Tigers outlast Mount Marty in Dakota Railroad Rivalry overtime shootout

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Nov. 1—YANKTON — The Dakota Railroad Rivalry trophy is coming to Mitchell for the first time.

For the third year in a row, it took overtime to separate Dakota Wesleyan University football and Mount Marty on the gridiron.

But on the second play of the Tigers' overtime possession, Steven Christion hauled in a game-winning 25-yard touchdown pass from Connor Drake, lifting DWU to a 44-41 victory over Mount Marty on Saturday at Crane-Youngworth Field.

DWU 4-5 (3-5 GPAC) improved to 4-1 in the all-time series against its in-state Great Plains Athletic Conference rival, though 2025 was only the second year the traveling rivalry hardware was on the line.

"It was weird, but just another run-of-the-mill game for us," DWU head coach Alex Kretzschmar quipped to start his postgame radio interview with KMIT-FM. He later added: "This is why you coach college football right here, is games like this one."

Christion's first touchdown of the day, a 64-yard strike from Drake early in the fourth quarter, put the Tigers ahead 38-24. But the Lancers weren't keen to go quietly. Rugby Ryken tossed two touchdown passes in the final 8 1/2 minutes of regulation, his third and fourth of the afternoon, to help MMU 4-5 (3-5 GPAC) push the game to an extra period.

There, Camden Vance kicked a 29-yard field goal to put the Lancers ahead 41-38 for their first lead since it was 17-14 in the second quarter.

After an incomplete pass on the first DWU snap of overtime, play action helped Christion slip behind the MMU defense, and Drake calmly found his target for the walk-off score. Drake, a redshirt junior, started in place of Jed Jenson, who was sidelined Saturday due to injury, according to the radio broadcast. Notably, Jenson was the reigning conference offensive player of the week following a five-touchdown passing effort against Waldorf on Oct. 25.

In Jenson's stead, Drake went 26-for-39 for 402 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

"We feel like we have two starters on our roster (at quarterback)," Kretzschmar said. "Connor did a great job of stepping up, doing his job and making plays for his team."

Christon finished with six receptions for 129 yards, while Caleb Kilbride notched four catches for 105 yards and one touchdown. Chase McGillivary also had a touchdown grab as part of three catches for 49 yards.

On the ground, Koby Kayser had 42 yards on 10 carries, including a 12-yard third-quarter touchdown. It was DWU's first rushing score in 10 games and a span of 305 rushing attempts.

DWU's defense also did its part, particularly in the first half, as it forced three turnovers from Ryken. Mikey Hart and Landon Ruesink had interceptions, while Weston Wollberg collected a 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown late in the first half off a Cody Winslow strip sack.

The Tigers had six tackles for loss in the game, led by Winslow with 3.5 TFLs, including 2.5 sacks. In addition to the forced fumble, he also blocked an extra point attempt. Hart added a forced fumble of his own, which was recovered by Jacob Marxhausen.

"We needed every single one of those defensive plays, too," Kretzschmar said

However, DWU had few answers for true freshman receiver Moshe Richmond, whose connection with Ryken kept the Lancers afloat. As Ryken finished 24-for-40 for 351 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions, Richmond was responsible for half of it, snaring 12 receptions for 180 yards and two fourth-quarter scores.

Running back Kyle Hirsch tacked on 83 receiving yards on five catches, while Rodney Broadnax and James Brinsley each had scoring grabs. Malachy Harts had 77 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts.

For the MMU defense, Brycen Mitchell had two sacks, and D.J. Brown had one sack as part of 2.5 tackles for loss. Asmerom Mahammad came away with an interception, and Damien Baldwin grabbed a fumble recovery.

"There were times on both sides where one team could've run away with it," Kretzschmar said. "But the other side just kept fighting."

DWU returns to Joe Quintal Field for the first of back-to-back home games to close the season, first hosting Midland on Nov. 8.

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