No. 5 Wartburg proves to be too much for Storm football

by Brock Borgeson

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Simpson football showed some life in the early going tying up the game at 7-7 on a Jordan Beem touchdown run but the No. 5 Wartburg Knights zoomed past, scoring 34 straight points to clinch a 41-10 victory Saturday.

Wartburg regained the lead on a Logan Schrader 39-yard touchdown pass to Mitch Rahm with 8:20 remaining in the first half to go up 14-7. From there Wartburg would never relinquish the lead.

Quarterback Dylan Berkey would later connect with wide receiver Walker Holland for a tying-touchdown score, although it would be called back on the account of a clipping penalty on junior fullback, Julius Foster.

The Simpson (3-6, 0-6 IIAC) passing attack was kept in check all afternoon, only accumulating 61 yards, while Wartburg’s Logan Schrader had a field day, passing for 376 yards and five touchdowns, while also running for a touchdown himself.

Berkey only connected on three of his nine passes for 11 yards before being replaced by Braedon Tovey at quarterback.

One of the lone bright spots for the Storm offense was Jordan Beem who rushed for 105 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.

Wartburg (9-0, 6-0 IIAC), who has only allowed more than 14 points twice this season, pinned down the Storm, only allowing 246 yards to their 543. This resulted in 11 punts from the foot of punter Logan Klein.

Gunner Tranel lead the Knight’s defense with 11 tackles, two of which were for loss, including one sack. Senior linebacker, Brandon Abernathy matched Tranel with team-high 11 tackles for the Storm.

Injuries continued for the Storm as linebacker Mark Milbrandt had to leave the game for an injured left arm.

While Wartburg sits just one game away from a perfect 10-0 regular season, Simpson will host the 4-5 (1-5 IIAC) Luther Norse next weekend on Senior Day.

Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. as players, trainers, cheerleaders, and dance team members will be honored for their time at Simpson prior to kickoff.