Falcons Rumble over Eureka

Written by CUW Student Assistant Lance Schulteis

EUREKA, Ill. – The Concordia Wisconsin football team improved to 6-2 on the season after a 35-21 victory over Eureka, getting back in the win column after dropping to St. Norbert a week prior. The win marked the Falcons' third consecutive over the Red Devils, who dropped to 4-4 in their 2023 campaign.

Both teams were able to stifle scoring threats early in the contest, as the Falcons stopped Eureka in its tracks after it reached the Falcons' red zone on the game's opening drive. The Falcons would respond two punts later, driving within the 10-yard line, but an interception from Red Devils' defensive back David Hill kept points off of the scoreboard. After stopping Eureka at midfield on its ensuing drive, running back Ashar Thomas (Punta Gorda, Fla.) would immediately run the ball back up the length of the field for the Falcons, as the senior's ninth touchdown of the season opened the game's scoring at 7-0.

Thomas would collect three of Concordia's five touchdowns in the game, while also posting a career-high 170 yards on the ground. His 21 receiving yards were also the Falcons' second-most in a game that saw the team find most of its success through the run.

Thomas' second of the three touchdowns would come just minutes into the second quarter, answering Eureka's responsory score after his first. The Red Devils' touchdown would also be a 50-yard score, though it saw the ball moved through the air by Kaeden Frazier on a throw to Sebastian Hill. The obligatory response from Concordia saw Thomas rush the ball in from the one-yard line to cap off a 78-yard drive.

Coincidentally, Eureka's next touchdown would also mimic the yardage of the Falcons', when running back Ben Bernabei brought the ball in from the one-yard line as halftime drew near. The score marked Bernabei's eighth of the season, and he would later collect his ninth to draw even with Hill for the team lead.

The two squads would fail to create substantial scoring chances as the third quarter opened, but Eureka was able to drive within field goal range as the quarter dwindled. Gio Nowatarski (Reading, Pa.) managed to block the ensuing kick, the first Falcon to enter that column of the scoresheet this season. Rejuvenated by the block, Concordia built up a strong drive of its own, bringing the ball 39 yards up the field before a 26-yard rush from Thomas into the end zone.

The touchdown to push the game's score to 21-14 would grant Concordia a lead that it would retain for the rest of the game, and the lead would be added on as a result of a pair of insurance touchdowns late in the fourth quarter.

Senior quarterback Michael Purkey (Woodstock, Ill.) collected his first touchdown of the game with 3:19 to go in the contest, connecting with junior T.J. Harrold (Rosenberg, Texas) in the end zone to all-but-seal the victory for the Falcons.

As Eureka sought to put together late-game heroics to even the score, the Concordia defense stood tall once again. Junior Justice Kaneta (Brighton, Colo.) jumped in front of a pass by Frazier and capitalized on the bare field leading up to the end zone, returning the interception for a touchdown. The Red Devils would manage to put points on the scoreboard via a 32-yard run from Bernabei in the game's final minute, but the clock restrained any further efforts to cut into the Concordia lead.

The Falcons will look to continue their winning ways back at home against the Regents of Rockford on Senior Day.