Brezina ready for Top 5 showdown

No. 5 Northwestern College to host No. 1 Morningside College

Posted 11/14/19

Week-by-week, Northwestern College has been knocking off teams waiting for their big moment.

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Brezina ready for Top 5 showdown

No. 5 Northwestern College to host No. 1 Morningside College

Posted

Week-by-week, Northwestern College has been knocking off teams waiting for their big moment.

The NAIA school in Orange City, Iowa, is sitting at No. 5 in the NAIA polls with a 9-0 record and their biggest challenge of the season in front of them, the No. 1 Morningside Mustangs. One of those Northwestern College football players hails from Iowa Mennonite School.

“It has been a special group to be around,” said Drake Brezina, a Northwestern College junior. “From our one-point win to big wins, it is special when you have to fight through it and our bond is special.”

The junior has cracked his way into the lineup via special teams and recently scored his first touchdown of the season as a running back. Brezina said he is on the kickoff, kick return and the punt team. He has recorded 16 total tackles this season, 10 solo and six assists. He recorded three in their Nov. 9 victory over Hastings.

He recently made a position change from outside linebacker to running back, a position he played at Clear Creek-Amana.

“It’s really good to be back into that,” he said. “Just takes time to learn the plays. College football is a lot different than high school, but the guys have welcomed me (to the running back position group).”

So far he has two carries this season, totalling three yards and one touchdown in a Oct. 26 matchup against Doane University(Neb.).

Now entering the final regular season game of the season, Northwestern and Morningside will compete in a top 5 showdown and will be competing for one of the top seeds in the NAIA playoffs and a Great Plains Athletic Conference Championship.

“We’ve worked really hard and love how the schedule is set up. There’s definitely a lot of added fuel this week and we have been eyeing this all season” Brezina said. “We wanted to get to Morningside.”

They got their undefeated wish, scoring an average of 37 points per game while letting up only 10 per game. They average about 435 yards of offense per game with a relatively balanced passing and rushing attack.

Recently, the series has been dominated by Morningside College, who has won nine of the last 10 matchups and the last three in a row.

“We just have to give a little more and really want to win. It will definitely take everybody playing to win,” he said.

Brezina played high school football at Clear Creek-Amana, where he rushed for 117 yards per game over 11 games played. His senior season was cut short after an ACL tear. Brezina was also a multi-sport athlete at Iowa Mennonite School, playing basketball and running track.

The game is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff in Orange City on Saturday. The game can be streamed on the Northwestern College Athletics website, nwcraiders.com.