#7 Marian 45, #25 Saint Xavier 0
The No. 7 Marian Knights took their third consecutive MSFA title, and their first outright crown since 2019, with a dominant performance at No. 25 Saint Xavier, holding the Cougars to under 200 yards of total offense in a 45-0 victory.
Leading 17-0 at the half, the Knights used a 21-point third quarter to put the game out of reach, with two passing TDs from Tristan Polk, as well as a pick-six from Darian Dixon.
Polk would finish the day with 153 passing yards and two scores, while Keagan La Belle rushed 24 times for 118 yards and one TD. Defensively, Case Houseman registered a team-high nine tackles for Marian, including two tackles for loss. Dixon, Jaxson Scruggs, and Logan Carrington all grabbed interceptions as the Knights defense collected four takeaways in the win.
For the Cougars, Chris Swayne led the defense with 15 tackles, including a sack. Terry Elias, Jr., picked up a sack along with nine tackles on the day.
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#11 Indiana Wesleyan 47, Siena Heights 16
No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan secured their fourth straight MSFA title, and their third outright championship, with a 47-16 road win over Siena Heights.
The Wildcats would open a low-scoring first quarter with a 21-yard Josh Clifton field goal, then take a 10-0 lead midway through the second when Moses Fullingim capped an 80-yard drive with a one-yard TD run. Both teams would combine for 17 points over the final three minutes of the first half, with a 38-yard field goal from Carter Ball closing the Siena Heights deficit to 17-10 at the break.
All three phases would put points on the board for the Wildcats in the third quarter, first with another Clifton field goal, then with Arjun Lothe finding Isaac Smith for a four-yard TD run, then with Da’Veon Turner’s pick six to put Indiana Wesleyan ahead 34-10 on their way to the title-clinching win.
Lothe finished with 269 yards and two TDs, completing 22 of 38 passes in the win. Fullingim finished with 128 yards on 31 carries and three TDs, while Smith caught five passes for 106 yards and a score.
Braylen Himmelein collected 211 yards and a TD through the air to lead the Saints, while Credell Prather finished with 144 yards and seven receptions.
Brock Thomason, Terry Sylvester, and Trey Speek led the Wildcat defense with five tackles apiece, while Brevin Jackson made ten stops for Siena Heights.
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#21 Saint Francis 63, Judson 20
No. 21 Saint Francis made their case for a postseason spot on Saturday, taking a dominant 63-20 home win over Judson.
The Cougars would score 35 unanswered to start the day, as Joshua Kulka recorded three passing TDs along with Azariah Wallace and Chris Mullen each finding paydirt before the halftime break.
Kulka would throw for 257 yards and three TDs in limited action, completing 17 of 23 passes in the win. Adjaye Dandridge caught three passes for 99 yards, while Crosley MacEachen had two TD catches.
Marcus Freeman would lead the Eagles through a second-half response, collecting 270 yards and a touchdown on 27-of-43 passing. Zach McGee caught seven passes for 194 yards and two scores.
On the other side of the ball, Avrian Gilbert led Judson with 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss. Jaydin Evans made five stops to lead the Cougar defense.
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Olivet Nazarene 38, St. Francis 20
The Tigers would force four turnovers on defense, taking the lead in the first quarter with a pair of touchdown drives and staying in front the rest of the way in a 38-20 senior day win over St. Francis (Ill.).
Kaleb Garner would run for one TD, then throw to Ray Coffey for another for the 14-0 first quarter lead. In the second, the Saints would get on the board with a pair of Adrian Guerrero field goals, but Garnder would find Japheth Lilo for another score as Olivet Nazarene took a 21-6 lead at the half.
After a third-quarter field goal from Josiah Johnson extended the Tigers lead, both sides would trade touchdown drives in the fourth quarter as Olivet Nazarene closed out the win.
Garner threw for 202 yards and three TDs in the win, completing 15 of 23 passes in the win. Aaron Bennett rushed nine times for 72 yards, and Lilo led the ONU receivers with 60 yards and two scores.
Carl Bew led the St. Francis attack, throwing for 196 yards and one TD while rushing 24 times for 99 yards and a score. Ryan Little caught six passes for 60 yards and a TD.
Defensively, the Saints were led by Rob Baranowski’s 13 tackles and three sacks, while Karsen Hansen contributed eight stops and one and a half sacks. Kennarius Chandler made nine tackles with one sack and three tackles for loss to lead the Tiger defense.
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Taylor 77, Madonna 35
Taylor scored a season-high 77 points – the third 70-point performance in the MSFA this season – as the Trojans closed out the season with a 77-35 road win at Madonna.
The host Crusaders opened with an early lead, with Keel Watson connecting with Aiden Napier for a 71-yard TD pass on the game’s opening drive. After an Alex Amburgy eight-yard TD run for Taylor, Watson would find the end zone again to give Madonna the 14-7 lead after the first quarter.
Taylor would take over from there, scoring 49 unanswered points to take a 56-14 lead early in the third quarter. Kwame Miller would score twice for Madonna in the second half, and Reese Pulliam returned a blocked punt for the Crusaders, but Taylor would close out their seventh win of the season.
Four different players would complete a pass for the Trojans, with Jake Halderman, Brandon Potter, and Brady Beall all throwing TD passes on the day. Ethan Albert rushed for 124 yards and two TDs on 13 carries, Nathan Parker collected 81 yards and two scores and Kyle Turanchick ran for 63 yards and two TDs in the Trojans’ rushing game. Jack D’Arcy collected three receptions for 47 yards and two scores.
Watson would throw for 212 yards and a TD, completing 20 of 40 passes on the day. Miller ran the ball 33 times for 182 yards and two scores for the Crusaders. Napier caught three passes for 82 yards and a TD.
On the other side of the ball, Luke Graft made a team-high seven tackles with an interception for Taylor, while Mitch Nguyen made nine stops with a sack for Madonna.
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Defiance 43, Lawrence Tech 34
Three straight touchdown drives on their first three possessions of the day would give Defiance an early lead, as the Yellow Jackets close out the season with their second win in a row, 43-34 at Lawrence Tech.
Jordan Southall would find Mar’Kel Wade for a 41-yard TD pass on the game’s opening drive, then after a pair of stops from the defense, Tristan Thomas would reach the end zone twice, including a 51-yard run as the Yellow Jackets opened a 21-0 lead.
A pair of Vincent Robison field goals, including one from 45 yards, would help close the gap for the Blue Devils, and two TD passes from Ryan Schuster late in the first half would make it a 28-20 Defiance lead at the break.
Schuster would add on a seven-yard TD run early in the third quarter to bring Lawrence Tech to within one, 28-27, but Myles Tackett would break free for a 86-yard TD run to reclaim an eight-point lead for Defiance on the next possession. Midway through the fourth quarter, Marshawn Taylor’s TD run would secure the win for the visitors.
Tackett finished with 125 yards and two scores on seven carries to lead the Defiance offense, while Thomas rushed 11 times for 97 yards and two TDs. Schuster would lead the Blue Devils with 264 passing yards and two TDs, with Santino Palazolo bringing in a game-high 113 yards on seven receptions.
Defensively, Christian Jackson made 11 tackles, including two sacks and three tackles for loss to lead Defiance, while Karter Schmitt made 11 stops with sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery for the Blue Devils.
