The No. 12 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team used an early surge Saturday afternoon to defeat Concordia Moorhead (Minn.) 24-6 in a non-conference affair in front of 8,168 fans at Perkins Stadium.
 
The Warhawks (2-0 overall) tallied 24 first-half points and didn't look back. Defensively, the team held the Cobbers (1-1) to 173 total yards, including 96 on the ground, to help avenge a loss last season against Concordia in Moorhead.
 
Senior quarterback Cole Wilber (Mission Viejo, Calif./Dana Hills) finish 20-of-28 passing with 223 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Mitchell Dess (South Milwaukee, Wis./South Milwaukee) contributed five receptions for 77 yards and one score, and sophomore wide receiver JT Parish (Cambridge, Wis./Cambridge) posted four catches for 65 yards and one touchdown.
 
Sophomore running back Alex Peete (Ringwood, Ill./Johnsburg) ran for a career-high 104 yards on 19 carries and opened scoring with a six-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.
 
Junior linebacker Jacob Erbs (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg) paced the defense with eight tackles, and senior linebacker Bryce Leszczynski (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) collected seven tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and one forced fumble. Senior defensive lineman Harry Henschler (Janesville, Wis./Craig) registered five tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and one forced fumble.
 
After UW-Whitewater forced its second straight three-and-out on defense, junior wide receiver Josh Ringelberg (Greendale, Wis./Greendale) brought the ensuing Cobber punt back 60 yards, racing down the right sideline to the Concordia 19-yard line.
 
Four plays into the ensuing drive, Peete ran up the middle and pushed a defender into the end zone for his fifth touchdown of the season midway through the first quarter.
 
After another Cobber three-and-out, Wilber hit a wide-open Dess with a rope for a 50-yard touchdown connection and a 14-0 Warhawk lead with 4:44 to play in the period.
 
UW-Whitewater found the end zone again late in the second quarter as Parish made a juggling catch on a jump ball from Wilber with 19 seconds on the clock to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive and give the team a 21-0 advantage.
 
After a botched hook-and-ladder play by Concordia that junior defensive back Nate Tranel (Lancaster, Wis./Lancaster) returned to the Cobbers' 4-yard line, sophomore kicker Wojciech Gasienica (Norridge, Ill./Ridgewood) booted a 22-yard field goal to give the Warhawks a 24-0 lead into the locker room.
 
Concordia found the end zone with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter to account for the final margin.
 
UW-Whitewater held the ball for the final six minutes, 55 seconds of the fourth quarter thanks to strong running by Peete, senior Ronny Ponick (Stanley, Wis./Stanley-Boyd) and sophomore Preston Strasburg (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson).
 
The Warhawks conclude non-conference action next Saturday, Sept. 15, when they host Middle Georgia State at 2 p.m. A pregame concert featuring Kinfolk will begin at noon in the Perkins Stadium parking lot.