SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -
Cair'ron Hendred had touchdown runs of 75 and 78 yards in the first half and WSU scored a touchdown in the final minute of play to win a wild shootout over the University of Sioux Falls, 42-35 on Saturday, Oct. 21.
Playing on a wind-swept Bob Young Field, Hendred highlighted a Winona State ground game that allowed WSU to come back from a 20-14 halftime deficit to pick up a key NSIC victory on the road. Hendred finished the day with 178 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. The junior running back from Cedar Rapids, Iowa turned in the 38th best all-time rushing performance in WSU history.
Key Details: Winona State 42, Sioux Falls 35
Attendance: 1,232
How it Happened
The home side Cougars got on the board first, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive when Camden Dean connected with Carter Slykhuis for a 11-yard score.
Winona State responded with an explosive
Cair'ron Hendred run, as Hendred took his first touch of the football 75 yards around the right side of the Warrior line and into the end zone untouched.
After the two teams traded punts, USF scored their second TD of the quarter when the Dean-to-Slykhuis connection struck again, this time from 31-yards out. The scoring drive put USF up 14-7.
The Cougars would extend their lead early in the second quarter to 20-7, when Dean landed a pass over the middle to Adonis Hutchinson who scampered 51 yards to the end zone. The Sioux Falls PAT try failed due to a bad snap, leaving the Cougars with a 13-point lead.
Cair'ron Hendred brought the Winona State faithful to their feet again shortly after the USF score, taking a handoff from
Cole Stenstrom and going 77 yards for the Warrior touchdown. Hendred's second long rush of the half and subsequently successful
Jacob Scott PAT moved Winona State to within a touchdown at 20-14.
Neither team could further dent the scoreboard in the first half, leaving the University of Sioux Falls with a 20-14 lead at the break.
Halftime: University of Sioux Falls 20, Winona State 14
Although the University of Sioux Falls received the ball to start the second half, WSU's
Griffin Wiegel pounced on a Camden Dean fumble in their opening drive and returned it nine yards to the USF 11 yard line.
Cair'ron Hendred had his number called once again by head coach
Brian Bergstrom and Hendred delivered, reaching the end zone on an 11-yard touchdown rush.
Jacob Scott converted the Warrior PAT and spotted Winona State their first lead of the afternoon at 21-20.
As the third quarter wound down, WSU would score again on the ground, this time with
Ty Gavin gaining the end zone on a one-yard plunge. Gavin's score came after a
Cole Stenstrom completion to
Cooper Nelson put the Warriors on the one-yard line with a 28 yard passing play. As the third quarter ended, Winona State held a 28-20 advantage.
In the fourth and final frame, USF would tie the contest at 28-28 when Camden Dean connected with Hunter Schneider for a four-yard touchdown catch. Schneider's grab capped a 10-play, 72-yard drive for Cougars.
The 28-28 deadlock was short-lived however, as Winona State's
Quentin Pringle became the third WSU running back to score on the day, concluding an eight-play drive that was sustained by a Stenstrom to
Kaleb Skelly connection for 38 yards, the longest Warrior pass play of the afternoon.
With the Warriors owning a 35-28 lead over Sioux Falls, USF took possession with just over two minutes to play in the game. The Cougars found success in their two-minute offense, using six plays to go 66 yards and tie the contest at 35-35 on a touchdown toss from Dean to Christian Janis. After appearing at first to go for a two-point conversion, USF ultimately settled for the point-after, tying the game at 35-35.
The contest looked to be headed to overtime, but
Cole Stenstrom and the Winona State offense had other plans.
Following a touchback on the Cougar kick and starting on the Warrior 25 yard line, Stenstrom led WSU on a six-play scoring drive that decided the game. A USF pass interference call on a first-and-ten passing play from Stenstrom to
Kaleb Skelly moved the Warriors to midfield early on in the drive.
After a pair of short gains, WSU's
Quentin Pringle broke off a 34 yard run, racing down to the four-yard line before being tackled inside the five-yard line. Pringle would then finish off the drive with his second touchdown of the half, staking Winona State to a 42-35 lead following Scott's point-after kick.
With under 40 seconds to go in the game, the University of Sioux Falls was unable to connect on any meaningful desperation throws, including a 60-yard hail Mary attempt to end the game in the end zone, giving Winona State the 42-35 Warrior win.
Winona State Statistical Standouts
Cair'ron Hendred, 8 carries, 178 rushing yards, 3 TDs, 2 TD runs of 75+ yards.
Hendred's rushing performance ranks 38th all-time in WSU history for yards in a game.
Quentin Pringle, 9 carries, 45 yards, 2 TDs, longest run of 34 yards.
Cole Stenstrom, 10-of-19 for 163 yards, 0 INTs.
Sylvere Campbell, 3 catches for 40 yards.
Kaleb Skelly, 2 catches, including a 38-yard grab
Clay Schueffner, 6 tackles, 1 TFL
Enrique De Leon, 2 sacks, 14 TFL yards
Darius Manuel, 3 TFLs, 1 sack, 11 TFL yards
Griffin Wiegel, 4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
Myles Hawthorne, five tackles
Jacob Scott, 6-for-6 on PATs
USF Statistical Standouts
Camden Dean, 21-for-36, 280 yards, 5 TD passes, 0 INTs, 111 yards rushing
Carter Slykhuis, 4 catches for 56 yards, 2 TDs
Brady Crawford, 6 tackles, 2 TFLs
Beyond the Boxscore
Hendred's 178 yard day supplanted 2023 Hall of Fame inductee Rayon Simmons for the No. 38 spot on the single-game total-yard mark in WSU rushing history. Simmons ran for 177 yards vs. Northern State in 2012. Simmons' best-ever performance was a 203-yard day against the University of Mary in 2011.
The Winona State kicking unit is now 25-for-25 on the season, the only perfect mark among NSIC teams with more than 10 attempts.
Winona State has now won six of the last seven matchups between the two schools.
Up Next
Winona State will play on the road next week as well, traveling to Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday, Oct. 28. The Warriors and Dragons will kick off at noon.
