RIPON, Wis. -- The Ripon College football program successfully defended home field this Saturday, Sept 20, against the visiting Grinnell College Pioneers. Running back Treston Dekker (Sheboygan, Wis., Sheboygan South HS) and wide receiver Ryan Clayborn (Evans, Ga., Greenbrier HS) would each record two touchdowns in the contest for the Red Hawks.

The Red Hawks opened the game focused, marching 70 yards down the field on their first drive to take a 7-0 lead behind Dekker's first touchdown of the day. Ripon's defense would immediately force a four and out, nearly scoring on the next drive, but a illegal motion penalty would force a field goal attempt, with the ball dinging off the upright to keep Ripon's lead at 7. The first half would continue on scoreless, and the Red Hawks would force a punt to open the second quarter. 

Quarterback Jack Berens (Wausau, Wis., Wausau West HS) would throw an interception from Ripon's 11 at the top of the second, with Grinnell finding the end zone after taking possession just 17 yards from the goal. Tied at 7-all, punter Carl Travis (Burlington, Wis., Kenosha Christian Life HS) would stick Grinnell at their own 2 yard line after a short drive to Grinnell's 42, with the Ripon defense forcing the visitors to punt from their own end zone. Ripon would literally jump on the opportunity, with Caleb Dickens (Tomahawk, Wis., Tomahawk HS) blocking the punt out of bounds to force a safety. 

Up 9-7 with six minutes to play in the half, Ripon would punt after an unsuccessful set of downs, and Grinnell would break loose on a run to take a 14-9 lead with three minutes to play in the second. Bouncing back from the earlier interception, Berens would throw his first touchdown of the day to Clayborn after a 2 minute long drive, putting the hosts up 16-14 as halftime began.

Berens and Clayborn would repeat the feat as the third quarter began, with another touchdown reception giving the Red Hawks a 23-14 lead. Ripon's defense would again hold the Pioneers to a four and out, with the Red Hawks marching back for Dekker's second touchdown of the game on the next drive. Another Berens interception would give Grinnell strong field position late in the third, with the Pioneers rushing for a touchdown, but stopped short on a 2-point conversion attempt, setting the score at 30-20 Ripon going into the final 15 minutes of action. 

The fourth quarter would be a scoreless affair, with the Red Hawks relying on Brady Immel (Winneconne, Wis., Winneconne HS) to direct-snap rush their way to the end of the game. Immel would come up big for Ripon as the final minutes went down, rushing for a first down on a 4th and 1 attempt to seal the game for the hosts. Berens would kneel down twice, and Ripon would claim the 30-20 win. 

On the defensive side for the game, defensive linemen Gavin Engh (DeKalb, Ill., DeKalb HS) and Diallo Dubois (Rockford, Ill., Jefferson HS) would lead the Red Hawks in tackles, recording 6 each, with Engh also recording a sack for a loss of 12 yards. 

The Red Hawks enter their bye week, coming back for the Oct 4 homecoming game against Lake Forest College. The Foresters stand at 0-3 this sesaon, coming off a 6-49 loss to Monmouth.