The Saint Mary football team fell to #17 Dakota Wesleyan by a final score of 60-14 on Saturday in the KCAC/GPAC Classic. The loss drops Saint Mary to 1-1 on the season.

The Spires endured a tough first quarter as Dakota Wesleyan jumped out to a 19-0 lead and never looked back. The Spires could not slow down the Dakota Wesleyan offense as they tallied 692 yards of offense. Saint Mary moved the ball as they tallied 449 total yards (five more than the week before where they shut out Trinity Bible 49-0), but the Spires could only get 14 points on the board.

Drew Cortez completed 24 of 53 passes for 374 yards and a touchdown. Cortez also ran for a touchdown. Isai Fernandez had four catches for 35 yards. Andre Long had three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. The ground game stalled for the Spires with 75 yards on 29 carries as a unit. Ben Harvey led the best day with six rushes for 28 yards.

Defensively, Joshua Green had a team high 10 tackles, one for a loss. Bryan Barnhardt finished with six tackles. Joseph Rodriguez had four tackles and a sack. Joceice Cannon also had four tackles, one for a loss. James O'Bryan had a fumble recovery.

After a bye week, Saint Mary will open KCAC play on the road at #20 Kansas Wesleyan on September 16 at 6pm. Kansas Wesleyan is 1-1 on the season. The Spires bested the Coyotes 38-24 in the final regular season game of 2017.