Scott Gulledge / Scroll

Wolverines beat Knights in championship game

Megan Ransom RAN04008@BYUI.EDU sports asst. editor

Fans, cheerleaders, the marching band, Thor and a gorilla endured the cold Saturday night to watch the Wolverines beat the Knights with an 18-6 victory in the Athletics football championship game.

“It was a tough victory,” said Petey Wilson, a sophomore from Angola, Ind. and Wolverines’ coach. “Both teams really fought hard,” he said.

The Knights got off to a good start with a touchdown less than three minutes into the first quarter. Kenny Ludwig, a junior from Absarokee, Mont., rushed the ball for 31 yards to get the Knights into position for Ludwig to force the ball one yard for the touchdown.

The Wolverines did not answer the Knight’s touchdown until about 30 seconds before the half. Zac Johnson, a sophomore from Salem, Utah, picked up a fumbled ball around the 5-yard line and returned it for a 93 yard run. That put the Wolverines in an excellent position for Shawn Hutchings, a sophomore from Elk Grove, Calif., to run the ball in.

Though the Knights’s quarterback, Ludwig, was almost impossible to tackle throughout the game, the Knights were not able to score another touchdown.

Two other touchdowns were scored by the Wolverines during the second half. Jon Lammers, a sophomore from Pipestown, Minn., threw the ball to Johnson for a 14-yard pass for a touchdown. A similar 40-yard pass from Lammers to Johnson got the Wolverines down the field.

A key to the Wolverines’ offense was Kory Fleming, a freshman from Sugar City, Idaho. After sitting out the last two games because of a foot injury, he came back for the championship to score the final touchdown with a minute left in the game.

“The Wolverines are a tough team. This was an awesome way to end the season,” said Knights lineman Jared Ullrich, a sophomore from Arvada, Colo.”

“I wouldn’t have rather played any other team for the championship. It was just a matter of luck that we won,” Fleming said.

The Knights coach wasn’t too disappointed with the game.

“You can’t complain when you make it to the championship game. I don’t think anyone thought we’d make it this far after the first few games, with all our players getting injured, but we did. You just can’t be disappointed,” said Knight coach Jeff Spaulding, a senior from San Jose, Calif.

“Everyone played with a lot of heart. It was what a championship game should be,” said Wolverines lineman Tyson Harris, a sophomore from Sugar City, Idaho.