very exciting brand of football and have some real playmakers. Coach Woodley and staff have a very good football team that is one of the PFL super power programs.
Upper Iowa (5-2) beat SW Baptist 39-2 up in Fayette. Iowa’s Favorite D2 team continues to put together another solid year in Division 2 under Coach Hoskins and staff. They are fun to watch and play a high level of football. As a bonus, the Peacocks’ Baby Blue uniforms are in the top 3 uniform kits in the state (College and High School).
NCAA DIII Recaps
The weekend in Iowa did not have many games that were expected to be competitive, and that held true to form.
Wartburg 7-0 defeated Loras (1-5) 40-20
Simpson (3-3) beat Luther (0-7) 36-3
Central (7-0) beat Nebraska Wesleyan 36-3
U of Dubuque (3-4) defeated Buena Vista (2-4) 47-20
Grinnell (1-5) and Cornell (2-4) both played the top teams in their conference and Grinnell lost 45-3 to Monmouth, and Cornell lost 70-0 to Lake Forest.
The American Rivers Conference and Midwest Conference provide excellent Free feeds for all their fans. Kudos to them for helping their remote fans watch the games.
Next Saturday in Waverly
Central plays Wartburg in a Clash of unbeatens and highly ranked NCAA DIII Squads. Wartburg is Top 10 and Central is Top 15 nationally ranked. THIS IS A HUGE GAME….ALL CAPS for sure.
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