Winona State University hosted Wayne State College for their sixth game of the season. They entered the contest with a 2-3 record overall, with a 2-2 conference record. The Warriors faced the challenge of facing the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) leading rusher in Dawson Forgy, who averaged 107 rushing yards per game. The Wildcats looked to spoil the undefeated season at Maxwell Field for the Warriors.
After an exchange of punts to start the game, Wayne State pushed the ball down the field all the way towards the Winona State one-yard line. A false start penalty pushed them back five yards. Wildcat quarterback Brady McGill hit receiver Keaton Bonderson for a five-yard loss on a screen pass, with Blake Schruafnagel wrapping up the red zone possession. Boston Hensley, kicker for the Wildcats, missed the 27-yard field goal attempt. The first of many missed opportunities for the Wildcats, as the first quarter closed 0-0 in Maxwell.
The Warriors struggled to move the ball for much of the game, but they kept generating stops on the defensive side of the ball. They forced a turnover on downs at their own thirty-eight-yard line but still could not break through. That break came on the next defensive drive, as linebacker Lincoln Snitker picked off McGill in Wayne State territory. Quarterback Jackson Flottmeyer answered the takeaway with a 36-yard rushing touchdown on fourth and five. The Wildcats began to sputter, as McGill threw another interception around midfield, this time to Warrior linebacker Caleb Jannsen. Flottmeyer then found Joe Sikma on a deep shot down the field for a 25-yard touchdown. The Warrior secondary kept dominating through the air. Delshaun Petrosky, a Wayne State transfer, picked off McGill for the third straight drive. While the Warriors could not capitalize on the turnover, they took a 14-0 against Wayne State at the half.
Jake Ziemniarski, right guard of Winona State, discussed the team’s growth on a weekly basis.
“In practice, the 1’s go against each other after our warmups force us to play football at a high tempo. It pushes us to really get into our football mind at the blow of a whistle,” Ziemniarski said.
The Wildcats’ offense looked for a spark to begin the third quarter, forcing Winona State to punt, and driving all the way into the red zone for the second time. Hensley missed another field goal, this time from 35 yards out. After another Warriors punt, Forgy finally found his way into the endzone with five minutes left in the third quarter. Winona State was driving with the ball at midfield as the third quarter closed, leading 14-7.
After a long and grueling twelve-play drive, tight end James Durst powered his way into the endzone for a five-yard touchdown to extend the Warriors’ lead to fourteen. The Wildcats fought hard. After an 81-yard touchdown drive with two and a half minutes left, they had one more chance to tie the game after forcing Winona State to punt. Wayne State had it at the 35-yard line on third down with five yards to go. Linebacker Ethan Doucette and defensive tackle John Klinger wrapped up McGill for a huge sack. McGill found receiver Colton Andrews for an 11-yard gain on fourth down, but he was one yard short of the line to gain. Winona State inched out to a victory over Wayne State 21-14.
Durst, emphasized what the Warriors need to do to stay with a positive record. “We also need to not get complacent about winning one game and keep practicing and working harder in order to stack wins.”
Thanks to the victory against the Wildcats, Winona State improved to a 3-3 overall record and a 3-2 NSIC record while also staying perfect at Maxwell Field. They will travel to Mankato to face Minnesota State University on Oct. 11. Their next opponent at Maxwell Field will be Concordia St. Paul on Oct. 25.
