Minnetrista, MN – Delano’s Isaac Miller threw a touchdown pass to Jake Schultz with 27 seconds remaining deflating a sold out Haddorff Field on Friday night, in a 35-31 victory over the White Hawks. The 21-point comeback win by the Tigers (1-5, 1-2) drops Westonka to 3-3 overall, and 0-3 in the 4A Skyway Bronze Subdistrict.

On the White Hawks opening possession, they were forced to punt from their own 26-yard line when Delano defensive tackle Daniel Johnson was able to get through the right side and block Cole Drill’s punt. The Tigers Noah Guna recovered it at the Westonka 21-yard line. On the subsequent drive, Delano would pick up a big third down conversion, as quarterback Bryce Peterson would find Nate Nielsen on a down-and-out, taking it down inside the 10-yard line. Three plays later, running back Davin Clare would take it up the middle for a 2-yard TD. The missed extra point was blocked by Senior Dylan Sloan which gave Delano a 6-0 lead just three minutes into the game.

The White Hawks offense went into the game averaging just 154 yards of offense the last two weeks, and it was tough sledding again this week. After picking up an initial first down on their next possession, Westonka used a fake punt to collect another, with quarterback Cole Drill faking a pass and then running for the first down. However, the next drive was short lived as Drill almost had his third down pass intercepted at the Delano 40-yard line. Drill’s punt pinned the Tigers deep inside their own territory. On the very next play, Clare fumbled after having the ball stripped by senior JT Kimbrough. Junior safety Brandt Tebbs pounced on the ball at the Tigers 21-yard line giving the White Hawks great field position.

Sophomore running back Blake Reinbold, who was inserted in the starting lineup this week, would dodge tacklers for 16 yards on the first play from scrimmage, and on second down, he took the handoff up the middle, bounced to his left, and juked a Tigers defender for the 5-yard score. Chase Lee’s extra point gave Westonka the 7-6 lead. The White Hawks defense would force a punt on Delano’s next drive, but the offense just couldn’t get anything going. On 4th down, the White Hawks lined up in punt formation, and Drill tried hitting senior Max Kraay down the middle of the field, but his pass was just through his fingertips.

The Tigers offense would start their next series on the Westonka 44-yard line. Senior linebacker Cole Munsterteiger would get two big tackles on the next two plays, and then senior cornerback Joe Sluka read the jet sweep on 3rd down stopping the run for minus seven yards, setting up a 4th down decision for Delano. Choosing to punt didn’t necessarily work out in their favor as the White Hawks’ Dylan Sloan broke through the right side of the line blocking the punt, his second block of the night. Senior Roman Larsen scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 27 yards for the touchdown and a 14-6 advantage. "Sloan was all over the field creating havoc on Friday whether it was blocking kicks or getting pressure on the QB. That block with Roman’s scoop and score was a huge momentum shift in our direction," said Westonka Head Coach Nick David.

The Westonka defense would coerce another three-and-out for the Tigers offense. The Delano punter was forced by Larsen and Sloan to get off a poor punt of only 18 yards, setting up the White Hawks offense at their own 43-yard line. On first down, Drill rolled right and took off down the sideline for a 22-yard gain. After minimal yardage on the next three plays, Westonka lined up in a heavy running formation, but Drill faked the handoff and rolled to his right finding senior Carter Kleinsasser for the first down. Reinbold would eventually find the end zone for a 1-yard TD and a 21-6 lead. 

Kleinsasser would show up on the defensive side of the ball sacking Peterson for a 5-yard loss on the next Tigers play from scrimmage. On 2nd down, Sluka stepped in front of Peterson’s pass to the sideline, intercepting it and running back to the Delano 2-yard line. Reinbold would take it the rest of the way giving Westonka a 28-6 margin with 1:51 to play in the first half. Delano would add a touchdown with 38 seconds remaining as Peterson hit Jake Schultz just inside the left pylon for a 29-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion cut the Westonka lead to 28-14 at the halftime break.

On the first series of the second half, Sloan came up with a big 12-yard sack and another quarterback pressure forcing Delano to punt. However, they were able to flip the field when the punt was downed at the White Hawks 1-yard line. A Westonka three-and-out in the midst of their own goal posts gave the Tigers great field position after Drill’s 36-yard punt. Delano would put together a sustaining drive, but Westonka imposed a 4th and 2 from the 20-yard line. However, Clare would run off tackle for eight yards picking up the necessary yards. Two plays later, he would score from 2-yards out making the score 28-21.

On the ensuing kickoff, Tebbs would almost break free, setting up the White Hawks at their own 45-yard line following the 32-yard return. Unfortunately, both teams would exchange punts on their next possessions. With 10:32 remaining in the game, the White Hawks were clinging to a seven-point advantage and had the ball at their own 17-yard line. After a completion to Kraay on first down, Drill tried to hit Kimbrough on a crossing route, but Schultz stepped in front at the 32-yard line intercepting the pass. He would weave his way through the would-be tacklers and dive into the end zone for the pick-six TD. The extra-point knotted the score at 28 points apiece. "That was a huge momentum shift in Delano’s favor. We had done a pretty good job bottling up Schultz all night, but he is a Division 1 football recruit for a reason, as his athleticism really showed up in some crucial moments that hurt us," noted David.

The White Hawks would put together a good series driving down to the Delano 16-yard line but had to settle for a Lee 32-yard field goal with 3:56 left in the 4th quarter. Delano would come right back with an 11-play, 64-yard drive culminating with the Miller to Schultz TD with just 27 seconds remaining in the game.

Munsterteiger would lead the ‘Hawks defense with 11 tackles, a tackle-for-loss and one pass defended. Mason Sebasky added eight tackles, while Sloan finished with eight tackles, a sack, and two blocked kicks. Tebbs had seven tackles and the fumble recovery, John Seemann also tallied seven tackles along with a TFL. Kleinsasser finished with six tackles, a TFL, and a sack. Sluka (5 tackles, PD, INT) and Kimbrough both had a forced fumble. Offensively, Drill completed 11 passes for 59 yards, while rushing for 51 yards on nine carries. Reinbold (25 carries, 80 yards) led the team with 95 total yards.

Westonka returns to action this Friday for an early evening affair as they take on the Zimmerman Thunder at Haddorff Field at 5pm for Senior Night.