The Northwestern College football team dominated in all three phases in a 43-14 home rout over Midland in a GPAC contest played this afternoon on Korver Field. The Raiders extend their win streak to five, improving to 5-1 on the year, and ended Midland’s modest four-game win streak. The Warriors are now 4-3 this fall.
The Raider offense accounted for 546 total yards (131 rush, 415 pass), led by Tyson Kooima who completed 21/30 passes for 415 yards and three touchdowns. The senior quarterback added a pair of rushing touchdowns and turned in his third 400+ passing game of the season. Shane Solberg added to his record-breaking career with six catches for 218 yards and two more touchdowns, the third 200+ yard game of his career. Michael Storey set new career highs with nine receptions for 132 yards and also caught a touchdown.
Defensively, Northwestern limited an explosive Midland offense to a mere 281 yards, 4.3 yards per play, forced one turnover and registered two quarterback sacks. Eli Stader converted on all three field goal attempts and the Raider special teams held the outstanding Warriors return game in check all game.
Northwestern scored on its first five drives of the first half, beginning with a couple of Stader field goals of 25 and 23 yards for a 6-0 lead by end of the first quarter. Following a Jake Lynott interception, Kooima connected with Solberg for an 80-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the second quarter to give the Raiders a 13-0 lead. Another Midland punt followed and this time Kooima found Storey for a 19-yard touchdown pass, giving his team a 19-0 advantage with eight minutes left in the first half. Stader added a third field goal, another 23-yard attempt, to complete the scoring in the first half, 22-0.
Following a Midland punt on its first possession of the second half, Northwestern needed just one play, a 33-yard touchdown pass from Kooima to Solberg, to extend its lead, 29-0. Five minutes later, Kooima scored on a 13-yard run up the middle, making the score 36-0. Midland went on its best drive of the day, a 12-play, 75-yard drive, finished off with a River Walker to Darrin Gentry 32-yard pass with 3:33 left in the third quarter. Northwestern responded with a 7-play, 70-yard drive, finished off with Kooima’s second touchdown run of the game with 28 seconds left in the quarter for a 43-7 lead.
Midland scored for the final time on a Keenan Smith two-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
Logan Meyer led the Raiders ground game, totaling a career-high 12 carries for 62 yards. Noah Van’t Hof led the Raider D with a career-best 14 tackles, followed by Snyder with a career-high nine stops. Brett Moser totaled two quarterback sacks and three tackles for a loss.
Walker threw for 168 yards and one score while Smith rushed for 79 yards and a score to lead Midland.
