ST. PAUL, Minn. - It was a sunny, windy and unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon for the season finale at Sea Foam Stadium, but it was visiting Sioux Falls (7-4, 6-4 NSIC, 3-3 South) who secured a 34-18 win over host Concordia-St. Paul (2-9, 2-8 NSIC, 1-5 South) on senior day.

The Golden Bears honored their 23 seniors and graduating players prior to kickoff today and two seniors, Daniel Hornacek and Troy Ellison, found the end zone for CSP. 

Hornacek continued the momentum from the strong second half of his senior year by rushing for 87 yards on 15 carries, averaging 5.8 while scoring his first rushing touchdown of the season. On the season, Hornacek posted career-highs in carries (131), rushing yards (694), receptions (29), receiving yards (152) and all-purpose yards (846).

He finishes his career with 1,223 career rushing yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.74 yards per carry, ranking fourth in career yards per carry in CSP's Division II-era (1999-present). He added another catch today, finishing with 47 catches for 306 yards in his career for 1,529 all-purpose yards. 

Ellison cashed his one reception on the day in for a 30-yard touchdown from senior Zachary Yeager in the middle of the end zone for a third quarter touchdown. It was Ellison's 10th career touchdown catch and 14th career total touchdown, finishing his career with 86 points in 37 games, along with 117 catches for 1,409 yards. His senior year, he had his top per-catch average with 18.5 (20-369) and had 2,167 career all-purpose yards between receiving (1,409), rushing (29-192), kickoff returns (479) and punt returns (87). 

Yeager had his most complete game as a CSP quarterback, putting up 140 yards of total offense on 9-22 passing for 71 yards and a touchdown, while adding 12-69 rushing including a long of 27. CSP didn't turn the ball over on the day, and Yeager only took one sack.

As a team, Concordia rushed for 210 yards and a 5.5 average against the Cougars, out-rushing Sioux Falls by 53 yards as CSP held USF to just 4.1 per carry. It's the second-straight 200-yard rushing performance for the Golden Bears and third in the final five games of the season behind a veteran-laden offensive line led by seniors Caydon Christensen, CJ Picazo and Austin Carrillo along with graduating junior starters Evan Scott and Sam Yager. 

Although Sioux Falls won the coin toss, the Cougars elected to receive and give Concordia the wind at its back to start the game. It looked like a strong choice initially, as USF marched into CSP territory with a 22-yard run on the second play of the game. But with USF at the CSP 40-yard line, sophomore cornerback Garian Denson stepped in front of an errant Cougar pass for an interception inside the 20-yard line for an early game turnover. 

Concordia's offense went to work, with Yeager executing a 3rd-and-6 with a 15-yard connection to tight end EJ Stoffel, and picked up a 3rd-and-4 with his legs on a 10-yard keeper to the USF 25-yard line. 

Stoffel finished the day with five catches for 37 yards including 42 after the catch while being targeted eight times in the pass game. 

But the drive would stall out on downs at the USF 20-yard line, a result of the team's two kickers both being out for the contest. 

The defense looked poised for another stop, but a 3rd-and-9 situation turned into a 79-yard touchdown strike in stride, with Elijah Wray blocking the PAT. 

The Cougars found the end zone again on their next drive, which spanned the end of the first and start of the second quarters to take a 13-0 lead, and the wind. 

And although the wind was a factor, it didn't hinder CSP from taking shots in either direction, with Yeager coming up with another big drive in response, converting a 3rd-and-8 for a 10-yard run, a 3rd-and-7 drawing a pass interference deep down the left sideline to Ellison, and a 3rd-and-4 keeper for Yeager on a 5-yard run to the USF 23-yard line. 

The 14-play, 75-yard drive was converted to points on a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Hornacek to put CSP on the scoreboard, taking 8:29 off the clock with under six and a half minutes to play.

After the teams traded punts, Sioux Falls struck in the 2-minute offense with a short field, moving down the field efficiently on a 6-play, 59-yard drive for a short rushing touchdown and a 20-6 lead that the Cougars would carry into the break.

In the third quarter, Concordia got the wind back, and quickly used it to win the field position battle as Caden Carsen unleashed a 54-yard punt inside the USF 20-yard line, and a defensive stop that included sacks by Mike King, Marvin Stringfellow and Airion Bradley forced an 18-yard USF punt, giving Concordia the ball at the 30-yard line.

On the next play, Yeager found Ellison for the touchdown to make it a one-score game, 20-12, early in the third quarter. 

On Sioux Falls' ensuing drive, CSP picked up another sack, a 3rd-and-5 sack by Stringfellow to force a punt that had a friendly USF bounce for 44 yards to the CSP 33. Despite USF turning the field position back slightly in its favor, Yeager took off on the next play for a 27-yard run to the USF 40, and another 27-yard dash two plays later, this time by Hornacek, set CSP with 1st-and-goal from the USF 9-yard line. 

But Concordia would come up empty on downs from the 4-yard line on this possession.

Concordia's defense continued to be disruptive in the third quarter, as a hurry by Stringfellow and a pass breakup by Tez Jones forced another punt and USF 3-and-out, this one a 30-yard punt from the back of their end zone to the CSP 36. 

Yeager would again capitalize on the short field, rushing for nine yards to convert a 4th-and-8 with Joel Lacy breaking loose two plays later for a 23-yard touchdown run to cut the USF lead to 20-18 with under a minute to play in the third quarter. 

Lacy finished the day with nine carries for 45 yards and a touchdown and had four kickoffs including a touchback, adding two tackles on special teams on a busy day. He finishes his breakout season with 271 rushing yards and a team-best six touchdowns, averaging 5.9 per carry.

Concordia's defense had a dominant third quarter, allowing just three yards of offense on 13 USF plays, forcing USF to 0-3 on third downs, while CSP was 17-135 on offense and had a 12-0 scoring advantage in the frame. 

With CSP trailing by just two, the quarter, and the north wind, shifted back to USF, who picked up a 3rd-and-4 on the first play of the quarter on the ground. With CSP forcing a 4th-and-4 from the CSP 27, the Cougars come up with a 12-yard completion into the red zone, and scored on the next play for a 27-18 lead with 12:09 to play in the game.

The Cougar defense picked up a 3-and-out, forcing a 51-yard Carsen punt, and converted a 3rd-and-8 on the first series of the next possession, eventually going in for a 52-yard touchdown to put the game away, 34-18 with just over six minutes left. 

When the dust settled, although Concordia held a 210-157 advantage in the run game, it was Sioux Falls with a 227-71 margin in passing that carried the day. 

Tate Schafer completed 13-19 for 227 yards and two touchdowns, but took three sacks and was intercepted once. Bubba Tann III rushed 21 times for 96 yards and a touchdown and Jordan Smith was 4-75 rushing with a 52-yard TD run. 

Isaiah Wray had a busy day on the defensive front with a game-high 10 tackles, while Stringfellow added 1.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks among his five tackles, and both of King's tackles were TFLs including a sack. 

Carsen had a big day punting the ball, averaging 50.5 yards on four punts with a long of 66 with three of his four going 50-plus, two fair catches and one inside the 20 with only his fourth touchback of the season. Carsen finishes his first year as a punter with a 40.3 average while forcing 27 fair catches on 60 punts with 13 inside the 20 and eight of 50-plus yards. He'll now trade in his helmet for a baseball hat for the spring season on the diamond.