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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

IsaacLeppke9.14
Maureen Pasley, FLC Athletics
FLC junior Isaac Leppke caught two touchdowns during Saturday's game against Dixie State
23
Winner DSFB DSFB 1-1 , 1-1
14
Fort Lewis College FLC 1-1 , 1-1
Winner
DSFB DSFB
1-1 , 1-1
23
Final
14
Fort Lewis College FLC
1-1 , 1-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
DSFB DSFB 0 0 10 13 23
FLC Fort Lewis College 7 7 0 0 14

Game Recap: Football | | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Skyhawks fall 23-14 in tightly contested home opener against Dixie State

DURANGO, Colorado — The Fort Lewis football team toed the sidelines at Ray Dennison Memorial Field for the first time in 2019 on Saturday when it hosted a formidable Dixie State University team in Week Two of RMAC action.

Saturday's matinee would prove to be a tale of two halves for Fort Lewis as the Skyhawks blanked the visiting Trailblazers in the first half, but were unable to hold on to its 14-0 halftime lead as Dixie State rallied late to claim a 23-14 win.

"There's a lot of good things (from Saturday) and we're going to try to focus on those," said head football coach, Brandon Crosby. "We can be a very good football team and we're very close. Creating a culture and trying to get this team together and to fight for four quarters is always the hardest part. Lot of good things, lot of bad. We'll try to get it fixed for next week."

The good was evident for the Skyhawks (1-1 overall, 1-1 RMAC) as their defense swarmed the Trailblazers (1-1 overall, 1-1 RMAC) through the first 30 minutes, limiting DSU to just 126 yards of total offense in the first half while forcing four turnover on downs.

Junior linebacker Shawn Garcia, Jr. led FLC with 11 total tackles, while junior defensive end Lorenzo Tanner followed with eight tackles and a team-high 1.5 sacks.

Fort Lewis, which limited Dixie State to a mere 69 rush yards on 37 attempts (1.9 yards per carry) also forced two turnovers on Saturday.

The first was a highlight-worthy, one-handed interception from senior cornerback Ka'Lonn Milton in the third quarter. Fort Lewis also received a fumble recovery from senior cornerback Max Scott, forced by senior Tim Paogofie, with 2:56 remaining to keep the Skyhawks' hopes alive, trailing 16-14.

"I can't talk enough about the defense. They were so much fun to watch," Crosby said. "It really hurts me as an offensive guy that we can't support them right now and do the things that we need do to reward them."

The Fort Lewis offense started the afternoon on a high note, scoring twice in the first half on a pair of touchdown connections between redshirt junior quarterback Jake Lowry and junior University of Wyoming transfer, Isaac Leppke.

Lowry, who completed 17-of-34 passes for 212 yards for two touchdowns and one interception Saturday, found Leppke for a 41-yard touchdown with 1:27 remaining in the first quarter to get the game's scoring underway.

The duo connected again right before the end of the half on a 13-yard touchdown, capping a seven-play, 65-yard drive with 1:08 remaining.

Lowry would add 47 net yards with his legs on 11 rush attempts, while redshirt sophomore running back Jeff Hansen led all Skyhawks with 69 rush yards.

FLC senior wide receivers Arealous Hughes and Parker Strahler also produced strong performances Saturday as Hughes caught five passes for a team-high 62 yards and Strahler added a final line of seven catches for 57 yards.

Unfortunately for the Skyhawks, the offense struggled to gain traction in the second half and were often forced to play behind the chains due to 12 offensive penalties for 108 yards.

"We just kept kicking ourselves. It's hard to win football games when you're minus 100 yards on penalties," Crosby said. "I don't know the percentages, but it's probably pretty low."

Dixie State capitalized on its time of possession advantage, striking for a 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kody Wilstead to Dejaun Dantzler with 11:57 remaining in the third quarter.

The Trailblazers added a 23-yard field goal with 2:50 remaining to head into the fourth quarter trailing 14-10.

DSU took the lead with 4:21 remaining in the game on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Wilstead to Xavier Smith. Following two FLC turnovers, the Trailblazers then iced the game via a 72-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Conner Miller as the clock hit 1:00 left.

While the loss and missed opportunities were disappointing, Crosby said the Skyhawks are encouraged about the direction the team is heading as they turn their attention toward their Week 3 matchup against Chadron State College.

Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. Saturday at Ray Dennison Memorial Field.

"Moving forward, I think we're a really good football team," Crosby said. "I think we're a very, very competitive football team. I think we have a long way to go, and if we get everything cooking on all cylinders, we'll see what happens."
 
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