Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. – Augustana scored its only touchdown just three plays into Saturday's game at North Park, but added a pair of field goals later and held on for a 13-7 win at the Holmgren Athletics Complex. The Vikings from Rock Island improved to 3-6 on the year and 2-5 in the CCIW, while the Chicago Vikings dropped to 1-7 overall and 0-6 in the league.
 
After North Park won the toss and elected to receive, John Asquini (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) picked off a T.D. Conway pass on the first play from scrimmage, returning it seven yards and setting up Coach Steve Bell's squad at the North Park 20-yard line. It was the sophomore safety's team-high fourth interception of the season.
 
It took just two plays for the visitors to find pay dirt. Sophomore quarterback Luke Bleyer (Williamsville HS, Springfield, Ill.) connected with senior Andrew Garcia (West Leyden HS, Melrose Park, Ill.) for 19 yards and sophomore running back Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) took it in from a yard out on the next play. Jacob Stytz's (Minooka HS, Channahon, Ill.) 60th consecutive successful extra point attempt made it 7-0.
 
Each team missed a scoring opportunity later in the period. North Park drove from its own 18-yard line to the Augustana 26 before being stopped on downs. The Vikings responded with a 13-play, 63-yard march that came up empty when Stytz's 28-yard field goal attempt went wide right.
 
A Travon Aldridge (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) interception and 37-yard return set up Augustana's second score, a 35-yard Stytz field goal that made it 10-0 with 7:18 left in the half.
 
North Park responded quickly, going 80 yards in four plays for its only score of the game. Conway hit Devin Childress with a 35-yard completion before finding him again one play later for 38 yards and a touchdown. Childress, a first team All-CCIW pick a year ago, was seeing his first action of the season following an injury.
 
With 48 seconds left in the half, Augustana took over at its own 26 following a North Park punt. Bleyer led the Vikings on a 62-yard, six-play drive that culminated with another Stytz field goal—this one from 29 yards with two seconds left—that gave the visitors a 13-7 halftime lead. Bleyer completed three straight passes to three different receivers for 57 yards to start the drive.
 
Midway through the third period, it looked like Augustana would extend its lead. After a 27-yard Devin Haxby (Geneseo HS, Colona, Ill.) punt return, the Vikings drove to the North Park six-yard line before Pitra was dropped for a two-yard loss on fourth-and-one. The hosts answered with a 57-yard drive that reached Augustana's 35-yard line, but senior safety Frank Kalble (Hersey HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) picked off a Conway offering inside the 10 to end that threat.
 
The only other serious scoring opportunity for either team came when Stytz's 24-yard field goal attempt went wide left with 6:09 to play. Inside the two-minute mark, Bleyer completed third-down passes of six yards to sophomore Justin Pope (Whale Branch HS, Beaufort, S.C.) and 13 yards to Pitra. Each kept Augustana's final drive going and allowed the Vikings to eventually run out the clock.
 
Pitra churned out a tough 85 yards on 26 carries. Bleyer completed 21 of 32 passes for 276 yards and was intercepted once. Senior Danny Lattner (Fenwick HS, Riverside, Ill.) was Bleyer's top target, snaring six passes for 106 yards. Senior linebacker Jack Asquini (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) led the defense with 11 tackles, including a pair of sacks. Augustana limited its hosts to just 63 yards on 28 rushes and 10 completions in 28 pass attempts for 202 yards.
 
Bell's outfit returns to Lindberg Stadium on Saturday, November 5, hosting 12th-ranked Wheaton in a 1:00 p.m. contest. It will be Senior Day at Augustana and the game will wrap up the 2016 season.