The Pioneer football team of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville defeated the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers, in a battle of two nationally ranked teams, Oct. 18.

The 14th-ranked Pioneers took advantage of an unsteady 13th-ranked Pointer defense to take an early lead.

Freshman kicker, Pat Frio, completed a 19-yard field goal, opening further opportunities for the Pioneers to score.

Senior quarterback, Bryce Corrigan, successfully completed a pass to junior wide receiver, Mitch Munda, to score the game’s first touchdown.  The pioneers headed into the second quarter with a 10-0 lead.

The second quarter is when the Pioneer offense shined. Senior running back, Andy Puccini, totaled two touchdowns, giving the Pioneers a 24-0 lead at the end of the first half.

Despite the defensive efforts of the Pioneers, the Pointers made a powerful comeback in the third quarter scoring a touchdown off of an 11-yard pass, making the score 24-7.

The fourth quarter presented yet another opportunity for the Pointers to score as a completed 35-yard pass landed the ball in the end zone. The score to 24-13, UW-Stevens Point failed to make field goal.

After the downturn, the Pioneers gained momentum as Corrigan recorded a 68-yard final touchdown to junior wide receiver, Russell Martin.

The final score 31-13, Pioneers.

Martin garnered a total of 215 yards, which places him fourth in the most receiving yards completed during a single game in UW-Platteville history.

“This couldn’t have happened without the other ten guys out there,” Martin said. “But the game is over, and now it’s time to focus up on the next week.”

As for how the game went overall as a team, Martin credits a team-wide positive attitude.

“We played with a purpose. We came out together and with a lot of energy but need to maintain it throughout the game and not let up.”

Mike Emendorfer, head coach, feels especially proud to beat a team like UW-Stevens Point.

“Steven’s Point is a great team with a powerful program,” Emendorfer said. “To be able to beat them five times in a row now, makes the hunt for the conference championship even more real.”

As for the sights of Saturday’s game against the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Emendorfer maintains that it’s all about focusing on the team as a whole.

“Each opponent brings new challenges,” Emendorfer said. “This week we have to bus our players and stay in hotel rooms. Staying focused is the main goal this week.

In addition, Emendorfer anticipates the battle against UW-Stout to be a challenging one and is looking to focus practices leading up to the game to fix turnovers and fumbles.

The Pioneer football team will play against the UW-Stout Blue Devils at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25.

Photos by Shelby LeDuc