Football to host No. 1/1 Mines for senior day and 2023 finale

11/10/2023 1:40:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

DURANGO, Colo. – Fort Lewis College football (0-10, 0-8 RMAC) is set to honor its nine graduating seniors on Saturday, Nov. 11, before taking on first-ranked and undefeated Colorado School of Mines (10-0, 8-0 RMAC) in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season finale at noon on Ray Dennison Memorial Field.

Thank You, Seniors
This Saturday, the following nine seniors will play in their final games for the Skyhawks: Drake Cortez, Will Eoff, Braden Wingle, Peyton Monson, Koloa Heather, Clayton Simpson, Tristen Williams, Brayden Miller, and Julio Romo.

Last Time Out
Western Colorado University (9-1, 7-1 RMAC), coming off its first loss of the season, handled the Skyhawks on the road in Gunnison as the Mountaineers celebrated their senior day. Boasting the 15th overall defense in Division II, the Mountaineers lived up to the hype as WCU limited FLC to only 66 yards of rushing and 119 yards through the air. Western Colorado rolled out 770 yards of total offense led by a pair of two-score performances from quarterback Drew Nash who threw for 244 yards on 13 completions and running back Braeden Hogan who ran off with 137 yards on six carries.

Lasting Legacy
Wingle has been a consistent leader for the Skyhawks under center all season, and he's still climbing the ranks in the program's record book. Wingle has racked up 2,036 yards this season – the sixth most in the conference – bringing his career total to 3,484 and placing him ninth in all-time career passing yards donning the blue and gold. Additionally, Wingle trails Ron Trujillo's (1972-74, '76) eighth-all-time mark of 3,583 by only 99 yards.

Scouting the No. 1 Orediggers
Mines, the national runners-up in 2022, has been on the hunt to flip the script of last year's Division II National Championship game all season and the results are nothing short of dominant. Not only do the Orediggers own the 2nd-ranked offense and 10th-ranked defense in the country, but they have Division II's all-time touchdown leader – who is just one score shy of tying Case Keenum's (Houston) and Blaine Hawkins (Central Iowa) college football all-divisions touchdown record of 178 – in quarterback John Matocha. Lined up outside, receiver Max McLeod has racked up 1,125 yards and 13 touchdowns on 76 catches while running back Noah Roper has added another 587 yards and 12 touchdowns on 107 carries.

End of the Line
Saturday's game marks the final of the 2023 season for the Skyhawks. Fort Lewis will advance to the offseason and look to prepare for its National Signing Days and 2024 spring camp. With conference awards yet to be announced be sure to stay up to date on all of the latest news on www.goskyhawks.com.

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