Jimmies gridders look to end season on a high note at Mount Marty

Nov. 11—JAMESTOWN — After a bye week, the University of Jamestown is back in action trying to end its four-game skid at Mount Marty University at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at Mount Marty's Williams Field in Yankton, South Dakota.

Heading into the game against the Lancers, the Jimmies are trying to get their fourth win of the season, which would be the most since 2016.

"You want to win every game," Jimmies head coach Brian Mistro said. "I think it's more so springboarding yourself into the offseason and you want to have that as a positive outlook going forward. You don't want to have that drum in your stomach like you did last year. I think this year our guys are understanding, the offseason is just as important to make sure you're ready for the full season ahead of you. So we want to have that win for the kids to have that confidence going into the offseason."

The last time the Jimmies played was on Oct. 29, when they lost 44-24 at Dordt to push their record to 3-7. The Lancers are coming off a 38-37 loss to Dakota Wesleyan on Nov. 5.

During the bye week, Mistro said his team needed time to relax and recharge ahead of the season finale but they also mixed the rest with preparation.

"I think when you have a bye week at the end of the year you really have to focus on what does your team need," Mistro said. "Our team needed some time off, we've been going every day since Aug. 5th and so now for us, it's we gave them some time off but we still practice for the two days we practiced. For us, we had some walk-throughs and things like that."

The Jimmies leading rusher this season has been freshman Zach Hammett, who has 419 yards and three touchdowns. This season, the Lancers' defense is giving up 186.6 rushing yards per game. The freshman halfback said he is ready to make some big plays against the Lancers.

"I know what they run and their (linebackers) are decent but you always have to have the mindset that you gotta make a highlight reel out of this team and they can't really stop you," Hammett said.

The Jimmies have a tie for most tackles on the team with 59 between Jed Rantz and Ezra Belingheri. Belingheri also has two sacks for 15 yards, two forced fumbles and one interception for four yards. The Lancers' offense is averaging 349.1 yards per game with 216 passing yards per game.

"I think that they're going to run a lot of inside-outside power, which we haven't been the best with all year," Belingheri said. "So they're gonna run that a lot and pick on our deep safeties and corner, which we haven't been as good at. We've had all season to show what we're good and bad at, so they're gonna pick on the things we're not as good at. I think those positions need to be locked in this game and know what's coming."

The teams have only played once before, during the last season, with the Jimmies winning 35-6. Heading into this year's game, Mistro said the keys for his team are not to try to do too much and to stay locked in mentally.

"But we're really going to focus on, 'Guys do our job. It's not that you need to go above and beyond and do somebody else's.' Even though we've had success with some of those situations where a guy runs the wrong route but makes a miraculous catch or a (defensive back) blows a coverage but he makes an interception," Mistro said. "You kind of get shaded a little bit with some of those positive results from a negative action. We need the positive actions to make positive results."