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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 College (4-0), ranked fifth in the nation, is a NAIA member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The Mustangs posted a 9-3 record last season, including an 8-2 mark in the GPAC to finish second in the league standings, and reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Playoffs. Morningside has a record of 42-10 for a .808 winning percentage since the start of the 2004 season and has qualified for the NAIA National Playoffs each of the past four seasons.
Hastings College (4-2) is a NAIA member of the GPAC. The Broncos posted a 6-5 record in 2007 and finished fifth in the GPAC with a 5-5 league mark.
 Steve Ryan (Wheaton 1989) is in his seventh season as Morningside’s head coach. Ryan has a 50-22 record for a .694 winning percentage with the Mustangs for the highest victory rate in Morningside history. Ryan, who ranks third in the Mustangs’ annals with 50 victories, has led the Mustangs to four consecutive NAIA National Playoff appearances. He was named the 2005 GPAC Coach of the Year and the 2005 American Football Coaches Association Division II Region 4 Coach of the Year after he guided Morningside to a 12-1 record, a GPAC regular season championship, and the semifinals of the NAIA National Playoffs. He was named the 2004 GPAC Coach of the Year as well as the 2004 NAIA Football.net National Coach of the Year after he guided the Mustangs to an 8-3 record and their first-ever appearance in the NAIA National Playoffs. Ryan guided Morningside to a 5-5 record in 2002 in his first season with the Mustangs to snap the team’s streak of 15 consecutive losing seasons. He was previously an assistant coach at Ottawa University. Ryan was a four-year letterwinner and a three-year starter as a linebacker during his playing career at Wheaton College.
Paul Mierkiewicz (Loras) is in his eighth season as the Broncos’ head coach. Mierkiewicz has a 48-31 career record for a .608 winning percentage at Hastings. He guided the Broncos to the quarterfinals of the 2004 NAIA National Playoffs. Mierkiewicz was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator from 1998-2000. He was previously an assistant coach at Moorhead State University and Loras College.
Morningside 31, Dakota Wesleyan 7
Morningside 26, Northwestern 21
Morningside 62, Dordt 0
Morningside 58, Dana 7
Oct. 11- Hastings, 2 p.m.
Oct. 18- at Concordia, 1 p.m.
Oct. 25- Midland Lutheran, 1 p.m.
Nov. 1- at Doane, 1 p.m.
Nov. 8- Briar Cliff, 1 p.m.
Nov. 15- at Sioux Falls, 1 p.m.
Hastings 26, Peru State 0
Hastings 17, Doane 7
Briar Cliff 25, Hastings 24
Sioux Falls 30, Hastings 17
Hastings 28, Dakota Wesleyan 27 (2 O.T.)
Hastings 35, Dordt 0
Oct. 11- at Morningside, 2 p.m.
Oct. 18- Nebraska Wesleyan, 2 p.m.
Oct. 25- at Dana, 1 p.m.
Nov. 8- Concordia, 1 p.m.
Nov. 15- at Midland Lutheran, 1 p.m.
1.Sioux Falls, 5-0; 2.Morningside, 4-0; 3.Northwestern, 4-1; 4.Midland Lutheran, 3-1; 5.Dakota Wesleyan and Hastings, 3-2; 7.Briar Cliff, Doane, and Nebraska Wesleyan, 1-3; 10.Concordia and Dana, 1-4; 12.Dordt, 0-4.
Morningside is ranked fifth nationally in the NAIA poll released on Oct. 6.
1.Carroll (Mont..), 6-0, 392 points; 2.Sioux Falls (S.D.), 5-0, 377; 3.Missouri Valley, 5-0, 357; 4.Saint Francis (Ind.), 5-0, 352; 5.Morningside (Iowa), 4-0, 331; 6.MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 5-0, 318; 7.Friends (Kan.), 4-0, 297; 8.Lindenwood (Mo.), 3-1, 279; 9.Northwestern Oklahoma State, 3-1, 270; 10.Northwestern (Iowa), 4-1, 256; 11.Union (Ky.), 5-0, 233; 12.Virginia-Wise, 5-1, 216; 13.Montana State-Northern, 4-1, 203; 14.Black Hills State (S.D.), 4-1, 192; 15.Ohio Dominican, 3-2, 186; 16.Cumberlands (Ky.), 4-1, 183; 17.Saint Ambrose (Iowa), 3-2, 171; 18.Bethel (Kan.), 3-1, 115; 19.Saint Xavier (Ill.), 3-2, 110; 20.Shorter (Ga.), 4-1, 101; 21.Langston (Okla.), 3-2, 86; 22.St. Francis (Ill.), 4-1, 74; 23.Jamestown (N.D.), 3-2, 56; 24.Midland Lutheran (Neb.), 4-1, 49; 25.Malone (Ohio), 2-1, 44.
Morningside scored on six of its eight possessions in the second half in a 58-7 victory against Dana College last Saturday in Blair, Neb.
The Mustangs rolled for 511 yards total offense, including 307 yards through the air. Ian Gilworth passed for 248 yards and four touchdowns and backup quarterback Tim Richard threw for 59 yards and a touchdown. Richards was involved in the Mustangs’ longest play from scrimmage with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Pete Lewis. Gilworth’s touchdown passes were strikes of three and 12 yards to Antuan Bloom, four yards to Beau Kildow, and four yards to Bradley Norwood.
The Mustangs’ rushing attack produced a pair of touchdowns with scoring runs of two yards by Tyler Childress and three yards by Jake Peterson.
C.J. Gradoville contributed 16 points to the Mustangs’ scoring total with seven PATs and field goals of 32, 32, and 33 yards.
Childress paced the Mustangs’ rushing attack with 98 yards in 13 carries, while Bloom led the Mustangs’ pass receivers with seven catches for 79 yards.
Willie Mech led the Mustangs’ defense with seven tackles, including five solo stops, and had one of the Mustangs’ six quarterback sacks. Ryan Oetken and Aaron Klein each had interceptions, while Marshall Tuttle, Justin Shideler, Brett Nickolite, Colin Schroeder, and Preston Perrett all had quarterback sacks.
Morningside posted a 38-13 Homecoming triumph against Hastings last season on Oct. 6 for its fourth straight victory against the Broncos to open a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series.
Morningside rolled up 502 yards total offense and scored five touchdowns against a stingy Hastings defense that had yielded only six touchdowns in its first five games. The Mustangs scored all of their touchdowns in the second half after a pair of field goals of 23 and 42 yards by Gavin Rodriquez had staked the Broncos to a 6-3 lead at the intermission.
Mustang quarterback Ian Gilworth amassed 413 yards total offense and figured in all five of Morningside’s touchdowns en route to GPAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He threw touchdown passes of six and four yards to Trevor Alfredson and 20 yards to Antuan Bloom, plus had a pair of touchdown runs of one and six yards. Gilworth completed 28 of 37 pass attempts and threw for 389 yards for the eighth highest single-game passing yardage total in Morningside history.
Bloom led the Mustangs’ receivers with eight catches for 114 yards, while Beau Kildow had six receptions for a career-high 135 yards.
Mike Buckley led the Mustangs’ defensive effort with a season’s high 16 tackles, including eight solo stops. Brett Nickolite had a pair of defensive takeaways with an interception and fumble recovery, while Ryan Oetken also had an interception.
Hastings quarterback Dayton Edwards completed 17 of 37 pass attempts for 226 yards. Justin Conley and Adam Loftis had big games for the Broncos’ defense with 14 and 11 tackles, respectively.
Morningside has an all-time record of 72-32-3 against the current members of the GPAC.
 Ryan Oetken, a 6-0, 180 lb. senior defensive back from Akron, Iowa, intercepted a Marcus Sladek pass on the second play of the second quarter in last Saturday’s win at Dana for his seventh interception of the season and the 20th interception of his Morningside career. The 20 career interceptions tied a Morningside school record first set by Mike Winklepleck from 2002-05. With seven interceptions already this season, Oetken has moved within striking distance of Dwight Sann’s Morningside single-season mark of 10 interceptions in 1969. Oetken is the current NAIA national leader with seven interceptions in four games for an average of 1.8 interceptions per game.
Aside from his interception, Oetken also had three solo tackles, an assisted tackle, and a pass breakup against Dana. He is the Mustangs’ fifth leading tackler this season with nine solos and nine assists for 18 total tackles and ranks second on the team with two pass breakups. Oetken had three interceptions in the Mustangs’ 31-7 opening game win against Dakota Wesleyan University en route to Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Oetken set a Morningside single-season record last season with 17 pass breakups and ranked third on the team with five pass interceptions en route to honorable mention All-GPAC honors.
As a sophomore, Oetken ranked fourth nationally in the NAIA with eight interceptions for an average of 0.67 per game and had three interceptions against Hastings College to tie a school single-game record. Aside from leading the Mustangs in interceptions, Oetken also topped the Mustangs with 12 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries to earn honorable mention All-GPAC honors.
Oetken has 31 pass breakups and a school-record 20 interceptions during his Morningside career.
Oetken was a Des Moines Register first-team Class 1A all-state defensive back in 2004 at Akron-Westfield High School. Oetken earned second-team all-state laurels from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and was a second-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa selection. Oetken was the 2004 Class 1A All-District Offensive MVP. His defensive statistics last season included 75 tackles and six interceptions, while offensively he rushed for 1,065 yards and 13 touchdowns, caught 31 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns, and passed for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
 Tyler Childress, a 5-11, 210 lb. senior running back from Alvord, Iowa, rushed for 98 yards in 13 carries in the Mustangs’ 58-7 win against Dana to move into third place on Morningside’s all-time rushing list with 1,629 career yards. He is only 66 yards behind the college’s second place total of 1,695 career yards set by Joel Rogers from 1994-95.
Aside from moving up the Mustangs’ rushing chart, Childress also added to his all-time Morningside touchdown record with a two-yard touchdown run at the 11:25 mark of the third quarter in the victory at Dana. It was the school-record 30th touchdown of Childress’ Morningside career. He is also the Mustangs’ all-time leader with 27 career rushing touchdowns.
Childress averaged 7.5 yards per carry against Dana. His longest run from scrimmage went for 16 yards. He also had a 33-yard pass reception in the game for the longest pass reception of his collegiate career. Childress leads the Mustangs with an average of 5.8 yards per carry this season with 33 attempts for 191 yards.
Childress was the Mustangs’ second leading rusher last season when he ran for 366 yards and a team-high six touchdowns.
He ran for a career-high 777 yards and a school-record 15 touchdowns during the 2005 campaign. Childress topped the 100-yard mark three times; including a game-high 106 yards in the Mustangs’ 54-21 win against Evangel in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Playoffs.
Childress earned first-team Class 2A all-state honors as a defensive back from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and the Des Moines Register as a senior at West Lyon High School. Childress, who was also a fourth-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa selection, rushed for 1,655 yards and 13 touchdowns and averaged 7.9 yards per carry during his senior season.
 Ian Gilworth, a 6-3, 210 lb. senior quarterback from Unionville, Mo., completed 19 of 33 pass attempts for 248 yards and four touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 58-7 win against Dana. He threw scoring strikes of three and 12 yards to Antuan Bloom, four yards to Beau Kildow, and four yards to Bradley Norwood to raise his season’s total to 10 touchdown passes. He has completed 65 of 104 attempts (62.5 percent) for 1,043 yards and has been intercepted only one time so far this season. 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 4,666 career yards. He is 1,649 yards behind Morningside’s second place total of 6,315 yards by Jim Gibson, who played at Morningside from 1982-85. Gilworth has completed 348 of 536 pass attempts (64.9 percent) for 4,666 yards and 46 touchdowns during his Morningside career. He is on pace to shatter the Morningside record for career completion percentage of 56.6 percent set by Craig Fobbe from 2002-05.
He received honorable mention All-GPAC honors last season when he ranked fourth nationally in total offense and passing with averages of 304.6 yards total offense and 301.9 yards passing per game. Gilworth passed for 3,623 yards and 36 touchdowns last season for the second highest single-season totals in Morningside history. He completed 283 of 432 attempts to set a Morningside record for completion percentage at 65.5 percent. Gilworth passed for over 300 yards six times last season, including a career-high 389-yard performance in a 38-13 victory against Hastings College for the eighth highest single-game passing yardage total in Morningside history.
Gilworth joined the Mustangs last year as a transfer from Ellsworth Community College, where he passed for 1,244 yards and six touchdowns in eight games in 2006 en route to honorable mention all-region honors. He completed 105 of 195 attempts for 53.8 percent. He previously attended NCAA Division II Winona State University. Gilworth played in one game at Winona State during the 2005 season and completed two of six passes for 27 yards.
Gilworth was a two-time all-stater and two-time Northeast Missouri Player of the Year during his prep career at Putnam County High School, where he passed for a state-record 6,793 career yards during his four-year career.
 Antuan Bloom, a 5-11, 190 lb. senior wide receiver from Miami, Fla., moved into ninth place on Morningside’s all-time pass reception list after he caught seven passes for 79 yards in the Mustangs’ 58-7 win against Dana. Two of his receptions went for touchdowns with a three-yard TD grab at the 10:56 mark of the second quarter and a 12-yard scoring catch with 6:23 left in the third quarter.
Bloom has caught 106 passes during his career for the ninth highest total in Morningside history. He is nine catches shy of the college’s eighth place total of 115 career receptions set by Steve Schroeder from 1968-70. Bloom has caught 106 passes for 1,424 yards and 16 touchdowns during his Morningside career.
He has caught 13 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns for an average of 14.8 yards per catch in three games this season. Bloom sat out the season opener with an injury.
Bloom earned first-team Victory Sports Network (VSN) All-America honors and first-team All-GPAC laurels last season when he amassed a school-record 93 pass receptions for 1,231 yards and 14 touchdowns. His 1,231 reception yards and 14 TD catches were the second highest single-season totals in Morningside history. Bloom had eight 100-yard games last season, including a season’s high 160 reception yards in a 21-14 triumph against Concordia University. Bloom had a season’s high 14 receptions in games against the University of Sioux Falls and Carroll College; the two teams that played in last season’s NAIA National Championship Game. He tied a school record with four touchdown receptions in Morningside’s 52-3 victory against Dana College with scoring grabs of 16, 19, 44, and 20 yards.
Aside from his pass receiving exploits, Bloom also averaged 24.6 yards per kickoff return last season when he had 10 returns for 245 yards. He had the Mustangs’ longest kickoff return of the season with a 66-yarder in the Mustangs’ 45-14 NAIA National Playoff victory against Jamestown College. Bloom averaged 126.8 all-purpose yards per game last season.
Bloom played at Southwestern Junior College in Chula Vista, Calif., during the 2005 season, where he caught 38 passes for 473. He averaged 31.0 yards per kickoff return at Southwestern in 2004.
 Morningside has a 42-10 record for a .808 winning percentage since the start of the 2004 season and has been a NAIA National Playoff qualifier each of the past four seasons. The Mustangs posted a 9-3 record last season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Playoffs.
Morningside has a 21-2 record for a .913 winning percentage at Elwood Olsen Stadium since the start of the 2004 season.
Morningside has a 40-4 mark when it has scored first and a 10-18 record when its opponent has scored first during the Steve Ryan era. Since the start of the 2004 season the Mustangs are 34-2 when they score first and 8-8 when their opponent has scored first.
The Mustangs’ defense came up with two more interceptions in last Saturday’s win against Dana to extend their streak to 16 consecutive games with at least one interception dating back to last season. Morningside has 12 interceptions through its first four games. The Mustangs tied a school single-game record with five interceptions in a 31-7 win against Dakota Wesleyan University in this year’s season opener. Morningside set a school record with 31 interceptions last season.
The Mustangs have scored 120 points in their last two games with a 62-0 win against Dordt College and a 58-7 triumph against Dana College. Morningside is averaging 44.2 points and 444.2 yards total offense per game.
Morningside ranks third nationally in team scoring defense at 8.8 points per game and has held three of its four opponents to scoring totals of seven points or less. The Mustangs have limited their opposition to an average of 256.8 yards total offense per game.
Morningside rushed for a school-record six touchdowns in its 62-0 win against Dordt College on Sept. 20.
 C.J. Gradoville, a 6-1, 180 lb. sophomore kicker from Council Bluffs, Iowa, kicked three field goals in last Saturday’s win against Dana from distances of 32, 32, and 33 yards. He also made seven PATs to account for 16 of the Mustangs’ points.
He made four field goals to finish one shy of Morningside’s single-game record in the Mustangs’ 26-21 victory against Northwestern College on Sept. 13 to earn NAIA National Special Team Player of the Week honors. Gradoville, who leads the Mustangs in scoring with 45 points, is a perfect eight-for-eight on field goal attempts with a long of 39 yards and is 21-for-22 on PATs.
Gradoville set a Morningside school record last season when he kicked 12 field goals on his way to second-team All-GPAC honors. Gradoville made 12 of 18 field goal attempts with a long of 46 yards and was perfect on 55 PAT attempts to lead the Mustangs in scoring with 97 points. He finished just one PAT shy of the Morningside single-season record of 56 PATs by Jared Small in 2005.
He has made 20 of 26 field goal attempts and 76 of 77 PAT attempts during his Morningside career. Gradoville made the first 67 PAT attempts of his career. With 76 career PATs, Gradoville is only three PATs shy of the Morningside school record of 79 career PATs set by Dave Chop from 1983-85.
Gradoville was a two-time all-stater during his prep career at Council Bluffs St. Albert High School. Gradoville earned first-team Class 1A all-state laurels from both the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and the Des Moines Register as a senior and was a second-team INA all-state selection as a junior. He is the younger brother of Zac Gradoville, a former All-GPAC kicker at Midland Lutheran College.
Tim Richard, a 6-2, 220 lb. junior quarterback from Underwood, Iowa, came off the bench to throw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Pete Lewis for the game’s longest play from scrimmage in last Saturday’s win at Dana. Richard completed two of four pass attempts for 59 yards.
He passed for 1,971 yards in 2006 for the sixth highest single-season passing yardage total in Morningside history. Richards completed 54.3 percent of his attempts with 158 completions in 291 attempts with 13 touchdowns.
Richard has passed for 2,101 yards during his Morningside career.
Richard earned third-team Class 1A all-state honors from the INA as a senior at Underwood High School when he completed 37 of 78 pass attempts for 663 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 985 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Pete Lewis, a 5-9, 185 lb. junior running back from Grand Island, Neb., scored his first touchdown of the season with a 48-yard pass reception from Tim Richard in last Saturday’s win against Dana.
Lewis was the Mustangs’ leading rusher last season when he ran for 599 yards and four touchdowns. Lewis received the Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game Award in the Mustangs’ 45-14 win against Jamestown College in the NAIA National Playoffs after he rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown in 26 carries for the Mustangs’ only 100-yard rushing performance of the season.
He rushed for 550 yards in 129 attempts for an average of 4.3 yards per carry with six touchdowns as a freshman in 2006. Lewis topped the 100-yard mark three times with 169 yards against Hastings College, 104 yards against Briar Cliff University, and 138 yards against Dana College. His 169 yards against Hastings was the ninth highest single-game rushing yardage total in Morningside history.
Lewis has rushed for 1,182 yards and has four 100-yard rushing performances during his Morningside career.
Lewis rushed for a school-record 2,420 yards and scored 30 touchdowns during his prep career at Grand Island High School. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in both his junior and senior campaigns. Lewis was named to the second-team of the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star all-state teams as a senior when he rushed for 1,188 yards. He ran for 1,123 yards as a junior.
 Jake Peterson, a 5-11, 200 lb. junior running back from Armstrong, Iowa, rushed for 41 yards in nine carries against Dana and had a three-yard touchdown run with 8:42 left in the third quarter. His longest run from scrimmage was a 24-yard scamper in the third quarter.
Peterson is the Mustangs’ leading rusher with 220 yards and a team-high five touchdowns in 43 attempts. He is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Peterson rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in 21 carries in the Mustangs’ 26-21 win at Northwestern College on Sept. 13 for the Mustangs’ first 100-yard rushing performance in the regular season since the 2006 campaign. Aside from his rushing exploits, Peterson has returned three kickoffs for an average of 31.3 yards per return and has the Mustangs’ longest kickoff return of the season with a 61-yarder against Northwestern.
Peterson is a transfer from Iowa Central Junior College, where he rushed for 1,070 yards and 17 touchdowns in 248 attempts for an average of 4.3 yards per carry last season. He returned 10 kickoffs for an average of 26.8 yards per return.
Peterson was a first-team Class A Des Moines Register all-state running back as a prep senior at Armstrong-Ringsted High School.
Beau Kildow, a 5-10, 170 lb. junior wide receiver from Omaha, Neb., caught five passes for 38 yards against Dana, including a four-yard touchdown reception from Ian Gilworth with 3:24 left in the second quarter. Kildow also returned two punts for 42 yards and had a 30-yard kickoff return. He had a 26-yard punt return in the fourth quarter for his longest punt return of the season. The 30-yard kickoff return was also his longest kick runback of the campaign.
Kildow has caught 14 passes for 210 yards for an average of 15.0 yards per catch. He hauled in an 81-yard touchdown pass in the Mustangs’ season opener against Dakota Wesleyan for the Mustangs’ longest play from scrimmage so far this season. Kildow has returned 11 punts for an average of 12.0 yards per return and three kickoffs for an average of 25.3 yards per return.
Kildow earned Victory Sports Network (VSN) honorable mention All-America honors in addition to first-team All-GPAC laurels last season when he caught 65 passes for 864 yards and seven touchdowns. His 65 receptions and 864 reception yards were the eighth highest single-season totals in Morningside history. Aside from his pass catching exploits, Kildow led the Mustangs in punt returns with 28 returns for 341 yards for an average of 12.2 yards per return and had 21 kickoff returns for 475 yards for an average of 22.6 yards per return. Kildow averaged a team-high 142.8 all-purpose yards per game.
Kildow has caught 82 passes for 1,127 yards during his Morningside career. His career totals also include 45 punt returns for 549 yards for an average of 12.2 yards per return and 26 kickoff returns for 581 yards for an average of 22.3 yards per return.
Bradley Norwood, a 6-3, 195 lb. sophomore wide receiver from Runnells, Iowa, caught two passes for 17 yards against Dana, including a four-yard touchdown reception from Ian Gilworth with 14:56 left in the game. He has caught five passes for 97 yards for an average of 19.4 yards per catch so far this season.
Norwood received third-team Class 2A all-state honors from the INA after he set a school record with 33 pass receptions for 463 yards as a senior at Prairie City-Monroe (PCM) High School. He also set a school record with 1,085 career pass reception yards.
 Blake Anderson, a 6-4, 230 lb. senior fullback from Randolph, Neb., caught four passes and led the Mustangs with 81 pass reception yards in the win against Dana. Anderson has led the Mustangs in receptions in three of their first four games and is the team leader with 20 receptions for 305 yards and a team-high three touchdown catches. Anderson is averaging 15.2 yards per catch.
He caught 52 passes for 599 yards and three touchdowns last season to earn honorable mention All-GPAC honors. Anderson combined with Antuan Bloom (93 receptions) and Beau Kildow (65) to give the Mustangs three receivers with over 50 catches last season.
Anderson has caught 88 passes for 1,038 yards during his Morningside career.
Joe Don Hunter, a 6-0, 215 lb. junior running back from Council Bluffs, Iowa, rushed for 39 yards in seven carries against Dana and had the Mustangs’ longest run from scrimmage with a 26-yard dash in the second quarter for his longest run of the season. Hunter has rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns in 43 attempts for an average of 4.7 yards per carry this season.
Injuries limited Hunter to 34 carries for 93 yards last season after he had joined the Mustangs as a transfer from NCAA Division II Northwest Missouri State University.
Kurtis Hinkel, a 5-11, 175 lb. junior wide receiver from Logan, Iowa, had the first pass reception of his Morningside career when he caught an 11-yard pass from Tim Richard in the fourth quarter of the Mustangs’ win against Dana.
Hinkel joined the Mustangs this year as a transfer from Iowa Central Junior College, where he caught nine passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns last season. Hinkel was a second-team Class 1A INA all-state running back as a senior at Logan-Magnolia High School.
 Willie Mech, a 5-10, 210 lb. senior linebacker from Crofton, Neb., led the Mustangs’ defense with a season’s high seven tackles with five solos and two assists in the win at Dana. Mech recorded his first quarterback sack of the season when he dropped Marcus Sladek for a one-yard loss in the third quarter.
He returned to the Mustangs’ starting lineup last season after injuries sidelined him for the majority of the 2006 campaign. Mech had 41 tackles, including 5.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 15 yards, along with five pass breakups and a quarterback sack last season.
Mech, who was limited to four games as a sophomore because of an injury, was the Mustangs’ ninth leading tackler as a freshman when he had 46 stops, including two quarterback sacks.
Mech was a two-time first-team Class C-1 all-state selection of the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star as a defensive back during his prep career at Crofton High School. He rushed for 2,952 yards in 393 attempts for an average of 7.5 yards per carry during his prep career.
Tucker Tejkl, a 6-0, 190 lb. senior defensive back from Leigh, Neb., had a career-high five tackles, all solo stops, in the Mustangs’ win against Dana. He had a tackle behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 12 yards, plus had a forced fumble.
Aaron Klein, a 6-1, 190 lb. senior defensive back from Wakefield, Neb., intercepted his second pass of the season to go along with five solo tackles and one assisted stop in the Mustangs’ win at Dana. Klein is the Mustangs’ leading tackler this season with 17 solos and 11 assists for 28 total tackles.
Klein was the Mustangs’ fifth leading tackler last season when he had 28 solos and 33 assists for 61 total tackles.
He is the older brother of Ryan Klein, a freshman defensive back on the Mustangs’ roster.
 Justin Shideler, a 6-1, 245 lb. sophomore linebacker from Dakota Dunes, S.D., was in on two quarterback sacks in the win against Dana when he dropped Marcus Sladek for a five-yard loss in the fourth quarter and combined with Colin Schroeder to bring down Sladek for a two-yard loss in the fourth quarter. Shideler finished the contest with two solo tackles, one assist, and 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of six yards. He is the Mustangs’ season’s leader with 2.5 quarterback sacks.
Shideler joined the Mustangs during the off-season as a transfer from NCAA Division III Wartburg College, where he collected five solo tackles and two assisted stops last season.
Marshall Tuttle, a 6-1, 210 lb. sophomore linebacker from Sioux City, had his second quarterback sack of the season when he dropped Dana’s Marcus Sladek for a seven-yard loss in the third quarter. Tuttle also had two solo tackles and two assisted tackles, two pass breakups, and 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of eight yards. He is the team leader with three pass breakups and ranks second on the team with 3.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 12 yards.
Tuttle ranked second on the Mustangs with five quarterback sacks last year despite playing only sparingly until the second half of the season.
Tuttle earned third-team Class 4A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) in addition to second-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors as a senior at Sioux City East High School when he ranked second on the team with 69 tackles despite missing the first four games of the season with an injury.
Brett Nickolite, a 5-11, 215 lb. junior linebacker from Stanton, Neb., recorded his first quarterback sack of the season when he brought down Marcus Sladek for a one-yard loss in the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s win at Dana. Nickolitte, who had four solo tackles in the contest, leads the Mustangs with 5.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 23 yards and also tops the team with two forced fumbles. He is the Mustangs’ second leading tackler with 12 solos and 11 assists for 23 total tackles.
He was a VSN honorable mention All-American and first-team All-GPAC performer in 2007. Nickolite was the Mustangs’ defensive big play specialist with a school-record 17.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 68 yards to go along with a team-high six quarterback sacks, two blocked kicks, and two fumble recoveries. He also had four interceptions and four pass breakups and was the Mustangs’ second leading tackler with 35 solos and 38 assists for 73 total tackles.
Nickolite was a two-time all-stater during his prep career at Stanton Community High School. Nickolite amassed over 100 tackles each of his last three seasons, including a career-high 199 stops as a junior. Aside from his defensive exploits, Nickolite rushed for 1,090 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior and 1,521 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior.
 Preston Perrett, a 6-0, 205 lb. sophomore linebacker from Rock Rapids, Iowa, had his second quarterback sack of the season when he dropped Marcus Sladek for a two-yard loss and forced the Dana quarterback to fumble the ball away on the Vikings’ first offensive play of the fourth quarter.
Perrett was a first-team Class 2A INA and Des Moines Register all-stater as a prep senior when he had 97 tackles and six quarterback sacks for Central Lyon/George-Little Rock’s Class 2A state championship team.
Colin Schroeder, a 5-11, 220 lb. sophomore linebacker from Omaha, Neb., combined with Justin Shideler to sack Dana quarterback Marcus Sladek for a two-yard loss in the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s game. Schroeder had one solo tackle and one assisted tackle in the contest.
Schroeder earned first-team all-state honors from the Lincoln Journal-Star as a senior at Millard South High School when he collected 46 tackles and rushed for 1,131 yards.
Vernon Moore, a 5-10, 240 lb. sophomore defensive lineman from Houston, Texas, was a frequent visitor into the Dana backfield when he had 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of two yards and three quarterback hurries in last Saturday’s win against Dana. Moore finished with a career-high five tackles with two solos and three assists.
 Justin Taylor, a 6-0, 230 lb. junior linebacker from Underwood, Iowa, had five tackles in the Mustangs’ win against Dana with two solos and three assists to go along with a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Taylor is the Mustangs’ third leading tackler with four solos and 16 assists for 20 total tackles.
He was a second-team All-GPAC performer last season when he had 27 solos and 39 assists for 66 tackles, including 7.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 12 yards.
Taylor earned second-team Class 1A INA and Des Moines Register all-state honors as a senior at Underwood High School. Aside from his defensive exploits, Taylor also rushed for 914 yards and 14 touchdowns as the team’s starting fullback.
Peter Olsen, a 6-1, 220 lb. junior punter from Newell, Iowa, had a 45-yard punt in his only punt against Dana to raise his season’s average to a career-high 38.6 yards per punt. His longest punt this season is a 52-yarder.
He earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors as a freshman when he ranked fourth in the conference with an average of 37.2 yards per punt. His longest punt of the season went for 63 yards.
Olsen was a first-team Des Moines Register and second-team INA Class A all-stater as a senior at Newell-Fonda High School when he scored 50 points as a kicker and averaged 39.9 yards per punt. Olsen, who made a school-record 10 field goals during his career, had a school-record seven field goals as a junior, including a long of 40 yards, en route to first-team all-state honors from both the INA and Des Moines Register.
Chad Buchholz, a 6-1, 195 lb. junior wide receiver from Newell, Iowa, has caught eight passes for 153 yards for a team-high average of 19.1 yards per catch this season.
Buchholz received first-team Class A all-state honors from both the INA and the Des Moines Register as a prep senior at Newell-Fonda High School after he set school scoring records with 25 touchdowns and 152 points. He caught 29 passes for 533 yards for an average of 18.4 yards per catch with eight touchdowns, plus rushed for 957 yards and 12 touchdowns in 104 attempts for an average of 9.2 yards per carry. Buchholz returned five punts for touchdowns and finished the season with 20 returns for 470 yards for an average of 23.5 yards per return.
 Ben Loberg, a 6-0, 210 lb. junior linebacker from Randolph, Neb., has made a successful return to the Mustangs after missing the 2007 season with an injury. He is the Mustangs’ fourth leading tackler with eight solos and 11 assists for 19 tackles.
Loberg was a starter during the 2006 campaign when he ranked fourth on the Mustangs’ tackle chart with 34 solos and 35 assists for 69 total tackles, including two quarterback sacks and 7.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 22 yards.
Mike Buckley, a 6-2, 185 lb. junior free safety from Sioux Falls, S.D., has 16 tackles and a pass interception so far this season.
He was the Mustangs’ co-leader with seven interceptions and their third leading tackler with 32 solos and 36 assists for 68 tackles last season to earn second-team All-GPAC honors. Buckley tied Morningside’s single-game record when he had three interceptions in the Mustangs’ 33-7 victory against Northwestern College.
Buckley had 34 tackles and two pass breakups when he started as a true freshman during the 2006 campaign.
Buckley has 118 tackles, eight interceptions, and five pass breakups during his Morningside career.
Travis Uleman, a 6-1, 265 lb. junior defensive lineman from Elkhorn, Neb., received honorable mention All-GPAC honors last season when he had two quarterback sacks and 4.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 18 yards.
 Pat Dempsey, a 6-4, 270 lb. junior senior right tackle from Omaha, Neb., is the Mustangs’ top returnee in the offensive line after he earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors last year.
Quentin Hodges, a 5-11, 220 lb. senior running back from Lincoln, Neb., has rushed for 33 yards in six carries for an average of 5.5 yards per attempt.
Hodges played at GPAC rival Hastings College during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Hodges earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors in 2005 when he rushed for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns in 220 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. He ran for 257 yards and a team-high four touchdowns in 2006.
Eric Damon, a 6-1, 230 lb. junior linebacker from Missouri Valley, Iowa, returned to the Mustangs last season after missing the 2006 campaign and had 41 tackles, including 5.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 11 yards, to go along with four pass breakups and a quarterback sack in a starting role.
He had 57 total tackles to go along with one interception, one quarterback sack, three pass breakups, and eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 27 yards as a starter in 2005.
Damon earned second-team Class 2A all-state honors from the INA in addition to first-team Omaha World-Herald Class 2A/1A All-Western Iowa honors as a prep senior at Missouri Valley High School. He collected 115 tackles and five quarterback sacks during his senior campaign. Damon was also a standout wrestler during his prep career. He posted a 39-8 record as a senior en route to a fifth place finish in the heavyweight division of the Class 2A state tournament.
Cody Fisher, a 5-11, 250 lb. senior offensive center from Downey, Calif., is in his second season as a Mustang starter after joining the team as a transfer from Cerritos Junior College.
John Kirwan, a 6-2, 265 lb. freshman defensive lineman from Sioux City, joined the Mustangs during the off-season as a transfer from NCAA Division I-AA South Dakota State University, where he was a redshirt last year.
Kirwan earned first-team Class 4A all-state honors from the INA as an offensive lineman and was a second-team Des Moines Register all-state defensive lineman selection as a prep senior at Sioux City East High School. Kirwan, who was the Black Raiders’ leading tackler as a sophomore and senior, also received first-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa and first-team Omaha World-Herald Class 4A/3A All-Western Iowa laurels as a senior.
 Hastings rebounded from a pair of 4-6 seasons to post a winning record last year with a 6-4 mark. The Broncos improved their record to 4-2 this season with a 35-0 victory against Dordt College last Saturday in Hastings, Neb. The Broncos limited the Defenders to 189 yards total offense. On offense the Broncos used a balanced rushing attack to roll up 229 yards on the ground. Four Hastings backs rushed for 35 yards or more, led by Nick Grummert with 67 yards in nine carries. Bronco quarterback Dayton Edwards completed 10 of 14 pass attempts for 119 yards. His favorite target was Ryan Sack, who caught five passes for 41 yards. Mackenzi Hemje had eight tackles for the Broncos’ defense with four solos and four assists. . .Hastings has one of the top scoring defenses in the GPAC with a defensive scoring average of 14.8 points per game. Hastings has allowed seven points or less in three of its first six games, including a pair of shutouts. . .The Broncos’ offense is led by Dayton Edwards, a 5-10, 215 lb. senior quarterback from Cottage Grove, Ore., who is averaging 214.5 yards total offense per game. Edwards has completed 77 of 152 pass attempts (50.7 percent) for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns. He has been intercepted six times. His completions have gone for an average of 15.4 yards. Edwards earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors last year when he completed 139 of 293 pass attempts (47.4 percent) for 1,894 yards with 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Edwards joined the Broncos last year as a transfer from Mendocino Junior College, where he passed for 1,674 yards during the 2006 campaign. . .Edwards’ favorite targets are Maurice Mansfield and David Chochon, who are averaging 17.3 and 19.8 yards per catch, respectively. Mansfield, a 5-10, 185 lb. junior wide receiver from Denver, Colo., has caught 22 passes for 381 yards, plus is the Vikings’ second leading rusher with 123 yards in 17 carries and has returned 10 kickoffs for an average of 26.6 yards per return. Mansfield caught 13 passes for 231 yards and rushed for 281 yards in 59 attempts last season. He earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors in 2006 when he topped the Broncos’ receivers with 21 catches for 552 yards and three touchdowns and averaged a whopping 26.3 yards per catch. Chochon, a 6-1, 207 lb. senior wide receiver from Columbus, Neb., has caught 16 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns and is averaging a team-high 19.8 yards per reception. He is also averaging 6.1 yards as the Broncos’ primary punt return specialist. Chochon joined the Broncos this year as a transfer from the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he caught four passes for 30 yards during the 2007 campaign.. . .Mark Schmeeckle, a 6-2, 238 lb. junior tight end from Hastings, Neb., earned second-team All-GPAC honors last season when he caught 15 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Schmeeckle has caught eight passes for 144 yards for an average of 18.0 yards per catch so far this season . .Nick Grummert, a 5-10, 170 lb. sophomore running back from Beatrice, Neb., is the Broncos’ leading rusher with 400 yards in 100 attempts. Grummert earned honorable mention All-GPAC recognition last season when he ran for 646 yards and two touchdowns. Grummert was a Class B first-team all-state selection of both the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star as a prep senior at Beatrice High School. . .Dan Bargen, a 5-10, 201 lb. senior running back from Lincoln, Neb., is off to a slow start this season with 33 carries for 46 yards for an average of 1.4 yards per attempt. Bargen earned second-team All-GPAC honors last season when he led the Broncos in rushing with 150 carries for 691 yards and four touchdowns and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. . .The Broncos’ top returning defensive player is Jeff Klug, a 5-9, 180 lb. junior defensive back from McCook, Neb., who earned second-team All-GPAC honors last year when he led the team with five interceptions and seven pass breakups to go along with 33 tackles. Klug has 13 tackles, five pass breakups, and one interception so far this season. . .Mackenzi Hemje, a 6-1, 207 lb. junior linebacker from Hastings, is the Broncos’ leading tackler with 25 solos and 39 assists for 64 total tackles. He also tops the team with seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 29 yards, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and 1.5 quarterback sacks. Hemje earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors last season when he 59 tackles, 8.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 32 yards, two quarterback sacks, two pass breakups, and an interception. He was the Broncos’ leading tackler in 2006 with 33 solos and 41 assists for 74 total tackles en route to honorable mention All-GPAC honors. . .Michael Cardenas, a 6-0, 192 lb. junior defensive back from Denver, Colo., leads the Broncos with six pass breakups and is their second leading tackler with 20 solos and 25 assists for 45 total tackles. He has already surpassed his entire production from last season when he ranked fifth on the Broncos’ tackle chart with 23 solos and 20 assists for 43 total tackles. . .Tim Haug, a 5-10, 205 lb. senior linebacker from Cloverdale, Calif., is the Broncos’ co-leader with two interceptions to go along with 40 tackles and three pass breakups. Haug ranked second on the team with 62 tackles and three interceptions last season after joining the Broncos as a transfer from Mendocino Junior College. . .Josh Aupperlee, a 6-0, 210 lb. junior linebacker from Westminster, Colo., joined the Broncos this year as a transfer from NCAA Division II Western State College of Colorado, where he had 18 tackles, 3.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of eight yards, and one fumble recovery last season. He has nine tackles and in interception for the Red Raiders so far this season. . .Gavin Rodriquez, a 5-10, 196 lb. sophomore kicker-punter from Tempe, Ariz., has made four of 11 field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards and has converted all 19 of his PAT attempts to points, plus is averaging 35.0 yards as the Broncos’ punter. Rodriquez received honorable mention All-GPAC recognition last season when he made 13 of 24 field goal attempts with a long of 44 yards, was perfect in 22 PAT attempts, and averaged 35.2 yards per punt.
The Mustangs will travel to Seward, Neb., for a 1 p.m. contest against Concordia University on Saturday, Oct. 18.
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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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