August 31, 2026
MADISON, S.D. — Dakota State (S.D.) senior quarterback
Tray Hettick was named the Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Football Offensive Player-of-the-Week, the conference office announced Monday. It is the first weekly conference honor of Hettick's career.
Hettick, a senior from Selby, S.D., produced a career performance in the No. 25 Trojans' season-opening 35-27 victory over longtime rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) Saturday evening at Brian Kern Family Stadium. The victory allowed Dakota State to reclaim the Chamber of Commerce Traveling Trophy.
The Trojan quarterback completed 23-of-32 passes for a career-high 429 yards and five touchdowns, completing 71.9 percent of his attempts. His 429 passing yards are the fourth-most in a single game in Dakota State football history, while his five touchdown passes are tied for fourth-most in a game in the program record book.
Hettick averaged 13.4 yards per pass attempt and 18.7 yards per completion. He distributed his five touchdown passes to four different receivers —
Melek Ford, Tim Halbur, Maddox Kihne and
Jovi Wolf.
Hettick helped the Trojans establish control early, connecting with Ford for a 64-yard completion on DSU's opening possession before finding Halbur for a 9-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
He added two more touchdown passes in the second quarter, hitting Ford from 1 yard and Kihne from 30 yards as Dakota State built a 21-0 halftime advantage.
After Dakota Wesleyan trimmed DSU's lead to 21-12 in the third quarter, Hettick responded with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Wolf early in the fourth quarter. He later connected with Ford for a 9-yard touchdown following a
Tamareon 'Frosty' Foster interception, pushing Dakota State's advantage to 35-20 with 7:51 remaining.
Ford was Hettick's top target, producing career-high nine receptions for 242 yards and two touchdowns. His 242 receiving yards were the second-most in a single game in Dakota State history. Halbur added five receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Kihne caught two passes for 43 yards and a score.
Dakota State finished the season opener with 462 yards of total offense, including 429 through the air. The Trojans averaged 7.7 yards per offensive play and converted 7-of-12 third-down attempts. DSU outgained Dakota Wesleyan 462-376.
The Trojan defense also played a major role in securing the victory, intercepting three Dakota Wesleyan passes. Foster,
Michael Foster and
Aidan Jahns each recorded an interception, with Jahns sealing the victory on his interception with 37 seconds remaining.
Josiah Perez led Dakota State with nine tackles, while
Kaden Van Otterloo and
Hayden Westman each added eight.
The victory improved Dakota State to 1-0 overall and marked the Trojans' seventh win in their last nine Chamber of Commerce Traveling Trophy meetings with Dakota Wesleyan. DSU also earned its fifth consecutive home victory over the Tigers since the traveling trophy series began in 2017.
Dakota State extended its overall winning streak to six games, dating back to the final five games of the 2025 season. It is the Trojans' first six-game winning streak since 1991. DSU also improved to 9-2 all-time at Brian Kern Family Stadium.
Hettick was joined among the first Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference weekly football honorees of the 2026 season by Montana Tech's Asher Feddes, who was named Defensive Player-of-the-Week, and College of Idaho's Josh Horn, the Special Teams Player-of-the-Week.
Dakota State heads to Lyle Hare Stadium Saturday afternoon, visiting NCAA Division II Black Hills State (S.D.) with a kick-off at 2 p.m. (Central Time)/1 p.m. (Mountain Time) in Spearfish, S.D.
