Lawrence University

    APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University football team battled hard in the season finale Saturday, but Ripon College pulled away in the second half for a 55-34 Midwest Conference victory on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.
    Lawrence trailed 35-12 at the half, but the Vikings scored first in the second half and were driving for another score before Ripon's defense got an interception in its own end zone to thwart the comeback. The Red Hawks then scored the next two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away.
    Lawrence quarterback Aidan Williams posted his second consecutive 300-yard passing day as he went 33-of-44 for 349 yards and four touchdowns in the face of a relentless Ripon pass rush. Williams posted those numbers despite being sacked seven times.
    Senior Logan Olson had a career day in his final game for the Vikings as he caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Alex Lippert capped a fine season with seven catches for 95 yards, including a spectacular touchdown grab in the south end zone. Lippert finished the season with 68 catches, the second-highest season total in school history, for 975 yards and 12 touchdowns.
    Rookie receiver Brody Roberts also had a huge day as he caught seven passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. 
    Kolbe Gelvin led the Lawrence defense with nine tackles, and Donzel Andress added eight. Jacob Stanley and Carter Rivers had seven tackles apiece for Lawrence, and Joe Gardner recorded three pass breakups. 
    After Ripon took the early lead, the Vikings drove 52 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. Jackson Barbour had a key 19-yard catch, and Parker Wittmayer's 11-yard catch set up the Vikings at the Ripon seven-yard line. Two plays later, the Vikings used a little trickery and handed the ball to defensive lineman Zekhi Mills, who plowed in from a yard out for his for career rushing touchdown. 
    Ripon pushed the lead to 28-6 before Lawrence took advantage of a special teams mistake. Ben Blumenthal's punt hit one of Ripon's players, and Chris Lozano recovered at the Ripon 19-yard line. Lawrence scored three plays later on Lippert's circus catch in the end zone to trim the lead to 28-12. 
    Lawrence took the opening possession of the second half and drove 68 yards in eight plays for the score. A Ripon holding penalty kept the drive alive, and Williams then found Roberts for a 29-yard touchdown strike to cut the lead to 35-20. The Vikings' defense stopped Ripon and got the ball back immediately.
    Lawrence drove to the Ripon 20, but a tackle for loss and a sack made it third-and-long for the Vikings. Williams was intercepted in the end zone on the next play.
    Ripon then scored a pair of touchdowns in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the win. 
    Lawrence added a 14-yard scoring pass to Barbour and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Olson in the final four minutes to close the gap.
    With the win, Ripon retains possession of the Doehling-Heselton Memorial Trophy in the oldest college football rivalry in the state.