Nick Harder caught a back shoulder throw from Ryan Wieneke for a touchdown with 37 seconds left in the game to give the Dragons the 26-21 win over rival MCC. The win was the Dragon’s first of the year.
The Rebels won the coin toss and deferred, giving Adrian the opening possession. The Dragons turned the ball over on downs at the Rebel 43 yard line to end the possession. MCC then used 10 plays and a facemask penalty to score the game’s first touchdown. The PAT was good, giving the Rebels an early 7-0 lead.
The Dragons answered the score with a scoring drive of their own. The touchdown came on a one yard QB sneak by Wieneke. Dominic Caneles’ PAT attempt was blocked, keeping MCC on top 7-6.
Adrian used the following kickoff to try an onside attempt. It worked as the ball was recovered by Brendyn White. The Dragons did not use the the momentum however, as they were forced to punt after three plays to give MCC the ball back. The Dragons forced the Rebels to punt after the drive gained one first down. The punt was blocked by Landon Rogers, and then picked up by Devin Froderman, who took it all the way to the end zone to give the Dragons the lead. Brandon Schnoor converted the two point conversion on a running play, giving Adrian a 14-7 lead.
The Rebels answered with a 13 play drive that resulted in a touchdown with 27 seconds left to play in the half. The PAT was good, tying the game at 14 going into halftime.
The Rebels received the kickoff after halftime, but the Dragons forced a quick three and out to gain control of the ball. The Dragons were then forced to punt after gaining one first down. The Rebels then took the ball down the field for a touchdown in 11 plays. The PAT was again good, giving MCC a 21-14 lead with two minutes, 31 seconds left to play in the third quarter.
The Dragons stayed in the game on their next drive with a 16 play touchdown scoring drive. The touchdown came on a 23 yard pass from Wieneke to White. The two point try failed, keeping MCC in front 21-20, with six minutes, 34 seconds to play in regulation.
The Dragons attempted an onside kick, which was recovered by MCC. MCC, set up with good field position, gained one first down before turning the ball over on downs at the Dragon 21 yard line, with a little over three minutes to go in the game.
The Dragons used the legs and arm of Wieneke in the final touchdown scoring drive. The touchdown went to Harder on the before mentioned back shoulder fade. The drive took twelve plays, 10 runs and 2 passes. Wieneke totaled 48 yards rushing and 19 passing on the drive. The two point attempt failed, and with 37 seconds to play, the Dragons led 26-21.
The Rebels refused to go quietly, completing one pass for a 26 yard gain. Scot Edwards then sacked the Rebel QB on first down. Three long pass attempts failed and the Dragons took a knee to earn their first victory of the season.
The offensive line of Lance Luettel, Skylar Dingmann, Skylar Polzine, Chance Turner, Scot Edwards, Tucker Wieneke, Bryce Wilson, Levi Matthews, Axel Martinez, and Braxton Vortherms opened up some nice holes for the Dragon runners in the game. Wieneke led all rushers with 75 yards on 11 attempts and one touchdown. The rest of the Dragon rushing stats were: Luettel 8-21, Dakota John 11-37, Schnoor 12-38, Harder 4-9, and Landon Rogers 1-1.
Wienke ended the night with six completed passes on nine attempts for 89 yards and two touchdowns. White had four catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Harder had one 19 yard catch for a touchdown. Rogers had the other reception for no gain.
Edwards had a sack defensively for Adrian. Frodermann returned a blocked punt by Rogers for a touchdown. Rogers and John led all tacklers with 12 tackles each. The rest of the Dragon tackle chart looked like; Caneles 6, Wieneke 6, Schnoor 6, Luettel 6, Turner 6, Dingmann 6, Harder 5, Edwards 5, White 4, Frodermann 3, and Polzine 1.
The Dragons (1-5) will look to build on the win when they take on Canby this Thursday in Canby. The game has a scheduled kickoff time of 6:30.
