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Football Ryan Haggstrom, Sports Information Intern

Golden Eagles Put Up Fight in 33-7 Loss to No. 24 Winona State

Box Score Post-Game Interview with Mike Fritze 

CROOKSTON, Minn.
– Looking to avenge their 2012 defeat against No. 24 Winona State, the University of Minnesota Crookston football team fell 33-7 Saturday afternoon at Ed Widseth Field. After a 30 minute suspension of play due to lightning, the Golden Eagles came out firing before fizzling out late in the second half. Winona State kept pounding the rock through the heart of the Golden Eagle defense. Seven runners combined for 288 yards for the Warrior offense.

The Golden Eagle offense produced 184 yards of offense on the day. This includes 77 yards that were lost as the result of poor snaps. Talo Pascal (Jr., RB, Arlington, Texas) led the way on the ground with 47 yards off 15 carries and freshman Timothy Mack (RB, Inglewood, Calif./ chipped in 34 on 8 carries. Defensive leaders Greg Lofquist (Sr., LB, South St. Paul, Minn.) and Drew Selvestra (Jr., DL, Eagan, Minn.) continued their solid play with 19 and 11 tackles respectively. Lofquist's 19 tackles is fourth for total tackles all-time while his 16 assisted tackles is second all-time after a standout afternoon for the converted defensive end

Winona State kept the ball on the ground almost all game. Theo Burkett rushed for 135 yards on 17 carries. Change of pace back Paul Preston sped to 65 yards on 11 carries by using his speed to blow by defenders. The Golden Eagles did a good job keeping the backs from breaking huge scoring runs or the game may have been a different story. Ryan Cain was Winona's defensive leader with six tackles and a pick-six that put the game to bed.

The game started with the Golden Eagles receiving the ball looking to beat the coming storm. During the first drive the Golden Eagles rode the shoulders of Ben Bucholz (Jr., QB, Perham, Minn.). It was a quick drive that ended in a punt.

The first drive for Winona was very similar to UMC's. They gained a first down before a sack by Jake Christopherson (R-Fr., DL, Sturgeon Lake, Minn.) and Selvestra forced them into a punt.

Torrential downpour and extreme winds stopped the Golden Eagles next drive after three plays. On their punt attempt, there was a low snap and the ball slipped through punter Javon Hering's (Fr., P, Eagan, Minn.) hands before going out of the end zone for a touchback to give Winona State a 2-0 lead.

On their first play from scrimmage, Winona quarterback Jack Nelson fumbled the snap and the Golden Eagles recovered the ball at midfield. The UMC offense would muster one first down before turning the ball over on downs.

WSU went on to march the ball down the field with a strong run game before lightning caused a delay at the 3:17 mark in the first quarter. When the teams returned to the field after the delay, the Golden Eagles were able to force a turnover on downs.

Despite getting the ball at their own 37, UMC was not able to muster any offense going three and out.

WSU went right back to work running the ball with Preston and Burkett. At the Golden Eagle 37, Nelson dropped back for a pass and threw the ball to an expecting Trent Galkoski (So., DB, La Mesa, Calif.) for his first collegiate interception.

The interception set the UMC offense up with a ton of momentum. The following drive provided the UMC team with their first and only score of the day. Jacob Pinder (Sr., TE, Orlando, Fla.) capped off the drive with a 13 yard reception from Bucholz. The touchdown was preceded by an 18 yard Jordan Hester (Fr., WR, Arlington, Texas) run and a 15 yard Dante Jones (Jr., WR, Landover, Md.) reception.

A WSU fumbled snap ended a long drive and brought the momentum back in UMC's favor. It did not last for long, though as they went three and out.

Another drive on the backs of Burkett and Preston ended with a 19 yard touchdown run for Burkett that brought the score to 9-7 in Winona's favor. 

One first down brought some hope for the Golden Eagle offense before they were forced to punt. With Michael Maw (So., K/P, White Bear Lake, Minn.) back to punt, the ball was snapped over his head and out of the end zone for Winona's second safety of the day.

Winona got their second touchdown of the first half off a 25 yard pass from Nelson to Tyler Swinford with six seconds left.

UMC went into halftime down 18-7

After a scoreless third quarter, Winona had a 79 yard drive with two plays over 20 yards that brought the score to 26-7 after they converted the two-point conversion.

When UMC got the ball back, they attempted to come back through the air. This was when Cain nabbed a Bucholz pass out of the air and brought it back 30 yards for the score.

A near-seven minute drive all but killed the clock and any chance the Golden Eagles had of coming back. With the final score 33-7, the Golden Eagles fell to 0-3 on the year and Winona State went to 3-0.

Nest week, UMC travels to St. Paul, Minn. and take on Concordia University, St. Paul. Concordia is 0-3 on the year and the Golden Eagles will look to keep them winless. 

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).
      
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Players Mentioned

Ben Bucholz

#4 Ben Bucholz

QB
6' 7"
Redshirt Junior
Jake Christopherson

#67 Jake Christopherson

DL
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Trent Galkoski

#31 Trent Galkoski

DB
5' 11"
Sophomore
Greg Lofquist

#41 Greg Lofquist

LB
6' 0"
Senior
Mike Maw

#82 Mike Maw

K
5' 6"
Sophomore
Talo Pascal

#5 Talo Pascal

RB
5' 7"
Junior
Jacob Pinder

#40 Jacob Pinder

TE
6' 4"
Senior
Drew Selvestra

#91 Drew Selvestra

DL
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Timothy Mack

Timothy Mack

RB
5' 11"
Freshman
Javon Hering

Javon Hering

P
5' 9"
Freshman
Dante Jones

Dante Jones

WR
5' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Ben Bucholz

#4 Ben Bucholz

6' 7"
Redshirt Junior
QB
Jake Christopherson

#67 Jake Christopherson

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
DL
Trent Galkoski

#31 Trent Galkoski

5' 11"
Sophomore
DB
Greg Lofquist

#41 Greg Lofquist

6' 0"
Senior
LB
Mike Maw

#82 Mike Maw

5' 6"
Sophomore
K
Talo Pascal

#5 Talo Pascal

5' 7"
Junior
RB
Jacob Pinder

#40 Jacob Pinder

6' 4"
Senior
TE
Drew Selvestra

#91 Drew Selvestra

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
DL
Timothy Mack

Timothy Mack

5' 11"
Freshman
RB
Javon Hering

Javon Hering

5' 9"
Freshman
P
Dante Jones

Dante Jones

5' 8"
Junior
WR
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