Year three of the Austin Dickinson era is set to begin in Storm Lake as he leads the Buena Vista University football program into the 2025 season. The BVU alum’s record as head coach certainly isn’t what he’d hoped for in his first two seasons, as he holds a record of 4-16 overall. However, Buena Vista is hopeful to turn things around and close the gap in the competitive American Rivers Conference (ARC)
The Beavers are looking for some new faces to step in and give them some production on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Zach Herrera has departed from Storm Lake while Eman Alaniz, the team’s leading rusher from last year, and Blaine Peebles, their 2024 receiving leader, also graduated.
Buena Vista has 89 players on the roster, including 45 former Iowa High School players.
So, who will step up for the Beavers in 2025? At quarterback, it appears to be a two-horse race between Brett Garcia and Zy Gravitt. Garcia flashed in limited action, most notably going 6-8 for 75 yards and a touchdown in a loss against conference champion Wartburg. Gravitt, a transfer from DIII Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, will make things interesting. He threw for 2095 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions last season at HPU.
Senior running back Meven Obregon was the team’s number two rusher a year ago with 121 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Expect some more volume from him on the ground. Cashtin Craycraft, Dolan Pospichal, and Tre Fisher all had triple-digit receiving yards in 2024 and are expected to see more opportunities this season.
The player to watch on the defensive side of the ball is lineman Keaton Bindel. Bindel, who grew up in nearby Pocahontas, is the team’s leading returning tackler after posting 47 of them in 2024. Bindel also sacked the quarterback twice, good enough to tie him for first place on the team, but a number that the Beavers undoubtedly want to increase greatly in 2025.
Junior linebacker Drew Volkmann and defensive back Alex Abens are two other notable returns for BVU. Volkmann hails from Boyer Valley (Dunlop) while Abens is a Dallas Center-Grimes alum. Those three join 45 other Iowa high school graduates on the 2025 Beavers roster.
Buena Vista kicks off the season on the road against Benedictine University. The Lisle, Illinois school won the inaugural matchup between the two schools last season 34-7 in Storm Lake. The Eagles finished 5-5 last season, but oddly enough struggled defending their home turf with a record of 1-3. Both of Buena Vista’s wins came on the road as well, could a long bus ride actually do the Beavers some good?
After Benedictine, Wisconsin Lutheran comes to town before going idle on September 20. Wisconsin Lutheran used a 21-point fourth quarter to bury BVU last season, winning 44-13. The Beavers then jump into ARC competition with a Homecoming tilt against the Simpson Storm. Simpson won the 2024 installment of this matchup by a final count of 24-16. Luther is a key win opportunity at home on October 11th. The Beavers were picked #8 preseason in the ARC coaches poll, and having Nebraska Wesleyan and Loras the two teams picked above them at home, is a helpful advantage.
SportsGuysIowa thinks the Beavers could be in for a long season. Ending the season with a .500 record would be a huge accomplishment for this program, however, we realistically think this team’s win total could range from a floor of one win to a ceiling of 4 wins.
Best of luck to the Buena Vista Beavers in 2025. Our SGI team thinks they have arguably the best logo in the ARC. That BV Beaver is fantastic.
Do you think Buena Vista will make some leaps this season? As always, we appreciate you following along and supporting our team at SGI.
