Week 10: MU, IWU claim shares of league titles
by Greg Gorham, Sports Information Director, Mid-States Football Association
No. 7 Marian and No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan each claim at least a share of their respective league titles, with four more teams still in play for a championship before the final week of the regular season.
#7 Marian 62, Judson 0
No. 7 Marian became the first MSFA team to secure at least a share of the Midwest League title on Saturday, rolling to a 62-0 home shutout victory over Judson.
The Knights claimed their tenth MSFA championship in 19 years, after holding the Eagles to just 153 yards of total offense, including zero rushing yards on the day. Marian took the lead on the first play from scrimmage, when Tristan Polk connected with Jake Reichard for a 40-yard TD pass, and stayed in control the rest of the way.
All three phases would find the end zone for the Knights, as Samirion Ford returned a blocked punt for a score in the first quarter, and the defense returned two takeaways to the end zone in the second period. Darian Dixon returned a fumble 32 yards for a TD, followed by Curtis Foust’s 84-yard pick-six near the end of the first half.
Polk would finish with three TDs in limited time under center, completing five of seven pass attempts. Keagan La Belle reached the century mark again, with 109 yards and a TD on six carries.
On defense, Avrian Gilbert led Judson with eight tackles, while five different Knights would lead Marian with four stops apiece.
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#13 Indiana Wesleyan 49, Lawrence Tech 3
Out-gaining their opponents by nearly 400 yards on the day, No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan earned at least a share of their fourth straight MSFA title with a 49-3 home win over Lawrence Tech.
After forcing a stop on the game’s opening drive, the Wildcats would put points on the scoreboard with their first play from scrimmage as Cameron Morrison broke free for a 67-yard TD. Arjun Lothe would add two passing TDs in the second quarter, and Conner Woods returned a blocked punt to the end zone in the closing seconds of the first half to give Indiana Wesleyan a 28-0 lead at the break.
The Wildcats would add three more scoring drives in the second half to pull away, highlighted by a pair of rushing TDs from Moses Fullingim.
Lothe finished with 310 passing yards and two TDs, completing 15 of 25 passes in the win. Fullingim rushed for a game-high 117 yards and two scores on 14 carries, while Morrison rushed eight times for 103 yards and a score. Simon Vinson caught five passes to lead the Wildcat receivers with 146 yards and a TD.
On the other side of the ball, Karter Schmitt led the Blue Devils with 11 tackles on the day, while Brock Thomason finished with seven tackles and one and a half sacks for Indiana Wesleyan.
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Saint Xavier 21, #22 Olivet Nazarene 14
A touchdown late in the fourth quarter for No. 22 Olivet Nazarene would erase a 13-point deficit, but Saint Xavier would counter with a game-winning drive in the final minutes to take a 21-14 win at home and remain in the Midwest League title race.
After a scoreless first quarter that saw turnovers and missed field goals on both sides, the Cougars would break through with a 29-yard field goal from Christian Casillas to start the second period. On Saint Xavier’s next drive, Dominic D’Ambrosio found Ronnie Foster for a 28-yard TD pass, and another 33-yard field goal from Casillas would put Saint Xavier ahead 13-0 at the half.
Olivet Nazarene would respond with two scoring drives after the break, as Kaleb Garner threw a pair of seven-yard TD passes to Ray Coffey, allowing the Tigers to take a 14-13 lead with 4:49 left to play.
Held scoreless throughout the second half, the Cougars responded on their final possession, with D’Ambrosio finding Mario Price on 4th & 1 for a 49-yard TD pass. Carter Wynn would score the two-point conversion to give Saint Xavier the 21-14 lead.
The Tigers would have one last chance, advancing all the way to the SXU two-yard line before the clock hit zero.
D’Ambrosio threw for 188 yards and two scores in the win, with Price leading the Cougars with both 58 yards rushing and 74 yards receiving. Garner would complete 12 of 19 passes for the Tigers, finishing with 124 yards and two TDs. Aaron Bennett rushed 14 times for 77 yards for Olivet Nazarene.
Defensively, Vaisen Viloria made 11 tackles to lead the Tiger defense, while Terry Elias, Jr. finished with ten tackles, a half-sack, and an interception for the Cougars.
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Taylor 42, Siena Heights 28
The Taylor Trojans got themselves back into the Mideast League title conversation, scoring 28 points in the second half to earn a 42-28 home victory over previously unbeaten in Mideast play, Siena Heights.
After a slow start, both teams would trade touchdowns on four straight drives beginning late in the first quarter, with Braylen Himmelein finding Kendrick McBride for a six-yard TD pass. Kyle Turanchick would cap a 73-yard drive for Taylor with a TD run, but Haisenleder would throw his second TD pass of the day in response, to Quest Williams for a four-yard score and the Saints were back on top 14-7. Damon Hockett would tie the game just before the end of the first half with a 28-yard TD pass to Brady Beall for the Trojans.
Hockett would give Taylor their first lead of the day midway through the third quarter, with a 15-yard TD pass to Aidan Zimmer. The Saints would answer again, tying the game at 21-21 with an 83-yard scoring drive capped with Himmelein finding Tendaji Alexander for a seven-yard TD catch.
The Taylor defense would then take over, as the Trojans scored on three straight drives while recording back-to-back takeaways on the other side of the ball. Taylor would take a 28-21 lead with Nathan Parker’s first rushing TD of the day, before Maverick Brown gave the Trojans a short field with his interception on the Saints’ first play of the next drive. After another Parker TD, the Saints would be stopped on fourth down, allowing Taylor to put the game away with their sixth touchdown drive of the day.
Hockett finished the win with 194 passing yards, completing 10 of 14 attempts on the day, while Parker rushed 20 times for 95 yards and two scores. Two Trojans finished with over 100 yards receiving, as Jack D’Arcy picked up 128 on six catches, and Zimmer finishing with 100 yards and a TD on four receptions.
Himmelein collected 298 passing yards for Siena Heights, including three TDs, while Alexander made a game-high six catches for 93 yards and a score. Jaylen Flowers led the Saints’ rushing game with 74 yards on six carries.
Defensively, Jalen Edwards and Clarke Hamilton each earned ten tackles while Edwards recorded one and a half sacks. Reid Messer led Taylor with nine tackles.
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Saint Francis (Ind.) 35, St. Francis (Ill.) 17
A 28-point second quarter would be enough for Saint Francis (Ind.) to bring themselves just one win away from earning back-to-back League titles for the first time since 2013, as the Cougars earned a 42-24 road win over St. Francis (Ill.).
The Cougars would go up early, scoring on the game’s opening drive with the first of four Joshua Kulka TD passes. After a 22-yard field goal from Adrian Guerrero to put the Saints on the board, Saint Francis (Ind.) would reach the end zone four times in the second quarter, sandwiched around a 97-yard kick return touchdown from Carl Bew for St. Francis (Ill.), giving the Cougars a 35-10 lead at the half.
The scoring would slow in the second half, as Bew recorded his second TD of the day and Azariah Wallace earning his second rushing TD for the Cougars.
Kulka finished with 334 passing yards and four scores, completing 22 of 32 passes in the win. Wallace rushed 23 times for 101 yards and two TDs, while Bew led the Saints’ rushers with 83 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Colin McPeek caught four passes for 98 yards and two TDs to lead the Cougar receivers.
Defensively, Marquise Cross finished with 11 tackles and one tackle for loss to lead the Saint Francis (Ind.) unit, while Karsen Hansen made a game-high 14 tackles for the Saints.
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Defiance 56, Madonna 34
With four takeaways and two defensive scores to go along with over 400 yards of total offense, Defiance secured their first-ever Mideast League win on Saturday, 56-34 over Madonna.
The Crusaders opened with the first points of the day, as Kwame Miller scored the first of his four rushing TDs on the game’s opening drive. Defiance countered with a Tristan Thomas TD run, followed by Tyshawn Woodson’s 40-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
After Madonna scored again late in the first quarter, the Yellow Jackets extended their lead with a 43-yard pick-six from Jay Graves. Two more touchdown drives before the end of the half would give Defiance a 35-21 lead at the break.
Miller and Thomas would trade touchdowns in the third quarter, but two more scoring drives from Defiance in the fourth, including a 13-play, 93-yard march capped with Tevin Lewis-Joh’s TD run, would allow the Yellow Jackets to pull away for the win.
Miller would finish the day with 171 yards and four TDs on 22 carries to lead the Madonna offense, while Thomas collected 109 yards and three scores on 10 rushes.
Three Crusaders would finish with ten or more tackles on defense, including Nick Doran’s 12 stops and one tackle for loss. Colin Tola and Mitch Nguyen each posted ten tackles for Madonna. Christian Jackson and Huner Coltrain made seven tackles apiece to lead the Yellow Jackets, with Dominic Harris posting six stops, a sack and a half, as well as a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
