INDIANOLA, Iowa – J Jensen III threw five touchdown passes, the special teams unit delivered a blocked punt, safety and fumble recovery, and the Simpson College football team stormed to a 66-14 victory over Loras on Saturday at Buxton Stadium.
Simpson (2-2, 1-1 A-R-C) dominated from start to finish, racing out to a 15-0 advantage behind two of Jensen's touchdowns. The Storm's explosive offense, combined with key special teams play and a 37-yard interception return by Mason Little, built an insurmountable 45-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, while Loras (0-4, 0-2 A-R-C) found the end zone twice, Simpson maintained control and outscored the Duhawks 21-14 fueled by two rushing touchdowns from Demarico Young.
Six other players contributed to Simpson's scoring, including Noah Cracraft who caught two touchdowns for the third straight game. Cole Staska, Jay Romelus, Tristan Bushey and Joe Bream each added touchdowns, and Aiden Lanier kicked a 40-yard field goal.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- Demarico Young returned the opening kickoff 51 yards and J Jensen III threw an 11-yard pass to Cole Staska to put Simpson ahead 7-0 less than four minutes into the game.
- A bad snap on Loras' second punt resulted in a safety, and Jensen connected with Noah Cracraft shortly after to extend the lead to 15-0.
- As the first half continued, Simpson's special teams and defense took over. CJ Hangartner blocked a punt, setting up a one-yard rushing score by center Joe Bream, and Mason Little returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown.
- Hangartner grabbed another interception and Austin Short recovered a muffed punt before Aiden Lanier stretched the lead to 32-0 with a 40-yard field goal.
- Simpson scored two more touchdowns, including a 46-yard bomb to Cracraft and a five-yard pass to Jay Romelus, to head into the lockerroom with a commanding 45-0 lead.
- Loras got on the board in the second half with a 68-yard touchdown run by Justin Stephens, but Simpson answered back with a four-yard touchdown connection between Jensen and Tristan Bushey.
- Loras added another score with a 34-yard pass, but Demarico Young responded with a 60-yard touchdown run, and later, a three-yard rushing score to seal a dominant 66-14 victory.
STORM STANDOUTS
- J Jensen III: 32-for-41, 343 yards, 5 TD
- Noah Cracraft: 13 catches, 178 yards, 2 TD
- Cole Staska: 4 catches, 67 yards, 1 TD
- Demarico Young: 23 carries, 97 yards, 2 TD
- Aiden Lanier: 1 FG (40 yards), 5/6 PAT
- Marcus Kolesar: 12 tackles
- Zach Truitt: 7 tackles
- CJ Hangartner: 5 tackles (2 TFL), 1 int, 1 blocked punt, 1 QBH, 0.5 sack
- Mason Little: 1 interception, 1 TD
NOTES
- Simpson has tallied a conference-leading eight interceptions in four games, registering multiple for the third straight week. The Storm also lead the A-R-C with 13 sacks.
- CJ Hangartner leads the conference with five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss on the year.
- Noah Cracraft continues his streak of having scored in every game this season. This is his third straight week tallying two receiving touchdowns, and he leads the A-R-C with seven total. He also tops the conference with 475 receiving yards.
- Marcus Kolesar led the Storm in tackles for the second week in a row, registering a career-high 12 in both games.
- Demarico Young has scored all four of his touchdowns this season at Buxton Stadium and leads the A-R-C with 388 rushing yards. Three of his four scores have been from over 45 yards out.
- Simpson improves to 31-14 in the all-time series. This was the Storm's first win since 2018 and their largest margin of victory in the nearly 100-year-old history of the series.
- J Jensen III ties Mike Donnenwerth, who threw 66 touchdowns between 2000-03, for the second-most passing scores in team history. This was Jensen's fifth career game throwing at least five touchdowns.
UP NEXT
Simpson heads to Pella for another A-R-C game against Central next Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Pella.