Football Finishes Season with a Road Win

FOREST CITY, Iowa – Doane closed its 2025 season on a high note Saturday afternoon, using a dominant second half to defeat Waldorf, 27–17, in GPAC action at Bolstorff Field.

Doane (2–8) put together one of its most complete offensive efforts of the year, piling up 352 total yards, including 260 through the air, while controlling the ball for more than 35 minutes. Hartman was efficient throughout, finishing 27-for-33 passing with three touchdowns and spreading the ball to seven receivers.

Running back Blake Allen opened the Tiger scoring late in the first quarter, finishing an 11-play, 75-yard march with a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 7–3 lead. Waldorf answered early in the second with a short rushing score of its own, and Doane trailed 10–7 at halftime despite outgaining the Warriors in the opening 30 minutes.

The Tigers seized momentum in the third quarter, putting together a 13-play, 83-yard drive capped by Hartman's 1-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Waido, who led the team with 11 receptions for 76 yards. The go-ahead score marked the first of three consecutive touchdown drives for Doane in the second half.

Doane's receiving corps delivered one of its best performances of the season. John DeRiso was nearly unstoppable, finishing with 10 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, including a 39-yard strike from Hartman early in the fourth quarter to extend the Tiger lead to 21–10. DeRiso struck again minutes later, hauling in a 14-yard touchdown to cap a short field drive set up by the Doane defense.

Waldorf attempted to rally late, converting a 95-yard drive into a touchdown with 2:48 remaining, but the Tigers recovered the ensuing kickoff and closed out the final minutes behind their offensive line and steady ground game. Allen finished with 84 yards on 22 carries, while Rian Green added 24 yards rushing and a 10-yard reception.

Defensively, Doane delivered timely stops and disruptive pressure. Linebackers Reece Zutavern and Jarett Boggs anchored the group with nine tackles apiece, while Zutavern added a sack for a nine-yard loss. Zac Sundquist chipped in six tackles, including two tackles for loss, and the secondary came up with a pivotal fourth-quarter interception from JaKarion Jackson, who returned it nine yards to set up a scoring drive.

Doane held Waldorf to 4-of-12 on third down, generated eight quarterback hurries, and allowed just one offensive touchdown over the first 57 minutes of play. Waldorf finished with 301 total yards but struggled to sustain drives against the Tigers' pressure.

Special teams also contributed, highlighted by punter Garrett Pap's 53-yard boot and a pair of punts downed inside the 20 between Pap and Hartman.

The Tigers posted season highs in first downs (26), passing touchdowns (3), and red-zone efficiency (3-for-3), delivering one of their most complete performances of 2025. Waido finishes with 764 receiving yards on the year, tied for third-most in a single season while DeRiso finished with 759 yards for fifth-most in a single season. Hartman posted just the eighth 2,000-yard passing season, finishing the year with 2,023 yards. Zutavern posted the eight-most tackles in a season, finishing with 118 tackles on the year. His total tackles are the most in a season for a Tiger since 2005.

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