Luke Drooger – Staff Writer

Coming off a loss to Keiser University in which Dordt lost two of their top offensive weapons, there weren’t many who believed the September 7^th Waldorf game would be a cakewalk.

With both starting quarter back Noah Clayberg and top wide receiver Levi Jungling out for the game, what would Dordt do?

“We have two more quarterbacks who are capable of winning games,” senior running back Levi Schoonhoven said before the game.

Schoonhoven was correct. Backup quarterback, Tyler Reynolds began the game with an interception but Reynolds supported his running back’s endorsement for the rest of the outing.

Reynolds finished the game with 86 yards on the ground, 52 yards through the air, and 3 total touchdowns which were more than enough for Dordt on this Saturday under the lights.

The big story coming into the game for Waldorf was their former division 1 running back, Jeff Jones. After his senior season at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, Jones earned the 2013 Mr. Football award in Minnesota—an award given to the best high school player in the state. After spending time playing football at the University of Minnesota and other schools, he ended up at Waldorf University in 2019.

Dordt did an excellent job of handling Jones as he finished the game with 85 rushing yards, 31 of which came on one carry. Jones found himself on the wrong side of one of the biggest plays of the game. With less than ten minutes remaining in the 4^th quarter, Waldorf drove down the field, hoping to make it a one possession game. The score was 21-7 in Dordt’s favor when Jones leaped for the end zone and was hit by two Dordt defensemen. When the ball came loose, Dordt’s Quinton Murphy recovered it at the 1 yard line.

Although Waldorf was able to tackle Reynolds in the end zone for a safety on the next play to make the score 21-9, those were the final points they could muster on a cool and wet evening against a stingy Dordt defense.

After the clock hit zeros, ending with a score of 30-9, a Dordt player brought up an altercation he had with the opponent who said, “I thought this was a Christian university, why are you hitting me so hard?”

Coach Joel Penner responded to this conversation by talking about his players having the ability to show domination through being the son of a King. Dordt hopes to bring that same domination to Sioux City when they begin conference play against Morningside on September 14.