No. 13 Olivet Nazarene and No. 14 Indiana Wesleyan made statement wins, in a wild Week 7 across the MSFA.
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#14 INDIANA WESLEYAN 41, #6 MARIAN 7
Taking a big lead from the jump, No. 14 Indiana Wesleyan cruised to a 41-7 home win over No. 6 Marian to earn their second victory over an NAIA top-ten ranked opponent this season.
Posting 17 points in the first quarter, the Wildcats (4-1, 1-1 Mideast) capitalized on a pair of giveaways on Marian’s first two drives of the game. Two scoring drives from inside MU territory, followed by a 25-yard Ben VonGunten field goal put the Knights (4-2, 2-1 Mideast) in a hole early.
Indiana Wesleyan continued to put points on the board, with a 90-yard TD pass from Xander Stokes to Jacuqez Carter, and a 12-yard TD run from Payton Shoemaker before the end of the first half.
Stokes finished with 259 yards, completing 12 of 19 passes with two TDs in the win. Devodney Alford rushed 22 times for 128 yards and a pair of scores, while Carter tallied 137 yards and a TD on just three receptions.
Justin Johnson led the IWU defense with nine tackles along with an interception, as the Wildcats as a unit made six sacks in the win.
Zach Bundalo led the Knights with 240 passing yards and one TD on the day, completing 16 of 30 passes. Ben Stevens brought in Marian’s lone TD, finishing with 111 yards and five receptions. Sir’Zion Dance made ten tackles for the Knights.
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#13 OLIVET NAZARENE 45, #18 SAINT XAVIER 38
In a matchup that nearly saw 1,000 combined yards of total offense, No. 13 Olivet Nazarene’s Jalen Dunnigan led the Tigers to a shootout victory on the road, 45-38 at No. 18 Saint Xavier.
Dunnigan made just four catches on the day but made them count, going for 203 yards and three TDs. Trailing 14-7 early in the second quarter, Dunnigan brought in a Cameron Crouch pass, scoring from 62 yards out to even the score. The Cougars (3-2, 1-1 Midwest) reclaimed the lead on the next drive, with the second TD pass from Stuart Ross, who found Justin Pringle for a 21-14 advantage.
The Tigers (4-1, 2-0 Midwest) tied the game again just three plays later, with Dunnigan recording a 66-yard TD reception. Bryce DeGuira’s 44-yard field goal at the close of the first half gave ONU their first lead, 24-21.
Both sides traded touchdowns again to start the third quarter, with Dunnigan’s third TD catch of over 60 yards giving ONU a 38-28 lead. Stuart Ross scored a 23-yard TD run in the closing seconds to make it a one-possession game, but the Tigers recovered the onside kick to secure the win.
Crouch finished with 359 passing yards in the win, throwing four TDs and completing 13 of 17 passes. Lance Walker paced the ONU defense with 12 tackles.
Ross tallied 282 passing yards for the Cougars, going 25-for-36 with two TDs. Amari Venerable collected 98 rushing yards and a TD on 19 carries, while Pringle finished with 120 yards and a TD on eight receptions. Defensively, Tyler Barnette, Joey Markasovic, and Finn Brandon each made eight tackles for Saint Xavier.
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#5 CONCORDIA 20, SIENA HEIGHTS 10
Parker Graham’s 92-yard kick return TD to open the second half proved to be the difference, as No. 5 Concordia’s defense held Siena Heights scoreless after the break to earn a 20-10 home victory.
The Cardinals (4-0, 2-0 Mideast) built a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter following Keirell Jackson’s TD run that capped a 75-yard drive, but the Saints (2-3, 1-1 Mideast) responded with a TD drive of their own on the next possession, and a 42-yard Anthony Secchi field goal at the end of the half, sending both teams to the locker rooms in a 10-10 tie.
Graham then put the Cardinals right back on top, returning the following kickoff 92 yards and giving CUAA a 17-10 lead. Siena Heights lost two productive drives to turnovers in the second half, including one interception in the end zone, as Concordia’s defense secured the win.
Gavin Brooks finished with 197 yards on 19-for-31 passing, with Seeger DeGayner making four catches for a game-high 87 yards. Kevin Wierzbicki converted both field goal attempts, from 32 and 37 yards, while Hunter Maynard made 14 tackles with three sacks in the win.
Ryan Minor tallied 163 passing yards for the Saints, completing 19 of 23 passes with one TD. Kole Murlin collected 12 tackles with a forced fumble to lead the SHU defense.
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ROOSEVELT 34, MISSOURI BAPTIST 17
Ke’Von Johnson found the end zone three times, as Roosevelt rushed for nearly 300 yards in a 34-17 road victory at Missouri Baptist.
Johnson finished with 302 yards and three TDs in the win, averaging 9.2 yards per carry for the Lakers (2-3, 1-1 Midwest). A 47-yard TD run on the opening drive of the game put Roosevelt into the early lead, and a second-quarter TD pass from Jack Sheehan to Blaize Griffin gave the Lakers a 14-0 edge midway through the second quarter.
The Spartans (3-3, 0-2 Midwest) responded with a two-yard Darius Morrison TD run, capitalizing on a short field following the Lakers’ muffed punt. Sheehan would extend the RU advantage midway through the third quarter however, finding Chris Shannon for a 29-yard TD pass, and Johnson put the game away with a pair of TDs in the fourth quarter, including a 55-yard score in the closing minutes.
Josh Munn threw for 156 yards to lead the Spartan attack, completing 19 of 33 passes on the day. Morrison finished with 77 rushing yards and a TD on 12 carries, while Jaylen Cowley led the MBU defense with 12 tackles.
Ernest Potts made eight tackles to pace the Lakers, while Julian Bell had five stops, an interception, and a forced fumble in the win.
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JUDSON 34, ST. AMBROSE 28 (OT)
An 82-yard TD drive in the closing minutes of regulation allowed Judson to force overtime, before Aubrey Williams found the end zone to give the Eagles their first-ever Midwest League victory, 34-28 over St. Ambrose.
The Eagles (2-4, 1-1 Midwest) never led in regulation, as St. Ambrose built a 14-6 halftime lead behind a T’Nahleg Hall rushing TD and a 12-yard Tom Casey TD pass to DeViann Titus-Porter in the second quarter. The Bees (2-4, 1-1 Midwest) led by as much as 15 points after Hall broke free for a 59-yard TD early in the second half, putting the visitors ahead 21-6.
Three Judson scoring drives, all over 75 yards, allowed the Eagles to get back into the game, including the final drive, spanning 82 yards in 8 plays and just over two minutes. A two-point conversion from Williams to Brandon Mackey tied the game at 28-28 to force the extra session.
Williams’ 21-yard run in overtime set up a four-yard rushing TD, but the two-point attempt fell short, giving the Bees a chance to take the win with a touchdown of their own. Judson’s defense stepped up, allowing just a two-yard rush and forcing three incomplete passes to secure the win.
Williams finished 26-for-46, throwing for 344 yards and three TDs for Judson, while Brandon Mackey tallied 113 rushing yards and a TD on eight carries. O’Vauntay Vickers led the Eagle receivers with 115 yards and one TD on nine receptions. DeMarius Farmer made seven tackles to lead the JU defense.
Hall compiled 128 yards and two TDs on 22 carries for the Bees, as Casey tossed two TDs and collected 119 yards through the air. Bernard Buhake and Drew Ackman each had two sacks, as the SAU defensive unit got to the quarterback seven times throughout the game.
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SAINT FRANCIS (IND.) 68, MADONNA 0
A complete team performance got Saint Francis (Ind.) back into the win column, as the Cougars forced five turnovers and generated over 450 yards of total offense in a 68-0 victory over Madonna.
Running back Will Homan scored three TDs in the win, while Cameron Peterson found the end zone twice and Ja’Suan Lambert once, as the USF rushing attack led the way for the Cougars (2-2, 0-1 Mideast). Heath Simmons tallied 205 passing yards and a TD, while Luke Robertson came in to pitch in with 113 passing yards and another score.
Defensively, Nate Newcomer grabbed two interceptions in the win, while Ethan Theurer had three sacks on the day.
Jalen Crawford rushed for 59 yards and had a 58-yard kick return to lead the offense for Madonna (1-5, 0-2 Mideast). Quinshawn Clincy had a game-high seven tackles for the Crusaders, while Cole Gleason forced a fumble, and registered a sack and fumble recovery.
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LAWRENCE TECH 31, TAYLOR 3
The Lawrence Tech defense held Taylor to just 150 yards of total offense while winning the turnover battle by a plus-3 margin, as the Blue Devils continue their best start in program history with a sixth straight victory 31-3 over the Trojans.
The Blue Devils (6-0, 2-0 Mideast) got on the scoreboard with their first drive of the game, as quarterback Tyler Kulka broke free for a 39-yard TD run. Zane Shilts converted a 26-yard field goal for the Trojans (1-4, 0-2 Mideast), but a late turnover on downs from the Taylor offense allowed for a LTU touchdown just before the end of the half. Kulka found Ben Brittain in the end zone with eight seconds remaining, giving Lawrence Tech a 14-3 advantage at the break.
In the second half, the Blue Devils forced turnovers or got stops on fourth-down attempts on five of the next drive Taylor possessions, keeping the home team off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Kulka finished with 264 yards on 19-of-24 passing, with two TDs in the win. Tommy Lappin led the LTU defense with seven tackles and a forced fumble.
Brendan Lamb led the Taylor attack with 62 yards on 12 carries, while Aven Jones made a game-high 10 tackles.
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ST. FRANCIS (ILL.) 42, TRINITY INTERNATIONAL 21
Quarterback Sam Tumilty led St. Francis (Ill.) with four TDs on the day, as the Saints earned their second straight win, defeating Trinity International 42-21.
The Saints (2-2, 2-0 Midwest) opened with TD drives on four of their first five possessions, building a 28-7 lead near the end of the second quarter as Tumilty rushed for three of the team’s four first-half TDs . The Trojans (2-4, 0-2 Midwest) answered with an 84-yard TD drive in the closing seconds to cut the halftime deficit to 28-14.
A strong defensive effort from USF kept the Trojans from making a comeback, with another two trips to the end zone in the second half putting the game away.
Tumilty finished with 250 rushing yards on 23 carries to go with his three TDs, as well as 59 passing yards and one TD, completing 7 of 14 pass attempts on the day. Defensively, Angel Mata made six tackles for the Saints, while Oshikhai Ebikhu made five stops and three sacks.
Derrick Taylor went 22-for-33 for 194 passing yards and one TD for Trinity International, with Deon Cook bringing in seven receptions for 83 yards and a TD. Kemon Reese made a game-high 18 tackles for the Trojans, including three and a half tackles for loss and a half-sack.
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