The Snow College football team earned its first win of the season Saturday in a 59-7 victory against the Utah Islanders in Herriman. The Badgers forced five turnovers to secure their first win of the 2025 season.
 
Snow College was one of the few teams across the college football landscape in action Saturday as the 2025 season began. The Badgers put their stamp on the opening weekend with a convincing victory against the Islanders.
 
The Badgers received the opening kickoff and picked up a first down and appeared to pick up another as redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Thow scrambled for 10 yards on third down, but the play was called back for holding forcing the Badgers to punt.
 
The Islanders first drive went nowhere, and the Badgers regained possession with under 10 minutes to play in the first quarter. A pair of rushes from Matt Wilson put the Badgers in Islander territory. Thow completed four of his next five passing attempts to put Snow College in the red zone.
 
Four straight rushing plays later, and it was Matt Wilson who found pay dirt from one yard out to record the first touchdown of the 2025 season. The point after attempt was good and the Badgers led 7-0.
 
Following another Islanders punt, Seth Rigtrup started the subsequent drive with a 19-yard rush. Wilson picked up another first down with his feet to end the first quarter. Thow then found CJ Rabb III for a 27-yard pitch and catch for a touchdown to give the Badgers a 14-0 lead.
 
The Islanders were able to record their first 1st down of the game early in the second quarter but were ultimately forced to punt the ball back to Snow College. The ball dropped into the arms of Jayden Robertson who retreated to secure the booming punt.
 
Robertson started the return down the Snow College sideline before cutting back to the middle of the field. He juked a would-be tackler and turned on the jets to return the ball 62 yards for the touchdown.
 
The Badgers forced their first of five turnovers on the night on the ensuing Islanders drive as Junior Kaufusi strip sacked Utah's quarterback. Brett King jumped on the loose ball and the Badgers had their best starting field possession of the night at the opponents 25-yard line.
 
It took just one play for the Badgers to score again as Thow found Stephon Sellers Jr. streaking down the seam for the score, giving the Badgers a 28-0 edge. The Islanders scored their lone tally of the game on their next possession on a 71-yard completion to bring the score to 28-7.
 
The Badgers were able to get the ball right back after being forced to punt. Dallin Sweat penetrated the Islanders line to force the running back to fumble. The ball popped up into the air and Salehe Koonooka-Williams grabbed it to give Snow College possession at the Utah 45.
 
The ensuing possession began with consecutive defensive pass interferences, setting the Badgers up inside the 15. It was Lamana Tapusoa who eventually punched it in from two yards out and the Badgers held a 35-7 lead heading into the halftime break.
 
The Islanders received the second-half kickoff but gave the ball back to the Badgers as Martin Alisandro made a diving catch for an interception. The Badgers couldn't capitalize on the turnover, but later in the third quarter forced and recovered a third fumble. It was once again recovered by Koonooka-Williams
 
This time the Badgers took advantage as Thow found Makel Paiva in the end zone from 12 yards out. They struck again to start the fourth quarter as Tapusoa scored his second rushing touchdown of the game to give the Badgers a 49-7 lead.
 
Once again, the Badgers' defense impacted the game as they recorded a safety on the subsequent Islanders' drive. Okusitino Sa got home to record the sack and the safety to put two more points on the board for Snow College.
 
The final score of the game came as Kolose Latu intercepted the Islanders and returned the ball 45 yards for the touchdown. The Badgers 2-point conversion was successful as Jace Welsch scampered across the goal line giving the Badgers the win, 59-7.
 
As a team, the Badgers gained 278 yards of total offense. The defense limited the Islanders to just 140 yards while recording six sacks, two interceptions, and recovering three fumbles.
 
In his first collegiate start, Thow completed 16 of 22 passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Rigtrup gained 58 ground yards on just eight attempts while Paiva caught seven passes for 62 yards and a touchdown.
 
The Badgers will now prepare to take on Highland Community College next Saturday in Kansas. The matchup will be the first game of the season for the Scotties. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. MDT at Kessinger Field in Highland, Kansas. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.