The Simpson College football team faced Central College for senior night at Buxton Stadium on Nov. 8, where the Storm fell short, 35-10. 

Simpson took the lead and scored 10 points in the first quarter from a touchdown by Demarico Young and a field goal by Aiden Lainer. Central came back in the second quarter, where they scored 28 points. The 28 points came from a fumble, a muffed punt and two blocked punts. 

After halftime, Central came out and added seven more points on the board to make it 35-10. From there, it was all defense until the final buzzer sounded. 

Senior linebacker CJ Hangartner  spoke on what  his last home game meant to him. 

“I think the game as a whole was tough, man. There were a lot of mosques, but we never stopped fighting,” Hangartner said.

Hangartner also mentioned the coach’s message to the team following the game.

“Coach’s message was that we never stopped fighting and he could never have been more proud of our group for how much resilience we have and how we fought to the end,” he said. 

Junior wide receiver Devin Brophy also spoke about how the game went and how the season has been progressing so far.

“The game today just did not go our way; we wanted it more than them, but the outcome of the game did not show how badly we wanted it,” Brophy said. 

There was pressure on the Storm to beat their rival opponent for senior night.

“It sucks that this is our last home game and against a rival. It is hard not to win that game for the seniors,” Brophy said.

Sophomore wide receiver Noah Cracraft said the game started strong. 

“We all believed we could win this game, and the first quarter showed it too. We were all confident in our ability to win this game,” Cracraft said.

Cracraft has had an outstanding first two seasons for Simpson. He has 1646 receiving yards on 117 receptions with 25 touchdowns. Last year, he was awarded the American Rivers Conference rookie of the year award.

“This second season has really meant a lot to me. Having a slow start and having 175 yards in five games, to leading the conference in receiving touchdowns, means a lot,” Cracraft said. “Especially playing the last season with Cole Staska, he’s my best friend, and sharing the field with him for 19 games means the world to me. I love him to death and he’s my brother for life.” 

Staska is a notable senior who will be missed by the team after this season. In his career, he has 1928 yards on 172 receptions in 35 games played. 

“Being a wide receiver myself, Staska has been a great leader, and it has been good for me to watch and learn from him,” Brophy said. 

The success this season has definitely been a positive for the Storm heading into next year, following their final game of the season against Nebraska Wesleyan University on Nov. 15.

“The Simpson football program has been trending in the right direction since Coach Hoskins joined the program in 2023,” Brophy said. 

Head coach Reed Hoskins joined the program in 2023 with the goal of revitalizing the program. 

“His leadership has helped turn this program around in a short time,” Brophy said. 

Simpson heads to Nebraska Wesleyan to cap their season off in hopes of going 6-4 on the season. If the Storm wins this game, it will be their best record since 2018. 

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group of seniors and this group as a team in how we have progressed from my freshman year to now, I can’t even put it into words,” Hangartner said.