Football Downed in Final Home Game of Season

CRETE, Neb. - The Doane Tigers closed out their home schedule on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium/Papik Field, falling 42–0 to No. 10 Morningside in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play. The Mustangs used a balanced attack—amassing 515 yards of total offense.

Morningside struck early, scoring on its first possession with a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zack Chevalier to Kyle Sisler. The Mustangs added another score late in the first quarter, capping a 12-play, 71-yard drive with Jaylen Burch's one-yard touchdown run for a 14–0 lead after one period.

The visitors extended their lead to 21–0 just before halftime when Chevalier connected with Griffin Kraft on a three-yard scoring strike. Morningside then broke the game open in the third quarter with three touchdowns—Chevalier's 12-yard pass to Kelynn Jacobsen, a three-yard run by Juven Hudson, and a 30-yard completion to Reece Spieler. Chevalier finished the day 20-of-31 passing for 253 yards and four touchdowns, while Hudson (132 yards) and Burch (70 yards) combined for 202 rushing yards.

Doane's offense moved the ball through the air at times, posting 208 passing yards behind Sam Hartman, who completed 21 of 39 passes. John DeRiso was his top target, hauling in 10 receptions for 120 yards, including a 48-yard grab that marked Doane's longest play of the day. Andrew Waido added four receptions for 41 yards, while Derik Anderson chipped in three catches for 20.

Defensively, linebackers Jarett Boggs and Reece Zutavern anchored the Tigers' effort with 13 and 12 tackles, respectively, while Tanner Simdorn added 10 stops. Liban Farah was close behind the leaders with 11 tackles and a tackle for loss. As a unit, Doane registered 73 total tackles and three pass breakups but could not force a turnover against the efficient Mustang offense.

Morningside (7–2, 7–1 GPAC) controlled the clock for more than 30 minutes and converted 8 of 13 third-down tries. Doane (1–7, 1–7 GPAC) managed 245 yards of total offense and was held without a red-zone appearance.

The Tigers will be on the road next Saturday against Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.

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