ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul dropped its 2021 season opener, returning to the gridiron after missing the 2020 regular season. The Golden Bears fell on the road to Winona State 47-6 in front of 3,512 fans at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium.
Concordia (0-1) sets its sights on next Saturday, September 11 for a noon home opener against Upper Iowa (0-1) at Sea Foam Stadium.
The Warriors did their damage on big plays, scoring five touchdowns from over 35 yards in the contest. WSU compiled 509 yards of total offense including 272 on the ground while CSP was limited to 187 yards of offense on the night.
Concordia's scoring came on field goals from freshman kicker
Sam Henson at the end of the first half from 30 yards out and early in the third quarter on a 41-yarder.
Freshman quarterback
Conner Cordts made his debut under center, providing an efficient performance in completing 25-of-40 for 130 yards and added 39 rushing yards with a long of 20 while playing turnover-free football on the road.
He completed his first five passes started out 7-for-8.
Freshman running back
Jaylin Richardson produced a team-best seven receptions for 69 yards including a long of 38 yards. He also had 73 kickoff return yards including a 51-yarder
Junior running back
Brian Lankford-Johnson added 37 total yards including four catches for 23 yards and a long of 21. He also added a 20 yard kickoff return for 57 all-purpose yards in the contest.
Defensively, senior linebacker
Dalton Smerchek led the charge with seven solo tackles including one for loss and a strong stop at the goal line early in the game. Junior safety
Alex Andrade was one of four defenders with four tackles and added two for loss.
Freshman punter
Parker Dahlman made his debut and delivered a 37.7 average on seven punts with a long of 48.
Winona State was led by Javian Roebuck with 14 carries for 131 yards and three touchdowns while Ty Gavin had six carries for 84 yards and a score. Quarterback Owen Burke completed 13-of-24 for 233 yards and a touchdown, with his top two producers, Jake Balliu and Ethan Wittenburg each hauling in two catches for 74 and 71 yards, respectively, with each finding the end zone.
