Midland Lutheran 12, Concordia University 10 (view stats)
Concordia suffered a 12-10 loss to Midland Lutheran in the 2009 football season opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon in Fremont. Last season, the Warriors defeated the Bulldogs by the score of 50-14. Saturday was a different story. The Bulldogs had chances, but missed opportunities proved costly in the loss.
Midland jumped out to a 6-0 lead when Brandon Brooks scored on a one-yard run with just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter. The extra point failed, but the Warriors used 15 plays to march 92 yards in the drive. Concordia cut the lead in half on a 35-yard field goal by Curtis Miller with less than two minutes to play in the opening quarter.
Midland scored the only points in the second quarter. The Warriors drove 30 yards in five plays and used a four-yard touchdown run by Khalid Waters to take a 12-3 lead. The extra point was blocked by Concordia’s John Sennett. The Bulldogs had opportunities to add points in the second period. Miller missed a 37-yard field goal attempt, and quarterback Kyle Schmidt had a pass intercepted deep in Midland territory to end promising drives by Concordia.
Concordia again missed an opportunity to put points on the board in the third quarter. The Bulldogs used a 16-play drive to move the ball inside the Midland five-yard line. However, Miller hit the left upright on a 21-yard field goal attempt, and Midland took a 12-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
Concordia capitalized on a Midland turnover early in the fourth quarter to cut into the lead. Daniel Crowe intercepted a pass by Midland’s John Faulkner to give the Bulldogs the ball at the Warrior 21- yard line. A Midland Lutheran personal foul penalty kept the Concordia drive alive, and Schmidt found Akeem Christian on a 17-yard touchdown pass to pull the Bulldogs within two at 12-10. The Concordia offense had two more drives to try to take the lead. The Midland defense was able to hold them back, however, and the Warriors walked away with the 12-10 win.
Midland had 17 first downs compared to 13 for Concordia, and the Warriors outgained the Bulldogs 313-213 in the game. Concordia had 162 passing yards compared to just 72 for Midland, but the Warriors dominated the running game with 241 yards on the ground compared to just 51 for the Bulldogs.
For Concordia offensively, Kyle Schmidt completed 22-of-38 passes in the game for 162 yards with the one touchdown and one interception. Akeem Christian caught five passes for 45 yards and a touchdown to lead the Concordia receivers. Defensively for the Bulldogs, Daniel Crowe had three unassisted and 14 assisted tackles to go along with an interception.
Khalid Waters led the way offensively for Midland Lutheran. Waters had 24 carries for 143 yards and a touchdown for the Warriors. Derrick Middleton and Eddie Pertilla each added three catches for Midland on the day.
A special day for fans
Concordia will host Doane College under the lights in the home opener for the Bulldogs next Saturday. The game is set for 6 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium in Seward. Concordia celebrates its fans on Saturday as well prior to the game against Doane. A Fan Appreciation Day tailgate with hot dogs and BBQ pork begins at 4:30 p.m. The cost is $4 per person. Young fans are also invited to throw footballs, try bouncy boxing, and play in the bouncy house that will be at the stadium.
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