St. Paul, Minn. --- The Winona State football team traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota, to take on Concordia-St. Paul and earned a 34-27 victory over the Golden Bears. The win improved the Warriors' overall record to 3-5 and their NSIC record to 3-4.
The Warriors opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal from
Mathias Yaggie before adding safety to extend their lead to 5-0. Winona State continued its momentum in the second quarter as Muhammad broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run. Concordia-St. Paul answered with a one-yard rushing touchdown, but the Warriors responded with a 60-yard touchdown run from Moore to maintain control.
Winona State added another score before halftime on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Sampson to Ginskey, pushing the advantage to 26-7. Concordia-St. Paul attempted a 54-yard field goal as time expired, but the kick missed, allowing the Warriors to take a 19-point lead into the break.
Winona State maintained its lead over Concordia-St. Paul through the third quarter, despite a late scoring drive by the Golden Bears. Concordia-St. Paul opened the half with a 33-yard completion, but the Warriors' defense held firm as CSP missed a 40-yard field goal. Winona State put together an 11-play drive, but the Golden Bears stopped the Warriors on fourth down. Concordia-St. Paul responded with an eight-play, 72-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 26-13. The Warriors controlled possession late in the quarter and carried their 13-point advantage into the fourth.
Winona State held off Concordia-St. Paul despite a late fourth-quarter rally by the Golden Bears. The Warriors' defense initially struggled to contain CSP, who scored on a one-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 26-20. Winona State responded with a lengthy 15-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a six-yard touchdown reception from Sampson to George to extend the advantage to 32-20. The Warriors added a two point conversion to make it 34-20. Concordia-St. Paul answered with a touchdown pass in the final seconds to trim the deficit to seven, but WSU was able to come up with the onside kick to secure the victory.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- AJ Moore led the rushing attack with 142 yards on 14 carries, including a 60-yard touchdown run. Moore also had 124 rushing yards in the first half.
- Jahmani Muhammad added 121 rushing yards on 12 carries, highlighted by a 64-yard touchdown run.
- Jacob Sampson completed 16 of 29 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
- Nolan Ginskey led the receiving corps with seven receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown.
- Rollin George III caught a six-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter, and James Durst completed the two-point conversion reception to give the Warriors a 34-20 lead.
- Blake Schraufnagel led the defense with 11 total tackles, including eight solo stops.
- Ethan Doucette recorded seven tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack.
- Caleb Jannsen added six tackles and one sack.
- Winona State outgained Concordia-St. Paul 460-324 in total offense and averaged 8.1 yards per rushing attempt.
- The Warriors converted 7 of 12 third-down attempts and held the ball for 30:40.
NEWS & NOTES
- The Warriors improve to 3-5 overall and 3-4 in NSIC play.
- The Golden Bears fall to 3-5 on the season and 2-5 in NSIC play.
- Winona State is now 23-4 against CSP all-time.
UP NEXT
The Warriors will return home to face the University of Sioux Falls on Oct. 31 at 1 P.M.
Stay connected with Winona State University Athletics all season long by following the Warriors on social media at @WinonaStateATH (X/Instagram), @winonastatewarriors (YouTube) and Winona State Warrior Athletics (Facebook). Catch full schedules, scores and stories at winonastatewarriors.com.
