LA CROSSE, Wis. — The UW-Whitewater football team improved to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in league play after defeating UW-La Crosse 24-18 Saturday. UWW's defense finished with two sacks, an interception and a fourth-quarter goal-line stand that denied a touchdown.
UW-Whitewater produced the only points of the first quarter on a 12-play, 62-yard drive capped by
Grant Urban's (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) 28-yard field goal with 57 seconds left.
The Eagles got on the board in the second quarter with a touchdown. The Warhawks responded as
Cole Warren (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah) capped a 69-yard UWW drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.
Grant Urban's (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) extra point gave the Warhawks a 10-7 lead with 4:41 left before halftime. The scoring march included a 27-yard completion from Warren to
Luke Roeder (Collierville, Tenn./Collierville) and a 28-yard run by
Tommy Novotny (Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette). The Warhawk defense kept UWL off the scoreboard on the final two possessions to send UWW into the lockerroom with the three-point advantage.
On the other side of the break, Kortz intercepted an Eagles pass - his third interception in two games - and UWW struck on the next play when Warren connected with
Tyler Vasey (Crystal Lake, Ill/Prairie Ridge) for a 57-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.
Grant Urban's (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) extra point made it 17-7. A safety and a touchdown following a Warhawk turnover allowed the Eagles to within two, 17-15. UW-La Crosse opted to go for two on the touchdown, but the conversion was thwarted by the Warhawk defense to maintain the lead.
Midway through the fourth, Warren capped an 80-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Roeder, and
Grant Urban's (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) extra point gave UWW a 24-15 lead. The Eagles made it a one possession game with a field goal, but the UW-Whitewater defense was stellar late once again. UWW's defense kept the home team out of the end zone on its final drive, including
EJ Gritzner's (Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger) sack from the UWW5 and a fourth-down incompletion at the UWW10 with 1:02 remaining. The Warhawks were able to run out the rest of the clock for the 24-18 win.
Warren completed 19 of 32 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown. Novotny rushed 23 times for 111 yards and caught five passes for 14 yards. Vasey finished with seven receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown and added 15 yards on two punt returns.
Jayden Fowler (Morton Grove, Ill./Niles Township West) recorded a team-high 10 tackles - his second consecutive game with double digit tackles - and forced a fumble.
The Warhawks are back on the road next Saturday in Menomonie. Kickoff against the Blue Devils is set for 1 PM.
