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The No. 5 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team retained the Miner's Axe rivalry trophy for the 14th consecutive season Saturday with a 49-21 at UW-Platteville in the 26th edition of the George Chryst Memorial Bowl.
 
With the win, the Warhawks (10-0 overall, 7-0 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) completed the program's 19th undefeated season after clinching the WIAC championship outright last week and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs two weeks ago.
 
UW-Whitewater will find out its opponent in the first round of the 32-team national tournament during Sunday's NCAA Selection Show, which airs live on NCAA.com starting at 4:30 p.m. Central Time. The first round of the NCAA Playoffs is set for next Saturday, Nov. 17.
 
On Saturday, the Warhawks scored 35 first-half points and held the Pioneers (4-6, 2-5) to 25 rushing yards on 31 attempts (0.8 yards per carry). The defense also matched a season high with six sacks.
 
Senior quarterback Cole Wilber (Mission Viejo, Calif./Dana Hills) threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns, and sophomore wide receiver Ryan Wisniewski (Sparta, Wis./Sparta) totaled five receptions for 145 yards and two scores. Sophomore wide receiver JT Parish (Cambridge, Wis./Cambridge) also caught two touchdowns.
 
Sophomore Alex Peete (Ringwood, Ill./Johnsburg) recorded 57 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Ronny Ponick (Stanley, Wis./Stanley-Boyd) contributed 57 yards and one score.
 
Senior defensive back Famus Hasty (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) paced the defense with five tackles, and sophomore defensive back Tommy Matoska (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Kenosha Tremper) collected three tackles and forced one fumble.

Following the game, Wilber was named UW-Whitewater's Offensive Most Valuable Player, while senior defensive lineman Harry Henschler (Janesville, Wis./Craig), who collected three tackles including one sack, was announced as the team's Defensive Most Valuable Player. Tim Jansen (Offensive) and Clayton Becker (Defensive) earned the same awards for UW-Platteville.
 
UW-Whitewater scored on each of its first three drives. Peete completed the first drive with a five-yard touchdown drive, and Wisniewski caught a 90-yard touchdown on the first play of the next possession for the team's longest play from scrimmage of the season.
 
After UW-Platteville halved its deficit taking advantage of a Warhawk turnover, Wisniewski caught a 26-yard touchdown from Wilber to push the margin back to 14 with 3:20 to play in the first quarter.
 
Wilber hit Parish from three yards out on the third play of the second quarter to make it 28-7, and Peete ran in from 10 yards out to make it a four-possession game with 9:50 left in the first half.
 
Ponick scored on a 25-yard run late in the third quarter after a blocked punt by junior linebacker Matt Anderson (Rockford, Ill./Lutheran) gave UW-Whitewater the ball deep in Pioneer territory.
 
The Warhawks added their final touchdown on a pass from sophomore quarterback Zach Oles (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) to Parish from 12 yards out at the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter.
 

The George Chryst Memorial Bowl is named after former UW-Platteville head coach George Chryst, who passed away suddenly in 1992 after leading the Pioneers to a 79-60-2 record and the 1980 conference championship. The rivalry game was dedicated in 1993 and the Miner's Axe became the rivalry trophy.