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Winona State University football coach Tom Sawyer treated his 100th victory much like every other during his outstanding career.
He shook a few more hands and was presented with a game ball, but it otherwise was business as usual for the veteran coach.
Sawyer reached the career milestone Saturday afternoon, his Warriors rolling to a 49-20 victory over Northern State in front of 1,536 fans at Maxwell Field at Alltel Stadium.
“I don’t care about my record. I don’t really put a lot of stock in that,” Sawyer said. “We’re 6-1 right now. That’s what I really care about.”
While Sawyer did his best to downplay the milestone, others praised the accomplishment.
Sawyer reached the 100-win mark in just 135 games and has led the Warriors to seven conference championships and four Division II playoff appearances in his first 11 seasons.
“It’s amazing how quickly he’s done it,” said Matt Entz, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. “You’re talking almost nine wins a season over that span. You really can’t do it any quicker than that.”
Said senior receiver Scott Peters: “He’s the one who came in here and turned the program around. It’s awesome what he’s done.
“To be part of his 100th win is an honor. It’s just been a privilege and honor to play for him.”
Coming off a come-from-behind, one-point win last week at Minnesota State-Moorhead, the Warriors (6-1, 5-0) controlled this one from start to finish in winning their fifth in a row.
Alex Wiese broke a 7-7 tie late in the first quarter, breaking loose on a 38-yard touchdown run. Tyrre Burks caught an 18-yard scoring pass from Drew Aber in the second quarter to give WSU a 21-7 lead at halftime.
The Warriors led by a point at Moorhead a week earlier but needed 20 points in the final eight minutes to pull out a 42-41 win.
“We came out flat last week against Moorhead, so we said this week we were going to get after them,” Peters said. “We did that.
“The defense played a good game and offensively we were clicking. All around, it was a great game.”
The Wolves (2-5, 2-3) scored on the opening drive of the second half to pull within 21-14 and then recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Northern State’s drive stalled after two false start penalties on third-and-short and were forced to punt.
WSU marched down the field on a 78-yard scoring drive and took a 28-14 lead on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Aber to Scott Sherman.
“We couldn’t slow them down,” Northern State coach Chris Boden said. “They’re just an outstanding offense.
“We came out and scored that first drive of the second half, got that onside kick and then shot ourselves in the foot. It just kind of snowballed negatively for us from that point.”
The Wolves pulled within 28-20 early in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors put together a 21-point quarter to seal the victory.
Aber and Peters hooked up on touchdown passes of 52 and 8 yards to build a 42-20 lead with 9:16 remaining.
Sophomore Darren Davis added a 5-yard touchdown run in the final minute for the Warriors, with freshman quarterback Amir Ross leading his first scoring drive.
“We knew we could overpower them today, so that was a big focus for us,” said Wiese, who rushed for 111 yards on 17 carries. “We wanted to be consistent and put some points on the board.”
WSU scored a season-high 49 points and had a season-best 537 yards on offense. The 49 points were nearly half of the 100 points Northern State had allowed in its first six games.
Aber completed 20 of 30 passes for 288 yards and four touchdowns. Peters caught six passes for 110 yards and Burks had seven receptions for 90 yards.
Defensively, the Warriors were far better than the shootout at Moorhead. They fought off a Northern State team that threw 58 times for 330 yards.
WSU was playing without starting linebackers Marcus LaBadie and Brent Yule, both of whom are injured.
“We had some lapses, but they’re not a bad team on offense,” safety Craig Martindale said. “I thought we played fairly well most of the game. We get some guys back and we’ll be fine.”
The win puts the Warriors in good shape in their quest for a conference title. They have a one-game lead over Mary (N.D.) and Wayne State (Neb.).
WSU hosts Bemidji State, last year’s NSIC champion, at 3:30 p.m. next Saturday. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Net North.
The Beavers (4-3, 3-2) beat the Warriors 28-7 last season on their way to their first league title.
“The conference championship trophy is sitting in Bemidji and we want it,” Sawyer said. “We want it back. I know all our kids are talking about right now is Bemidji State.”
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