Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Strong quarterback play and solid defense led Midland University to a 38-17 victory over the University of Jamestown on Saturday afternoon at Heedum Field. With the win, Midland improves to 2-0 and 1-0 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), while Jamestown falls to 0-2 and 0-1 in the league.
Midland got on the board first. After a 75-yard drive, Jared Quinonez kicked a 25-yard field goal with 6:36 remaining in the first to put the Warriors up, 3-0.
They would add to the lead on the final offensive play of the first quarter as quarterback Garrison Beach connected with Kalynd Coats on a 17-yard touchdown pass with one second left in the opening stanza. Quinonez’s extra point put Midland ahead 10-0.
Jamestown would take advantage of a Midland miscue in the second quarter. After Beach fumbled, the Jimmies recovered the ball and took over at the Midland 21-yard line. Three plays later, an Aanon Peterson 31-yard field goal put the Jimmies on the board, with 9:40 to go in the quarter.
The Midland offense executed a scoring drive right before halftime to extend the lead. Beach engineered a seven-play, 69-yard drive, capped off by a 23-yard pass to Shane Orr for a touchdown. After the Quinonez extra point, Midland led 17-3, with 36 seconds left in the half, and it would stay that way going into intermission.
Jamestown came out of the locker room with good energy on offense and backup quarterback Ty Monson led a 10-play 80-yard drive which culminated in a 34-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Collins with 8:58 remaining in the third quarter. The Peterson PAT kick made it a seven-point game, 17-10, in favor of the Warriors.
With its lead cut down to one possession, Midland responded well. After the Warrior defense held Jamestown to a three-and-out, a Gage Meyer punt went just 12 yards, and Midland took over at the Jimmies’ 31-yard line. On the very next play, Beach connected with Coats for the second time in the afternoon for a score. Quinonez’s extra point put Midland ahead 24-10 with 5:20 left in the third quarter.
The Warriors extended their lead early in the fourth quarter. They put together another strong drive, this time of eight plays, capped off by a Beach 2-yard touchdown run. After Quinonez split the uprights, Midland had its largest lead of 21 points, 31-10.
With the wind now at their backs, the Jimmies continued to battle on the next drive. Monson drove Jamestown down the field and into the end zone on a 5-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Schmidt. The six-play 56-yard drive took just three minutes and forty-four seconds and Peterson’s PAT made it 31-17, Midland, with 10:56 to play.
The Warriors had a chance to put the game out of reach, for good, midway through the fourth quarter. An eleven-play drive of 52 yards halted, but a Quinonez 40-yard field goal into a south wind of 25 miles per hour, missed wide right. However, Midland chewed up 7:04 off the clock leaving just under four minutes on the game clock.
Jamestown started its next drive and on the second play from scrimmage, Monson’s pass was intercepted by Zane Stenger who returned it 15 yards to the Jimmies’ 30-yard line. The Warriors put the exclamation point on the contest with a five-play 30-yard drive, finished off by a Tyson Denkert 8-yard run for a touchdown with 1:44 to play. After the Quinonez PAT, Midland led 38-17, closing out the scoring on the hot afternoon.
The Midland offense finished the day with 61 plays for 359 yards. The Warriors rushed the ball 33 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Through the air, Garrison Beach was 24-for-28. The North Logan, Utah native threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns, giving him four, total, through two games.
Head Coach Jeff Jamrog was pleased with Beach’s play. “I like how the offense finished the game, with yards and points. I thought he played really well with really nice throws with and into the wind. The one turnover on a mesh play we’ll need to clean up, but he played really well.”
Midland’s defense held Jamestown to just 230 yards of total offense. The Jimmies carried the ball 25 times for just 30 yards. Through the air, Jamestown was 16-for-31 for 200 yards and two touchdowns.
Beach was the offensive star for Midland. The junior signal-caller not only threw for three scores but ran for another. For the second straight game, Levi Markey paced the Warriors’ rushing attack. The senior from Sacramento, California carried the ball 14 times for 66 yards. Tyson Denkert had eight carries on the day. The sophomore from Kenesaw, Nebraska ran for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Kalyn Coats had a strong day receiving for the second straight game. The senior from Pittsburg, California caught 8 passes for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns. Shane Orr caught 3 passes for 33 yards. The junior from Omaha caught his first touchdown as a Warrior in the second quarter.
The Warrior defense was led by Gabriel Van Winkle. The junior defensive lineman from Kearney, Nebraska had eight tackles. He also recorded 1.5 sacks and had two tackles for loss. Jamrog praised his defense’s effort. “Gabe Van Winkle played strong and smart. I really like the way he played. We got a big turnover late in the game, the second week in a row that our safeties recorded an interception to seal the game.”
Zane Stenger added four solo tackles. The junior from Omaha’s Millard South High School also recorded his first interception of the year, in the fourth quarter.
With his third PAT in the third quarter, Jared Quinonez surpassed Tom Hale as the Midland All-Time Leader in PATs. Hale’s record stood since 1975. Quinonez now has 107 successful extra points in his career.
Jamestown was led by back-up quarterback Ty Monson who was thrust into the role after the Jimmies’ opening drive. He was 14-for-28 for 168 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The Jimmies’ leading rusher was the punter, Gage Meyer. He carried the ball once for 12 yards. Ryan Collins led Jamestown in receiving. He caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. Dawson Schmidt caught two passes for twenty yards and a score. Three players led the Jimmies in tackles. Parker Chaffee, Mason Parker, and Caleb Ritter had six stops each. Paul Vandal recorded four tackles and had a fumble recovery, which set up a Jimmie field goal, in the second quarter.
Up next, Midland (2-0, 1-0) will host Briar Cliff on Saturday, September 9 at 1:00 p.m. at Heedum Field. Jamrog wants to continue to see consistent improvement from the Warriors. “We need to just keep getting better and worry about us. Any GPAC opponent can win any week, so we need to keep improving in all areas and keep bringing our depth along, as well.”
Jamestown (0-2, 0-1) will play its first home game next Saturday when they host Concordia, in Jamestown, North Dakota.
