Wartburg steamrolls Coe, 43-0

CEDAR RAPIDS - Coe needed to be at its absolutely best.

Unfortunately, the Kohawks weren't and the result was one of their worst.

Seventh-ranked Wartburg had little trouble, trouncing Coe, 43-0, Saturday in an Iowa Conference football game at Clark Field. The Kohawks were shut out at home for the first time since Clark Field opened in 1989.

Wartburg (5-0, 2-0 IIAC) gained momentum with their first score a little more than six minutes into the game, taking advantage of the Kohawks' inexperience and lack of size.

'I was kind of afraid of that coming in,” Coe Coach Steve Staker said. 'They're a very good football team.

'They have a great offense. They have great defense. They have great offensive linemen, quarterback and wide receivers. They exploited our weaknesses.”

It was the first time the Kohawks (2-3, 1-1) were shutout since, losing 48-0 to Wartburg in 1998. The point margin was the second largest since that same game.

'We played well in all three phases of the game,” Wartburg quarterback Logan Schrader said. 'That's what we try to do every week. It felt good to get a convincing (win) over a team we've struggled against the last couple years.”

The Knights rolled to 523 yards of total offense. Schrader was a big part of it. Schrader torched the Coe defense, throwing for 275 yards of total offense, including 259 passing with three touchdowns. He added a 7-yard TD run.

All three touchdown throws were of 25 yards or more. The first was a 35-yard strike to Taylor Jacobsmeier on a post pattern. Jacobsmeier also reeled in a 25-yard touchdown catch, adjusting to an underthrown pass on a flag route at the goal, putting the Knights up 27-0 with 2:23 before halftime.

Schrader connected with former Dyersville Beckman prep Robbie Anstoetter on a 33-yard scoring pass on the first play of the second. Jacobsmeier finished with a team-high 96 receiving yards. Anstoetter was close with 92.

'The main thing for our offense is to get explosive plays,” Schrader said. 'They change the scene of the game and field position. They gave us opportunities and we took advantage of it.”

Staker said the Kohawk offense has to be rhythmic. Some early dropped passes threw them out of sync and they never regained it on either side of the ball. He recalled a saying he shares with the players, making the routine plays routine by executing runs, blocks, catches and tackles when they are presented.

'We just did some things that I feel were not routine,” said Staker, praising the effort of Coe's leading rusher Sam Lahr, who had 73 yards. 'We did beat ourselves. We could play them 10 times and maybe win one. They are just that good.”

Brandon Domeyer and Brandon Richardson capped the scoring for the Knights with second-half TD runs. Domeyer bounced to the outside off right tackle and rumbled 31 yards to make it 36-0. Richardson scored from 5 yards out with 6:26 in the third. Domeyer led the Knights with 83 rushing yards.

The Knights defense was solid as well, blanking a Kohawk offense that averaged 33.8 points a game through the first four. They logged six sacks for a loss of 45 yards. Wartburg has dominated this season and will look to continue their streak next week against University of Dubuque.

'We're trying to make a statement every week,” Schrader said. 'We want to do this to every team we play and make sure there is no doubt who the better team was on the field.”

Coe will look to rebound next week against Simpson at Indianola. Staker said the score was not indicative of the Kohawks' competitiveness. The goal will be to learn from the result and move on to the next challenge.

'We're going to watch film, find our mistakes, correct them and it's behind us,” Staker said. 'We can't dwell on a win and we can't dwell on a loss.

'We're a better team than what showed up today.”

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