BISMARCK, N.D. – A powerful running attack featuring Zach Graves and Adam Woroniecki rallied the University of Mary football team past the University of Minnesota Crookston 33-28 in Northern Sun football. The duo combined for 311 yards on the ground and four scores as the Marauders earned their first win of the season.
 
Graves, who ran for two scores and 149 yards on 21 carries, scored on the Marauders first play of the game when he sprinted 40 yards on a pass reception out of the backfield. Woroniecki gained 162 yards on 26 carries. He scored the winning touchdown on a 26 yard run with 3:00 left in the game.
 
The last pair of Marauders runners to reach the century mark in the same game was Josh Murray and Evan Gross at MSU Moorhead on Oct. 29, 2011. Murray ran for 216 yards and Gross added 107.
 
With the winds blowing out of the west at 30 miles per hour, the Marauders won the toss and chose to take the wind. The decision paid off as U-Mary held UMC on the first possession and took over at the visitor's 40 yard line. Caleb Buck dumped the ball to Graves and no one touched the junior from Rocklin, Calif. It was his first of three scores on the day.
 
Both defenses then took over before UMC tied the game on a 58 yard drive. Adam Connette caught a 7 yard scoring pass from Tra Hearns at 1:46 of the first.
 
Graves put the Marauders back in front with a 40 yard scoring burst at 3:29 of the second quarter. The run finished a 7-play 90-yard drive.
 
Playing with the wind, Minnesota Crookston drove the field to knot the game 14-14 at intermission as Constant Jackson scored the first of his two touchdowns. Hearns found Jackson from 25 yards out just 1:11 before intermission.
 
Jackson provided UMC its first lead of the game just 2:02 into the second half, hauling in a 31 yard touchdown pass from Hearns to start a high-scoring third quarter.
 
Fighting into the wind, the Marauders pulled even as Zach Podoll snared a 5-yard touchdown pass from Buck over the top of a Golden Eagle defender at 4:02 of the third to knot the game at 21-21. Out of 15 plays on the drive, 12 came on the ground.
 
A special teams mistake by the Marauders allowed the Golden Eagles to move back in front. Backed up to their own 14 and kicking into the wind, UMC busted through and defected the kick. Lincoln Tapp scooped up the ball and scampered 17 yards for the Minnesota Crookston score at 1:22 of the third for a 28-21 UMC advantage.
 
Graves then took over the game, carrying the ball on ten consecutive plays for U-Mary. Including a 41 yard burst by Graves, and assisted by a 6 yard personal foul called on UMC, Graves capped the 75 yard scoring drive by blasting 8 yards for the touchdown. The Marauders failed to pull even after missing the extra point attempt and trailed 28-27 with 11:13 left in the game.
 
Hoping to extend their lead, the Golden Eagles drove to the Marauders 21 yard line before hurries on three consecutive plays by Marauders defenders Anthony Eggleston, Brock Pittsley and Austin Bolton and a fourth-down pass breakup by Jacob Parker turned the ball over to U-Mary on downs.
 
After featuring Graves on the previous drive, the Marauders turned the ball over to Woroniecki. Following a Golden Eagles unsportsmanlike conduct penalty placing the ball on the U-Mary 36, the Marauders team captain carried five straight times behind the line of Nolan LaValley, Deon Paulson, Michael Ryan, Nick Benshetler and Peter Bopp. Including a 23 yard burst, Woroniecki hauled the ball to the UMC 26. With the game clock running down, Woroniecki busted up the middle for the winning score with 3:00 left in the contest.
 
Refusing to fade away, Hearns tossed 16 straight passes to move the Golden Eagles to the Marauders 24 before the clock ran out. 
 
 The Marauders ran for 323 yards and totaled 381 yards of offense. The rushing outburst is the second-highest total since U-Mary began NCAA play in 2006, only trailing the 364 yards piled up against MSU Moorhead in the Murray-Gross game on Oct. 29, 2011.
 
Buck threw just eight passes for U-Mary, completing five for 58 yards and two scores. Graves had two catches for 46 yards to lead the Marauders.
 
Austin Bolton led the U-Mary defense with 14 tackles, including ten solo stops. Seth Walton added 11 tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss. Parker and Landon Smith both broke up two passes.
 
Hearns completed 21-of-39 passes for 247 yards and three scores for UMC. Connette made six grabs for 83 yards and a score and Jackson scored twice on three catches for 64 yards. Dre Pearson ran for 70 yards on 16 carries.
 
The Marauders make their final road trip of the season next Saturday, Nov. 7, in the Battle for the Paddle, when U-Mary faces MSU Moorhead.
 
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