WAUWATOSA, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College traded scores with six-time defending Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference champion Aurora on Saturday at Raabe Stadium, but the visiting Spartans held on late for a 49-42 victory over the Warriors in a high-scoring Senior Day home finale.
WLC (3-5, 3-3 NACC) honored its 18-member senior class prior to kickoff and went on to post its highest point total ever against AU (5-3, 4-2) in the teams' 18 all-time meetings.
After Aurora opened the scoring on a 13-play, 77-yard drive capped by quarterback Liam Mickle's 2-yard keeper midway through the first quarter, Wisconsin Lutheran answered quickly. Sophomore
Joshua Rico (Dallas, Texas) found senior
Colin Amack (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) for a 24-yard touchdown strike to cap a five-play, 40-yard drive and tie the game at 7-7.
The Spartans regained the lead early in the second quarter when Mickle hit Ethan Svoboda from nine yards out. The Warriors pulled even moments later when senior
Malik Gordon (San Marcos, Texas) recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown, making it 14-14. AU responded with two scores before halftime — a 16-yard run by TJ Ramsey and a 36-yard scamper by Mickle — to take a 28-14 lead into the break.
WLC cut the deficit to one score in the third quarter when Rico connected with senior
Drew Mears (Appleton, Wis.) for a 73-yard touchdown bomb, but Aurora extended its lead again on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Mickle to Connor Bright to go up 35-21.
In the fourth quarter, sophomore
Carson Koehler's (Saginaw, Mich.) 4-yard touchdown run pulled Wisconsin Lutheran back within a touchdown, but Mickle answered with a 55-yard touchdown run on the next drive. Rico and Mears connected again for a 17-yard score to make it 42-34 after the point-after try failed. The Spartans again countered with Mickle's fourth rushing touchdown, a 4-yarder with 3:36 remaining. Koehler capped the scoring with his second rushing TD from three yards out, adding the two-point conversion for the final 49-42 margin.
Rico finished 15-of-31 passing for 318 yards and three touchdowns, with Mears hauling in six catches for 144 yards and two scores. Sophomore
Liam Heiges (Appleton, Wis.) led the Warriors on the ground with 61 yards, while Koehler added two touchdowns. Freshman
Colton McGee (Granada Hills, Calif.) caught three passes for 63 yards. Defensively, freshman
Landon Bryant (Onalaska, Wis.) and senior
Layson Handwork (Merritt Island, Fla.) each recorded 10 tackles, and graduate
Nathan Nevad (Merritt Island, Fla.) added six tackles, a pass break-up, blocked kick, quarterback hurry, and returned an interception 52 yards,
AU quarterback Mickle totaled 326 yards of offense, throwing for 150 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 176 yards and four more scores. Ramsey added 189 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Spartans.
WLC travels to Rockford (1-8, 0-7 NACC) next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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