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Sam Jones at Colorado School of Mines
Brinda Malik, Mines Athletics
Sam Jones (12) looks for a receiver down field as he rolls out of the pocket against the Orediggers at Alumni Field at Marv Kay Stadium (Sept. 19, 2026)

Skyhawks face (RV) Yellow Jackets in Spearfish on Saturday

9/25/2026 10:00:00 AM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement
DURANGO, Colo. – Fort Lewis football (2-1, 1-1 RMAC) is headed north to Spearfish, S.D., this Saturday, Sept. 26, for its second Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) road trip in as many weeks and a showdown against the Black Hills State University Yellow Jackets (3-1, 1-1 RMAC) at Lyle Hare Stadium at 1 p.m.
 
Game Details
Fort Lewis (2-1, 1-1 RMAC) at (RV/NR) Black Hills State (3-1, 1-1 RMAC)
Saturday, Sept. 26, 1 p.m.
Spearfish, S.D. – Lyle Hare Stadium
RMAC Network | Live Stats | Radio | Tickets
 
First Slipup
Fort Lewis is coming off a challenging road trip to Golden, Colo., where the Skyhawks suffered their first loss of the season, 34-3, to one of the league's blue-bloods, Colorado School of Mines (1-2-1, 1-1 RMAC). Lucas Schmitten provided the Skyhawks' lone three points on a 44-yard field goal. Quarterback Sam Jones went 19-for-34 (55.9 percent) from the pocket for 126 yards and two interceptions in his season debut, and Hayes Dwyer added another 81 yards on 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) passing in his collegiate debut. Defensively, Elijah Portela paced the team with a game-high 10 tackles, a forced fumble, and 2.0 tackles for a combined three yards lost. The Skyhawks mustered up 188 yards of offense to Mines' 530.
 
Fort Lewis Leaders
Freshman KhaVontae Paul has emerged as the lead back for the Skyhawks through three games, with the Glendale, Ariz. native rushing for 97 yards on 23 carries for an average of 4.2 yards per attempt while being dropped for just three yards. On the outside, junior Solomon Latimer has torched opposing secondaries for 190 yards and three touchdowns on 13 catches, giving the six-foot-two wideout an average of 14.62 yards per catch and 63.3 yards per game. Sophomore tight end Michael Collins and junior wide receiver Kamrin Joyce-Fairley have each hauled in a receiving touchdown.
 
Three Skyhawks boast 20+ tackles on the defensive side, led by 'Agent 0' Trenton Sullivan with 33 tackles, 2.5 tackles for nine yards lost, including one three-yard sack, and a pair of pass breakups. Drennan Dowell has added 27 tackles, not to mention two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a quarterback hurry, while Portela rounds out the group with 21 tackles and a forced fumble.
 
Schmitten is 6-for-7 on field goal attempts this season, with his lone miss coming on a 48-yard attempt last season. Schmitten is 5-for-5 on point-after attempts. Sophomore punter Ethan Kercher has been pivotal in Fort Lewis' ability to flip the field, averaging an RMAC third-best 44.9 yards per punt on 17 attempts with four punts inside the 20, six punts of 50+ yards, two fair catches, and one touchback.  
 
Yellow Jackets in the Polls
Black Hills State is Fort Lewis' first nationally recognized opponent of 2026, with the Yellow Jackets receiving votes on back-to-back editions of the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. BHSU technically carries one ranked win this year, defeating then No. 25-ranked Dakota State University (3-1, 0-0 Frontier), 44-31, in Spearfish. The victory marks the only loss of the year for the Trojans, who have since climbed up to No. 21 in the latest STADIONIC National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football Coaches' Top 25 poll.
 
Series with Black Hills State
The Yellow Jackets hold a 10-3 lead all-time over the Skyhawks and have won five of the six contests at Lyle Hare Stadium. FLC's last win was 34-14 back on Sept. 22, 2018, and its last win in Spearfish came the season prior, 17-13 on Sept. 9, 2017. The Yellow Jackets have won six straight overall and three straight contests at home.
 
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
Black Hills State will be as eager as ever on Saturday afternoon as the Yellow Jackets look to avenge a 44-36 road loss at New Mexico Highlands University (3-1, 1-1 RMAC) last weekend. BHSU previously defeated Adams State University (0-4, 0-2 RMAC) 44-8 and the University of Sioux Falls (3-1, 3-0 NSIC) 24-21 back in the season opener.
 
Senior gunslinger Kade Weber has led BHSU under center, throwing for 864 yards and seven touchdowns against four interceptions with 72 completions in 114 attempts (63.2 percent). In addition to his 216 yards per game passing, Weber has scrambled for team-leading 171 net yards rushing and another four touchdowns on 39 attempts while taking just four sacks. Wide receiver Joseph Randle, a six-foot-four senior, has been Weber's favorite target in the red zone with four touchdown connections and 252 yards this year.
 
Black Hills State is averaging 395 yards of offense behind Weber, with a split of 158.5 yards rushing and 236.5 yards passing. Stopping the run has been the Yellow Jackets' forte, as opponents have rushed for just 351 yards all season and 87.8 yards per game. Sophomore linebacker Jayshon Liles takes the credit with a team-leading 6.0 tackles for 29 yards lost and 3.5 sacks for 25 yards. BHSU has made a combined 25.0 tackles for 122 yards lost.
 
Looking Ahead
Fort Lewis will host the Hardrockers from South Dakota Mines (3-1, 1-1 RMAC) next Saturday, Oct. 3, at 12 p.m. on Ray Dennison Memorial Field for the Skyhawks Stars of Honor and annual Pink Game, presented by CommonSpirit and Alpine Bank.
 
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