#6 Marian 26, #11 Dordt (Iowa) 18
The Marian defense would keep the Dordt attack off the scoreboard until midway through the fourth quarter, leading the way for the No. 6 Knights to pick up the 26-18 home victory in their 2025 postseason debut over the 11th-ranked defenders.
The Knights opened with a six-minute, 86-yard drive on the game’s opening kickoff, resulting in Uriah Buchanan’s 24-yard TD run. Midway into the second period, Marian extended their lead on a short TD pass from Tristan Polk to Keagan La Belle, and the Knights would take a 14-0 lead into the half.
La Belle would record his first rushing TD of the postseason in the third quarter, but Dordt would also earn their first points of the day, returning a blocked extra point attempt 97 yards for a two-point return.
The Marian defense continued to pressure the Defenders, with Yassine Falke returning an interception 76 yards for a pick-six that put the Knights ahead 26-2.
Dordt would rally in the fourth quarter, with two touchdown drives and a pair of two-point conversions, and would take over with 53 seconds remaining inside their own five-yard line. Trailing by eight, Dordt would nearly reach midfield before time expired and Marian secured the win.
Polk finished with 100 passing yards, completing 7 of 15 passes with one touchdown. La Belle rushed or 138 yards on 27 carries and a score, while Aidan Wanner led the Marian receivers with 41 yards on one catch.
On the other side of the ball, Cade Houseman finished with a game-high 15 tackles, while Wyatt Woodall made 13 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss. Falke finished with two interceptions and six tackles on the day.
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#7 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 57, #10 Indiana Wesleyan 31
The No. 10 Wildcats would put No. 7 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) on upset alert, scoring the game’s first 24 points, but the host Blue Raiders would post 49 second-half points to come from behind and eliminate Indiana Wesleyan from postseason contention, 57-31.
Indiana Wesleyan orchestrated two long touchdown drives in the first quarter, marching 88 yards in 11 plays for the first TD of the day, followed by a 10-play, 91-yard drive later in the period. Both possessions ended with Arjun Loth finding Isaac Smith in the end zone for a passing TD and the 14-0 lead.
Lindsey Wilson would respond just before the end of the first half, going 79 yards in under two minutes and completing the two-point conversion to make it a 24-8 score going into the halftime break.
The home team would come out in the second half and find the end zone on their next seven possessions, taking the lead for the first time midway through the third quarter. Lothe would keep the Wildcats in the game with a 41-yard TD pass to Drew Dutton to close the third quarter, but would be held scoreless down the stretch as the Blue Raiders closed out the win.
Lothe would collect 234 passing yards on the day, completing 24 of 32 passes with three TDs, but had five interceptions, all in the second half. Ryan Whitwell rushed 31 times for 170 yards and one TD. Dutton led the IWU receivers with 70 yards and a TD on five receptions.
Brock Thomason led the Wildcat defense with seven tackles and one tackle for loss.
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#1 Grand View (Iowa) 62, #19 Saint Francis 20
A 35-point second quarter from No. 1 Grand View would be too much for No. 19 Saint Francis to overcome, as the Cougars fell on the road in their second NAIA FCS matchup, 62-20.
Grand View would strike first with the lone scoring drive of the first quarter, but Saint Francis briefly moved in front when Joshua Kulka connected with Adjaye Dandridge on a 30-yard TD pass, capping a 90-yard drive to give the Cougars a 7-6 lead. The Vikings took control from there, finding the end zone on all five of their possessions in the second half. Kulka would find Dandridge for their second TD of the game, resulting in a 41-13 halftime score.
The Vikings would tally three more TD drives in the second half, leading by as much as 62-13 before a late Braylen Gilliard TD run would close out the game for the Cougars.
Kulka finished with 311 yards passing and two TDs, with Dandridge carrying most of the load to the tune of 227 yards and two scores on 11 receptions. Defensively, Jaydin Evans led the way with four tackles and a sack.
