SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE FOOTBALL - WEEK TEN
TODAY
- The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (0-9, 0-8 NSIC) concludes its home season today with a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference battle versus Winona State University (4-5, 4-4 NSIC).
- Saturday’s match-up is a ‘trophy game’ as SMSU and WSU meet for the eighth annual ‘Battle for the Sledge’ presented by Game One and Adidas.
- SMSU was handed a 15-6 home loss to UMary last weekend, while WSU suffered a 42-38 home loss to Minnesota Duluth with UMD scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game.
- SMSU will have its final game of the season on the road versus the University of Sioux Falls on Nov. 16.
eigth meeting for the 'battle for the sledge'
- Today’s game will be the eighth annual ‘Battle for the Sledge’, presented by Game One and Adidas. WSU has won the previous six games since SMSU won the first game after the traveling trophy was established in 2015.
- The trophy is a seven-foot-tall sledgehammer. In addition to the sledge trophy, Game One will also be providing two MVP trophies awarded to a player on each team.
- Here is the history behind the naming of the trophy game, ‘Battle for the Sledge’: During the 2008 season, during warm-ups of the WSU/SMSU game on Oct. 4, a WSU player brought a sledgehammer to mid-field while SMSU players looked on. SMSU went on to earn a 35-28 victory over WSU, snapping the Warriors’ seven-game winning streak in the series. Following the game, SMSU players ran over to the WSU sideline and grabbed the sledgehammer, celebrating the victory at midfield. With emotions running high for both teams, a WSU player went over to the SMSU sideline to get its sledgehammer back. SMSU eventually gave the sledgehammer back and a rivalry was born.
senior day
- Today will be ‘Senior Day’ as the SMSU program will honor its 13 seniors in a pregame ceremony: Joe Buelow, Octavis Cherry, Cade Eddington, Johnston Freeman, Tate Gaul, Alex Maxwell, Thomas Mergen, Daniel Obwaya, Marquise Ogletree, Keshaun Reynolds, Jason Samec, Carter Schmitz and Nathan Stearns.
smsu vs wsu series history
- Southwest Minnesota State and Winona State meet for the 53rd time on Saturday with WSU leading 32-20 ... the teams first met on Oct. 10, 1970 ... WSU leads 6-1 since the ‘Battle for the Sledge’ trophy game was started in 2015 ... WSU has won the last six games after SMSU won three straight from 2013-15 ... WSU leads 13-12 in games played in Marshall with WSU winning the previous three games ... the teams last played in 2022 with WSU winning in Marshall, 43-7 ... WSU has won 23 of the last 28 meetings since 1994 ... WSU has scored 30 or more points in 18 of the last 21 games ... SMSU won seven straight in the series from 1987-93 ... WSU won 13 of 14 games from 1994 to 2007.
opening drive tidbits
- SMSU converted a season-high 8 of 15 third-down conversions last week.
- Redshirt freshman safety Parker Knutson ranks fourth in the country in passes defended with 1.7 per game and leads SMSU with four interceptions.
- Junior linebacker Josiah Hedensten has a team-high 73 tackles with three sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. He ranks 43rd in Division II in tackles per game (8.2) and 38th in solo tackles (4.7).
- SMSU ranks 10th in Division II in fewest penalty yards per game (42.3).
- SMSU opponents have scored 10 defensive touchdowns this season.
- Junior wide receiver Jake Anderson caught a career-high five passes for 55 yards versus UMary.
- Junior running back Jacob Honstetter scored his first career touchdown in last week’s game versus UMary.
- Senior punt returner / cornerback Marquise Ogletree begins the week ranked 37th in Division II in punt return yardage (6.7 per return).
- Sophomore punter Mason Carver booted a career-long 70-yard punt three weeks ago at Northern State.
- Honstetter has rushed for a team-high 301 yards on 102 carries. He missed the MSU Moorhead game with an injury.
- Junior wide receiver Colin Maher, who missed the UMD game with an injury, has 14 receptions for 263 yards and three touchdowns.
- Redshirt freshman Tryg Auten, who missed the Northern State game with an injury, has 13 receptions for 139 yards and one touchdown.
- Junior wide receiver Jake Anderson has caught 17 passes for 127 yards.
- Junior linebacker Gideon Ervasti has 54 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss.
- Senior linebacker Thomas Mergen has registered 43 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss.
- Junior defensive end Avery Johnson leads the club with 4.5 sacks.
scouting winona state
- Brian Bergstrom is in his third season as head coach with a record of 17-15. WSU won a share of the NSIC South Division and qualified for the NCAA playoffs during his first season in 2022. He was an assistant coach at South Dakota State from 2017-21. He was also an assistant at Augustana and Gustavus.
- WSU is coming off a 42-38 home loss to Minnesota Duluth last Saturday with UMD scoring the game-winning touchdown with 23 seconds remaining.
- UMD closed the game racking up 535 yards of offense, while WSU closed with 393 yards.
- Senior quarterback Cole Stenstrom completed 19 of 31 for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. For the season he has completed 100 of 172 passes for 1,403 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
- Sophomore wide receiver Cayden Holcomb caught five passes for 107 yards versus UMD and has 23 receptions for 409 yards and three touchdowns.
- Senior wide receiver Sylvere Campbell has caught a team-leading 38 passes for 614 yards and five touchdowns.
- Junior running back Cair’ron Hendred has rushed for 505 yards on 92 carries this season.
- Sophomore linebacker Brent Jeske leads the club with 44 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.
- Senior linebacker Kyjuan Vengrowsky has a team-leading seven tackles for loss with 5.5 sacks.