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RIPON, Wis. - The Red Hawks didn't waste any time in Saturday's home finale against Grinnell College, scoring early and often, to remain undefeated on their new FieldTurf with a 50-7 victory over the Pioneers. Ripon out-gained Grinnell in total offense 473-329, but it was the Red Hawks balanced attack that was most surprising. They racked up 292 yards on the ground, but also gained 181 through the air.
"Today was a great team effort," head coach Ron Ernst said. "For our seniors to go out like this in such a fun game in their final home game, it will be memorable for them for the rest of their lives."
Ripon (7-2, 7-1 MWC) needed only two plays on the opening drive of the game to break a scoreless tie. After airing it out for a 47-yard completion to Brian Felix on the first play from scrimmage, senior Jon Larsen found paydirt on a 23-yard run. Six minutes later, Ripon scored on their second drive of the game, capped by a five-yard Josh Pasek run.
Two touchdown runs later, the Red Hawks led 29-0 as the two teams neared halftime. Instead of taking a knee and heading to the locker room however, Grinnell (3-6, 2-6 MWC) tried to move the ball downfield. That plan backfired when, on the final play of the half, Joshua Kraemer made his 16th career interception, returning it 47 yards for a touchdown.
Kraemer would strike again in the second half when, after Grinnell's lone touchdown, the senior from Waukesha, Wis. returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for Ripon's final touchdown. That return is the second longest kick return in Ripon history, adding to Kraemer's numerous listings in the school's record book, including his fifth-best 16 career interceptions.
"Kraemer is just such a tremendous athlete and a great competitor," Ernst said. "He gives it his best at everything he does and we're very fortunate to have him. We're going to miss him next year after he graduates."
Kraemer is one of 16 Red Hawk seniors, who played their final home game on Saturday. Many of those seniors were able to leave their mark and play a big role against the Pioneers. Chris Kellett recorded three tackles, while recovering a fumble and breaking up a pass. Fellow senior Vince Spratte had two tackles and one interception, which was just one of seven turnovers forced by the Red Hawk defense.
"I was really glad to see our team play the way they did," Ernst said. "We really challenged them to play up to the level their capable of, and that's exactly what they did."
On offense, Ripon was led by Larsen's second consecutive 100-yard game and third in his last four contests. He complemented his 119 yards with two touchdowns. The Red Hawk's passing game was also clicking all day, as senior Brian Felix became Ripon's first 100-yard receiver in a game this season, with 101 yards on three catches. Sophomore quarterback Matthew Miller completed seven of 11 passes for 163 yards.
"Our offensive coaches felt like there were some opportunities to both throw and run the ball and we certainly took advantage of that. When you can throw the ball and run the option well, it loosens things up a little bit," Ernst said. "It was a great effort on the part of our offense. Hopefully we can finish it up with one more good game next week at Lawrence."
The 2008 season finale will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. in Appleton, Wis. and can be seen live on www.midwestconference.tv.
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