MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin football team faced one of its biggest challenges of the 2024 campaign on Saturday against the 20th-ranked Spartans of Aurora. The Spartans won their 41st straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) game with a 42-14 victory. The Falcons are now 2-2 and 1-2 in the NACC.
Aurora opened the afternoon with an eight-play drive that resulted in a touchdown.
Later in the first quarter, junior TJ Mitchell (Tampa, Fla.) recovered a fumble that set the Falcons up on the 24-yard line. Sophomore Roman Funk (Scottsdale, Ariz.) then connected with sophomore Jacob Pugh (Atlanta, Ga.) for a nine-yard touchdown to tie the game.
The Spartans closed the first half on a 35-0 run.
Senior Gio Nowotarski (Reading, Pa.) had an interception in the second quarter to stop one of the Aurora drives.
On the second drive of the second half, the Falcons once again marched down the field. Roman Funk found freshman Kam'Ron Pierre (Canyon Country, Calif.) wide open in the left corner of the endzone for the second touchdown of the day.
The next Aurora drive was then finished with another interception, this time senior Justice Kaneta (Brighton, Colo.) took back the ball.
The Black and Blue coughed up the ball again on the next possession with a fumble that Kaneta recovered by after sophomore Duncan Ireland III (Eagle, Wis.) forced the ball free.
The Concordia defense held the Spartans scoreless in the second half.
Roman Funk threw for 136 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday. Junior Jason Leonard (Tampa, Fla.) was the top target with 46 yards on two catches.
Jacob Pugh rushed for 36 yards and Caleb Espinoza had 33 yards against Aurora on the ground.
Justice Kaneta stuffed the stat sheet on Saturday with seven tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and an interception for 21 yards. Senior Zac Ballard (Paramount, Calif.) also had seven tackles.
The Falcons look to return to the win column next week against Eureka on Homecoming.
