As the end comes near for Coach Greg Youngblood’s first season as the head coach of the Dordt College football program, challenges have certainly arisen, but he believes that the team can be proud of the progress they have made from week-to-week.

“In my first season, I can’t say there have been any huge surprises, but I am very thankful for the hard work our coaches and players have put in,” said Youngblood. “We have steadily improved and, while we are still not where we want to be on the scoreboard, I feel good about the progress we are making.”

In a number of games this season, Dordt was able to show that they had the ability to win games, but fell short at the final whistle. Against Briar Cliff, it was a neck and neck battle throughout the entire game, down until the last 10 seconds of the game in a 33-29 loss. A week later in a matchup with Dakota Wesleyan, Dordt amassed a total of 691 yards of offense before falling short 45-31 in a game where multiple team records were recorded. The Defenders did manage their first win of the season, however, during Parents Weekend on Saturday, October 20 against Dakota State. The final score came out to be a 24-7 victory.

Throughout each week, the goal has always been the same; if you continue to have day-to-day and week-to-week improvement, the desired results will come. This year has been full of learning curves for everyone, coaches and players alike, but players have kept spirits high.

“Every week I just have to go out there and do what I can to help out the team. We always need to keep moving forward and make our fans proud,” said sophomore Trai Pickney.

The Defenders finish up the season strong with two tough matchups. First, Dordt holds the final home game with senior night on November 3 against Doane, and then the season finale against rival Northwestern on November 10 in Orange City.

Justin Pastoor, Sports Editor