St. Bonifacius, Minn. — Highlighted by a thrilling 39-yard pick-six from Kyjuan Simmons and a second-half touchdown strike from Rudy Gonzales to Jakhari Jones, the Crown College football team battled wire-to-wire on Saturday afternoon, ultimately falling 30-14 to Upper Midwest Athletic Conference foe Westminster College (MO) at Old National Bank Stadium.
The Polars opened the contest with great energy, driving deep into Blue Jay territory on their initial possession behind a 16-yard scramble from Zach Brown and a 10-yard burst by Juymill Lewis. While Westminster managed to get on the board first late in the opening quarter on a short rushing touchdown, Crown's defensive unit delivered the game's biggest momentum swing late in the first half. With Westminster looking to extend its lead, Keivon Davis generated immediate pressure and deflected a pass right into the waiting arms of Simmons, who snatched the interception and raced 39 yards untouched to the end zone. Following a successful extra point by Zach Roe, the Polars leveled the score at 7-7 before Westminster answered with a goal-line plunge on fourth down just before halftime to take a 14-7 lead into the locker room.
Westminster extended its cushion in the third quarter with a long touchdown run, a safety, and a short touchdown pass to build a 30-7 advantage, but the Polars continued to fight. Late in the third quarter, Crown's passing attack came alive with a swift six-play, 76-yard touchdown drive. Gonzales engineered the possession, hitting Isaiah Legate for 17 yards, connecting with Teegan Bartok on a 37-yard strike, and finding Lewis for an 11-yard gain. Gonzales finished off the drive with a sharp 10-yard touchdown pass to Jones, cutting the deficit to 30-14.
Crown's defense maintained its high-energy play into the fourth quarter, highlighted by a strip-sack from Tel Frisinger that was promptly recovered by Caleb Watton. Linebacker Brian Amune Jr. anchored the unit with a game-high 13 total tackles, while Xavier Bueno followed closely with 12 stops. Eddie Hallowanger tallied eight tackles and a pass breakup, and Chabon Tovar racked up eight tackles and a sack. Travis Moore added a 10-yard sack, and Davis recorded a tackle for an 18-yard loss on a broken play. On special teams, Reichen Hoekstra booted seven punts for 258 yards with a long of 47 yards, while Roe went a perfect 2-for-2 on extra points.
Crown (2-3, 1-1 UMAC) will look to bounce back next Saturday, October 17, when the Polars travel to Greenville, Illinois, to face Greenville University in another UMAC clash. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM at Francis Field.
