Week 1: Mideast League shows out in Crossover Week
The Mideast League secured bragging rights in Week 1, picking up four wins over their Midwest League rivals.
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Top Performers
Passing Rushing Receiving
Ethan Thanthanavong (DC)
17-21, 299 yds., 2 TDs Keagan La Belle (MAR)
28 att., 184 yds., 3 TD Isaac Smith (IWU)
10 rec., 111 yds.
Defense
John Harman (ONU)
8 tackles, 2 sacks Trey Sayers (USF-IL)
10 tackles, 1 INT Clarke Hamilton (SHU)
16 tackles, 1 TFL
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#6 Indiana Wesleyan 31, Saint Xavier 3
Saint Xavier would convert a 42-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive, but the No. 6 Wildcats would ultimately hold the Cougars to under 200 yards of total offense, as Indiana Wesleyan secured an MSFA Crossover win for the Mideast League, 31-3 over Saint Xavier.
The Wildcats (1-1) would not get on the scoreboard until the second quarter, when Josh Clifton tied the game with a 33-yard field goal, matching Saint Xavier’s Christian Casil for the 3-3 tie. Indiana Wesleyan wasn’t done, recording two more TD drives before the halftime break as Arjun Lothe connected with Simon Vinson for a seven-yard TD pass, and Ayden Ewing punched the ball into the end zone from one yard out for a 17-3 halftime lead.
Lothe and Ewing would add two more TDs in the second half, as Lothe found Grant Irwin for a 21-yard TD pass, and Ewing again scored from the 1-yard line to close out the win.
Lothe collected 295 yards and two TDs to lead the Wildcats, with Isaac Smith leading all receivers with 111 yards on 10 catches.
Defensively, Terry Elias, Jr. led Saint Xavier (0-1) with 14 tackles, and Vincie Solano made nine stops to anchor the Wildcat defense.
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#23 Marian 35, Lawrence Tech 21
With nearly 250 rushings yards on the night, No. 23 Marian controlled the tempo throughout the game to earn a 35-21 road win in the Knights’ season opener at Lawrence Tech.
Keagan La Belle led the way, scoring the first of his three rushing TDs to give Marian (1-0) the 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. Both teams would trade touchdown drives in the second quarter, with Ryan Schuster getting the Blue Devils on the board with a five-yard TD run.
Lawrence Tech (0-1) would pull even on the kickoff to open the second half, when Brandon Kedrow forced and recovered a fumble and returned the ball for the game-tying TD, 14-14.
The Knights would respond with three unanswered TDs, including two from La Belle to put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter. Lawrence Tech would get one score back, as Schuster found Logan Tackett for a late TD pass.
La Belle would finish with 184 yards and three TDs on 28 carries to lead the Knights. Schuster would pace the Blue Devils with 183 yards of total offense, with 126 through the air and 57 on the ground with two total TDs.
Cade Houseman registered eight tackles with one sack and a fumble recovery for Marian, while Brody Snyder led the Blue Devils with nine tackles.
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#24 Saint Francis (Ind.) 21, Siena Heights 20
A 20-point first quarter put the #24 Cougars on upset alert, as Siena Heights held a lead until late in the fourth quarter, but Saint Francis would force five takeaways to set up a second-half comeback, 21-20 over the Saints.
Siena Heights (0-1) struck immediately with a game-opening 92-yard kick return TD from D.J. Young. Later in the first quarter, Braylen Himmelein would cap a 71-yard drive with a TD run from the 1-yard line. Before the close of the opening period, Brevin Jackson would grab an interception, setting up a short field for Himmelein’s 17-yard TD pass to JaMarcus Barnes to put the Saints ahead 20-0.
The Cougars (1-1) would get on the board in the second quarter, taking advantage of a muffed punt to set up inside the Saints’ 10-yard line. Joshua Kulka connected with Crosley MacEachen for a three-yard score to make it a 20-7 halftime score.
After a scoreless third quarter, Saint Francis would take the lead with two long touchdown drives, first marching 83 yards resulting in a three-yard TD run from Kulka. With just over six minutes left to play, the Cougars would take the lead after a 78-yard march and Kulka finding the end zone again, from five yards out.
Siena Heights would get two late drives to look for the go-ahead score, but would be stopped on fourth down on the first possession, before Elijah Hunter closed out the win for Saint Francis with a late interception.
Kulka finished the day with 211 passing yards, completing 25 of 40 passes with one TD. Drew Wheat rushed 24 times for 108 yards, and Adjaye Dandridge caught four passes for 56 yards to lead the Cougar receivers.
Himmellein threw for 136 yards for the Saints, with one TD while rushing for another. Brendan Haisenleder collected 73 yards on 13 carries.
On the other side of the ball, Clarke Hamilton made a game-high 16 tackles for Siena Heights, while Jaydin Evans made 12 stops for the Cougars, and Nate Johnson posted eight tackles with a sack, three tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery for USF.
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Taylor 45, St. Francis (Ill.) 28
The Trojans would jump out to a big first-half lead behind six trips to the end zone before the halftime break, while St. Francis kept pace offensively but ultimately couldn’t keep up thanks in part to four lost fumbles, as Taylor picked up the MSFA Crossover win on the road, 45-28 over the Saints.
St. Francis (0-1) would strike first after Michael Hackerman’s interception on the second play from scrimmage gave the Saints a short field. Nathan Maul connected with Jake Friddle for a 17-yard TD pass to give the home team the early advantage. Taylor (1-1) would respond with three straight scoring drives in the first quarter, including a 76-yard TD drive lasting nearly six minutes and resulting in a 27-yard TD pass from Damon Hockett to Luke Etchison.
The Trojans continued to pull away in the second quarter, with three more scores including two that come off of takeaways. Nathan Parker’s 1-yard TD run in the closing seconds would give Taylor the 42-14 halftime lead.
In the fourth quarter the Saints would rally with two TD drives, but were unable to close the gap before the end of regulation.
Hockett would throw for 160 yards and two TDs to lead Taylor, while Parker rushed 20 times for 108 yards and three scores. Jack D’Arcy caught four passes for 92 yards and a TD.
Maul collected 284 yards through the air, completing 19 of 33 passes for the Saints, with three TDs. Ryan Little caught four passes for 93 yards, while Friddle tallied 85 yards and two TDs on five receptions.
Dawson Scally led the Trojan defense with eight tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, while Owen Frasure picked up two sacks in the win. Trey Sayers made ten tackles and grabbed an interception to lead St. Francis.
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Defiance 40, Judson 20
Judson quarterback Marcus Freeman would throw two TDs and rush for one more, but the Eagle defense were unable to slow the Yellow Jackets, as Defiance tallied 550 yards of total offense in a 40-20 home win.
Defiance (2-0) now has 40 points in both of their victories this season, as the Yellow Jackets earn their first official MSFA Crossover win over Judson. The Eagles (0-2) held an early lead in the first quarter, when Freeman connected with Grant Alexander for a five-yard TD pass that put the visitors ahead 13-10.
The Yellow Jackets would respond with 17 unanswered points in the second and third quarters, with Tristan Thomas’ 10-yard TD run giving Defiance the 27-13 lead following an 89-yard scoring drive. Freeman would find Alexander for another trip to the end zone early in the fourth quarter, but Defiance would secure the win with two late TDs from Ethan Thanthanavong, one on the ground and one in the air to Caleb Johnson.
Thanthanavong completed 17 of 21 passes for 299 yards to lead the Yellow Jackets, throwing two TDs in the win. Thomas would collect 169 yards on 27 rushes and two scores. Johnson tallied 103 receiving yards on just three catches, and two TDs.
For the Eagles, Freeman would lead the attack with 231 passing yards and three total TDs. Cassidy Whitaker caught a game-high nine passes for 107 yards.
Defensively, Tyshawn Woodson led Defiance with ten tackles and a tackle for loss, while Jermaine Bond made nine tackles and had a fumble recovery. Nick Curry led Judson with 14 tackles.
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Olivet Nazarene 46, Madonna 13
With over 500 yards of total offense, Olivet Nazarene posted over 45 points for the second game in a row, cruising to a 46-13 win over Madonna in the Tigers’ home opener.
The Tigers (2-0) would open with 33 unanswered points, with four TD drives and a fumble return for a touchdown before the end of the first half.
Madonna (0-1) would get on the board in the third quarter, when Nathan Patterson punched the ball in from two yards out. The Crusaders would pick up a second TD from Patterson through the air, when the Madonna quarterback found Nick Hayward for a fourth-quarter TD catch.
Christian Dhue-Reid would lead the Tigers with 170 passing yards and three TDs, going a perfect 7-for-7 on pass attempts. Kaleb Garner also had a perfect passing day, going 5-for-5 for 36 yards and a TD. Brandon Jackson led the ONU receivers with 90 yards and two TDs on two receptions.
On the other side of the ball, John Harman led Olivet Nazarene with eight tackles, including two sacks. Colin Tola finished with a game-high nine tackles for Madonna.
