The Dickinson Red Devils (4-1, 2-0) rode a dominant rushing performance from Dane Sorensen to a 41-19 victory over the Gettysburg Bullets (2-3, 0-2) on Saturday, October 10, retaining the coveted Bucket rivalry trophy and remaining unbeaten in Centennial Conference play.
Sorensen rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries as the Red Devils piled up 293 yards on the ground in the NCAA Division III matchup in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Second-quarter explosion puts Dickinson in control
After the teams traded field goals in the opening quarter, Gettysburg briefly took a 6-3 lead on Isaac Parks-Gill’s second field goal.
Then Dickinson took over.
Sorensen broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, igniting a 21-point surge. Jake Williams added a one-yard scoring run before quarterback Ben Klassen connected with Kevin Schmidt on a 10-yard touchdown pass with just 10 seconds remaining in the half.
The Red Devils headed into the locker room leading 24-6.
Gettysburg fights back
The Bullets refused to disappear.
Quarterback Sean Clark found Gabriel Diaz for a 23-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 24-12. Hudson Reese answered with a 32-yard field goal for Dickinson, but Gettysburg struck again early in the fourth.
Facing fourth-and-goal from the nine, Clark connected with Edison Case for a touchdown, pulling the Bullets within 27-19.
Gettysburg recovered the ensuing onside kick, threatening to turn the game around, but an interception ended the opportunity.
Sorensen slams the door
With the momentum threatening to shift, Dickinson turned to its ground game.
An 11-play drive consisting entirely of runs consumed 6:44 before Sorensen scored to extend the lead to 34-19.
The Red Devils followed with another lengthy possession, and Sorensen capped the victory with his third touchdown with 36 seconds remaining.
Clark finished 23 of 43 for 236 yards and two touchdowns for Gettysburg, while Diaz caught seven passes for 80 yards. Defensively, RJ Weiss led the Bullets with 12 tackles.
But the afternoon belonged to Sorensen and the Red Devils, who retained the Bucket while continuing their unbeaten start to conference play.