The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team won its fifth straight game Saturday afternoon, defeating 20th-ranked UW-Platteville 17-16 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Perkins Stadium.
The Warhawks (6-3 overall, 5-1 WIAC) stopped the Pioneers on fourth-and-5 from near midfield with 1:14 to play to preserve the win, their 13th straight in the series.
Saturday's game also marked the 22nd edition of the George Chryst Memorial Bowl, named in honor of former Pioneers coach George Chryst, who passed away unexpectedly in 1992 after nearly 15 years in coaching.
Junior running back
Drew Patterson (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) of UW-Whitewater and sophomore running back Bo Babich of UW-Platteville were named the Bowl's Offensive Players of the Game. The Warhawks' Nate Tranel, a sophomore defensive back, and the Pioneers' Chandler Crary, a senior linebacker, were tabbed Defensive Players of the Game.
Patterson finished with 18 carries for 110 yards and one touchdown. Junior quarterback
Cole Wilber (Dana Point, Calif./Dana Hills) finished 12-of-25 passing for 167 yards, and junior wide receiver
Jarrod Ware (Bradley, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) tallied four catches for 51 yards.
Tranel led the defense with nine tackles, including one for a loss. Junior linebacker
Alex Zacharias (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton) totaled eight stops, including two for a loss and one sack, and one forced fumble. Junior defensive lineman
Harry Henschler (Janesville, Wis./Craig) posted seven tackles, including two for a loss and one sack, and one fumble recovery.
In the first half, the two teams combined for 11 punts and were near identical in every other statistical category.
The Pioneers (6-3, 3-3) had their best chance to score on the game's opening drive, but a 20-yard field goal attempt was blocked by junior defensive back
Bailey Breunig (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) to keep the game scoreless with 7:36 left in the first quarter.
UW-Whitewater put together back-to-back drives near midfield late in the second quarter, but were stopped in third-and-1 on the first drive and stalled by a penalty that wiped away a 25-yard pass from junior quarterback
Cole Wilber (Dana Point, Calif./Dana Hills) to junior wide receiver
Adam Korpela (Milwaukee, Wis./St. Francis).
On the third play of the second half, Patterson took a handoff over left tackle, broke a pair of tackle attempts and scampered 64 yards to put the Warhawks on the board with 13:49 on the clock.
After a punt by the Pioneers, Wilber hit junior wide receiver
Adam Korpela (Milwaukee, Wis./St. Francis) in stride down the left sideline for a 46-yard gain. Three plays later, on third and goal, sophomore running back
Josh Ringelberg (Greendale, Wis./Greendale) hit senior tight end
Tony Gumina (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) on a halfback pass for a five-yard score with 9:48 left in the third.
On the next drive, junior defensive lineman
Cal Durni (Brookfield, Wis./East) sacked Jack Eddy and forced a fumble that the Warhawks recovered at the UW-Platteville 14-yard line.
Four plays later, freshman kicker Wojciech Gasienica booted a 25-yard field goal to put UW-Whitewater ahead at the 8:35 mark of the quarter.
UW-Platteville scored touchdowns on its next two drives to close to within three with 37 seconds to go in the third quarter.
The Warhawks forced turnovers on the Pioneers' next two drives, starting with Zacharias' strip sack of Jack Eddy. Henschler recovered at the UW-Platteville 47-yard line with 11:20 remaining.
UW-Platteville drove down to the UW-Whitewater 5-yard line on its next drive, but sophomore defensive back Jacob Frey stepped in front of a pass to the left side at the 2-yard line for an interception with 3:08 on the clock.
The Pioneers scored on a safety before being stopped, and the Warhawks ran the clock out.
UW-Whitewater closes the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 11, at 1 p.m. against UW-Eau Claire. The game will include Senior Day, Shriners Day and Military Appreciation Day festivities at Perkins Stadium.
