September 19, 2026
MADISON, S.D. — Dakota State (S.D.) produced 426 yards of total offense and quarterback
Tray Hettick threw five touchdown passes Saturday afternoon, rolling past Arizona Christian 44-17 in the Frontier Conference cross-over contest at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field.
The Trojans of the Frontier East Division improved to 3-1 overall with the victory. The Firestorm of the Frontier West Division fell to 0-2.
Dakota State scored in every quarter and built a 35-3 advantage midway through the third quarter.
DSU ballooned their home field winning streak to nine games, dating back to the final home game of the 2024 season followed by a 5-0 undefeated home record in 2025 and 3-0 record this season.
How it happened
Dakota State broke through with 3:56 remaining in the opening quarter. Hettick capped a 10-play, 74-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Trajan Davis.
Malte Hamann converted the extra point for a 7-0 Trojan lead.
DSU extended its advantage by just five seconds into the second quarter. Hettick connected with
Melek Ford for a 12-yard touchdown, completing a four-play, 62-yard scoring drive and pushing the lead to 14-0.
Arizona Christian answered with its first points after using 13 plays for 66 yards in 6:29. Lukas Hall's 25-yard field goal was with 8:26 remaining before halftime, trimming DSU's lead to 14-3.
The Trojans responded immediately, traveling 81 yards in eight plays. Hettick found
Preston Iverson for a 24-yard touchdown with 6:02 remaining in the second quarter, giving Dakota State a 21-3 halftime advantage.
The Trojan defense helped set up the first score of the second half. Arizona Christian's CJ Wallace lost a fumble at its own 39-yard line, forced by DSU's
Tamareon 'Frosty' Foster and was recovered by his teammate
Jacob Imdieke on ACU's 41-yard line. Imdieke returned it for 23 yards to ACUs' 18-yard line with 13:10 on the clock in the third quarter.
DSU quickly answered on the ensuing possession as Hettick connected with
Maddox Kihne for a 9-yard touchdown with 12:58 remaining in the third quarter, increasing the lead to 28-3 after Hamann's PAT extra point kick.
After ACU's 65-yard punt that forced DSU to start at its own 7-yard line, the Trojans marched 98 yards in seven plays highlighted by Davis' 36-yard rush from DSU's 25-yard line to ACU's 39-yard line. Davis finished the drive with a 28-yard touchdown run, giving DSU a 35-3 advantage with 7:35 remaining in the third.
The Firestorm responded with their first touchdown when Josh Bell connected with Jacobee Taylor on a 13-yard pass with 1:11 remaining in the quarter, trimming Dakota State's lead to 35-10. Arizona Christian used 12 plays for 51 yards in 6:24 in their scoring drive.
Dakota State answered again with an 81-yard scoring drive that carried into the fourth quarter. Hettick threw his fifth touchdown of the game, finding
Thonye Charles for a 6-yard score with 12:30 remaining. Hamann's sixth successful extra point made it 42-10.
The Trojan defense added two more points when Arizona Christian's bad snap resulted in a safety with 8:11 remaining, extending the margin to 44-10.
Arizona Christian closed the scoring on Bell's 2-yard touchdown run with 2:37 remaining for the final margin of 44-17.
Inside the box score
Hettick completed 11 of 27 passes for 204 yards and tied his career-high game five touchdowns without throwing an interception. He also rushed four times for 45 yards, giving him 249 yards of total offense.
Ford was Hettick's top receiving target, hauling in five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Charles added two receptions for 43 yards and a score. Iverson had a 24-yard touchdown reception, Davis caught a 13-yard touchdown, and Kihne added a touchdown reception.Â
Owen Heath also had a 15-yard reception.
Davis provided the biggest production on the ground. He rushed nine times for 119 yards and a touchdown, averaging 13.2 yards per carry with a long run of 36 yards. He also caught a touchdown pass, finishing with 132 yards from scrimmage and two scores. Iverson added 31 rushing yards on 11 attempts.
Dakota State's defense held Arizona Christian to 3.5 yards per offensive play. The Firestorm completed 13 of 24 passes for 101 yards and were held to 16 first downs.
Josiah Perez led the Trojan defense with 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack. He also forced a fumble.
Kaden Van Otterloo followed with nine tackles.
Foster recorded six tackles and forced three fumbles. Imdieke recovered a fumble and returned it 23 yards while also recording four tackles and a tackle for loss.
Grant Wooge added five tackles.
Arizona Christian was led offensively by Ty Cole, who rushed 12 times for 62 yards. Bell completed 6 of 13 passes for 43 yards and a touchdown and added a rushing score. Wallace was 7-of-11 passing for 58 yards while rushing for 48 yards. Taylor caught eight passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Aaron Martinez led ACU's defense with eight tackles. Joseph Munoz added seven tackles.
Dakota State held a 426-233 advantage in total offense, including a 222-132 edge on the ground and a 204-101 advantage through the air. The Trojans registered 27 first downs compared with 16 for Arizona Christian.
DSU was 4-of-13 on third-down conversions, while the Firestorm went 6-of-18. Arizona Christian converted all three of its fourth-down attempts. Dakota State was a perfect 4-for-4 in red-zone scoring opportunities, with all four trips ending in touchdown passes.
Arizona Christian possessed the ball for 32:30 compared with Dakota State's 27:30.
Up next
Dakota State travels to Ashland, Ore., to take on Southern Oregon in the final Frontier Conference cross-over game before starting their six-game divisional play. Kick-off is set for 3 p.m. (Central Time)/1 p.m. (Pacific Time) at SOU Raider Stadium.
