Strong start, finish propels Saints past Warriors

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Presentation College used a quick start and a strong finish to hand the Waldorf College football team a 41-10 loss during Saturday's North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) matchup.

"They put some drives together at the right time," Waldorf coach Kent Anderson said.

The Warriors (3-6, 1-4) entered the game averaging 454 yards of offense. They finished with 381 yards against the Saints (6-1, 3-0).

"We didn't move the ball and we didn't generate much offense," Anderson said. "That hasn't been the case the whole year."

Christopher Smith accounted for 239 yards. The junior quarterback from Compton, Calif. completed 13 of 31 passes for 139 yards while rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown.

DeKendrick Moncrief led all Waldorf receivers as the senior from Prattville, Ala. finished with 112 yards on eight receptions. Freshman Ruben Saint-Jean hauled in four catches for 46 yards.

The Warriors also received 92 rushing yards from senior Emmanuel Osuchukwu.

Presentation's Stephan Braswell connected with Brendan Tow on a 1-yard TD pass in the first quarter.

Waldorf kicker Dustin Wilke drilled a 38-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The sophomore from Holzgerlingen, Germany has converted on nine of his 10 field-goal attempts this season.

A 1-yard TD run from Hayden Zenner and a 38-yard field goal from Gavin Voss pushed the Saints to a 17-3 halftime lead.

Waldorf looked to overcome its slow start in the second half. Smith broke free and found the end zone on a 47-yard carry, pulling the Warriors to within seven points in the third quarter.

It was another game where it appeared Waldorf had a chance to mount a comeback.

"It was very similar to what happened at Valley City a few weeks ago," Anderson said.

The Warriors committed two turnovers in the second half, giving the ball back to the Saints on an interception and a fumbled kick return.

"That whole scenario has got me scratching my head," Anderson said. "We can't put it together. We don't handle adversity when it strikes."

Braswell went for 241 yards through the air, adding two more TD passes in third quarter. He completed a 17-yard scoring strike to Matthew James and hooked up with Anthony Bricker on a 30-yard TD pass.

Voss provided a 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and Zenner found the end zone once again on a 7-yard run to help Presentation roll up 532 yards of offense en route to its sixth consecutive victory.

Despite dropping a tough loss, Waldorf's defense made the Saints work and kept the Warriors in the contest before Presentation reeled off 24 unanswered points.

"At times, I thought the defense played pretty well," Anderson said. "They kept us in the ball game early. Our defense hung in there and did what we asked them to do."

Freshman Latevinan Glass led Waldorf with 13 tackles and came away with an interception.

Jamaar Crayton added 12 tackles, including three stops for a loss. The junior defensive end from St. Louis also forced and recovered a fumble.

Junior Darnell Colvin recorded eight tackles, two of which were for a loss. Freshman Javon Polk finished with five tackles, including a sack.

Seniors Toddrien Cousar, Christopher Oliver, sophomore Cory Evans and freshman Jalann Pulley contributed four tackles apiece.

The Warriors enter a bye week and prepare for their final game of the season.

"Some of our opponents have three or four games left," Anderson said. "It's been a very quick and intense schedule this year with a lot of travel."

Waldorf prepares to host Dakota State University (4-4, 1-3) for homecoming on Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.

"We've got to try to move forward," Anderson said. "We have to rise to the occasion when the occasion strikes."