THIS WEEK IN BLUE HAWK FOOTBALL
Saturday, Sept. 27 — 1:00 p.m. MT — Bulldog Stadium — Dillon, Mont.
#20 Dickinson State (2-1, 0-0 Frontier East) at #9 Montana Western (2-1, 0-0 Frontier West)

LIVE VIDEO: youtube.com/channel/UCzihTtdVO1g3swTgfCjW1Bw
LIVE STATS: dsubluehawks.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
RADIO: kdix.com
 
SEASON CONTINUES:
No. 20 Dickinson State looks to bounce back on the road at Frontier West power No. 9 Montana Western. The Blue Hawks (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season in a 35–7 setback against Carroll College at home. Quarterback Marcus Sanders threw for 136 yards and a touchdown to Semaj Clark, who hauled in seven catches for 62 yards. Defensively, Rustin Medenwald picked off a pass, Dylan Dahlgren recorded a sack, and three Blue Hawks tallied seven tackles apiece. Montana Western (2-1) enters off a two-game win streak and was a 2024 NAIA quarterfinalist. DSU seeks its first win over the Bulldogs since 2005.
 
BLUE HAWKS (2025 to date):

• Scoring Offense: 22.7 | Scoring Defense: 22.0
• Total Offense: 277 | 3rd Down: 19-for-50 (38%)
• Red Zone: 10-for-12 | Turnover Margin: 0
• Last Game: L, 35-7 vs Carroll College
   

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Offense —
QB – #10 Marcus Sanders (Jr.)
RB – #22 Caleb Rist (Jr.)
TE – #15 Gage Gilbert (So.)
LT – #63 Landen Thompson (Fr.)
LG – #66 Adam Symonds (Jr.)
C – #56 Carson Lunak (Sr.)
RG – #74 Justin Vela (Sr.)
RT – #67 Trey Swanson (So.)
WR – #8 Semaj Clark (Sr.)
WR – #6 Adrien Calderon (So.)
WR – #14 Cale Gundlach (Jr.)

Defense —
DL – #40 Dylan Dahlgren (Jr.)
DL – #50 Wyatt Anderson (Sr.)
DL – #57 Chace Waters (So.)
DL – #53 Shel Osborne (Jr.)
LB – #42 Riley Waters (Sr.)
LB – #52 Dalton Tvedt (Jr.)
LB – #39 Nathaniel Jilek (Sr.)
CB – #25 Rustin Medenwald (Fr.)
S – #4 Jack Hartman (Sr.)
S – #34 Jaymn Medlock (Jr.)
CB – #9 Chase Selle (So.)

Specialists —
K – #7 Ty Nelson (So.)
P – #7 Ty Nelson (So.)
KR – #3 Jackson Whicker (So.), #6 Adrien Calderon (So.)
PR – #14 Cale Gundlach (Jr.)
LS – #2 Ryan Racht (So.)
Holder – #14 Cale Gundlach (Jr.)
 
THE SERIES:
vs Montana Western — UMW leads 6–1
Last: Montana Western 41–14 win (Nov. 30, 2024 in Dillon)
Streak: L4
 
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT — Montana Western:
Record: 2–1 | Head Coach: Ryan Nourse (13th Season)
Last Week: W, 35–21 at Rocky Mountain
 
SOARING HAWKS:

Jack Hartman (Sr., DB) – Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Week
 
2025 SEASON LEADERS:
Passing Yards: Marcus Sanders (Jr.), 628
Passing Touchdowns: Marcus Sanders (Jr.), 6
Rushing Yards: Caleb Rist (Jr.), 72
Rushing Touchdowns: Two tied, 2 each
Receiving Yards: Semaj Clark (Sr.), 281
Receiving Touchdowns: Semaj Clark (Sr.), 4
Total Offense: Marcus Sanders (Jr.), 601
All-Purpose Yards: Semaj Clark (Sr.), 288
Field Goal: Chase Miller (Jr.), 1-for-1 (Long: 27)
Punting Avg: Ty Nelson (So.), 36.3
Kick Return Yards: Jackson Whicker (So.), 161
Interceptions: Jack Hartman (Sr.), 3
Total Tackles: Chase Selle (So.), 14.0
Sacks: Dylan Dahlgren (Jr.), 1.0
Netting Professionals NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll
Sept. 23, 2025 Edition

#20 Dickinson State (2-1) down from #11
Points: 147
Trend: Dropped nine spots after 35–7 loss vs. Carroll

Dickinson State fell to No. 20 in this week's NAIA poll following its first defeat. The Blue Hawks remain among five ranked Frontier Conference programs, behind Montana Tech (#6), Montana Western (#9), and Carroll (#18), with College of Idaho at #25 also included.
 
HEAD COACH — Pete Stanton (12th Season):
Coach Stanton is 97–29 overall at DSU, leading the program to 10 straight NSAA titles and 11 consecutive NAIA playoff appearances. A DSU Hall of Famer, Stanton emphasizes physicality, consistency, and a strong defensive identity. Under his leadership, DSU has earned back-to-back playoff wins in 2023 and 2024 and produced 22 NAIA All-Americans.