WAGNER — Wagner exorcised its Winner demons on Friday.

Quarterback Gannon Knebel had a hand in all five Wagner touchdowns, and the No. 4 Red Raiders defeated No. 1 Winner, 34-20, in a top-five Class 11B high school football game. 

“Unbeliavable,” Knebel said. “We haven’t beat Winner like at all, this is our first time. So it’s special.”

It is believed to be Wagner’s first time beating Winner, a South Dakota high school football powerhouse and last season’s Class 11B state champs. 

“It’s tough every time you play them,” Wagner coach Hunter Hewitt said. “They’re well coached and they have an awesome dynasty and legacy there. But an unbelievable feeling right now.”

Knebel, Wagner’s dual threat quarterback, powered the Red Raiders (2-0) in the win. He completed 11 of 18 passes for 173 yards and two touchdown passes, while rushing for 166 yards on 30 carries and three more scores. 

“The kid is unbelievable,” Hewitt said. “He’s a student of the game. He’s probably a better leader than he is a player. We are not the Wagner Red Raiders without Gannon Knebel. Because of the things he can do on the field and off the field.”

On the field, Knebel shined against the Warriors (1-1). Knebel accounted for 339 of Wagner’s 360 total yards, and tossed two touchdown passes to sophomore Cruise Koupal.

The last Knebel-to-Koupal connection sealed Wagner’s victory. Winner got within 26-20 on a Quincy Phillips to Carter McKenzie 33-yard TD strike, with 8:08 left in the game. 

Knebel engineered a drive into Winner’s territory, but faced a 4th and 6 at the Warriors’ 22-yard line with 1:49 left. After a timeout, Knebel tossed a 22-yard touchdown to Koupal in the front corner of the end zone. 

“A lot of trust in that kid,” Knebel said. “He had two touchdowns last week and he’s a playmaker. He’s 6-3. He’s a big dog. He went up and got it. That sealed the game for us. That was awesome.” 

During the timeout, Hewitt said there was no hesitation to go for it on fourth down. 

“We like to take chances,” Hewitt said. “We have the receivers and the quarterback to take chances every once in a while. We had some drops during the game that we didn’t think were super characteristic of our guys. But Cruise caught one when it counted.”

Wagner forced a turnover on downs, and celebrated the long-awaited victory over the Warriors. It was Winner’s first regular season defeat since Sept. 21, 2018, a 30-28 loss against Mount Vernon/Plankinton. 

“It’s a weight off your shoulders,” Hewitt added. “Anytime you go into a game against a giant, it can be tough. They are a perennial powerhouse. They are coached unbelievably well.”

The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter, with Knebel showing off his wheels on a 27-yard touchdown scamper at the 1:56 mark. The Warriors answered right back on a 65-yard touchdown burst by Seth Heath. 

Knebel punched in a short TD run at the 2:24 mark of the second quarter, and Winner evened the score (14-14) on a Phillips to Zac Olson TD pass as time expired in the first half. 

The Red Raiders pounced on a Winner fumble on the second-half kickoff, and Knebel tossed an 18-yard TD pass to Koupal on fourth down for a 20-14 lead. 

“It was a big momentum change,” Knebel said. “It was tied and we got that ball and we went down and scored. It was a big momentum change and we went and got it.”

Knebel’s short TD plunge made it 26-14 at the 10:06 mark of the fourth quarter. Koupal hauled in four catches for 64 yards, while Shea Kjeeldgaard (88 yards receiving) and Carlos Galindo (21 yards receiving) were also instrumental in the passing game. 

“Shea Kjeeldgaard and Carlos Galindo, I have been throwing to them since my freshman year, and we’ve got so much chemistry,” Knebel said. “We know what to do and they got it done.”

For Winner, Phillips finished 4-of-10 for 74 yards and Olson hauled in 92 yards receiving on four receptions. Heath totaled 66 yards rushing.  

The Warriors, who rely on running the football, finished with 137 yards on 29 carries. 

“When you play Winner you know they are going to run the ball,” Hewitt said. “It’s three yards and a cloud of dust. So we are putting all our marbles into stopping the run.”

But Hewitt stressed to his team it has bigger goals this season. 

“We didn’t want these kids thinking the dream of the year was beating Winner,” Hewitt said. “We want these guys to believe we want to play in the Dome, and Winner was a stop in front of us on the way there. A tip of the hat to them.”