ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Winona State University football team scored early in the game and matched host Northern State University score-for-score in the first, second and fourth quarters of their NSIC showdown on Saturday, Oct. 8, but the Wolves used a big third quarter to deal the Warriors a 42-21 setback.
 
Quarterback Trevor Paulsen hit Jaylen Schleicher from 25 yards out to stake Winona State a 7-0 lead at 10:01 in the first quarter, propelling WSU to a strong start on the road against the Wolves. However, NSU controlled play coming out of the locker room in the second half to disrupt the Warriors' effort to earn their fifth win of the year.
 
Northern State scored their first four touchdowns through the air, as the home side quarterback Will Madler completed 10-yard, 71-yard, 31-yard, and 6-yard scoring passes to pace the Wolves. Madler also made two TD's on the ground, rushing for short-yardage scores at the end of the third quarter and the first score of the final frame to account for the NSU offensive output.
 
Winona State's Ricky Smalling - a former NCAA Division I standout at the University of Illinois -  opened his Warrior scoring account with an impressive 47-yard haul from Kyle Haas in the second quarter, a score that gave WSU a 14-7 advantage with just over seven minutes to go in the first half.
 
Northern State's last possession of the first half started on their own eight-yard line but ended with a 71-yard score when receiver Dominick Fiscelli scored on a toss from Madler to even the score at 14-14 just before the break.
 
After halftime, Winona State started with the ball, but the Warrior offense was forced to punt on four of their five possessions and saw Northern State leverage an interception into a score,  digging a hole for WSU that proved to be too much to overcome. In the third quarter, the Wolves scored on two touchdown passes, capping drives of 42 and 50 yards, respectively, stretching their lead to 35-14 at the end of 45 minutes of play.
 
In the fourth frame, Winona State's Trevor Paulsen ran for a touchdown from seven yards out with under a minute left in the game in answer to a Madler score at the 12-minute mark, but the Wolves had the final advantage on the scoreboard at Dacotah Bank stadium at 42-21.
 
As a team, Winona State earned 343 yards in total offense, with Paulsen and Haas combining for a 23-of-47 afternoon through the air. Both signal callers completed a touchdown pass, while Haas had one interception. Each QB suffered two sacks in the game.
 
Ricky Smalling led WSU in receiving, making three catches for 94 yards, while Darryl Williams hauled in five throws for 63 yards. Smalling and Warrior tight end Jaylen Schleicher both had a touchdown grab in the game.
 
On the ground, WSU running back Ty Gavin was held to 59 yards and Warrior teammate Sam Santiago-Lloyd to 12. As a unit, Winona State averaged 2.4 yards per carry in the game.
 
On special teams play, Jacob Scott was 3-for-3 on PAT's following Warrior scores to remain perfect on the year at 18-for-18.  Darryl Williams eclipsed the century mark again in kickoff return yards, with four efforts for 103 yards, and added a pair of punt returns as well.
 
Defensively, WSU was led by Clay Schueffner with seven tackles and Carter Duxbury notched a sack among his three stops on the day. Aarion Lacy added an interception in the first quarter that ended a Wolves drive as the first frame came to a close.
 
With the loss, Winona State falls to 4-2 overall while Northern State improves to 3-3. The Warriors will play on the road next Saturday, when they travel to Marshall, Minn. for a 1 p.m. contest against Southwest Minnesota State University in the annual Battle for the Sledge contest.