WINONA, Minn. — The Winona State football team delivered a dominant performance in its home finale Saturday afternoon, defeating UMary 55-7 at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.
The Warriors improved to 4-6 (4-5 NSIC) with the victory, while the Marauders fell to 3-7 (2-7 NSIC).
Quarterback
Jacob Sampson led the offense, completing 16 of 19 passes for 204 yards and five touchdowns.
Nolan Ginskey and
Jake Schultz each hauled in two touchdown receptions, while
James Durst caught a touchdown pass and added a rushing score.
AJ Moore also found the end zone on the ground.
Blake Schraufnagel led the defensive effort with eight tackles, including four tackles for loss totaling 30 yards, 2.5 sacks for a loss of 23 yards and a forced fumble.
Ethan Doucette also recorded 2.5 sacks and forced a fumble.
Mathias Yaggie delivered a perfect performance on special teams, converting all seven PAT attempts and both field goal attempts.
Sampson wasted little time getting the Warriors on the board, connecting with Ginskey for a 61-yard touchdown to give Winona State a 7-0 lead with 11:04 remaining in the first quarter. The Warriors struck again midway through the opening quarter when Sampson found Schultz in the end zone to cap a six-play, 65-yard drive and extend the advantage to 14-0.
Winona State added to its lead early in the second quarter after Ryan Blair forced a fumble on a sack, giving the Warriors possession just five yards from the end zone. Moore finished the two-play drive with a rushing touchdown to make it 21-0. UMary fumbled again on its next possession, this time after Schraufnagel forced the turnover and
Kevin Lewis recovered for the Warriors.
Sampson then orchestrated a seven-play scoring drive, finding Durst for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 3:11 remaining in the first half. Schultz capped another scoring drive with his second touchdown reception of the afternoon, sending Winona State into halftime with a commanding 35-0 lead.
The Warriors continued their offensive production in the third quarter. Durst opened the scoring with a 1-yard rushing touchdown for his second score of the game. Ginskey followed with his second touchdown reception, hauling in a 5-yard pass from Sampson. Yaggie added a 37-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining in the quarter to push the lead to 52-0.
Yaggie connected on a 40-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to extend the advantage to 55-0. UMary scored its lone touchdown on a 48-yard pass with six minutes remaining, bringing the final score to 55-7.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- Winona State defeated UMary 55-7.
- Jacob Sampson completed 16 of 19 passes for 204 yards and five touchdowns.
- Jahmani Muhammad led the Warriors on the ground with 11 carries for 78 yards.
- Jake Schultz and Nolan Ginskey each recorded two touchdown receptions.
- AJ Moore added a rushing touchdown.
- Blake Schraufnagel led the defense with eight tackles, four tackles for loss totaling 30 yards, 2.5 sacks for a loss of 23 yards and one forced fumble.
- Ethan Doucette recorded 2.5 sacks and forced a fumble.
- Mathias Yaggie converted both field goal attempts and all seven PAT attempts.
- Winona State totaled 437 yards of offense compared to UMary's 108.
- The Warriors outgained the Marauders 179-71 on the ground.
- Winona State recorded 22 first downs, while UMary finished with 11.
NEWS & NOTES
- Winona State improved to 4-6 overall and 4-5 in NSIC play.
- UMary fell to 3-7 overall and 2-7 in conference play.
- The Warriors now lead the all-time series 12-1.
- Sampson's five touchdown passes tie for the second-most in a single game in Winona State football history.
- Sampson's 84.2% completion percentage ranks fifth in program history for a single game.
UP NEXT
The Warriors close out the season on the road against Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, Nov. 14, at noon in Marshall, Minn.
Stay connected with Winona State University Athletics throughout the season by following the Warriors on social media at @WinonaStateATH (X/Instagram), @winonastatewarriors (YouTube) and Winona State Warrior Athletics (Facebook). Find complete schedules, scores and stories at winonastatewarriors.com.
