Northwestern at Midland Lutheran

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The Raiders play their final regular season game on Saturday, Nov. 11, against Midland Lutheran in Fremont, Neb. The Raiders, who improved to 9-1 on the season with a 42-10 victory over Dana last weekend, moved up two spots to sixth in this week's NAIA ratings. MLC improved to 2-8 overall with a 30-7 home win over Waldorf College.

In their victory, the Warriors gained 257 yards rushing, 421 total yards of offense, as they defeated Waldorf College, 30-7. It was their first win since week two when they defeated Doane, 24-7. Dustin Lindstrom, who earned first team all-conference honors in 2005, rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Warrior offense. Sophomore quarterback Terence Maahs completed 8-16 passes for 164 yards and one score. He also carried the ball 10 times for 71 yards. Sophomore wideout Shane Weitzel caught three passes for 114 yards, but it was teammate Brett Woslager who found the end zone with one of his two catches. Defensively, MLC was led by junior linebacker Brian Hanson who recorded six solo tackles and four assisted stops. Defensive back Eric Frenzen nabbed one interception to go with his four tackles, and teammate Casey Koch forced and recovered a fumble.

The Warriors boast the sixth-best rushing attack in the league, led by Dustin Lindstrom with 690 yards and nine touchdowns. Sophomore Edmund Ybarra has added 273 yards and two scores as a back-up to Lindstrom. Quarterback Terence Maahs has started the last two games under center for the Warriors, leading his team to a 1-1 record during those contests. He has completed 45% of his passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns and 80 yards rushing. Derek Scholl and Blake Fuchtman have combined for 47 catches, 695 yards and four scores to lead the receivers. Zac Gradoville, who doubles as a guard on the men's basketball team, has made 7-13 field goal attempts which is third best in the league. MLC ranks seventh in scoring defense, giving up 22.3 points per game, but last in yards per contest (341.2). Linebackers Brian Hanson and Brian Lauck lead the team with 56 and 43.5 tackles this season. Defensive back Casey Koch is ninth in the league with four picks and 182 return yards.

NWC ended Dana's five-game win streak last Saturday with a 42-10 victory in Orange City. Leading 14-10 after the first half, the Raiders outscored the Vikings 28-0 in the second half to earn their ninth win of the season. Craig Hector threw for three scores and one on the ground to lead the offense. The junior quarterback completed 15-27 passes for 254 yards and rushed for 67 yards. Keith Sietstra surpassed the century mark with 111 yards rushing and reached the end zone twice. Although they did not score this week, the Raider "D" was outstanding as they limited the Viking offense to 162 yards and forced two turnovers and blocked a punt. Nate Jansen led the defense with 8.5 tackles and Austin Janssen recorded eight tackles, one interception and one blocked punt. He earned GPAC co-defensive player-of-the-week honors.

The Raiders rank second in both scoring offense (39.8) and scoring defense (9.8). Offensively, Keith Sietstra ranks second in rushing yards, averaging 91 yards per contest. He has scored 12 times this season. Receiver Tyler Reichle leads the team with 33 catches for 566 yards and is third in the conference with 13 touchdowns. Craig Hector is third in the league in total offense, averaging 182.6 yards per game. He has completed 57% of his passes for 1,469 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Raider defense has reached the end zone a league-high eight times this season, led by Austin Janssen with three. They also lead the GPAC in sacks with 28. Tim Martin is tied for first with six sacks, and Andrew Lundgren is fifth in the league with five.

Saturday's contest against the Warriors ends the regular season for NWC. The 16-team, postseason tournament will begin next week, Nov. 18, at a time and site to be determined by the NAIA. First round pairings should be available by Monday.