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Football KatieJo Kuhens

No. 15/17 Wartburg to Host Franklin in NCAA Playoffs

WAVERLY, Iowa-- The No. 15/17 Wartburg football team (10-0 overall) will host Franklin College from Indiana (8-2) Saturday at noon in the NCAA Playoffs.

The Knights received the automatic bid with their Iowa Conference Championship. The Grizzlies also won their conference title to punch their ticket. They compete in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The Orange and Black will make their 11th appearance in the NCAA Playoffs and first since 2014.

Click here for the complete bracket.

The Series
These programs have never previously met.

Tickets
$8 adults
$4 seniors/students
No other passes accepted

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Wartburg
Sophomore Dylan Binion (Albany, Ill.) leads the team on the ground with 1,107 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is the 17th player in program history to achieve the 1,000 season rushing mark and first since Brandon Domeyer in 2014.

Junior quarterback Matt Sacia (Eldridge) has thrown for 2,552 yards and 28 touchdowns on the season. He has finished with triple-digit passing yards in 16-straight games and in 18 of his last 19, which dates back to last season.

Sacia's top target has been senior Riley Brockway (Postville), who has 1,097 yards on 72 catches with 13 TDs.
 
Senior Tony Anstoetter (Farley) leads the defense with 89 total tackles and classmate Rob Rottler (Greene) follows with 88.

Freshman JoJo McNair (Joliet, Ill.) and junior Peyton Imhoff (Dubuque) have a team-best five interceptions.

Senior Dillon Radamaker (Greene) has a team-best 9.5 TFL.

Career Leader List Watch
Sacia now ranks sixth on the program's career leader list in passing yards (5,329). His 52 passing TDs and his 396 completions are fifth-best.

Brockway' is now the all-time leader in pass receptions (170) and his 2,333 receiving yards rank third. He is also third in kick return yards (1,204) and kick returns (56).

Senior Brayton Brandt (Center Point) has made 69 PATs, which is eighth-best.

Franklin
The Grizzlies dropped their two nonconference games to open the season, but went undefeated in conference play and enter Saturday on an eight-game winning streak.

Quarterback Chase Burton has thrown for 3,636 yards and 42 TDs. Deontez Alexander leads the receivers with 1,137 yards on 50 catches.

Jordan Brown leads the team on the ground with 673 yards.

Austin Fleming has a team-best 84 total tackles.

National Stat Rankings
Wartburg football team (10-0 overall) ranks in the top 100 of 38 statistical categories, which the NCAA released Monday.
 
The Knights rank 1st in winning percentage (1.00), 1st in blocked punts allowed (0), 1st in turnovers lost (8), 3rd in passes had intercepted (3), 4th in red zone defense (.487), 5th in turnover margin (1.4), 7th in kickoff returns (25.17), 8th in passes intercepted (19), 8th in team passing efficiency (173.7), 10th in completion percentage (.667), 11th in blocked punts (3), 12th in fourth down conversion percentage defense (.250), 14th in first downs offense (243), 16th in defensive touchdowns (3), 21st in time of possession (32:55), 23rd in net punting (36.02), 24th in rushing defense (90.5), 25th in punt return defense (3.92), 29th in scoring offense (38.7), 30th in total offense (462), 30th in scoring defense (15.2), 33rd in fumbles lost (5), 36th in third down conversion percentage (.451), 38th in tackles for loss allowed (4.9), 38th in team tackles for loss (7.7), 44th in third down conversion percentage defense (.31), 49th in team passing efficiency defense (110.05), 51st in rushing offense (201.7), 51st in passing offense (260.3), 53rd in turnovers gained (22), 58th in team sacks (2.6), 68th in fourth down conversion percentage (.529), 71st in passing yards per completion (13.7), 77th in blocked kicks (3), 82nd in total defense (336.3), 97th in red zone offense (.783), 99th in kickoff return defense (18.25), and 100th in punt returns (8.92).
 
Individually, 12 Knights rank in the top 100 of 33 statistical categories.

Brockway ranks 15th in receiving yards (1,097), 18th in receiving touchdowns (13), 19th in receiving yards per game (109.7), 25th in receptions per game (7.2), 54th in total touchdowns (13), 65th in total points scored (78), 83rd in scoring (7.8), and 96th in all purpose (121.5).

Senior Chris McNutt (Solon) ranks 3rd in punt return touchdowns (1) and 86th in passes defended (1.2), senior Griffin Brennecke (Marion) ranks 47th in yards per reception (19.35), senior Hunter Baldus (Cedar Rapids) ranks 48th in fumbles recovered (2), and senior Jake Pisarik (Mount Vernon) ranks 59th in punting (38.1).

Anstoetter ranks 96th in total tackles (8.9), and Imhof ranks 5th in passes defended (2.1) and 39th in interceptions per game (.5);

Sacia ranks 7th in passing efficiency (175.1), 12th in completion percentage (.669), 16th in passing touchdowns (28), 18th in yards per pass attempt (9.18), 21st in points responsible for (186), 26th in points responsible for per game (18.6), 35th in passing yards (2,552), 41st in passing yards per game (255.2), 49th in total offense (264.9), 53rd in completions per game (18.6), and 58th in passing yards per completion (13.72).

Binion ranks 34th in rushing yards (1,107), 36th in rush yards per carry (6.36), 40th in rushing touchdowns (12), 42nd in rushing yards per game (110.7), 54th in total touchdowns (13), 65th in total points scored (78), 83rd in scoring (7.8), and 99th in all purpose (120.7).

Sophomore Jake Kloft (Maquoketa) ranks 7th in kickoff return touchdowns (1), sophomore Cedric Dobbins (Waukee) ranks 86th in passes defended (1.2); and McNair ranks 17th in passes defended (1.7), 39th in interceptions per game (.5), and 96th in combined kick returns (462).
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