Football beats Coe in OT thriller

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Samantha Grace Glogowski won't remember her first Simpson football game.

But her dad will never forget.

Taylor Nelson threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Brad Vogel on the final play of the second overtime and Simpson beat Coe in dramatic fashion, 41-38 on Saturday afternoon.

It was a week filled with excitement for Simpson head coach Jim Glogowski, whose wife, Kate, brought the couple's fourth child into the world on Monday.

"A friend called and said it must have been an awesome experience for Samantha's first football game, but I'm pretty sure she wasn't paying attention," Glogowski said.

Some day she'll wish she was able to enjoy it a little more.

Nelson threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns and ran for three more for the Storm (5-2, 3-1 Iowa Conference), who beat Coe for the first time since 2003. Vogel caught nine passes for 107 yards and also had a 36-yard touchdown reception.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime and Coe got the first possession in the second. Defensive end Johnnie Sims batted away a Josh Rekers pass on 3rd down from the 5, holding Coe to a field goal and a 38-35 lead. Facing 3rd and 8 on the ensuing drive, Nelson sprinted to his left and found Vogel on a wheel route down the sideline for the winning score.

"I'm so proud of the kids. Today was unbelievable, just unbelievable," Glogowski said.

Keaton Juergens caught nine passes for 181 yards and Gage Mohs rushed for 119 yards for the Kohawks (5-2, 2-2), who lost their second game in a row after starting the season 5-0.

Despite Glogowski's absence for much of the week, Simpson fired on all cylinders in its biggest win of the season. The running game accounted for 149 yards on 48 rushes and eight different receivers caught passes. Vogel returned after missing last week and a banged up offensive line held its own against one of the best defenses in the league.

With Glogowski preoccupied, everyone had to chip in to get the team prepared.

"I have a lot of trust and faith in my coaching staff," he said. "We've been together for a long time and I appreciate these guys' efforts. They did a fantastic job of helping us get through this."

Nelson completed 25 of 36 passes without an interception, becoming Simpson's all-time leader in touchdown passes in the process. He now has 67 in his four years as a starter, passing Mike Donnenwerth, who threw 66 from 2000-03.

The senior had a hand in each of his team's touchdowns on Saturday. He scored on runs of 1, 4, and 1 yard and added a 46-yard touchdown pass to Nate Connealy. His 4-yard run gave Simpson a 28-21 lead with 9:43 left in the game before Coe responded with a 14-play drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown run by Mohs. Simpson's next drive stalled at the Coe 41 with just over a minute left and the teams played for overtime from there.

Brandon Abernathy led the defensive effort with a career-high 12 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Ted Haag added 10 stops and a quarterback hurry and Corey Sterling had an interception, the lone turnover of the day.

Simpson hosts Dubuque next Saturday, Nov. 2 in a 4 p.m. kickoff. The Spartans (4-3, 3-1) lost 22-15 against league-leading Wartburg on Saturday.