On Oct. 31, the Red Raiders took the road en route to Vermillion, South Dakota, focused and knowing they would need to show up and perform their best. Halloween festivities were the last thing on their mind, but they had a quite the treat of their own for the Briar Cliff Chargers.
Upon arrival you could see the determination on everyone’s faces, and for many others you could see how excited they were to showcase their skills inside the Dakota Dome. It was the first time many Red Raiders laced up their cleats in a closed stadium and they were prepared to make the best of it.
“We all had fun,” junior safety Miguel Alvarado said. “It was great. Us knowing exactly what we had been taught throughout the week definitely gave us an edge and helped us leave with a win. We were well-prepared and the score shows that. The game was fun due to a great team effort.”
In the 21-0 victory over the Chargers, leading the offense was junior quarterback Craig Bruinsma, who completed 14 of 28 passes for a total of 114 yards. Senior running back Jessie Riley had a day as he rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown in the first quarter.
Defensively, the effort was well-rounded. Nine different players totaled three tackles and six others shared a sack. Senior defensive backs Jesse Walnofer and Nathayn DeHoyos and sophomore defensive back Jerod Hansen each had an interception. DeHoyos’s interception was returned 61 yards for a touchdown which helped put the game out of reach for the Chargers.
Tomorrow at 1 p.m., the Northwestern Red Raiders will be in Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on Nebraska Wesleyan The Red Raiders have hopes to help escort the Nebraska Wesleyan out of the Great Athletic Plains Conference. Nebraska Wesleyan football will not be returning to the GPAC next season.
