WINONA, Minn. – Saturday afternoon at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium opened full of optimism as Winona State University honored the 19 members of its 2019 senior class and prepared for a clash against Augustana University in a matchup that pitted two regionally-ranked teams fighting to stay alive in the NCAA Playoff hunt.
Unfortunately, the day ended on a sour note for the Warriors as the Vikings engineered a come-from-behind victory in the final minute of play to oust the home team, 26-25. Augustana registered its game-winning points with 41 seconds remaining on the clock after a controversial no-call on the Vikings' go-ahead touchdown score.
The teams traded the lead three times in the final frame in which senior John Rumpza connected with Jake Balliu for a go-ahead touchdown strike to flip a one-point deficit into a 25-20 Warrior lead with 3:09 left to play. Augustana answered on the ensuing drive with a quick first down before being faced with a fourth-and-11 against the stout Winona State defense.
The Vikings, who also had their backup quarterback under center, nabbed the vital first down by inches to stay alive, and three plays later, the game-winning 30-yard pass sailed into the endzone. The Warrior defense pressured Zach Masoli on the play, as they had done all day long, forcing the quarterback out of the pocket to unleash his victorious pass in what appeared to be past the line of scrimmage. Despite Winona State's objections, the play stood and Augustana prevailed with the triumph.
WSU led by a 10-0 count in the first quarter, but that hardly told the story of how the back-and-forth affair endured from the opening kick to the final whistle. Saturday's pivotal tilt between the No. 7-ranked Vikings and No. 9-ranked Warriors in the Central Region featured five lead changes and was a one-possession game for 55 of the 60-minute contest.
It was far from a perfect game by the Warriors, who were limited to just one offensive first down in the first quarter and three total in the first half, but Winona State's defense and special teams made it a ballgame and trailed by the slightest of margins at halftime, 17-16.
Reigning NSIC Defensive Player of the Week, Nick Pridgeon, broke the scoring seal when the senior recorded an 85-yard interception return for the game's opening touchdown. A quick defensive three-and-out later saw Paul Ortiz drill his first of four field goals to pad the WSU lead to 10-0. Augustana answered with a tidy three-play, 72-yard touchdown drive, setting up the neck-and-neck battle from there.
After a Warrior three-and-out on offense, Ortiz punted which resulted in a forced fumble by Tyler Anderson that was scooped up in Viking territory by Romario Gayle. Ortiz cashed in the turnover with another field goal to pad the Warrior lead at 13-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Augustana proceeded to leverage a 10-3 second quarter to pull ahead by one point at halftime. Ortiz's 27-yard field goal stood as the score in the third quarter which led to the photo-finish in the fourth.
Rumpza performed admirably in emergency duty as starting quarterback Owen Burke went down midway through the first quarter after a Viking sack. The senior went 17-for-31 and threw for 182 yards with one touchdown in what was eerily similar to Rumpza's heroics in the 2018 finale when he was pressed into duty and rallied the Warriors for a win against Concordia-St. Paul. However, Saturday's story had a different ending.
Anderson led Winona State's receivers with five catches for 71 yards and Balliu caught six passes for 53 yards and a score. The ground game was the difference in the outcome as Augustana rushed for 236 yards compared to just six for WSU. In total, the Vikings out-gained the Warriors in yardage, 550-188.
Cam Gavin and Clay Schueffner paced the Warrior defense with 10 tackles apiece while Pridgeon added nine along with a forced fumble to his impressive stat line.
Despite the setback, Winona State's postseason hopes are not completely dashed as the Warriors still have one game remaining and could qualify for the Mineral Water Bowl. WSU travels to Concordia-St. Paul next Saturday for the finale and a 12 p.m. kickoff at Seafoam Stadium.
