Football wins in the last minute to retain the Luther Cup on Senior Day

MEQUON, Wis. – The Luther Cup will stay at home at Concordia after a thrilling, come-from-behind victory on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons took the lead in the final minute of the game to retain the Luther Cup with a 39-38 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran to send both teams to 1-1.

The Warrior were able to take an early lead on Saturday and held onto a 10-0 lead after the first quarter.

Freshman Colin Rerecich (Henderson, Nev.) put the Falcons on the scoreboard with a one-yard rush into the end zone.

After a WLC touchdown, sophomore Mason Kaschinske (Fort Wayne, Ind.) made a 26-yard field goal to put CUW within seven points.

Junior Tim Houlihan (Lockport, Ill.) caught a 19-yard pass in the corner of the end zone to tie the game at 17 with 32 seconds before halftime.

The Warriors snuck into halftime with a 24-17 lead, with a Hail Mary pass as time expired.

The Green and White pushed the lead to 14, but the Falcons did not hold.

Junior James Linn (Chino Hills, Calif.) found Tim Houlihan once again in the end zone.

Linn tied the game with his feet in the fourth quarter on a 13-yard run into the end zone. He then converted on the two-point conversion with a pass to Reid McNeil.

The Warrior retook the lead at 38-31 with 3:36 left in the game.

The Falcons drove down the field and the drive was capped off with an eight-yard pass to sophomore Christian Booker (Chicago, Ill.) from Linn.

The Blue and White were playing for the win and went for two points with 57 seconds left.

Linn found Christian Booker wide open in the end zone and the Falcons took their first lead of the game.

The CUW defense stiffened up and kept the Warriors from scoring to secure the Luther Cup for the third-straight year.

Sophomore Evan Lischka (Manitowoc, Wis.) and freshman Ryley McCreary (Pleasant Prairie, Wis.) both had an interception in the victory. Junior Gabe Christianson (Kewaskum, Wis.) also recovered a fumble.

CUW can clinch one of the top-two seeds in the NACC North Division with a win at Rockford. The top two teams in each division will compete for the NACC title, while the bottom two will play two playoff games.