EUREKA, Ill. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College powered its way to a 42-12 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference victory over Eureka on Saturday at Pete FioRito Stadium. The Warriors (3-4, 3-2 NACC) scored touchdowns on four of their first five drives and held the Red Devils (2-6, 1-5 NACC) to just 137 total yards in earning their fifth straight win in the all-time series.
WLC's opening drive set the tone, as it marched 85 yards on 10 plays, capped by sophomore
Liam Heiges' (Appleton, Wis.) 3-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. Early in the second quarter, sophomore
Carson Koehler (Saginaw, Mich.) plunged in from six yards out to finish a 12-play, 80-yard series that made it 14-0. Senior
Jamil Gordon (San Marcos, Texas) extended the margin to 21-0 with a 16-yard touchdown reception from senior
Nate Griffeth (Brighton, Colo.), and after a fumble recovery by freshman
Anthony Hill Jr. (Dacula, Ga.), Heiges scored again from 15 yards out to push the advantage to 28-0. EC got on the board late in the half with a 54-yard interception return for a touchdown, but Wisconsin Lutheran led 28-6 at intermission.
Eureka's lone offensive score came midway through the third quarter on a 4-yard run from Aaron Locus. The Warriors answered immediately when sophomore
Joshua Rico (Dallas, Texas) hit
Jamil Gordon for a 92-yard strike – WLC's second-longest pass play in program history – stretching the lead to 35-12. In the fourth quarter, Koehler added his second rushing touchdown of the day, a 3-yard score, to close the scoring at 42-12.
Wisconsin Lutheran rolled up 499 total yards (213 rushing, 286 passing) and averaged 7.9 yards per play while holding the Red Devils to just 137 yards. The Warriors converted five of six red-zone chances and controlled time of possession 33:07 to 26:53.
Griffeth completed 17-of-22 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, while Rico went 3-for-5 for 120 yards and a score.
Jamil Gordon posted a career-high 179 receiving yards on 11 catches, one shy of his career-best, and hauled in both of WLC's touchdown receptions. Heiges carried nine times for 59 yards and two scores, giving him a team-leading 10 rushing touchdowns this season. Koehler added 76 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, his first two rushing scores of the year.
Defensively, senior
Layson Handwork (Merritt Island, Fla.) led Wisconsin Lutheran with seven tackles, while senior
Connor Martin (Chino, Calif.) and freshman
Nathan Pralle (Sarasota, Fla.) each recorded six. The Warriors' defense notched three sacks, nine tackles for loss, and forced one turnover.
EC quarterback Ethan Velazquez completed 9-of-27 passes for 53 yards, while Ronnie Sanders rushed 14 times for 66 yards. DeVayne Isom caught four passes for 27 yards. Quivone Mitchell paced Eureka's defense with 10 tackles.
WLC returns home next Saturday, November 1, for Senior Day and its final home game of the season. Kickoff against NACC foe Aurora (4-3, 3-2 NACC) is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Raabe Stadium. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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