Box Score
STORM LAKE, Iowa-- Two Wartburg football players recorded more than 100 yards of offense in the 42-21 win over Iowa Conference opponent, Buena Vista, Saturday.
With the win, the Knights are now 3-2 on the year and 1-1 in IIAC play while the Beavers dropped to 0-5, 0-2.
Freshman JJ Hanus (Solon) in his first collegiate start, recorded career-bests as he threw for 195 yards and finished 19-25 with no interceptions. He had two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown on the day.
"JJ did an outstanding job," said head coach Rick Willis. "He stayed composed, made good decisions and made big plays."
Senior Reese Thompson (Van Horne) recorded his second 100-yard game of the year as he had 155 yards, 99 of which came in the first half. He also tied his career-high with two rushing touchdowns.
The Orange and Black were the first team on the board as sophomore Donald Miller (Maywood, Ill.) hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Hanus with 6:58 left in the first quarter on the team's first drive of the game. Freshman Frank Loconti (Lombard, Ill.) made the extra point kick to give Wartburg the early 7-0 lead.
Buena Vista tied the score with a 70-yard touchdown run by John Hill with 48 to play in the first.
On the Knights' first drive of the second quarter, Thompson ran one in from 15-yards out to regain the lead at 14-7. Freshman Brandon Domeyer (Manchester) punched one in from two-yards out on the Orange and Black's ensuing drive with 9:15 to play in the second quarter to extend the margin to 20-7.
The Beavers' J. Henningsen scored his 15-yard touchdown on the next drive of the game to make the score 20-14.
Hanus scored his first collegiate touchdown on Wartburg's following drive with 28 seconds left in the half to take the 27-14 lead at halftime.
This remained the score until Buena Vista's Bobby Brown threw a three-yard pass to Adam Cave to whittle the margin to six (27-21) with 11:37 remaining.
Sophomore Logan Ruffridge (Cedar Rapids) caught a 30-yard pass from Hanus and the Knights were succesful in their two-point conversion as Miller caught a pass from Hanus to extend the lead to 35-21.
Thompson capped off his scoring effort with a 13-yard run with 3:28 remaining to seal the win for the Orange and Black.
As a team, Wartburg held the advantages in first downs (27-19), rushing yards (226-181), total offensive yards (421-395) and time of possession (34:16-23:21).
Junior Ryan Billings (Sterling, Ill.) led all defensive players with his 7.0 tackles as he and senior Mark Lueschow (Cresco) each had five solo tackles on the game.
The Knights return to the field next Saturday when they host Iowa Conference opponent, Luther College, at 1 p.m.
