There are a few things in life that are certain: death, taxes and UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse putting on a show when they meet on the football field. Saturday at Perkins Stadium was no exception.
The No. 5 Eagles came in looking to spoil Family Fest for the No. 9 Warhawks, and hand Whitewater a loss in the beginning of WIAC play for both teams.
Early on, it appeared to be all Warhawks. After a couple of punts, Whitewater marched down the field thanks to a 21-yard rush from sophomore running back Noah Battle. The drive ended with Battle punching in a 4-yard touchdown run.
Throughout the first quarter, head coach Jace Rindahl lined up junior wide receiver Tyler Vasey in three different offensive positions. Vasey took snaps at receiver, wildcat quarterback and running back.
“He’s a phenomenal player, and you have got to find ways to get him the ball,” Rindahl said.
La Crosse quarterback Kyle Haas later overthrew a pass, and senior defensive back Kaden Sleets snagged it for an interception. But Whitewater gave the ball right back when sophomore quarterback Justin Klinkner fumbled on the ensuing drive.
The turnover trend continued midway through the second quarter when senior linebacker Ethan Gallagher jumped in front of a pass for another interception. Whitewater capitalized with back-to-back trick plays, and Klinkner finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0.
The Warhawks added a field goal as time expired in the first half to take a 17-0 lead. Whitewater outgained La Crosse on offense 184-75.
But La Crosse came out in the second half looking like a different team. On the Eagles’ first drive, momentum still appeared to be with Whitewater when junior defensive back Devin Magli intercepted a pass. But after Whitewater stalled, the punt snap sailed through freshman special teamer Hunter Liszka’s legs and rolled into the end zone, where La Crosse’s Trent Mullen recovered it to cut the lead to 17-7.
Moments later, Klinkner threw an interception to Mullen, setting up a La Crosse field goal and making it 17-10.
“Momentum is a huge thing in the game,” Vasey said. “We had momentum in the first half, they had momentum in the second half.”
Late in the fourth quarter, La Crosse tied the game when running back Gabe Lynch burst through the line for a 22-yard touchdown. After both teams traded empty drives, the game went to overtime.
Both sides kicked field goals in the first overtime, with sophomore Seth Adams connecting for the Warhawks to send it to a second extra period.
In double overtime, Battle was stuffed on a run up the middle, and Klinkner was sacked and stripped on the next play. La Crosse recovered the fumble and ran three times up the middle before drilling the game-winning field goal. The Eagles left Perkins Stadium with a 23-20 win, silencing more than 20,000 Warhawk fans.
“I think we had a great first half, defense played great the whole game but we just couldn’t put it together offensively in the second half,” Klinkner said. “We have to keep playing one game at a time and keep playing our brand of football and we’ll be just fine.”
Rindahl said he wants his team to learn more than dwell on the loss. Gallagher echoed that with the “24-hour rule.”
“You can dwell on it and feel sorry for yourself for 24 hours, then you have to forget about it,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher added that the defense embraces tough spots. La Crosse scored all of their points in regulation on special teams and offensive miscues from Whitewater, but Gallagher says that having to go out on defense at any time is something the Warhawks take pride in.
“Our verbiage for that is sudden change, and our mentality is that we love sudden change,” he said.
Even in defeat, Rindahl reminded Klinkner of his confidence.
“I just told him I love him after the game, and that he’s our guy,” Rindahl said.
Despite the heartbreak, the Warhawks proved they can go toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s top teams. With the season still young, Whitewater will look to regroup quickly and use the lessons from this double-overtime thriller as fuel for the weeks ahead.
The Warhawks return to action Oct. 11 at UW-Stevens Point, then return home Oct. 17 against UW-Stout.
