By Chris Lindeke, Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding, UW-W
November 13, 2021
Final Stats: https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/uwwsports.com/documents/2021/11/13/26622.pdf
The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team rushed for a season-high 372 yards and totaled 599 yards of offense Saturday to close the regular season with a 56-10 victory at UW-Stevens Point in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game.
With the win, the Warhawks (10-0 overall, 7-0 WIAC) clinched the WIAC championship outright one week after punching their ticket to the NCAA Playoffs, which begin next Saturday. UW-W will learn its first-round opponent during Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show, which is slated for 4:30 p.m. Central Time on NCAA.com.
Alex Peete posted 10 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns, while Max Meylor passed for 195 yards and three scores. Jaylon Edmonson ran for 121 yards and one touchdown, Ryan Wisniewski tallied six receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown, and Derek Kumerow caught five passes for 72 yards and one score.
Nate Tyley paced the defense with five tackles, including one for a loss. Hawk Heffner and Kyle Koelblinger registered four tackles apiece.
After the Pointers (2-8, 0-7) kicked a field goal on their first drive of the game, Peete took a handoff from Meylor on the second offensive play from scrimmage and ran 67 yards for a touchdown to give UW-W a 7-3 lead with 11:53 to play in the first quarter.
Egon Hein helped preserve the Warhawks’ lead with an interception on the first play of the next drive following a 57-yard kickoff return into UW-W territory by UW-Stevens Point.
Kumerow scored on a 2-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of the second quarter to cap an 11-play, 70-yard drive by the Warhawks for a 14-3 advantage.
After a Pointer punt, UW-Whitewater drove 69 yards on 13 plays, including a third-and-16 conversion on a 24-yards pass from Meylor to Wisniewski and a fourth-and-1 conversion, as Peete made it 21-3 with 4:39 remaining on a 1-yard touchdown run.
The Warhawks closed the half with an eight-play, 80-yard drive in just under two minutes to take a 28-3 lead into halftime. Meylor hit Wisniewski for a 7-yard score with just 11 seconds left in the period.
UW-Stevens Point cut its deficit to 28-10 on the opening drive of the second half, but UW-Whitewater responded following Edmonson’s 50-yard kickoff return. Meylor hit Kumerow for a 25-yard touchdown to bring the lead back to 25 points with 10:08 on the clock in the third.
Following a three-and-out, Peete’s 45-yard run set up a 4-yard touchdown pass from Meylor to Michael Berentes with 6:49 to play in the quarter. The Warhawks made it 49-10 on the next drive as Edmonson scampered 97 yards, the team’s longest play from scrimmage of the season, for a touchdown following a defensive stand from the 2-yard line.
Evan Lewandowski, who entered the game at quarterback for Meylor late in the third quarter, led UW-Whitewater on a nine-play, 48-yard drive capped on a 1-yard touchdown run by Preston Strasburg with 3:45 remaining in the contest.
