ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – Jayden Thoreson threw five touchdowns, the defense dominated with three first-half turnovers, and Simpson topped Crown 45-7 for its first win of the season.
The Storm defense set the tone early, forcing three fumbles in the opening two quarters, with recoveries by Connor Stephens, Nolan Pagel, and Cam McCollaugh creating short fields for the offense. Thoreson connected twice with Noah Cracraft for touchdowns, and Aiden Lanier added a 36-yard field goal to give Simpson (1-0) a 17-0 halftime lead.
Simpson continued its offensive onslaught in the second half, with Quentin King scoring on the ground and Thoreson throwing three additional touchdown passes, an 18-yard strike to Carson Penyich, a 3-yard connection to Lawson Langford, and an 18-yard touchdown to Devin Brophy. Meanwhile, the Storm defense continued its dominance, keeping Crown scoreless and limiting the Polars to just 47 yards of offense until the final two minutes of the half.
BREAKING DOWN THE GAME
- Both teams missed field goals on their opening drives as the game remained level after 12 minutes of play.
- One play after Simpson's missed kick, Connor Stephens forced a fumble on a botched snap to set the Storm up at the Crown 17-yard line. On 4th-and-goal from the one, Jayden Thoreson found Noah Cracraft for the game's first touchdown with 18 seconds left in the opening quarter.
- Nolan Pagel recovered a fumble early in the second quarter which led to a 36-yard field goal from Aiden Lanier with 3:09 remaining.
- Adyn Wyckoff forced another fumble late in the half, recovered by Cam McCollaugh and returned to the Crown 19-yard line. Thoreson capitalized with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cracraft, giving Simpson a 17-0 halftime lead.
- Simpson extended its advantage on the opening drive of the third quarter when Thoreson connected with Carson Penyich on an 18-yard touchdown strike.
- Thoreson threw his fourth touchdown pass early in the fourth, finding Lawson Langford wide open for a score that made it 31-0.
- After the defense forced Crown's first punt of the game, Thoreson capped his career day with a fifth touchdown pass, hitting Devin Brophy from 18 yards out to extend Simpson's margin to 38-0.
- Quentin King added a 26-yard rushing touchdown to make it 45-0 with 2:42 remaining.
- Crown managed to prevent the shutout loss with the help of a 78-yard rush by Jamarrius Courtney followed by a touchdown from Donovan Soloman.
OFFENSIVE STARS
- Jayden Thoreson: 27-for-33 (81.8%), 235 yards, 5 TD
- Cole Staska: 9 rec, 79 yards
- Noah Cracraft: 8 rec, 62 yards, 2 TD
- Lawson Langford: 4 rec, 37 yards, 1 TD
- Carson Penyich: 3 rec, 31 yards, 1 TD
- Devin Brophy: 1 rec, 18 yards, 1 TD
- Quentin King: 8 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD
DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS
- Noah Noland: 12 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack
- Jerell Carter Jr.: 6 tackles
- Connor Stephens: 5 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
- Cam McCollaugh: 3 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
- Adyn Wyckoff: 3 tackles, 1 forced fumble
- Nolan Pagel: 3 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 fumble recovery
NOTES
- Jayden Thoreson's 81.8% completion percentage is the best by a Storm signal caller since Taylor Nelson completed 23 of 26 (88.5%) passes against Dubuque on Nov. 2, 2013. His five touchdowns tie for the third-most in a single game.
- The Storm defense limited Crown to just 22 net passing yards, a new school record. The previous record was 37 yards against Luther in 1967.
- Simpson also forced four fumbles, the most since forcing six against Bethel on Sept. 1, 2018.
- For the first time since at least 1998, the Storm finished a game without a single punt.
UP NEXT
Simpson dives into American Rivers Conference play against No. 10 Wartburg next Saturday at home.