Complete Tigers take down Waldorf, earn first win of 2024

CRETE, Neb. - In their best performance of the season so far, the Doane Tigers (1-2, 1-1 GPAC) put together a total team performance, excelling in all phases of the game and cruising to a 26-7 win over Waldorf (0-3, 0-2 GPAC) on Saturday evening in Crete.  

The victory is the first for Doane in the 2024 season, and the first for Jonathan Johnson both in his tenure as Doane head coach and in his head coaching career. Waldorf joined the GPAC in all sports ahead of this season after a few solid seasons in the now-defunct North Star Athletic Association, and Saturday’s contest marked the first ever meeting between the Tigers and the Warriors in NAIA football.  

And it was quite clear even early on Saturday that the Tigers were the better team. Doane truly dominated in all phases, outgaining Waldorf 547-231, converting 10-of-15 3rd-down conversion attempts (Waldorf went just 1-of-10), and attaining 34 total first downs to Waldorf’s six, a staggering disparity.  

Doane’s run defense continued to excel, limiting the Warriors to 58 yards on 23 carries (2.2 yards per attempt). Tiger tailback Rian Green had a standout game, running for 131 yards – more than double Waldorf's team total – on 24 carries, while fellow back James Miles III scored twice, once on the ground and once through the air, to lead the offense. Linebacker Reece Zutavern recorded six tackles, including a game best 1.5 TFLs, and scored a rushing touchdown in the late stages of the second quarter, the second score of his career. And Kelen Meyer was excellent as always on special teams: he never had to punt since Doane’s offense was so in sync, but he hit both of his field goals, both of his PATs, and did not allow the Warriors to return any of his kickoffs.  

The Warriors put together a nice drive to begin the game, but Connor Parker missed a field goal attempt, his first try of the season, and Waldorf never even came close to scoring again until the end of the game. Doane, on the flipside, was clinical: the Tigers scored on four of their five possessions in the first half – touchdown runs by Miles and Zutavern and two field goals by Meyer – while the Tiger defense forced two three-and-outs, helping Doane build a 19-0 lead at the intermission.  

The Tigers then got the ball to start the second half and marched right back down the field again, embarking on a 16-play, 88-yard scoring drive that bled out more than half of the third quarter. For the second straight week, Miles helped out freshman quarterback Sam Hartman, snagging a bailout pass on a third-and-long and taking it to the house: last week’s catch and run went for 68 yards and this one’s went for just 11, but it still served as an early dagger for the home team.  

The Doane offense then sputtered down the stretch, turning the ball over on each of its final three possessions, but Waldorf was not able to take advantage until the final few minutes of the game when Louis Williams hit Bryce Jones, who had the biggest game of his career, for a 32-yard touchdown strike, spoiling Doane’s chance at a shutout with less than two minutes to play. But that was far too little, too late for the Warriors, and the Tigers’ first victory of the season was an impressive one, 26-9.  

And the win certainly comes at a good time for a Tiger team that must now run through a gauntlet that is the GPAC schedule: Doane’s next three opponents are all currently ranked in the NAIA’s Top 15, a testament to how tough this league always is. Up next, Doane will hit the road for the first time this season when the Tigers travel to Sioux City, Iowa to face off with NAIA No. 14 Morningside this Saturday, September 21. You can watch the action on the GPAC Network, and, as always, listen live for free on Ol’ Red 99.5 with pregame coverage beginning at 12:30 and kickoff to follow at 1 PM.