Set to play Colorado School of Mines, the Mavericks advance to the round two

Minnesota State is victorious once again as they defeat Wayne State 26-9 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks currently have a win streak of six and are moving on to the second round to play the Colorado School of Mines Saturday, Nov. 26 in Golden, Colo.

The last time these two teams met was back in October where the Wildcats won 41-33. Since then, MSU has proceeded to win their remaining five games and WSC won four of their last five. Junior linebacker, Trent Carpenter, was eager to get another shot at the team that beat them.

“I would say watching the selection show on Sunday, almost everyone wanted to play Wayne State again. We wanted to get another shot at them and use that as motivation leading into this matchup. This time I think we had a better game plan this time around. So, I think we were more prepared than we were the first time around,” said Carpenter.

The first half of play would be rather sluggish for both the Mavericks and Wildcats. The cold and windy climates would make it difficult to move the ball down the field. Entering the second quarter with a score of 0-0, senior kicker, Alex Powers, would hit a 36 yard field goal to give Wayne State a 3-0 lead. Before the half, MSU sophomore kicker, Damien Chowaniec, would kick a 23 yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 at halftime.

Following halftime things started to go in favor of the Mavericks. A botched snap by the Wildcat offense would result in a safety on the opening play. With a lead of 5-3, sophomore tight end, Tony Anger, would rush for two more touchdowns to give them a 19-3 lead. The Apple Valley , Minn. native put the team on his back and while might not be the biggest threat on offense, still is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

“For me personally it means I am helping the team out. It’s not really something I pay too much attention to or care about. The offensive line did a great job blocking in front of the goal line and allowing us to execute,” said Anger.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Mavericks would add one final touchdown after MSU sophomore quarterback, Hayden Ekern, ran into the endzone. Leading 26-3, Head Coach Todd Hoffner would send out his second units to kill the clock and rest the starters. While Wayne State was able to score one final touchdown, it was not enough. The onside kick attempt would give the Mavericks the ball back and kill the remaining clock and win.

Header Photo: Tony Anger (above) acquired two of three rushing touchdowns this weekend. The Minnesota State football team defeats Wayne State 26-9 Saturday, Nov. 19 and advances to round two of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. (Dylan Engel/The Reporter)

Write to Charlie Groebner at Charles.Groebner@mnsu.edu