Winona State University celebrated their annual homecoming game against Concordia University of St. Paul for penultimate home game of the season. So far in the season, the Warriors sit at 3-4 overall with a conference record of 3-3. Maxwell Field has been a special place for them as well, not losing a game so far. They looked to keep that streak up against the Golden Bears.
Taiden Thomas, edge rusher for the Warriors, mentioned the running identity that the Golden Bears have.
“We knew coming in, we had to stop their run game because that would put the pressure on their pass game. A run game is a young quarterback’s best friend, so taking that away can make an offense one-dimensional.”
The Warriors started the opening quarter strong, forcing a punt on the Golden Bears’ first possession. Defensive tackle Connor Hagarty and cornerback Delshaun Petrosky each recorded a sack on the opening drive. Quarterback Jackson Flottmeyer drove the purple and white down the field on a 73-yard drive. He would finish the possession with a three-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver Joe Sikma for the Warriors first touchdown in the first quarter all season. With a 7-0 lead in, Winona State drew first blood in this contest. Concordia proceeded to drain the rest of the period, eventually punting back to the Warriors for the next set of action.
Defense dominated for the entirety of the next quarter. After a quick Winona State punt, the Golden Bears reached twenty-five yards of the Warriors and were looking to cut the Warriors lead to four. Kenny Steffon, kicker for Concordia St. Paul, lined up to attempt a 41-yard field goal, only for David Nies to block the kick and give Winona State prime field position. Both teams exchanged four consecutive drives with punts until the Warriors moved the ball inside Concordia’s ten-yard-line. After a pair of incompletions, the Warriors missed a 25-yard field goal to end the half. Winona State led the Golden Bears 7-0 at the half.
Eliajah Randle, defensive back for Winona State, talked about the secondary dealing with adversity against the Golden Bears.
“I think it just says a lot about how much we battle. When things haven’t went our way, we just put our head down and went to work. That’s what I love the most about this group.”
Winona State opened the second half of action with a strong offensive drive, with freshman running back Jahmani Muhammad bouncing off a Golden Bear and picking up 27 yards in deep Concordia territory. Warrior kicker Evan Swanstrom hit a 22-yard field goal to extend the lead to ten. The Golden Bears responded by running the ball six out of their next eight plays, capitalizing on a 24-yard touchdown by Joel Lacy to put Concordia on the board. Winona State answered back with another long drive. Fullback Colton Geurink finished the third quarter with his first career touchdown for the purple. The Warriors capped the third quarter with a 17-7 lead.
Geurink mentioned the significance of his first career score for Winona State.
“I felt so honored that my coaches trusted me to be able to get in the endzone on the one-yard line and also honored when all my teammates were so excited for me.” He said, “Scoring the touchdown for the homecoming game would be my favorite moment in my college career.”
Winona State took control of the game halfway through the final period. They traveled 69-yards for Flottmeyer to punch in a seven-yard score. With a 17-point lead late in the game, the Warriors focused on protecting their lead. This idea persisted with the Warriors recording four of their seven sacks in the fourth quarter. Taiden Thomas, defensive end for the Warriors, recorded the game-clinching sack on fourth and 16 during Concordia’s final position.
Thomas talked about the feeling he had to make a crucial play late in the series.
“You visualize being able to make a play to end the game for your team. I give all my glory to the man above and to all the people and family who have gotten me to where I am today,” Thomas said.
Winona State defeated Concordia St. Paul 24-14 in their homecoming contest. Muhammad led the way on offense, recording 16 carries for 141 yards, the most a Warrior has recorded this season. Randle had a career-high day, earning seven tackles with four solo wrap-ups.
Geurink, when discussing the final stretch of the season, said, “Our mindset is to be able to make the best of the season with our three games left and ensure that we are able to win out and turn this program back to what it was when Coach Sawyer was here.”
