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RIPON, Wis. - The oldest college football rivalry in the state of Wisconsin continued Saturday afternoon, as Lawrence did battle with Ripon for the 109th time. For the 14th time in the last 15 meetings, Ripon walked away with a victory, pulling away from the Vikings with two touchdowns in the final minute to secure a 41-17 victory.
"In a rivalry game, you're going to have emotions running a little high and that was the case on both sides today," said Ripon head coach Ron Ernst.
Ripon's offense struck first, albeit unconventionally, as Josh Pasek picked up a Matthew Miller fumble and scampered 24 yards for a touchdown to break a scoreless tie with three and a half minutes in the first quarter, which capped a nine-play, 78 yard drive. The Red Hawks (7-3, 7-2 MWC) sustained another long drive to start the second quarter, going 98 yards in 10 plays to take a 14-0 lead on a one-yard run by Matt Schmalzer.
"Our players really believe in our offensive system and they all work extremely hard and do the right thing. Miller made some great reads today and everyone else just did what they needed to do," said Ernst.
Lawrence (1-8, 1-8 MWC) cut that lead in half two minutes later when Nick Maxam found Nate Nelson for a seven yard strike. Just when it looked like the Vikings had grabbed the momentum by forcing the Red Hawks to punt on the ensuing possession, the air was taken right out of their sails thanks to Joe Faulds. The senior defensive back was in the right place at the right time to scoop up a Viking fumble on the first play of their drive, returning it 32 yards for a score. Lawrence managed a field goal later in the half, sending the Red Hawks to the locker room with a 21-10 lead.
The Red Hawks added another touchdown in the third quarter when T.J. Pierce crossed the goal line on a four yard run, giving him six touchdowns this season. Things tightened up in the final quarter, which began with a one yard score by Lawrence's Jeremiah Johnson to cut Ripon's lead to 11 points.
The outcome was still in doubt midway through the fourth quarter, when senior Adam Firgens blocked a Lawrence field goal, which would have cut it to a one possession game. After that block, Ripon's offense went to work, milking the clock with a seven minute drive, which was capped off by senior Jared Parr's first career touchdown on what was also the first carry of his career.
That one yard score sealed the victory, but Ripon wasn't done yet. The first play of Lawrence's next drive resulted in an interception by Matt Bull, which he returned 36 yards to paydirt.
"I'm very proud of the way our defense played today," Ernst said. "We came out today and played very well and sent the seniors off on a good note."
Ripon gained 415 yards in the game, with 366 coming on the ground. Leading the way was Miller, who finished with 148 yards, including a 75-yard run. Pierce added 97 yards, as he fell just six yards short of 1,000 for the season. Defensively, the Red Hawks were led by senior Ryan Andersen's eight tackles and the forced fumble that was returned for a score by Faulds. The Ripon 'D' forced four turnovers, including three interceptions. In addition to Bull's, Tim Dreger and senior Peter Hollmaier picked off a pass.
"I'm very proud of our players. They all brought a great effort and attitude into every practice and game this season and this was a fun group to coach," said Ernst.
The Vikings were led by Maxam's 266 yards passing. He found Johnson for seven catches and 125 yards, while Nate Nelson was on the receiving end of five passes for 83 yards. Greg Pater and Matt Frelich finished with 16 and 12 tackles, respectively, with each recording 10 solo.
For the Red Hawks, this marks the fourth consecutive season with at least seven victories. They end the 2009 season with a third place finish in the Midwest Conference, which is also the fourth straight year they have finished in the top three in the MWC.
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