Football

Lawrence University football player Darvis PridGeon is among 31 finalists for the National Football

Foundation High School National Scholar-Athlete Awards.

PridGeon (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso East), a freshman defensive back, was one of six nominees from the Midwest Region. The award will honor one young man from each of the country’s five regions as the best and brightest for their accomplishments as athletes, scholars and citizens at the high school level.

The winners will be announced the week of Oct. 4.

PridGeon, who is a starting cornerback for the Vikings, was the valedictorian of his class at Proviso East High School. Named the Scholar Athlete of the Year by both the Chicago Tribune and Pioneer Press, PridGeon won the NFF Foundation Chicago Metro Scholar Athlete Award.

A member of the National Honor Society, PridGeon won the West Suburban Conference All-Academic Award and was named an Illinois State Scholar.

PridGeon and his Lawrence football teammates return to action Saturday when the Vikings travel to St. Norbert College.

The Lawrence University football team travels to St. Norbert College on Saturday to take on the Green Knights in the inaugural season at Schneider Stadium.

Lawrence looks to bounce back after dropping a tough 30-25 decision to Monmouth College last Saturday. The Green Knights are coming off a 49-0 drubbing of Knox College.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Game preview

The Monmouth College football team pulled ahead with a big third quarter and then hung on for a 30-25 Midwest Conference victory over Lawrence University on Saturday in the Banta Bowl.

Monmouth (1-2, 1-1 MWC) scored 24 points in the third quarter but then had to stop Lawrence’s final drive to secure the victory.

Monmouth’s attack was led by running back Nick Law, who carried 24 times for 140 yards and a touchdown. Scots quarterback Brik Wedekind, filling in for injured All-American Alex Tanney, was 11 of 23 for 136 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Lawrence quarterback Tyler Mazur was 13 of 25 for 189 yards and two touchdowns, but he threw four interceptions. Mazur also ran seven times for 96 yards and a touchdown. Luke Barthelmess came on in relief of Mazur and was 8 of 14 for 74 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Lawrence (1-2, 1-1) got on the board first on Mazur’s spectacular 80-yard touchdown run with 8:46 left in the second quarter. Monmouth tied the score at 6-6 on when Wedekind connected with Mike Ridgway on a 3-yard scoring pass with 3:41 left in the first half.

The Vikings then scored twice in the final 2:28 of the first half. Sam Wagner, who caught six passes for 134 yards, grabbed a 50-yard touchdown pass from Mazur to put the Vikings up 13-6 with 2:28 left.

Wedekind was then intercepted by Jeff Nichols, who returned the ball to the Monmouth 48 with 1:50 left in the half. Mazur hit Wagner with a 32-yard pass on the next play, and then connected with Mason Garcia for 11 yards to the Monmouth 5.

Two plays later, Jeremiah Johnson made a nice catch, scooping the ball off the turf, for a 2-yard touchdown grab with eight seconds left to give Lawrence a 19-6 lead at the break.

Monmouth came out strong in the second half and took the kickoff 69 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Law ran it in from 20 yards out to cut the lead to 19-13.

On the ensuring series, Mazur was intercepted by Adam Hoste, who ran it back 53 yards for a touchdown to give Monmouth a 20-19 lead. Just two plays later, Mazur was intercepted again by Hoste, who returned the ball 29 yards to the Lawrence 15.

The Lawrence defense stiffened, and the Scots had to settle for Matt Batton’s 27-yard field goal for a 23-19 lead. On the next play from scrimmage, Shane Reschke intercepted Mazur at the Monmouth 33-yard line.

The Scots moved 67 yards in eight plays, with Wedekind scoring from 12 yards out, to take a 30-19 lead with 2:48 left in the third quarter.

The Vikings sliced into that lead as Barthelmess led the scoring drive. The Vikings moved 58 yards in six plays for the score. Barthelmess hit Nick Thackston with a 19-yard scoring pass with 4:31 left that trimmed the lead to 30-25.

The Lawrence defense forced a Monmouth punt, but Lawrence was pinned at its own 10-yard line. Nathan VanMetre sacked Barthelmess on fourth down from the Lawrence 16 to stop the final drive. The Scots were then able to run out the clock.

Lawrence returns to action next Saturday when it travels to St. Norbert College.

Box score

The Lawrence University football team faces a tall task on Saturday in the Banta Bowl when the Vikings host defending Midwest Conference champion Monmouth College. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Game preview

The Lawrence University football team hit on several big plays on offense and defense and rolled to a 33-12 Midwest Conference victory over Knox College on Saturday in the Banta Bowl.

Lawrence (1-1, 1-0 MWC) also shut the Prairie Fire (0-2, 0-1) out in the second half on its way to winning its home and conference opener for the first time since 2004. The Lawrence defense also picked up a pair of safeties.

The Vikings didn’t waste any time in opening the scoring. Freshman running back Shawn Martin took the handoff on the first play from scrimmage and blasted 64 yards for his first career touchdown and a 6-0 lead just 18 seconds into the game.

The Lawrence defense then struck for a score of its own just 1:12 later. Knox quarterback Bill Meyer fumbled and the ball was scooped up by Robbie Ulloa at the Lawrence 34-yard line. He raced 66 yards for the score and the Vikings led 13-0 at the 13:30 mark of the first quarter. Ulloa had a game-high eight tackles, including 2.5 for loss, 2.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.

Knox cut the lead in half when Meyer connected with Clarke Cuthbert on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 12:12 left in the second quarter. That capped a seven-play, 80-yard drive.

Lawrence got its first safety of the game on Knox’s next possession. With the Prairie Fire facing a second-and-17 at the Knox 10, Meyer fumbled and the rolled into the end zone. Meyer kicked the ball out of the end zone for the safety and a 15-6 Lawrence lead.

The Prairie Fire trimmed that lead to 15-12 with a Meyer to Cuthbert scoring pass with 37 seconds left in the second quarter. Cuthbert finished with five catches for 123 yards.

Lawrence took command early in the fourth quarter. After a Kyle Gauthier pooch punt backed Knox up to its own 2-yard line, Antonio Melara burst through the line and tackled Luke Northam in the end zone for another safety.

After the ensuing free kick, Lawrence took over at its own 48-yard line. Quarterback Tyler Mazur burst through the left side of the line on the next play and went 52 yards for the score and a 24-12 Lawrence lead with 12:50 left in the game.

Lawrence put the game away when Mazur hit Mason Garcia with a 13-yard scoring pass with 3:06 left. Garcia’s first career touchdown capped an eight-play, 69-yard drive.

The Vikings added Cody Robel’s 20-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining.

Lawrence returns to action next Saturday in the Banta Bowl when it hosts defending conference champion Monmouth College.

Box score

Lawrence University freshman football player Sam Wagner has been named to the D3football.com Team of the Week.

Wagner (Salem, Wis./Burlington Catholic Central) was chosen for the team after a historic kickoff return in Lawrence’s 31-24 loss at the College of St. Scholastica on Sept. 4. Wagner, a starting slotback, returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown.

Wagner is the first freshman in 107 seasons of Lawrence football to return a kickoff for a touchdown the first time he touched a ball in a collegiate game.

Wagner, who was chosen as the Midwest Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, also caught a 21-yard touchdown pass and finished the contest with six catches for 69 yards.

This marks the second consecutive week that Lawrence had a player chosen for the D3football.com Team of the Week. Linebacker Brian Janssen was chosen in the final week of the 2009 season. Defensive end Matt Frelich also was chosen was for the Team of the Week during the 2009 season.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Knox College in the Banta Bowl at 1 p.m.