ABERDEEN, S.D. - A fourth quarter safety was the difference in a tight Gypsy Days game that resulted in a 26-24 win for Wayne State College Saturday afternoon in front of 5,390 fans. The teams battled for the decision all game, but the Wildcats defense held the Wolves to less than 200 yards of offense to separate themselves in league standings, improving to 3-3 overall and 3-1 in the NSIC. Northern is now 2-4 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC.
The Wolves carried the scoring edge through the first two quarters, leading the Wildcats 10-7 at the half. Wayne State scored first with a 28-yard pass from Silas Fluellen to Frederick Bruno at the 5:35 mark. A Nick Hope extra point gave WSC a 7-0 lead.
The Wolves then struck twice before the end of the first quarter.
John Michael Migdal retuned the WSC kick 32 yards to put Northern at the Wayne 46 to start their drive. Just five plays later,
Eric Ellingson connected with
Matt McNabb for a 16-yard touchdown. An interception by Lee Kessler gave the Wolves solid field positioning just two plays later and a 38-yard boot from
Thomas Parrott at the 00:34 mark gave the Wolves a 10-7 lead.
The game went scoreless for the remainder of the half, despite the Wildcats reaching the Northern 1-yard-line midway through the second. Quarterback Fluellen tried to punch a sneak in for the score, but NSU's
Mike Liedberg instead stripped the ball and
Nate Beulah recovered in the Wolves endzone for a touchback.
Both teams notched a touchdown in the third quarter, with the Wildcats scoring first on a 20-yard rush by Travis Rhone. The Wolves answered in the following drive, going 70 yards in 14 plays.
Brian Jark finished the drive by hanging onto a miraculous pass through traffic for the touchdown. With the extra point, the Wolves reclaimed the lead, 17-14. The Wildcats tied the game with a field goal and soon took the lead with a Northern error. A Wolves' snap shot by an unexpecting quarterback while at the NSU 18-yard-line. Ellingson recovered the ball, but in his own endzone and was tackled for a WSC safety, what would be the difference in the game.
Wayne tacked on another seven points in their next possession to go up 26-17. The Wolves battled back, driving 57 yards with Zain Gower rushing for a touchdown with 4:34 to play and Northern down 24-26. The NSU defense held the Wildcats and forced a punt to give the Wolves a shot at the game in the final minutes, but an interception was thrown under the minute mark and WSC downed the ball until the clock expired.
Northern had 198 yards of offense against the Wildcats, their lowest yardage amount of the year, although their 24 points scored is the second highest amount. Ellingson completed 17-of-28 passes with one interception and 161 passing yards. He connected with Jark five times for 42 yards and a TD, twice with
Mike Cahoy for 42 yards, and once with McNabb for 16 yards and a TD. DeVine led the rushing front with 42 of the team's 109 yards. Gower had 21 rushing yards, including the scoring run. Four Northern defenders had a team high five tackles each. Kessler had two interceptions in the game. Parrott was 1-2 in field goals, missing a 42-yard attempt in the first quarter.
The Wildcats accumulated 258 yards of offense against the Wolves, including 144 on the ground and 114 passing. While their offense struggled to hold onto the ball, only two of their six fumbles were lost and their defense helped with just enough points for the win. Travis Rhone carried the ball 21 times for 143 net yards and two touchdowns. Fluellen passed for 84 yards, going 7-of-17 on the afternoon with two interceptions. Bruno was his top receiver with 33 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Krueger was all over the field on defense, racking up 11 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
The Wolves bring their game to the road next week, playing Winona State in a 1:00 pm matchup in Winona, Minn.
