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Mustangs Place Three On All-America First-Team
Gilworth Receives MVP Award
Seven Mustangs Named NAIA Scholar-Athletes
Oetken Named To AFCA All-America Team
Mustangs Post 10-2 Record In Banner 2008 Campaign
Mustang Season Ends In NAIA Quarterfinals
Mustangs Blast Baker In First Round Of NAIA Championship Series
Gilworth Named GPAC Offensive Player Of The Year
Mustangs Lose Showdown With Sioux Falls
Gradoville Receives GPAC Honor For Third Time This Season
Kildow And Oetken Named To Academic All-District Team
Anderson Is GPAC Player Of The Week
Gilworth Is NAIA National Player Of The Week
Gilworth And Gradoville Receive GPAC Honors
Gradoville Is NAIA National Special Teams Player Of The Week
Oetken Named GPAC Defensive Player Of The Week
GPAC Punting Champion Transfers To Morningside
Mustangs Ranked Seventh In NAIA Pre-Season Poll
Mustangs Picked Second In GPAC Coaches' Poll
 Morningside’s Ian Gilworth, a 6-3, 215 lb. quarterback from Unionville, Mo., has been selected to play in the third annual College Fanz/Victory Sports Network NAIA Senior Classic football game slated for Saturday, April 25 at 1 p.m. in Platte City, Mo.
The game will pit 120 former NAIA football players in a showcase of talent and character. The game will be played at Platte County R3 High School’s Pirate Stadium.
Gilworth and Billy Bob Orsagh of Malone University are the quarterbacks on the American team’s roster.
Gilworth completed 221 of 327 pass attempts for 3,130 yards and 41 touchdowns and was the NAIA national leader with a passing efficiency rating of 188.1 during the 2008 season. He threw only two interceptions all season and finished the campaign with a streak of 164 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Gilworth completed 67.6 percent of his pass attempts to set a school record and tied a Mustang single-season record with his 41 touchdown passes. His 3,130 yards passing was the third highest single-season passing yardage total in school history.
He threw a school-record seven touchdown passes in Morningside’s 63-13 Homecoming victory against Hastings College and in the Mustangs’ 65-27 victory against Baker University in the first round of the NAIA Playoffs. Gilworth set a Morningside single-game record for passing accuracy when he completed 10 of 12 attempts for 83.3 percent in a 62-0 win against Dordt College.
Gilworth passed for 6,753 yards and 77 touchdowns during his two-year Morningside career for the second highest totals in school history.
Click here for the American team roster
Click here for the National team roster.
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C.J. Gradoville |
Beau Kildow |
Morningside’s C.J. Gradoville, Beau Kildow, and Ryan Oetken have all been named to the first-team of the College Fanz Sports Network 2008 NAIA All-America Football Team.
In addition to their three first-team selections, the Mustangs placed Pat Dempsey and Ian Gilworth on the All-America second-team and Blake Anderson was named to the All-America honorable mention list.
Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. sophomore kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, was the NAIA national leader in kick scoring this season with 12 field goals and a school-record 76 PATs for 112 points for an average of 9.3 points per game. He was a perfect 12-for-12 on field goal attempts with a long of 44 yards.
Gradoville is Morningside’s all-time leader with 131 career PATs.
Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. junior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., caught 64 passes for 977 yards for an average of 15.3 yards per catch and led the Mustangs with 14 touchdown receptions. His 977 reception yards was the sixth highest single-season total in Morningside history. Kildow was also the Mustangs’ top kick return specialist with averages of 27.4 yards on kickoff returns and 11.3 yards on punt returns.
Kildow has caught 132 passes for 1,894 yards and 22 touchdowns during his Morningside career for the sixth highest yardage total and ninth highest reception total in school history.
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Ryan Oetken |
Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Akron, Iowa, ranked second nationally in the NAIA with nine interceptions for an average of 0.8 per game. His nine interceptions was the second highest single-season total in Morningside history and just one shy of Dwight Sann’s school-record total of 10 interceptions in 1969. Oetken tied the Mustangs’ single-game interception record when he had three pass thefts in a 31-7 victory against Dakota Wesleyan University on Sept. 6. Aside from his nine interceptions, Oetken also led the Mustangs with 10 pass breakups and ranked second on the team with two forced fumbles. He had 36 solo tackles and 32 assists for 68 total tackles, including 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of four yards.
Oetken finished his career with a school-record 22 interceptions. He amassed 39 pass breakups to finish just one shy of the Mustangs’ career record of 40 pass breakups by John Zevenbergen from 2002-05.
Dempsey, a 6-4, 270 lb. senior offensive tackle from Omaha, was the offensive line standout for a Morningside team that led the nation with a scoring average of 48.0 points per game. The Mustangs averaged 440.1 yards total offense per game and tied a school record with an average of 4.7 yards rushing per game.
Gilworth, a 6-3, 210 lb. senior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., completed 221 of 327 pass attempts for 3,130 yards and 41 touchdowns and was the NAIA national leader with a passing efficiency rating of 188.1. He threw only two interceptions all season and finished the campaign with a streak of 164 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Gilworth completed 67.6 percent of his pass attempts to set a school record and tied a Mustang single-season record with his 41 touchdown passes. His 3,130 yards passing was the third highest single-season passing yardage total in school history.
He threw a school-record seven touchdown passes in Morningside’s 63-13 Homecoming victory against Hastings College and in the Mustangs’ 65-27 victory against Baker University in the first round of the NAIA Playoffs. Gilworth set a Morningside single-game record for passing accuracy when he completed 10 of 12 attempts for 83.3 percent in a 62-0 win against Dordt College.
Gilworth passed for 6,753 yards and 77 touchdowns during his two-year Morningside career for the second highest totals in school history.
Anderson, a 6-4, 230 lb. senior wide receiver from Randolph, Neb., was the Mustangs’ leading pass receiver with 69 catches for 842 yards and 13 touchdowns for an average of 12.2 yards per catch. He led the Mustangs in pass receptions in eight of their 12 games and his 69 receptions was the seventh highest single-season total in Morningside history.
Anderson caught 137 passes during his Morningside career for the seventh highest career total in Mustang history.
The College Fanz Sports Network (CFSN) All-America team replaces the former Victory Sports Network (VSN) All-America team. The CFSN, the world’s largest online college sports community, acquired VSN in November of 2008.
Click here for the complete 2008 College Fanz Sports Network All-America Team.
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Ian Gilworth |
Ian Gilworth, a 6-3, 210 lb. senior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., received the Most Valuable Player Award for Morningside College’s 2008 football season when the Mustangs held their post-season awards banquet.
Gilworth completed 221 of 327 pass attempts for 3,130 yards and 41 touchdowns and was the NAIA national leader with a passing efficiency rating of 188.1. He threw only two interceptions all season and finished the campaign with a streak of 164 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Gilworth completed 67.6 percent of his pass attempts to set a school record and tied a Mustang single-season record with his 41 touchdown passes. His 3,130 yards passing was the third highest single-season passing yardage total in school history.
Gilworth threw a school-record seven touchdown passes in Morningside’s 63-13 Homecoming victory against Hastings College and in the Mustangs’ 65-27 victory against Baker University in the first round of the NAIA Playoffs. He set a Morningside single-game record for passing accuracy when he completed 10 of 12 attempts for 83.3 percent in a 62-0 win against Dordt College.
Morningside’s Most Valuable Offensive Player Award went to Beau Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. junior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., and its Most Valuable Defensive Player Award went to Ryan Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Akron, Iowa.
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Beau Kildow |
Ryan Oetken |
Kildow caught 64 passes for 977 yards and led the Mustangs’ receivers with 14 touchdown receptions. He was also the Mustangs’ top kick return specialist with averages of 27.4 yards on kickoff returns and 11.3 yards on punt returns.
Oetken had nine interceptions to finish one shy of a school record. He also led the Mustangs with 10 pass breakups to go along with 36 solo tackles and 32 assists for 68 total tackles, 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of four yards, and two forced fumbles. He is Morningside’s all-time leader with 22 career interceptions.
Morningside’s other award winners were:
Mustang Award – Oetken.
Outstanding Offensive Lineman – Pat Dempsey, a 6-4, 270 lb. senior from Omaha, Neb.
Outstanding Offensive Back – Blake Anderson, a 6-4, 230 lb. senior slot back from Randolph, Neb.
Outstanding Receiver – Antuan Bloom, a 5-11, 190 lb. senior wide receiver from Miami, Fla.
Outstanding Defensive Lineman – Vernon Moore, a 6-0, 250 lb. junior from Houston, Texas.
Outstanding Linebacker – Justin Taylor, a 6-0, 230 lb. junior from Underwood, Iowa.
Outstanding Defensive Back – Aaron Klein, a 6-1, 190 lb. senior from Wakefield, Neb.
Outstanding Special Teams Player – C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. sophomore kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Morningside posted a 10-2 record in 2008 for its second highest victory total in school history. The Mustangs made their fifth consecutive appearance in the NAIA Championship Series and were ranked fifth nationally in the post-season NAIA poll. Morningside has a 48-12 record for a .800 winning percentage since the start of the 2004 season and has advanced to at least the quarterfinal round of the NAIA Playoffs each of the past four seasons.
 Seven Morningside College football players have been named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
They are:
Tyler Childress, a senior running back from Alvord, Iowa. Childress has a 3.61 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in business administration with an emphasis in management and marketing.
Beau Kildow, a junior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb. Kildow has a 4.00 cumulative GPA with majors in chemistry and biology.
Ben Loberg, a junior linebacker from Randolph, Neb. Loberg has a 3.54 cumulative GPA with a major in business administration with an emphasis in finance.
Willie Mech, a senior linebacker from Crofton, Neb. Mech has a 3.60 cumulative GPA with a major in biology.
Ryan Oetken, a senior defensive back from Akron, Iowa. Oetken has a 3.87 cumulative GPA with majors in biology and chemistry.
Adam Teut, a junior linebacker from Hinton, Iowa. Teut has a 3.55 cumulative GPA with a major in general science teaching.
Mark Waters, a junior tight end from Grand Island, Neb. Waters has a 3.80 cumulative GPA with a major in computer science.
Student-athletes must be of at least junior academic status and have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in order to be eligible for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Click here for the complete list of 2008 Daktronics-NAIA Football Scholar-Athletes.
 Ryan Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Akron, Iowa, has been named to the 2008 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NAIA Coaches’ All-America Football Team.
Oetken ranked second nationally in the NAIA this season with nine interceptions for an average of 0.8 per game. His nine interceptions was the second highest single-season total in Morningside history and just one shy of Dwight Sann’s school-record total of 10 interceptions in 1969. Oetken tied the Mustangs’ single-game interception record when he had three pass thefts in a 31-7 victory against Dakota Wesleyan University on Sept. 6. Aside from his nine interceptions, Oetken also led the Mustangs with 10 pass breakups and ranked second on the team with two forced fumbles. He had 36 solo tackles and 32 assists for 68 total tackles, including 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of four yards.
Oetken had a school-record 22 interceptions during his Morningside career to break the Mustangs’ former record of 20 interceptions by Mike Winklepleck from 2002-05. Oetken amassed 39 pass breakups to finish just one shy of the Mustangs’ career record of 40 pass breakups by John Zevenbergen from 2002-05.
The AFCA has been selecting All-America teams since 1945. The association selects All-America teams for the NAIA and NCAA Divisions I-A, I-AA, II, and III. The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player All-America squad in 1945.
Morningside posted a 10-2 record in 2008 for its second highest victory total in school history. The Mustangs were ranked sixth nationally in the final regular season NAIA poll and made their fifth consecutive appearance in the NAIA Championship Series. Morningside has advanced to at least the quarterfinal round of the NAIA Championship Series each of the last four seasons.
Click here for the complete 2008 AFCA NAIA Coaches' All-America Team.
Morningside had a 10-2 record during the 2008 football season for its second highest victory total in school history. The Mustangs, who were ranked sixth nationally in the final NAIA regular season poll, made their fifth consecutive appearance in the NAIA National Playoffs, where they reached the NAIA Quarterfinals after a 65-27 first round victory against 13-ranked Baker University. Morningside finished second in the Great Plains Athletic Conference standings with a 9-1 league mark.
The Mustangs have a 48-12 record for a .800 winning percentage since the start of the 2004 season. Morningside has advanced to at least the quarterfinal round of the NAIA Playoffs each of the past four seasons.
Morningside 31, Dakota Wesleyan 7
Morningside 26, Northwestern 21
Morningside 62, Dordt 0
Morningside 58, Dana 7
Morningside 63, Hastings 13
Morningside 49, Concordia 0
Morningside 38, Midland Lutheran 7
Morningside 49, Doane 27
Morningside 73, Briar Cliff 8
Sioux Falls 34, Morningside 31
NAIA Playoffs
Morningside 65, Baker 27
Lindenwood 34, Morningside 31
Morningside had one of the highest scoring offensive attacks in the nation with a scoring average of 48.0 points per game in 2008. The Mustangs, who scored a season’s high 73 points in a 73-8 win against city rival Briar Cliff, set school records with 77 touchdowns and 576 points to break the former Mustang single-season marks of 76 touchdowns and 550 points in 2005. Morningside tied a school record with 10 touchdowns in the win against Briar Cliff to match a 10-touchdown performance in a 73-0 win against Doane last season.
The Mustangs set a school record with 43 touchdown passes this season to break their former single-season standard of 42 TD passes in 2005 and had 31 rushing touchdowns to tie a school record previously set in 2005. Morningside completed 66.5 percent of its pass attempts to break its former single-season record of 62.0 percent in 2005.
Morningside amassed a season’s high 565 yards total offense in its 65-27 playoff victory against Baker to set a school record with an average of 9.1 yards total offense per play to break its former single-game record of 9.0 yards per play against Quincy in 1998.
Morningside averaged 4.7 yards per rushing attempt in 2008 to tie a single-season record previously set in 1985.
 Tyler Childress, a 5-11, 210 lb. senior running back from Alvord, Iowa, scored seven touchdowns this season to become Morningside’s school-record holder with 34 career touchdowns. Childress, also the Mustangs’ all-time leader with 30 career rushing touchdowns, broke the former Morningside scoring record of 28 career touchdowns set by Mitch Allner from 1996-99.
Childress rushed for 1,872 yards during his career for the second highest total in Morningside history.
Ryan Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Akron, Iowa, ranked among the NAIA national leaders with nine interceptions this season to finish with a school-record 22 career interceptions to break the former Morningside record of 20 interceptions by Mike Winklepleck from 2002-05. He tied the Mustangs’ single-game interception record when he had three pass thefts in a 31-7 victory against Dakota Wesleyan in the season opener. Oetken’s nine interceptions this season was just one shy of the Morningside single-season record of 10 interceptions by Dwight Sann in 1969. Oetken led the Mustangs with 10 pass breakups and had 39 pass breakups during his career to finish one shy of the school-record total of 40 career pass breakups by John Zevenbergen from 2002-05.
 C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. sophomore kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, broke two school records and tied another during the 2008 campaign. Gradoville made a school-record 76 PATs to raise his career total to 131 PATs to break the former Morningside records of 56 PATs by Jared Small in 2005 and 79 career PATs by Dave Chop from 1983-85. Gradoville made 76 of 77 PAT attempts and was a perfect 12-for-12 on field goal attempts to tie the Morningside record of 12 field goals in a season he had previously established in 2007.
Ian Gilworth, a 6-3, 210 lb. senior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., broke six school records and tied another during the 2008 campaign. Gilworth tied the Mustangs’ record of 41 touchdown passes in a season first set by Craig Fobbe in 2005 and threw a school-record seven touchdown passes in Morningside’s 63-13 Homecoming win against Hastings and in the Mustangs’ 65-27 playoff victory against Baker. Gilworth set a new Morningside single-game record for passing accuracy when he completed 10 of 12 attempts for 83.3 percent in the Mustangs’ 62-0 win against Dordt. He finished with 221 completions in 327 attempts for 67.6 percent to break his own single-season passing accuracy mark of 65.5 percent he set last year. Gilworth completed 504 of 759 pass attempts for 66.4 percent over his two-year career to shatter the former Morningside career passing accuracy record of 56.6 percent set by Fobbe from 2002-05. Gilworth also set Morningside career records with averages of 7.9 yards total offense per play and 282.1 yards total offense per game to break the former Mustang standards of 7.0 yards per play and 278.4 yards per game by Fobbe.
Gilworth passed for 3,130 yards in 2008 for the third highest single-season passing yardage total in Morningside history. He threw only two interceptions all season and finished with a streak of 164 consecutive pass attempts without an interception.
Gilworth passed for 6,753 yards and 77 touchdowns during his two-year Mustang career for the second highest career totals in Morningside history.
 Brett Nickolite, a 5-11, 215 lb. junior linebacker from Stanton, Neb., topped the Mustangs’ tackle chart for the second season in a row after he collected a team-high 51 solos and 58 assists for 109 total tackles. He also led the Mustangs with 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 67 yards, three forced fumbles, and two blocked kicks.
Nickolite became Morningside’s all-time career leader with 34.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 153 yards. He broke the former Morningside career records of 34 tackles behind the line of scrimmage by Jon Friessen from 1997 to 2000 and 134 career tackle for loss yards by Mike Bennett from 1999 to 2003.
Joe Don Hunter, a 6-0, 215 lb. junior running back from Council Bluffs, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ leading rusher in 2008 when he ran for 759 yards and 13 touchdowns in 138 attempts for a school-record average of 5.5 yards per carry. He broke the former Morningside single-season record of 5.1 yards per carry by Dave Bigler in 1971. Hunter had the Mustangs’ top single-game rushing performance of the season when he ran for 137 yards in the Mustangs’ 34-31 loss against Lindenwood in the NAIA Quarterfinals.
 Blake Anderson, a 6-4, 230 lb. senior fullback from Randolph, Neb., was the Mustangs’ leading pass receiver with 69 receptions for 842 yards and 13 touchdowns. He led the Mustangs in pass receptions in eight of their 12 contests and his 69 receptions was the seventh highest single-season total in Morningside history.
Anderson caught 137 passes during his Morningside career for the seventh highest career total in Mustang history.
Beau Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. junior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., was the Mustangs’ top kick return specialist during the 2008 season. Kildow returned 14 kickoffs for 383 yards for an average of 27.4 yards per return to finish just shy of the Morningside single-season record of 27.5 yards per kickoff return by Keith Green in 1994. He averaged 11.3 yards per punt return with 27 returns for 306 yards.
Aside from his kick return exploits, Kildow also caught 64 passes for a team-high 977 yards and 14 touchdowns. Kildow’s 977 pass reception yards was the sixth highest single-season total in Morningside history and his 64 receptions ranked 10th among the college’s single-season bests.
Kildow has caught 132 passes for 1,894 yards and 22 touchdowns during his Morningside career for the sixth highest yardage total and ninth highest reception total in school history.
Antuan Bloom, a 5-11, 190 lb. senior wide receiver from Miami, Fla., caught 40 passes for 627 yards during the 2008 season to finish with career totals of 133 receptions for 1,858 yards. Bloom ranks seventh in Morningside history with his 1,858 career receptions yards and his 133 career pass receptions is the eighth highest total in the Morningside annals.
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Joe Don Hunter |
Ian Gilworth |
Morningside’s hopes of moving on in the 2008 NAIA Football Championship Series were dashed when Lindenwood’s Halley Ferrell kicked a game-winning 25-yard field goal with three seconds left to defeat the Mustangs 34-31 in Saturday’s quarterfinal round action at Elwood Olsen Stadium.
Ferrell, who had missed three field goal attempts earlier in the contest, sent the seventh-ranked Lions into next Saturday’s semifinals with an 11-1 record. Sixth-ranked Morningside, which bowed out in the quarterfinals for the third year in a row, closed the books on a 10-2 season.
Saturday’s game appeared headed for overtime after Morningside had rallied from a 31-24 deficit to tie the score on a three-yard touchdown run by Tyler Childress with 45 seconds left in the game.
However, Lindenwood marched 63 yards in 34 seconds to set up the winning field goal. Fifty-one of the yards came on a pair of pass plays of 31 and 20 yards from Ben Kisner to Rudy Fleming.
The combination of Kisner to Fleming hurt the Mustangs all day as they hooked up 10 times for 169 yards. Kisner, named the Offensive Player of the Game, finished with 445 yards passing for the second highest total ever allowed by the Morningside defense. Kisner finished with 32 completions in 47 attempts with no interceptions to end the Mustang defense’s streak of 23 consecutive games with an interception.
Dario Camacho, who played at Purdue University earlier in his career, scored three of the Lions’ touchdowns and finished with 102 yards rushing in 19 attempts and 83 yards on five pass receptions.
The Lions didn’t turn the ball over against a Morningside team that entered the game as the NAIA national leader in team turnover differential. The Mustangs fumbled the ball away twice, and Lindenwood turned both into touchdowns.
Morningside, which scored touchdowns on nine consecutive possessions in its opening round 65-27 win against Baker University, scored touchdowns on its first two possessions against Lindenwood with scoring runs of one and three yards by Joe Don Hunter to open an early 14-7 advantage with 14:56 left in the second quarter.
Lindenwood answered with touchdown passes of 42 and 18 yards from Kisner to Camacho to take a 21-14 lead into the intermission.
The Mustangs eventually fell behind 24-14 after Ferrell kicked a 27-yard field goal with 5:35 left in the third quarter.
Morningside closed within 24-21 on a two-yard touchdown run by Hunter with 3:05 left in the third quarter and tied the score at 24-24 on a 22-yard field goal by C.J. Gradoville with 11:33 left in the game. The field goal was the school-record tying 12th of the season for Gradoville.
The Mustangs had one more rally in them after Camacho put Lindenwood in front 31-24 on a six-yard touchdown run with 2:20 left.
Gilworth led the Mustangs on a nine-play, 58-yard touchdown drive that took just 1:31 off the clock and tied the score at 31-31 with just 45 seconds left. Gilworth completed six of six pass attempts for 42 yards during the drive to cap a stretch of the game where he completed 12 straight pass attempts.
Gilworth passed for 320 yards with 27 completions in 34 attempts, but was held without a touchdown pass for only the second time all season.
Blake Anderson had a team-high eight receptions for 104 yards, while Beau Kildow had seven catches for 115 yards one week after he had a whopping 204 pass reception yards in the first round win against Baker.
Hunter, who rushed for three touchdowns in the Baker game, ran for three more scores against Lindenwood and finished with a season’s high 137 yards in 24 attempts.
Aaron Klein had a game-high 15 tackles for the Mustangs’ defense with six solos and nine assists. Brett Nickolite added 13 stops with eight solos and five assists.
Darrel Trice and Brandon Gould each had nine tackles for Lindenwood, while Billy Ran Uren, named the Defensive Player of the Game, sacked Gilworth three times for losses of 31 yards.
Box Score
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Beau Kildow |
Brett Nickolite |
Morningside simply had too much offense for Baker to handle when the sixth-ranked Mustangs rolled to a 65-27 triumph over the 13th-ranked Wildcats in Saturday’s opening round matchup in the 2008 NAIA Football Championship Series.
The host Mustangs amassed 565 yards total offense, including 384 yards through the air, as they climbed to 10-1 on the season and advanced to the NAIA Quarterfinals. The NAIA will announce the quarterfinal round pairings on Sunday.
Morningside quarterback Ian Gilworth completed 23 of 28 pass attempts for 384 yards and a school-record tying seven touchdowns. Gilworth, who threw seven touchdown passes for the second time this season, finished with the 10th highest single-game passing yardage total in Morningside history.
His favorite target was Beau Kildow, who caught nine passes for 204 yards, including TD catches of 75 and 11 yards. Gilworth also threw touchdown passes of two and 31 yards to Chad Buchholz, 22 and six yards to Blake Anderson, and 30 yards to Joe Don Hunter.
Hunter also rushed for a pair of touchdowns with scoring runs of one and five yards and finished with a game-high 96 yards in 17 attempts.
Kildow’s 204 reception yards was the fifth highest single-game total in Morningside history. Kildow, who also had a 45-yard kickoff return, finished with 273 all-purpose yards and was named the Offensive Player of the Game.
The Defensive Player of the Game award went to Mustang linebacker Brett Nickolite, who made a big play to take the early momentum away from Baker after the Wildcats’ had scored the game’s first touchdown on a 21-yard pass from Mack Brown to Richie Bryant with 6:57 left in the opening quarter. The Mustangs got two of the points right back when Marshall Tuttle blocked Derek Dorfler’s PAT attempt and Nickolite picked up the ball and ran it back to the Baker end zone for a two-point PAT return.
It didn’t take the Mustangs long to break the game open from there as they later scored touchdowns on an amazing nine straight possessions, starting with Gilworth’s two-yard TD pass to Buchholz with 45 seconds left in the first quarter and capped by Gilworth’s six-yard TD pass to Anderson with 7:37 left in the game.
Bryant, the NAIA national leader with 25 touchdowns during the regular season, added three more TDs to his resume with his 21-yard pass reception and scoring runs of three and 15 yards. He rushed for 81 yards in 20 carries and caught eight passes for 82 yards. Brown completed 33 of 49 passes for 274 yards.
Brice Buryanek, Ryan Oetken, and Ben Loberg topped the Mustangs’ tackle chart with 14, 11, and 10 tackles, respectively. Loberg also had a pair of quarterback sacks and a forced fumble. Nickolite just missed double figures with nine tackles, plus blocked a punt to give the Mustangs the ball at Baker’s one-yard line to set up Hunter’s first touchdown.
Mike Buckley intercepted a Brown pass in the second quarter to extend the Mustangs’ defensive streak to 23 consecutive games with at least one interception dating back to last season.
Baker, one of three teams from the Heart of America Athletic Conference in the NAIA Championship Series field, finished with a record of 8-4.
Box Score
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Ian Gilworth |
Ian Gilworth, a 6-3, 210 lb. senior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., has been named the 2008 Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Year to highlight the Mustangs’ named to the All-GPAC Football Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.
Gilworth, the NAIA national leader in passing efficiency with a rating of 182.3, has completed 171 of 265 pass attempts (64.5 percent) for 2,426 yards and 34 touchdowns. He has thrown only two interceptions all season and his 2,426 yards passing is the fifth highest single-season total in Morningside history. Gilworth set a school record with seven touchdown passes in Morningside’s 63-13 victory against Hastings College on Oct. 11 and set a school record for completion percentage when he completed 10 of 12 attempts for 83.3 percent in the Mustangs’ 62-0 win against Dordt College on Sept. 20.
His exploits helped lead Morningside to a 9-1 regular season record and a second place finish in the GPAC. Morningside will take a No. 6 national ranking into a first round game against Baker University in the NAIA Championship Series this Saturday at Elwood Olsen Stadium.
Gilworth is the third Morningside football player to earn GPAC Player of the Year honors in the last four years. Former quarterback Craig Fobbe was the GPAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2005 and former defensive back Chad Hustedt was the GPAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2007.
Gilworth is joined on the All-GPAC first-team by Blake Anderson, Pat Dempsey, C.J. Gradoville, Beau Kildow, Vernon Moore, Ryan Oetken, Jake Peterson, and Justin Taylor.
Anderson, a 6-4, 230 lb. senior slot back from Randolph, Neb., is the Mustangs’ leading pass receiver with 56 catches for 716 yards and 11 touchdowns for an average of 12.8 yards per catch.
Dempsey, a 6-4, 270 lb. senior offensive tackle from Omaha, Neb., is the offensive line standout for a Morningside team that ranks second in the nation in team scoring offense with an average of 48.0 points per game. The Mustangs are averaging 425.9 yards total offense per game.
Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. sophomore kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, is the NAIA national leader in kick scoring with 96 points for an average of 9.6 points per
game. He is a perfect 11-for-11 on field goal attempts with a long of 44 yards to put him one shy of his own Morningside record of 12 field goals in a season he set last year. Gradoville has converted 63 of 64 PAT attempts and is Morningside’s record holder with 118 career PATs.
Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. junior wide receiver from Omaha, received first-team All-GPAC honors as both a wide receiver and as a punt return specialist. He has caught 48 passes for 658 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns for an average of 13.7 yards per catch. Kildow has returned 23 punts for 286 yards for an average of 12.4 yards per return.
Moore, a 5-10, 240 lb. junior defensive lineman from Houston, Texas, leads the Mustangs’ defensive linemen with 16 solos and 28 assists for 44 total tackles. He is the Mustangs’ co-leader with four quarterback hurries, ranks second on the team with three quarterback sacks, and is third with 9.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 33 yards.
Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Akron, Iowa, is the NAIA national leader with nine interceptions for an average of 0.9 interceptions per game. Oetken, who has returned the interceptions for 107 yards for an average of 11.9 yards per return, is one shy of the Morningside single-season record of 10 interceptions by Dwight Sann in 1969. He is already Morningside’s all-time leader with 22 career interceptions. Aside from his nine interceptions, Oetken also leads the Mustangs with seven pass breakups to go along with 26 solo tackles and 23 assists for 49 total tackles.
Peterson, a 5-11, 200 lb. junior running back from Armstrong, Iowa, is the Mustangs’ leading rusher with 120 carries for 602 yards and 11 touchdowns for an average of 5.0 yards per carry.
Taylor, a 6-0, 230 lb. junior linebacker from Underwood, Iowa, is the Mustangs’ third leading tackler with 26 solos and 40 assists for 66 total tackles, including 7.5
stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 20 yards. He also has three quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a quarterback sack.
In addition to their nine first-team selections, the Mustangs also placed Antuan Bloom, Cody Fisher, and Aaron Klein on the All-GPAC second-team.
Bloom, a 5-11, 190 lb. senior wide receiver from Miami, Fla., has caught 38 passes for 606 yards and seven touchdowns for an average of 15.9 yards per catch.
Fisher, a 5-11, 250 lb. senior offensive center from Downey, Calif., has played a major role in the Mustangs’ improved running game. Morningside has averaged 165.0 yards rushing and 4.7 yards per rushing attempt this season after it averaged only 97.9 yards per game and 2.7 yards per attempt in 2007.
Klein, a 6-1, 190 lb. senior defensive back from Wakefield, Neb., is the Mustangs’ second leading tackler with 37 solos and 41 assists for 78 tackles to go along with three interceptions, two pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries.
Morningside’s Tyler Childress, a 5-11, 210 lb. senior running back from Alvord, Iowa; Joe Don Hunter, a 6-0, 215 lb. junior running back from Council Bluffs, Iowa; Brett Nickolite, a 5-11, 215 lb. junior linebacker from Stanton, Neb.; Marshall Tuttle, a 6-1, 210 lb. sophomore linebacker from Sioux City; and Travis Uleman, a 6-1, 265 lb. junior defensive lineman from Elkhorn, Neb., were all named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list.
Click here for the complete 2008 All-GPAC Football Team.
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Beau Kildow |
Brett Nickolite |
In the lore of the rapidly developing rivalry between GPAC football powers Morningside and Sioux Falls it will come to be known as “the drive.”
The second-ranked Cougars, forced to drive into a stiff wind, pinned on their own four-yard line, and clinging to a 34-31 lead with 9:01 left in the game, staged a meticulous 18-play, 81-yard drive to run out the clock to win Saturday’s matchup of undefeated NAIA national powers and secure their third straight GPAC championship.
Morningside will take a 9-1 record into the NAIA National Playoffs and will learn of its opening round opponent on Sunday.
The Mustangs appeared poised to snap the Cougars’ 32-game home field winning streak when they took a 31-27 lead on a six-yard touchdown run by Joe Don Hunter with 14:33 left in the game. Hunter’s touchdown capped a stretch of the game where Morningside outscored the Cougars 21-3 to battle back from a 24-10 deficit against the nation’s No. 1 defensive unit.
Sioux Falls answered with a nine-play, 70-yard touchdown march into the wind capped by a three-yard TD run by Ryan Lowmiller to regain the lead at 34-31 with 10:12 left in the contest.
That was just a precursor to the Cougars’ game-ending nine-minute march that left them with a 41:02 to 18:58 advantage in time of possession.
The Mustangs were limited to 151 yards total offense in the contest, but did score 31 points against a Sioux Falls team that had yielded only 26 points its previous nine games.
Cougar quarterback Lorenzo Brown was the difference for his team. Brown, who joined the Cougars this year as a transfer from North Iowa Area Community College, accounted for 304 yards total offense with an equal mix of 152 yards rushing in 29 attempts and 152 yards passing with 12 completions in 19 attempts.
Morningside’s Ian Gilworth, who entered the game as the national leader with 32 touchdown passes, added two more TDs to his total with scoring passes of one yard to Blake Anderson and three yards to Beau Kildow, but was limited to 100 yards with 13 completions in 26 attempts. Gilworth, who was sacked three times, had eight of his passes broken up by the Cougars’ defense.
Kildow led the Mustangs’ receivers with seven catches for 48 yards, while Jake Peterson paced the Mustangs’ running game with 46 yards in 13 carries.
Morningside’s defensive leader was Brett Nickolite, who collected a career-high 18 tackles, including 11 solo stops, to go along with a pair of pass breakups. Aaron Klein added 11 tackles, while Vernon Moore had six solo tackles, including a quarterback sack.
Morningside capitalized on a pair of miscues by the Cougars’ kick return teams to take a 10-7 lead in the first quarter.
The first break for the Mustangs came on the opening kickoff when the Cougars’ Lavell Jackson caught the ball on his own four-yard line and slipped and fell on the five. That set up a 13-yard punt by the Cougars’ Drew Anderson into the strong wind that enabled the Mustangs to start their first possession on the Sioux Falls 19-yard line.
The Mustangs scored on a one-yard flip from Gilworth to Anderson on fourth down from the Cougars’ one-yard line to go up 7-0 with 11:41 left in the first quarter.
Sioux Falls answered with a 12-play, 71-yard march that culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Ryan Lowmiller to tie the score at 7-7 with 5:03 left in the first quarter. The drive showcased the talents of Brown, who rushed for 59 yards and completed a 13-yard pass to Alex Anderson to keep the drive alive when the Cougars converted on fourth and 10 from the Mustangs’ 24-yard line.
The Cougars’ defense forced the Mustangs into a three-and-out after the tying touchdown, but their special teams gave the ball right back when Erik Cimpl fumbled the punt return and Justin Shideler recovered to give the Mustangs the ball on the Cougars’ 24-yard line. That set up a 44-yard field goal by C.J. Gradoville, his longest three-pointer of the season, to put the Mustangs up 10-7 with 2:27 left in the opening quarter.
Sioux Falls took the lead when it marched 80 yards in nine plays on its first possession of the second quarter to go up 14-10 with 10:39 left in the first half on a five-yard run by Brown. Brown broke loose for runs of 20, nine, and 12 yards earlier in the drive, plus completed a 32-yard pass to Jon Ryan to convert on third and seven from the Mustangs’ 37-yard line.
A blocked punt by Trevor Holleman, his fourth blocked kick of the season, set up a 30-yard field goal by Matt Lindgren to put the Cougars up 17-10, and the lead grew to 24-10 with 1:19 left in the half after a 14-yard touchdown scramble by Brown.
A 37-yard kickoff return by Kildow helped ignite a 59-yard Morningside touchdown march right before the intermission that narrowed the difference to 24-17. The drive began with a 23-yard pass from Gilworth to Antuan Bloom and ended on a three-yard touchdown pass from Gilworth to Kildow.
The Mustangs tied the score at 24-24 with 9:30 left in the third quarter on a four-yard touchdown run by Peterson that was set up by an interception and 12-yard return by Ryan Oetken. It was Oetken’s ninth interception of the season and the school-record 22nd of his Morningside career.
The Cougars regained the lead on a 20-yard field goal by Lindgren to go up 27-24 with 3:35 left in the third quarter.
Morningside took the lead for the last time when Hunter’s six-yard touchdown run put the guests in front 31-27 with 14:33 left in the game. The touchdown was set up on a blocked punt by Bloom that gave the Mustangs the ball on the Cougars’ 23-yard line.
The lead lasted for just over four minutes before Lowmiller scored the deciding touchdown on a three-yard run with 10:12 left in the game.
Box Score
 C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Special Teams Player of the Week after his performance in the Mustangs’ 73-8 victory against Briar Cliff University last Saturday.
Gradoville, who received the award for the third time this season, kicked a 30-yard field goal and converted all 10 of his PAT attempts to help the Mustangs achieve their highest scoring total since a 73-0 triumph against Doane College in their 2007 opener.
He is a perfect 10-for-10 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 39 yards and is 59-for-60 on PAT attempts. Gradoville is the Mustangs’ scoring leader with 89 points and is the NAIA national leader in kick scoring with an average of 9.9 points per game.
With 10 field goals, Gradoville is two shy of his school-record total of 12 field goals in a season he set last year. He is Morningside’s all-time leader with 114 career PATs. Gradoville made his first 67 PAT attempts and has converted 114 of 115 PAT attempts during his collegiate career.
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Beau Kildow |
Ryan Oetken |
Beau Kildow and Ryan Oetken have been named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine College Division Football Academic All-District VII First-Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
As first-team all-district selections, their names will be placed on the ballot for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team. Kildow and Oetken each received all-district second-team honors last season.
Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. junior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and is majoring in chemistry and biology.
Kildow has caught 34 passes for 495 yards and eight touchdowns and is averaging 14.6 yards per catch. He is also the Mustangs’ top kick return specialist with averages of 11.8 yards on punt returns and 25.7 yards on kickoff returns.
Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Akron, Iowa, has a 3.87 cumulative GPA and is majoring in biology and chemistry.
Oetken is the current NAIA national leader with eight interceptions for an average of 1.00 interceptions per game. He also leads the Mustangs with six pass breakups and two forced fumbles to go along with 21 solos tackles and 20 assisted tackles. Oetken is Morningside’s all-time leader with 21 career interceptions.
Student-athletes must be of at least sophomore status and have a minimum GPA of 3.30 in order to be eligible for ESPN The Magazine academic honors.
 Blake Anderson, a 6-4, 230 lb. senior fullback from Randolph, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week after he helped lead the Mustangs’ nationally ranked football team to a 38-7 victory against Midland Lutheran College last Saturday.
Anderson scored three of the first four touchdowns in the game as the fourth-ranked Mustangs put the game away early with a 28-7 lead by the intermission. Anderson caught touchdown passes of 11, 17, and 17 yards from Morningside quarterback Ian Gilworth. He finished the contest with seven catches for a season’s high 124 yards.
He has been the Mustangs’ leading receiver in six of their seven games this season and is the team leader with 41 receptions for 584 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns.
Anderson has caught 109 passes for 1,317 yards and 14 touchdowns during his Morningside career. His 109 receptions is the 10th highest total in Morningside history.
 Ian Gilworth, a 6-3, 210 lb. senior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., is the NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week following his performance in the Mustangs’ 63-13 Homecoming victory against Hastings College last Saturday.
He also received the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive Player of the Week award for the second week in a row.
Gilworth passed for 287 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns in the contest to break the Mustangs’ former record of six touchdown passes in a game by Craig Fobbe in a 58-7 win against Saint Ambrose University in the 2005 NAIA National Playoffs.
Gilworth completed 19 of 24 pass attempts against Hastings and threw touchdown passes of 23, 24, and 41 yards to Antuan Bloom, three and 12 yards to Blake Anderson, and eight and 26 yards to Beau Kildow.
He has completed 84 of 128 pass attempts for 1,352 yards and 17 touchdowns so far this season. Gilworth has been intercepted only once this season and has not thrown an interception in his last 85 attempts dating back to the second game of the season against Northwestern College. Gilworth completed 10 of 12 pass attempts for 258 yards and three touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 62-0 win against Dordt College on Sept. 20 to set a Morningside single-game completion accuracy record at 83.3 percent.
Gilworth is the third leading passer in Morningside history with 4,953 career yards.
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Ian Gilworth |
C.J. Gradoville |
Ian Gilworth and C.J. Gradoville are this week’s Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for their performances in the Mustangs’ 58-7 football victory against Dana College last Saturday at Blair, Neb.
Gilworth, a 6-3, 210 lb. senior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., passed for 248 yards and four touchdowns with scoring strikes of three and 12 yards to Antuan Bloom, four yards to Beau Kildow, and four yards to Bradley Norwood. He completed 19 of 33 pass attempts.
He has thrown for 1,043 yards and 10 touchdowns so far this season and has been intercepted only once in 104 attempts.
Gilworth is the third leading passer in Morningside history with 4,666 career yards.
Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. sophomore kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, set a GPAC single-game kick scoring record with 16 points in the Mustangs’ victory against Dana. He kicked three field goals with kicks of 32, 32, and 33 yards and went seven-for-seven on PATs.
Gradoville is a perfect eight-for-eight on field goal attempts and is 21-for-22 on PATs this season. Gradoville, who made the first 67 PAT attempts of his collegiate career, has made 76 of 77 PAT attempts during his career and is only three shy of the Morningside record of 79 career PATs set by Dave Chop from 1983-85.
 C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. sophomore kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, is this week’s NAIA National Special Teams Player of the Week and the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the Mustangs’ 26-21 victory against Northwestern College last Saturday in Orange City, Iowa.
Gradoville kicked four field goals to finish one shy of the Mustangs’ single-game record with kicks from 39, 27, 24, and 25 yards. He also made two PATs to make him a perfect 61-for-61 on PAT attempts during his Morningside career.
Morningside, 2-0 and ranked sixth in the nation, will host Dordt College to a 1 p.m. kickoff this Saturday at Elwood Olsen Stadium.
 Ryan Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Akron, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Mustangs’ 31-7 victory against Dakota Wesleyan on Sept. 6.
Oetken intercepted three passes in the contest to tie a Morningside single-game record. Oetken returned the interceptions for 43 yards and also had three solo tackles and two assisted tackles in the game. He intercepted three passes in a game for the second time in his career. Oetken also had three interceptions against Hastings College during the 2006 season.
Oetken, who set a school record with 17 pass breakups last season, has 16 career interceptions to put him four shy of the Morningside record of 20 career interceptions held by Mike Winklepleck, who played for the Mustangs from 2002-05.
Morningside is ranked seventh in the nation in the NAIA and will travel to Orange City, Iowa, on Saturday for a 7 p.m. game against No. 13 Northwestern College.
Kane Kuehl, the 2007 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) individual punting leader, has transferred to Morningside College announced Mustangs’ football head coach Steve Ryan.
Kuehl, a 5-11, 205 lb. junior from Sioux City, will sit out the 2008 season after transferring to the Mustangs from conference rival Briar Cliff University.
Kuehl led the GPAC with an average of 39.8 yards per punt en route to first-team All-GPAC honors last year at Briar Cliff. Kuehl, who ranked 14th nationally, punted 69 times for 2,743 yards. His longest punt was an 81-yarder.
He also earned first-team All-GPAC laurels as a freshman when he led the GPAC with an average of 39.0 yards per punt during the 2006 campaign.
Kuehl is a 2006 graduate of Sioux City Bishop Heelan Catholic High School.
 Morningside is ranked seventh nationally in the NAIA pre-season football poll.
The Mustangs posted a 9-3 record during the 2007 season and reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Playoffs. Morningside has qualified for the NAIA Playoffs each of the past four seasons and has posted a 38-10 record over that time span.
Morningside will open the 2008 season on Saturday, Sept. 6, with a 7 p.m. home game against Dakota Wesleyan University.
Click here for the 2008 NAIA Pre-Season poll.
 Morningside was tabbed for a second place finish in the GPAC Football Coaches' Pre-Season Poll at the ninth annual GPAC Football Media Day held Monday, Aug. 4, at the Cornhusker Marriott in Lincoln, Neb.
The Mustangs, coming off a 9-3 finish in 2007, received 115 points in the poll and garnered five of a possible 12 first place votes. Sioux Falls received the other seven first place votes and topped the pre-season poll with 117 points.
Click here for the complete GPAC Pre-Season Poll.
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