Wartburg football holds off St. Thomas in playoff opener

WAVERLY - Wartburg's offense was in a game Saturday it had not been familiar with this season - a back-and-forth affair that required continued responses.

The fifth-ranked Knights answered every time, then let their defense make a big play.

Logan Pitz picked off John Gould's pass and Wartburg held off No. 20 St. Thomas 37-31 in an NCAA Division III first-round playoff game Saturday at Walston-Hoover Stadium.

'We had a lot of those a year ago so we have a lot of guys that have been in those types of situations, but frankly, it's been a while,” Wartburg Coach Rick Willis said. 'We certainly talked about that.”

Before Saturday, the Knights had not won a game by less than 17 points this season.

'We just had to keep slugging away, keep fighting, go on to the next play. That's the type of mentality that we try to talk about, that next-play mentality,” Willis said.

After the Tommies (8-3) cut the lead to two with 9:24 remaining, the Knights countered with a 9-play, 75-yard scoring drive to run 4:54 off the clock and take a two-possession lead, 37-28.

Wartburg (11-0) held a slim 442 to 417 yards advantage, rushing for 274 yards and scoring the most points St. Thomas has allowed in 86 games under Glenn Caruso.

'The read game and their ability to pull the ball and run it with the quarterback really keeps on your toes,” Caruso said.

Wartburg quarterback Logan Schrader has battled a minor injury, and although he didn't miss a game, he hadn't been the dual threat he knows he can be.

Saturday, Schrader totaled 80 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He escaped numerous tacklers on a third-and-goal play on that final scoring drive, somehow staying on his feet long enough to find Will Ebert for a 10-yard score.

'Good thing B-Do (Brandon Domeyer) and Will were working and kept working. It's a credit to them. They didn't quit on the play,” said Schrader, who surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for his career.

Domeyer piled up 138 yards and three touchdowns, including a one-yard run that put the Knights up 30-21 early in the fourth quarter after a Tommie onside kick failed.

Domeyer's second TD run allowed the Knights to re-take a 20-14 lead heading into halftime.

Wartburg will take on No. 13 St. John's (10-1), in next Saturday's second round, at a site to be determined.