September 20, 2025
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Trailing 27-20 at halftime after a first half high scoring affair, Dakota State (S.D.) shut down Arizona Christian in the second half to earn a 44-27 victory at ACU Football Field. The Trojans outscored the Firestorm 24-0 in the final thirty minutes of the game to earn the Frontier Conference cross-over victory.
DSU, a member of the Frontier Conference East Division team, won their second straight game to lift their overall record to 2-1. ACU, a member of the West Division, fell to 0-2 overall record. It was their first all-time series meeting.
Dakota State returns home next Saturday (Sept. 27) as they host No. 24 Southern Oregon in another Frontier Conference cross-over game before the divisional contests (countable conference games). Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. (Central Time) at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field in the annual Trojan Day homecoming game.
The tailgate is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on the east parking lot area of the stadium. The DSU football team will be honoring their seniors as part of Seniors Day at approximately 1:25 p.m.
First-Half Summary
The opening quarter set the tone with fireworks on both sides. Just 13 seconds into the game, quarterback
Tray Hettick connected with
Maddox Kihne for an 80-yard touchdown strike, giving DSU a quick 7–0 lead. Arizona Christian answered with a 78-yard march capped by William Galvan's 39-yard touchdown run. After a DSU fumble on the ensuing kickoff, ACU quarterback Josh Bell found Chris McKivitz for a 21-yard touchdown, swinging the Firestorm ahead 13–7.
The Trojans responded late in the quarter as
Preston Iverson punched in a 5-yard score to tie it, 13–13, after a missed PAT. ACU regained the lead to start the second quarter when De Shawn Smith electrified the crowd with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Hettick kept DSU close, hitting
Grant VanDenHul for a 23-yard touchdown to tie it again, but Bell's 21-yard toss to Tee Johnson late in the half gave Arizona Christian a 27–20 edge at the break.
Second-Half Summary
Dakota State's defense tightened in the second half, blanking the Firestorm over the final 30 minutes. ACU's only scoring chance came on a 32-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter, which missed wide. Later in the period, DSU kicker
Adrian Villanueva drilled a 46-yarder to trim the deficit to 27–23.
The fourth quarter belonged entirely to the Trojans. Hettick orchestrated an 81-yard drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to
Eddie Merrell III to give DSU its first lead since the opening minutes. On the very next series, the Trojans defense came up with an interception, and two plays later Hettick found
Victor Boggs, Jr. for an 8-yard score to push the margin to 37–27. Iverson put the game on ice with a 34-yard touchdown sprint with just over five minutes left, his second rushing touchdown of the night.
Dakota State's defense stiffened, holding ACU scoreless in the second half while forcing
three interceptions—one each by
Kaden Eng (40-yard return),
Michael Foster (20-yard return), and
Tamareon 'Frosty' Foster (14-yard return).
By the Numbers
- Hettick finished 21-of-31 for 338 yards (career-high) and 4 touchdowns (tied career high), despite two interceptions. It was his first start this season, since his season-ending injury last season.
- Iverson rushed 21 times for a career high 165 yards and 2 scores.
- Boggs Jr. led all receivers with 5 catches for 114 yards (season high) and a touchdown; Kihne added a career-high 97 receiving yards and an 80-yard TD grab.
- DSU piled up a season high of 550 total yards (212 rushing, 338 passing) and 23 first downs. The Trojans' 338 passing yards is the seventh most single game passing yards in the DSU school record book.
- The Trojans' defense logged 3 interceptions and 6 tackles for loss, paced by Taron Serr's 8 tackles and Brooks Jansen's 7 tackles. Cole Paulson chipped in seven tackles.
Arizona Christian managed 300 total yards, with Bell throwing for 157 yards and two touchdowns but tossing two picks. Galvan rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Smith's kickoff return provided the Firestorm's second-half highlight.
