GAME NOTES:

• The Snow College football team will play host to No. 15 Lackawanna College Saturday in Ephraim. Kickoff for the top-15 showdown is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium.

 

• The Badgers are coming off a heartbreaking loss at the hands of the Army West Point Junior Varsity squad. Snow College suffered a 31-29 triple overtime defeat after the Black Knights returned a fumble 97 yards for a defensive PAT. It is the first time ever that a team has returned a defensive PAT against the Badgers.

 

• The Badgers' loss to the Black Knights marked a couple of rare occurrences for the team. It's the first time the Badgers have lost to a team not ranked in the NJCAA Division I Football Poll under head coach Zac Erekson. Snow College was 32-0 until Monday's game.

 

• The Badgers under Erekson were 24-0 when gaining 400 yards or more in a game until the loss to Army. Additionally, the Badgers suffered a loss when leading after three quarters. Snow College had won 38 of its previous 41 such games, with its most recent loss coming against Georgia Military College Oct. 26, 2024.

 

• Saturday's matchup against Lackawanna will be the final matchup between the two teams as members of the National Junior College Athletics Association. The Falcons will transition to NCAA Division II next season and join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

 

• The Badgers are 5-1 all-time against the Falcons and have played them in each of the past six seasons. After suffering a 17-6 loss in their first meeting, the Badgers have won five straight and have averaged 40.2 points per game during their five-game winning streak.

 

• The Falcons enter Saturday's game sporting the nation's 3^rd-best offense. Lackawanna has put up an average of 54.0 points per game over its first three contests of the season, including an 83-0 victory against Community Christian College-Detroit Sept. 13.

 

• Snow College is 23-4 at home and 19-6 when playing at night under Erekson. When playing inside Terry Foote Stadium under the lights, Erekson's record improves to 19-3 since 2020.

 

• The Badgers are 10-11 against ranked teams under Erekson, including their 26-12 loss against Tyler Junior College earlier this season. Their last victory against a ranked team came in a 21-14 win against No. 12 Butler Community College Sept. 28, 2024. The Badgers have lost each of their last three games against ranked teams.

 
LAST TIME OUT: 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.
 
ON THE SIDELINE: Zac Erekson returns for his sixth season at the helm for the Badgers. He is 41-10 all time as head coach for the team and has won nine games in each of the previous two seasons.
 
The Badgers have been ranked inside the top 15 every week during his five seasons and have won 10 games against ranked opponents under Erekson. Additionally, Erekson has not lost a game to an unranked opponent over his first five seasons, going a perfect 30-0 in such matchups.
 
Snow College went 5-1 in home games last year while sporting a 4-1 road record. Erekson is 23-3 all time within the friendly confines of Terry Foote Stadium. His teams have also amassed an impressive 18-4 mark in road games since 2020.
 
Three coaches from the 2024 staff will return to the program for the 2025 season, including Trever McFalls (Southern Utah University), who will serve as the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach in his fourth season with the program. Michael O'Neal (Norwich University) will serve as the defensive backs coach/special teams coordinator and JV head coach in his second season. Matt Beecher (Brigham Young University), also in his second season with the team, will serve as the running backs coach.
 
Erekson will welcome four new coaches to the staff, including Mark Wilson (Abilene Christian University), who will take over the defensive coordinator responsibilities. Michael Dixon (Doane University) will serve as the wide receivers coach, while Colby Hyder (Southern Virginia University) will coach the linebackers, and Stevie Tu'ikolovatu (University of Southern California) will serve as the defensive line coach.
 
UP NEXT: Snow College will play back-to-back home games for the first and only time this season as it takes on No. 2 Iowa Western Community College Next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. inside Terry Foote Stadium.
 
The Reivers are 2-1 to begin the 2025 season. They defeated Georgia Military College 39-20 to start the year before suffering a 30-27 loss to Hutchinson Community College. They are coming off a 31-7 win against Dodge City Community College last weekend and will meet with No. 10 Iowa Central Community College Saturday. The Badgers are just 1-7 all time against IWCC and have lost five in a row dating back to 2021. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.