The No. 7 Snow College football team suffered a 31-29 loss in triple overtime to the Army West Point junior varsity team Monday in New York. This is the first time the Badgers have lost consecutive games since 2018.
 
The Badgers entered the game following a tough loss to Tyler Junior College Sept. 4 in Ephraim. Snow College was outgained by more than 50 yards and committed three turnovers en route to suffering a 26-12 loss in its home opener.
 
The Badgers struck early to set the tone of the game. After receiving the opening kickoff, Snow College marched 91 yards down the field and consumed nearly seven minutes of the first quarter. Seth Rigtrup finished the drive with a 9-yard rush to give the Badgers the early 8-0 lead after they converted a 2-point conversion.
 
The Black Knights responded and scored a touchdown on the subsequent possession. They also went for two after the touchdown, but were unsuccessful, and the Badgers held an 8-6 lead.
 
Snow College kept the ground game going on its second possession. The Badgers rushed the ball seven out of eight plays and amassed 57 ground yards. A 31-yard rushing touchdown by Rigtrup capped the drive, and the Badgers extended their lead 16-6 after another successful 2-point conversion.
 
The second quarter went scoreless for both teams despite two long, extended drives for both sides. Army turned the ball over on downs following a 15-play, 70-yard drive that ended at the Badgers' 9-yard line. Snow College returned the favor with a 13-play, 53-yard drive, which also ended in a turnover on downs. The Badgers took the 16-6 lead into halftime.
 
Army trimmed the Snow College advantage to just three points on the opening drive of the second half. They didn't attempt one pass during the seven-play drive, but marched 70 yards down the field to score a touchdown. The successful point after brought the score to 16-13.
 
The Black Knights took advantage of a Badger turnover on downs and tied the game to start the fourth quarter. Their 33-yard field-goal attempt was true, and the score stood at 16 apiece.
 
The Badgers responded with an 85-yard drive, which used nearly six minutes of the fourth-quarter clock. Once again, it was Rigtrup who found the end zone, this time on an 11-yard pass from Jack Thow to give the Badgers a 23-16 lead.
 
Army took to the air for one of just six total passing attempts of the game to start their next drive. A 19-yard completion – their largest of the game – set the Black Knights up near midfield. A few plays later, they found the end zone on a 33-yard rush to tie the game at 23.
 
Snow College had just over two and a half minutes to put together a game-winning drive. A 23-yard pitch and catch from Thow to CJ Rabb III put the Badgers into Army territory. After a pair of rushes from Rigtrup gave them another first down, Snow College was then faced with a 4^th and 10 from the Black Knights 31-yard line.
 
Thow dropped back to pass but was flushed out of the pocket. As he scrambled to his right, with his eyes downfield and an Army pass rusher on his heels, he hurled a ball downfield while being tackled. Matt Wilson hauled in the 21-yard completion with just under 30 seconds to play to set up first-and-goal at the 10-yard line.
 
Disaster struck on the next play as the Badgers coughed up the football, which was recovered by the Black Knights and put a stop to the drive. Army took a knee and sent the game into overtime.
 
The Badgers got the ball to begin the first overtime. After picking up one first down, they were forced to kick a field goal, which was good, and they took a 26-23 lead. Army took over, needing a touchdown to win, but the Badgers' defense limited them to a field goal, sending the game into a second overtime.
 
The second overtime followed a similar path as the Black Knights kicked a field goal to begin the period. Snow College worked the ball down to the 1-yard line, but was unable to punch it in and settled for a field goal, leveling the game at 29 and forcing a third overtime.
 
In the third overtime period, each team is set up at the opponent's 3-yard line and is allowed one play to try and score, similar to a 2-point conversion attempt. Snow College got the honors to go first. The Badgers fumbled the handoff exchange, which was recovered by the Black Knights and returned 97 yards the other direction for the 2-point score and the win, 31-29.
 
The Badgers recorded 435 yards of total offense – their highest offensive total of the season – while outgaining the Black Knights by nearly 100 total yards. Conversely, Army compiled 322 rushing yards – the most rushing yards the Badgers have surrendered to an opponent since Eastern Arizona College ran for 372 yards in a 24-17 win over the Badgers Nov. 10, 2018.
 
Thow completed 21 of 32 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown. Rigtrup gained 121 ground yards on 25 attempts while Makel Paiva led the way through the air, catching seven passes for 90 yards.
 
The Badgers will now enter a stretch where they will play three of their next four games at home, beginning with No. 11 Lackawanna College Saturday, Sept. 27, in Ephraim. The Falcons are 2-0 to start the season following victories against Sussex County Community College and Community Christian College, Detroit. They will take on No. 8 Georgia Military College Saturday in Milledgeville, Georgia.
 
Kickoff against the Falcons is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.