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By David Boyce  |  Northwest vs. Lindenwood  |  Saturday, Oct. 10, 1 p.m.  |  Bearcat Stadium  |  Maryville, Mo.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - No one's freedom is on the line when two football teams battle each other for a win. But it is easy to slip when watching players give their all in a physically demanding sport like football and call them warriors.
 
Northwest Missouri State junior defensive end Cass Weitl fits in the category of calling him a warrior. After missing the fourth week of the season because of an injury, Weitl returned last week in the Bearcats' 59-7 victory at Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. Weitl recorded three tackles in that game.
 
"He is a very tough kid. Coming off the injury he had, it is pretty easy for a guy to say I can't go because I am not a 100 percent," Northwest coach Adam Dorrel said. "He wasn't 100 percent. It is not him. It is not how he was raised. He is a tough kid. He played. He did the best he could. I thought he played well."
 
Weitl comes from a family where both his granddads fought to keep the United States safe and free.
 
"One fought in Korea and one fought in World War II," Weitl said. "I have other family members who have been in the military."
 
For Weitl and many of his teammates who have family members in the Armed Forces, Saturday's game at Bearcat Stadium against Lindenwood will have added meaning because it is Military Appreciation Day at Northwest.
 
"The day means respect for the military," Weitl said. "They sacrifice so much for us over here. They sacrifice for us to be free."
 
It is a freedom that allows young men like Weitl to get a college education and continue to compete in athletics, creating experiences and memories for a lifetime.
 
Many of the Bearcats will remember the long trip and the things they did on the way and back from Tahlequah.
 
For most people, spending over 12 hours round trip on a bus full of football players might not sound like the most pleasant experience, but what the Bearcats accomplished last week could go a long way in paving the road to another MIAA championship and possibly much more.
 
The win was probably the most complete game the Bearcats have played so far this season, particularly on the offensive side.
 
"We talked all week as a team that it is time to turn the corner on offense," Dorrel said. "I was so proud of our team because I thought we did that."
 
When you talk openly about getting better, there is that fear that the players might try to do too much and start to press. But Dorrel didn't see his quarterbacks attempting crazy passes or running backs trying to stretch out for an extra yard only to have the ball knocked out of their hands for a fumble.
 
 Dorrel saw a team executing on both sides of the ball.
 
"I was happy with our defense and I liked hearing them talk to our offensive kids in that game last Saturday," Dorrel said. "I think we gained a lot of confidence and I want to see that carry into this Saturday."
 
And Dorrel couldn't contain his smile when talk shifted to a defensive line of Weitl, senior Brandon Yost and junior Collin Bevins playing together for the first time since the season opener.
 
Weitl was definitely thrilled to back last week after missing the Central Oklahoma game.
 
"It was very tough to sit out and not be able to do anything. It is the first game I have ever missed," Weitl said. "I didn't like it at all. I feel a lot better when I can actually do something in a game."
 
Each game of the season has its personality. The Bearcats, 5-0 and ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II, want to put together another impressive performance.
 
"We just need to play at the level we are capable of each game, and not play down at all," Weitl said. "If we play Bearcat football like we can, we are going to be pretty good every game. We will have a chance every game."
 
Northwest, though, grew as a team by finding ways to pull out close games in weeks three and four.
 
"I liked how the young guys and everybody on the team didn't give up," Weitl said. "We kept pushing through."