KENOSHA, Wis. – The Washington University in St. Louis football team won a double-overtime thriller at Carthage, 31-23, on Saturday afternoon. The Bears improved to 4-1 on the season with a 3-1 mark in CCIW play.
After a rare scoreless first quarter, Carthage scored the first points of the game on the first drive of the second quarter. Quarterback Easton Heafner ran for three yards, and then the Firebirds moved up 15 yards following a facemask penalty for a first down at the 36. Bryce Frank picked up two yards and Mark Hunter added four more.
Following a Carthage timeout, Heafner connected with Gavin Betters for 17 yards and a first down at the 13. Heafner then hit Jackson Westmoreland for eight yards, and Hunter ran for three yards and a first down at the two. Heafner found Frank, but the Bears handed them a one-yard loss. Frank finished things off with a three-yard touchdown pass. Mugdim Kreho's extra-point kick was no good, making it 6-0 at the 8:44 mark.
After several plays on each side that resulted in punts, the Firebirds extended their lead with 4:01 remaining in the second quarter. Heafner connected with Westmoreland for a 20-yard pass, making it a first down at Carthage's own 48. On the next play, Frank ran for a 52-yard touchdown. Matt Grzyb's kick was good, putting Carthage up 13-0.
Junior Matthew Kinoshita began the Bears' ensuing drive with a nine-yard run, then went for 19 yards and a first down at the 35. Kinoshita ran for 11 yards and another first down at the 24. Junior quarterback Levi Moore picked up three yards, and Kinoshita ran for one yard followed by three yards. Moore connected with sophomore Ryan Bienstock for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds remaining, and sophomore Matias Adrogue's kick was good, making it a 13-7 game heading into the half.
With 4:06 remaining in the third quarter, the Bears began what would ultimately be a scoring drive for them. Kinoshita picked up four yards, and Moore connected with junior Makael Carter for 12 yards and a first down at the 45. Kinoshita ran for seven, six, and four yards, respectively, and senior Fred Ware added three more yards. Moore ran for four yards for the final play of the third quarter.
Ware started the fourth quarter with a yard, followed by Moore connecting with sophomore Lucas Blumenthal for a 16-yard pass and a first down at the four. Moore ran the final four yards for a touchdown, and Adrogue's kick was good for a 14-13 edge.
Carthage made it to their own 42 on the next drive before senior Brady Willmer intercepted the ball at the WashU 48 and returned it to the Carthage 47. The Bears started their next drive at their own 38 following a penalty.
Ware had seven runs that totaled 42 yards to open the drive, and Moore added another nine yards for a first down at the 11. Kinoshita ran for two yards before Carthage called a timeout with 4:55 remaining. Kinoshita ran for seven yards to the two, and Moore connected with Carter for the final two yards for the touchdown. Adrogue's kick was no good, putting the Bears ahead 20-13 with 4:20 on the clock.
On the final drive of the fourth quarter, Frank ran for 12 yards for the Firebirds for a first down at the 35. He picked up another six yards, then Heafner hit Westmoreland for five yards and a first down at the 42. Frank ran for another three yards, and then Carthage moved back five yards following an illegal shift call.
Heafner connected again with Westmoreland for 19 yards and a first down at the 25, and then Frank ran for nine yards followed by two yards. With 35 seconds on the clock, Carthage called a timeout, and the Firebirds came out to score as Heafner hit Dylan Salisbury for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Kreho's kick was good, tying the game at 20-20.
The Bears and the Firebirds went into overtime following the final buzzer. In collegiate football, overtime is made up of periods where each team gets a possession starting from the opponent's 25-yard line, with no running clock.
Carthage had the ball first in overtime. Frank ran for 21 yards and a first down at the four-yard line, and Frank ran for two yards. Heafner lost a yard on his next rush, fumbling the ball, but it was recovered by Carthage's Mikel McGowan Jr. at the five-yard line. After an incomplete pass, Kreho kicked a 30-yard field goal to give the Firebirds a 23-20 edge.
Moore started the Bears' drive with a three-yard pass to junior John Benke, and Ware picked up eight yards and a first down at the 14. Following a Firebirds' timeout, the Bears lost three yards before Ware ran for six yards to the 11. On fourth and seven, Adrogue kicked a 38-yard field goal, tying it at 23-23.
The Bears got the ball first in the second overtime, starting with a six-yard rush from Moore. Kinoshita ran for three yards, and Moore added two more for a first down at the 14. Moore connected with Carter for seven yards, and Kinoshita ran for four yards and a first down at the three-yard line. Moore finished it off with a three-yard touchdown, and the Bears were successful in the two-point conversion, taking a 31-23 lead.
On Carthage's drive, they reached the eight-yard line before turning it over on downs, securing the win for the Bears.
The Bears had 279 yards of total offense (79 passing, 200 rushing), and Carthage had 343 (213 passing, 130 rushing).
Moore went 10-for-18 for 79 yards with two touchdowns. Ware had 82 yards on 19 carries, while Kinoshita also had 82 yards on 16 carries. Moore had 36 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns. Carter led the receivers with 28 yards on five catches with one touchdown.
Defensively, senior Ryan Schmadtke had nine total tackles (3 solo, 6 assists), while junior Joey Chane had eight total (5 solo, 3 assists) with one forced fumble. Junior Spencer Snipe had eight total tackles (3 solo, 5 assists) with 1.5 tackles-for-loss, and senior Kellen Fraile had eight total tackles (3 solo, 5 assists) with 0.5 tackles-for-loss.
The Bears return home next weekend for a 1 p.m. game against Elmhurst, which will be Alumni Day, Military Appreciation Day, and Neighbors' Day.