Box Score

WAUKESHA, Wis. – Quarterback Colton Bahling guided Carroll on a 75-yard drive in the final five minutes Saturday, finishing it off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Parke Zitzke that lifted the Pioneers to a 28-25 win over Augustana at Schneider Stadium. The contest was the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin opener for both teams as Carroll moved to 1-1 overall and the Vikings fell to 0-3.
 
Augustana had taken a 25-21 lead with 4:59 remaining when junior quarterback Luke Bleyer (Williamsville HS, Springfield, Ill.) hit sophomore Ethan Jennings (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) with a 55-yard scoring strike. Off a play fake, Bleyer lofted a throw toward Jennings, who outfought a Pioneer defender for the ball and raced the final 20 yards for the score. Senior Jacob Stytz (Minooka HS, Channahon, Ill.) added his 67th consecutive successful point after try.
 
Bahling brought his team right back, however, as Carroll overcame a 15-yard sideline infraction and a 10-yard holding penalty to march 75 yards for the winning touchdown. The biggest play came when Bahling found Brandon Ehrke behind the Viking defense for 43 yards to the Augustana 15-yard line. Two plays later, he connected with Zitzke in the left corner of the end zone with 49 seconds left. Griffin Idelman added the extra point. The Vikings got to their own 40 on the ensuing drive before running out of time.
 
After two empty possessions for each team, the Pioneers took a 7-0 lead with 5:40 left in the first quarter on a 53-yard Bahling-to-Ehrke touchdown pass.
 
A career-long 52-yard field goal by Stytz cut the deficit to 7-3 after one period and he added another from 31 yards on the first possession of the second quarter to make it 7-6. Stytz capped Augustana's next drive with a 23-yarder and the Vikings led  9-7 with 8:49 left in the half.
 
Bahling's eight-yard touchdown run capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive as Carroll retook the lead 14-9 with 4:58 before halftime. On Augustana's next possession, starting quarterback Zachary Fuller (St. Patrick HS, Glen Ellyn, Ill.) went out with an injury. Bleyer came on an led the Vikings to the Pioneer three-yard line with eight seconds left, but his fourth-down pass fell incomplete and Augustana came away empty.
 
Stytz tied Barry Reade's school single-game record with his fourth field goal—a 45-yarder—on the opening drive of the second half. On the Vikings' next possession, junior Ryan Pitra (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) scored from a yard out as Augustana regained the lead. The two-point conversion attempt failed and Coach Steve Bell's club led 18-14 with 3:17 left in the third.
 
Carroll went back up 21-18 on a nine-yard touchdown run by J.J. Keels midway through the fourth quarter, setting the stage for the final two scoring drives.
 
Bleyer finished 12 of 19 for 150 yards and a touchdown in a little more than two quarters of action. Fuller was eight of 14 for 88 yards before leaving. Pitra led the ground game with 91 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Sophomore Tom Dolis (Notre Dame HS, Chicago, Ill.) and senior Riley Donald (Morton HS, Morton, Ill.) each had five receptions for 50 and 45 yards, respectively.
 
Bahling completed 17 of 27 passes for 261 yards with no interceptions and two touchdowns. He ran for 86 yards and another score on 15 carries. Zitzke had eight receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.
 
Augustana will play its 2017 home opener on Saturday, September 23, hosting Carthage in a 6:00 p.m. Family Weekend contest at Lindberg Stadium.