MITCHELL, S.D. — Hastings College used a bruising ground attack and a fast start to hand Dakota Wesleyan a 24–7 loss Saturday afternoon at Joe Quintal Field, capping the Broncos’ regular season with a methodical road win.
Hastings rushed for 252 yards and scored on four of its first five drives while holding the Tigers scoreless until the final two minutes.
Running back Dalton Armbrust powered the Broncos with 108 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns, including a 20-yard scoring burst with 9:48 left in the first quarter to give Hastings a 7–0 lead. That drive — 11 plays, 89 yards — set the tone for a day in which the Broncos consistently controlled the line of scrimmage.
Armbrust added a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 32 seconds remaining before halftime to cap a grueling 16-play, 80-yard march that pushed the lead to 14–0. At the break, the Broncos had outgained DWU 231–142 and allowed just one Tiger drive to cross midfield.
Hastings stretched the margin to 21–0 midway through the third quarter when quarterback Jarrett Synek connected with Jake Weidinger on a 23-yard touchdown pass. Synek finished 8 of 20 for 130 yards while the run game averaged nearly six yards per carry.
The Broncos’ final points came on Colton Willmott’s 41-yard field goal with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter.
Dakota Wesleyan, which struggled to sustain drives against a swarming Hastings defense, avoided the shutout with 1:55 remaining when Connor Drake scored on a 10-yard run to finish a 75-yard drive. Drake ran for 10 yards and threw for 55 more, while starter Jed Jenson completed 16 of 31 passes for 186 yards but was intercepted twice and sacked five times.
DWU mustered only 47 rushing yards on 24 attempts as Hastings defenders Jake Lambert and Dawson Kissinger each tallied 10 tackles, helping spark a unit that totaled five sacks, 10 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
Hastings finished with a 382–288 advantage in total offense and held the ball for more than 31 minutes. Attendance was listed at 597.
Dakota Wesleyan ends the season with a 4-7 record, 3-7 in the GPAC.