DICKINSON, N.D. — Dickinson State came up just short in a back-and-forth Frontier Conference battle, falling to Dakota State 27-25 on Saturday afternoon at the Biesiot Activities Center.
Quarterback Marcus Sanders led the Blue Hawks with 351 yards and four touchdown passes, finding six different receivers throughout the contest. Wide receiver Semaj Clark caught two of those scores and finished with a team-high 137 receiving yards on 10 receptions.
Dickinson State (2-4, 0-2 Frontier) struck first midway through the first quarter when Sanders connected with Clark on a 51-yard touchdown strike to cap a 7-play, 89-yard drive. After Dakota State (4-2, 1-1 Frontier) responded with a touchdown pass of its own, the visitors added a second-quarter rushing score and a field goal to go up 17-7.
With just 33 seconds left in the half, Sanders found Clark again—this time from nine yards out—but a missed extra point left the Blue Hawks trailing 17-13 at the break.
Neither team found the end zone in the third quarter, with both squads missing field goal attempts. Dickinson State's best opportunity came on an 11-play, 73-yard drive, but a 24-yard field goal attempt was off the mark.
Dakota State pushed its lead to 24-13 early in the fourth quarter on Melek Ford's second touchdown reception of the game. The Blue Hawks responded immediately, as Sanders connected with Kyle Meinecke for an 11-yard touchdown. A failed two-point conversion kept the score at 24-19.
After a 31-yard field goal from Dakota State with 3:44 remaining extended the margin to 27-19, Dickinson State mounted one final drive. Sanders found Jackson Whicker for a 16-yard touchdown with 1:14 to play, but the two-point attempt was again unsuccessful, sealing the narrow two-point loss.
Clark led all receivers with 137 yards and two scores. Meinecke, Whicker, and Jackson Simonson combined for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 12 catches. Simonson also led the ground game with 50 rushing yards, though the team totaled just seven net rushing yards due to seven sacks.
Defensively, Nathaniel Jilek and Riley Waters paced the Blue Hawks with nine tackles apiece. Dylan Dahlgren added a sack and a forced fumble, and the unit finished with three sacks and seven tackles for loss.
