Comeback bid falls short in final minutes

INDIANOLA - Simpson nearly erased an 18-point, third quarter deficit Saturday, but an interception by Luther's Josh Patterson with just over a minute remaining helped the Norse hold on for a 30-24 win on Homecoming at Buxton Stadium.

Patterson's interception came with 1:11 remaining and Simpson only 28 yards from tying the game. The Norse (2-2, 1-1 IIAC) came up with two turnovers on the day, returing a fumble for a touchdown for the first score of the day.

"It's a tough loss - a gut-wrenching loss - but we were able to take some big steps forward today," Simpson head coach Jim Glogowski said. "To put ourselves in a situation where we were driving, had time on the clock and two timeouts left after being down big was a positive."

The Storm (1-4, 1-2 IIAC) trailed 21-3 midway through the third quarter and fell behind 27-10 later in the frame. But a one-yard touchdown plunge from freshman quarterback Taylor Nelson (West Des Moines, Iowa) and a 16-yard touchdown pass from Nelson to freshman Brad Vogel (Donnellson, Iowa) made the score 27-24 with 8:51 remaining in the game.

"We are not a very experienced ball club, but what we are is a determined, agressive team," Glogowski said. "Today I saw a bunch of young kids grow up. I saw a team this week that was in a bad situation but made a stand, dug in and fought. That's what you want to see from your team on a weekly basis."

Nelson accounted for all three Simpson scores, adding a touchdown pass to Jake Rissi (Marion, Iowa) in the third quarter. He ended the day 19 of 36 for 225 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Taylor Rogers (South Sioux City, Neb.) made a game-high seven catches and Vogel had four grabs for 83 yards.

After Simpson pulled within three, Luther converted on three third downs in the ensuing drive, which ended in a 22-yard Seth Streeter field goal. Facing a 3-8 from their own 34, quarterback Chris Reynolds found Dalen Dirth for a 13-yard gain and a crucial first down.

Reynolds proved more effective with his feet than his arm, rushing for a game-high 104 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. The Luther offense racked up nearly 300 yards rushing on the day, as four ball carriers combined for 298 yards on 54 carries.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Justin Perry (Indianola, Iowa) made a career-high 13 tackles, followed by Braden Everding (Tripoli, Iowa) with 12. Mark Cronin (Holstein, Iowa) had 10 takles, a sack and broke up a pass.

Luther built a 14-0 lead thanks to Kyle McGivney's 5-yard scoop and score and a touchdown pass from Reynolds to Steven Thompson in the first quarter. James Gale (West Des Moines, Iowa) made the score 14-3 when he knocked in a career-long 45-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

Simpson takes on rival Central next Saturday in Pella. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.