No. 12/13 Knights pull away from Storm late

WAVERLY, Iowa – The Simpson College football team put up a strong fight and hung with No. 12/13 Wartburg for as long as it could, but the Knights pulled away with a big second half to win 46-21.

Noah Cracraft scored back-to-back touchdowns in the second and third quarter to pull Simpson (3-4, 2-3 A-R-C) within two points with 9:01 left in the third quarter, but the Knights (5-1, 3-0 A-R-C) put up 30 points in the final 17 minutes of play to seal the win.

Cole Staska caught the final touchdown pass of the day from J Jensen III, who finished the game with a school-record 44 completions for 374 yards and three scores.

GAME BREAKDOWN

• Simpson's defense began the game on a strong note, forcing both a punt and a turnover on downs on Wartburg's first two drives of the game.
• Jensen then orchestrated an impressive drive, completing 6 of 8 passes to move the Storm to the Wartburg 4-yard line, but they were unable to convert on fourth down.
• The Knights scored on their next possession, using a 42-yard gain from Dawson Rud as well as a 38-yard catch by Jagger Schmitt to set up a 16-yard score from Carter Markham to Carter Henry.
• After a field goal extended Wartburg's lead to 10-0, Jensen connected with Cracraft for a 39-yard score to narrow the deficit to 10-7.
• Payton Betts came away with an interception shortly after to give the Storm a chance at a lead or tie before the half, but the Knights grabbed the momentum back with an interception of their own and went ahead 16-7 before the break.
• In the third quarter, another connection between Jensen and Cracraft brought Simpson within two points at 16-14, with Jensen completing 9 of 11 passes for 69 yards on that drive.
• Wartburg responded with a 41-yard field goal and a 16-yard rushing touchdown by Rud, closing the third quarter with a two-score advantage at 25-14.
• The Knights continued to build their lead early in the fourth quarter with an 86-yard touchdown pass from Markham to Dylan Swanstrom, making it 32-14.
• Despite the growing deficit, Simpson fought back, scoring a third touchdown on a 4th and goal play where Jensen found Cole Staska in the end zone.
• Wartburg ran away with the game from there, using a pick six by Ben Parker as well as another rushing touchdown by Rud to set the final margin at 46-21.

KEY CONTRIBUTORS

• J Jensen III: 44-for-65, 374 yards, 3 TD
• Demarico Young: 14 rec, 110 rec yards, 8 carries, 11 rush yards
• Cole Staska: 10 rec, 89 yards, 1 TD
• Noah Cracraft: 6 rec, 90 yards, 2 TD
• Mekhi Holmes: 8 tackles
• CJ Hangartner: 7 tackles (1.5 TFL), 1 pass breakup, 1 QBH
• Zach Truitt: 6 tackles

NOTES

• Noah Cracraft now has 10 touchdowns on the season. He's the eighth wide receiver in team history to record double-digit touchdowns in a single season, and joins Taylor Rogers (11, 2009) as the only freshmen in school history to record 10 or more touchdowns in their first collegiate season.
• With five tackles, Wyatt Schaben surpassed Michael Connor (309, 2015-19) for third place on the all-time tackles leaderboard. 

UP NEXT
Simpson looks to maintain its unblemished record at Buxton Stadium next Saturday when Buena Vista comes to Indianola for a 1 p.m. kickoff.