Bulldog football finishes season strong with a win against Mount Marty
Photo description: Sophomore Jake Justice launches the ball across the field (photo from previous game).
Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh
Jonas Sommerville
Sower Staff
The Concordia Bulldog football team defeated Mount Marty 45-21 on Saturday afternoon, showing a solid performance on both sides of the ball to finish the regular season.
The Bulldogs started off hot on the first drive with a 50-yard touchdown between junior quarterback DJ McGarvie and fellow junior wide receiver Austin Jablonski. Concordia scored yet again on an eight-play, 69-yard drive. McGarvie found junior tight-end Daylan Russell for a 14-yard touchdown to complete that drive. The defense was stout the whole first quarter, not allowing a single point from Mount Marty.
Mount Marty changed that almost immediately, scoring at the very beginning of the second quarter. Senior Devin Ziegler kept Concordia in control as he scored twice in the second quarter on a six-yard run and then on an eight-yard run. Mount Marty found paydirt once more, making the halftime score 28-14 Concordia.
The third quarter was a stalemate, as both defenses held firm throughout the entire quarter.
Junior Mark Aarp changed that early in the fourth as he scored on a seven-yard run. Mount Marty also broke through to match the score by Concordia on the following drive. Freshman kicker Peyton Atwood converted on a 20-yard attempt to further widen the Bulldog lead. Junior linebacker C.J. Dyhrkopp put the final nail in the coffin with a 40-yard pick-six to make the final score 45-21.
McGarvie led the team in passing with 165 yards through the air. He completed 14 passes on 26 attempts with two touchdown passes. Zeigler had a monster game on the ground, rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 30 attempts. Jablonski hauled in a team-high six receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. Senior linebacker Michael Grindey led the defense in tackles with 10 total.
Concordia is now 5-5 overall and 5-5 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference as the season comes to a close.
