MARION, Ind. – No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan Football opened its 2026 season with a statement, holding off No. 8 Dordt 38-31 in a back-and-forth shootout at Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcats built a 14-point cushion in the first half, weathered a furious third-quarter surge that saw Dordt score three touchdowns in a span of less than eight minutes, and leaned on a career-caliber night from Ryan Whitwell to hold on down the stretch.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | Wildcat Stadium
- Records: IWU: 1-0 | Dordt: 0-1
- NAIA Top-25 Ranking: IWU: No. 9 | Dordt: No. 8
FIRST QUARTER
- Dordt's opening drive was set up by a 24-yard completion from Noah Strickfaden to Nick Giesen, and Thomas Fritz Jr. capped it with a 13-yard touchdown run, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead.
- IWU answered right away. Ryan Whitwell broke a 38-yard run to midfield to jumpstart the drive, and Dede Person finished it with a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.
- The Wildcats' defense forced a three-and-out, and the offense capitalized with an 11-play drive that Person punched in from a yard out, giving IWU a 14-7 lead heading into the second quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
- Whitwell kept rolling, ripping off a 17-yard run to the Dordt 1-yard line before scoring on the next play to extend the IWU lead to 21-7.
- Dordt converted a 4th-and-4 with a Strickfaden scramble to keep a drive alive, but the Wildcat defense stiffened on the next possession, stopping Dordt on 4th-and-5 when Strickfaden's pass to Cole Snyder fell incomplete, turning the ball over on downs.
- Dede Person broke off a 20-yard run on IWU's ensuing drive, though a holding penalty wiped it out. Arjun Lothe connected with Braxton Myers for 26 yards to keep the possession alive, but the drive ended when Lothe was intercepted by Ethan Mills at the goal line, and Dordt took a touchback. IWU carried a 21-7 lead into halftime.
THIRD QUARTER
- IWU's first possession of the half stalled after a 79-yard connection from Lothe to Blake Brumbaugh set up a first-and-goal, but the Wildcats had to settle for a 20-yard Josh Clifton field goal attempt that hit the left upright, keeping the score 21-7.
- Dordt answered immediately, needing just four plays and a 56-yard touchdown pass from Strickfaden to Cole Snyder to cut the lead to 21-14.
- Dede Person broke a 33-yard run on IWU's next drive, and Arjun Lothe found Ryan Whitwell out of the backfield for a 2-yard touchdown pass, pushing the lead back to 28-14.
- Dordt needed just one play to answer, a 70-yard touchdown strike from Strickfaden to Kaden Harken, making it 28-21.
- A three-and-out for the Wildcat offense, gave the Defenders a chance to strike again. A 27-yard Strickfaden-to-Harken completion set up a 20-yard touchdown pass to Eliot Beal two plays later, tying the game at 28-28 as the third quarter closed.
FOURTH QUARTER
- IWU regained the lead on the opening drive of the fourth, a marathon 15-play possession that Josh Clifton finished with a 29-yard field goal, making it 31-28.
- On IWU's next drive, facing 4th-and-1 at the Dordt 5-yard line, Ryan Whitwell converted with a 1-yard run to keep the possession alive, and he punched it in from 4 yards out on the next play to extend the lead to 38-28.
- Dordt answered with an 11-play drive that stalled in the red zone, and Stephen Leinen's 25-yard field goal made it 38-31 with 1:18 remaining.
- Ryan Whitwell iced the game with an 18-yard run on IWU's ensuing possession, allowing the Wildcats to run out the clock and secure the season-opening win.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
- Ryan Whitwell: 36 carries, 226 yards, 2 rushing TD; 3 receptions, 10 yards, 1 TD.
- His 226 rushing yards fell one yard short of his career high and stand as the fourth-most in a single game in program history.
- Arjun Lothe: 19-for-30, 232 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Dede Person: 14 carries, 91 yards, 2 TD; 1 reception, 11 yards
- Blake Brumbaugh: 5 receptions, 105 yards
- Braxton Myers: 4 receptions, 54 yards
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
SPECIAL TEAMS STANDOUTS
TEAM COMPARISON
- Total Offense: IWU 561 yards (329 rush, 232 pass); Dordt 440 yards (148 rush, 292 pass)
- First Downs: IWU 35; Dordt 22
- Turnovers: IWU 1 (INT); Dordt 0
- Sacks: None recorded by either team
- Penalties: IWU 5 for 39 yards; Dordt 2 for 20 yards
- Time of Possession: IWU 32:38; Dordt 27:22
UP NEXT
- The Wildcats will travel to St. Francis (Ill.) on Sept. 5 next weekend.
- Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00PM.
- Live video and stats will be available on IWUWildcats.com.
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