Fast-starting Morningside rolls up GPAC road victory

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – Finding paydirt on its first three possessions, Morningside College was off the races early at the University of Jamestown's Rollie Greeno Field Saturday, Oct. 17.

A four-yard scoring scamper from senior running back Arnijae "AP" Ponder (Omaha, Neb.) concluded a six-play, 55-yard scoring march off the opening kickoff. As co-defensive coordinators Casey Jacobsen and Nate Turner's unit proved bedrock-like to the Jimmies, limiting them to 16 yards on their first three possessions, head coach Steve Ryan's juggernaut offense added touchdown passes from the quarterback duo of junior Joe Dolincheck (JR/Bellevue, Neb.) (Bellevue, Neb.) and freshman Kaden Ladwig (FR/Ida Grove, Iowa) (Ida Grove, Iowa) for a 20-0 lead just eight minutes into the Great Plains Athletic Conference match-up.

The theme continued throughout a snowy, chilly mid-October afternoon. Morningside, improving to 4-0 overall and in the conference, picked up a pair of touchdowns in the second and third quarters and one in the final stanza for a 54-point outing, the 47^th time in the last 48 contests the two-time defending National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' champions have reached 30-or-more. Meanwhile, the defense, which has allowed the opposition just 20 points in the last 13 quarters, surrendered less than 170 yards and just the one score as the hosts managed only 14 first downs.

Freshman linebacker Jalen Portis (FR/St. Louis, Mo.) (St. Louis, Mo.) guided the Maroon "D." He finished with 12 tackles, five of which were solo. Senior Tyler Wingert (SR/Holstein, Iowa) (Holstein, Iowa), another member of the linebacking crew, added nine tackles and was a big task for the Jamestown offensive front, garnering two and a half sacks. Junior linebacker Weston Schultz (Mason City, Iowa) turned in six tackles and a sack joining junior defensive back Drew Bessey (JR/Palmyra, Neb.) (Palmyra, Neb.) who was also tied for third in tackles.

The headlines for the offense mirrored the first three weeks of the 2020 campaign. Dolincheck added an 18^th straight 200-yards-or-more passing game, going 25 of 35 for 358 yards and four touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Reid Jurgensmeier (SR/Wahoo, Neb.) (Wahoo, Neb.) continued his dominating digits with five catches for 123 yards and three touchdowns during another notable afternoon, as he tied former standout Kyle Schuck (2010-13) for second on the program's all-time scoring reception list(47) and became the fourth wideout at Morningside to reach 3,000 yards. Senior running back Anthony Sims (SR/Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) tallied his fourth 100-yard rushing effort, carrying the ball 13 times for 103 times with one touchdown to complement a 20-carry, 91-yard, two-touchdown day from Ponder.

Ryan's team returns to its home field at Elwood Olsen Stadium Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff against Dakota Wesleyan University is 1 p.m.