All three nationally-ranked teams, and perfect-in-the-Midwest St. Francis (Ill.) continue their winning ways in Week 10.
#5 INDIANA WESLEYAN 22, SIENA HEIGHTS 6
Siena Heights held No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan to just 220 yards of total offense, but the Wildcats capitalized on four turnovers to stay atop the Mideast League with a 22-6 road win over the Saints.
The Wildcats (7-1, 5-0 Mideast) scored ten points off turnovers in the win, including a TD pass from Xander Stokes to Perrion McClinton in the second quarter that put the visitors ahead 13-0. Ethan Collins connected on his third field goal of the day midway through the third to stretch the lead to 16, before the Saints (4-4, 3-2 Mideast) found the end zone on a 38-yard TD pass from Hayden Lehmann to Bobby Opalewski.
Dederrian Williams scored a rushing TD to start the fourth quarter, and the Wildcat defense kept the Saints from crossing midfield over their final three drives to secure the win.
Williams rushed for a game-high 88 yards on 29 carries to lead the IWU attack, while on defense Isaac Abeo made six tackles and recorded three and a half sacks in the win. Kole Murlin finished with a game-high 12 tackles to lead the Saints.
#11 SAINT XAVIER 52, JUDSON 6
Starting the game with a 95-yard kick return TD from Justin Pringle, No. 11 Saint Xavier was in control from start to finish on Saturday, winning on the road at Judson, 52-6.
The Cougars (7-2, 5-0 Midwest) tallied over 450 yards of total offense, and scored TDs in all three phases, with a pair of trips to the end zone in the first quarter to jump out to a 21-0 lead. Judson (1-7, 0-5 Midwest) scored their lone points in the second quarter, driving 63 yards and finishing with a four-yard TD pass from Christian Miller to O’Vauntay Vickers.
Saint Xavier added to their lead at the end of the first half, when Bruce Pendleton returned his interception 23 yards for the TD, and Peyton Benes added a 40-yard field goal in the closing seconds. Three more rushing TDs in the second half would allow the Cougars to pull away for the win.
Four rushing TDs from four different players for Saint Xavier, but Amari Venerable led the way, recording 100 yards on 11 carries. Kyle Quinn made seven catches for 87 yards and a TD. Vickers led the Eagles with 63 receiving yards and a TD on seven catches.
Defensively, Ron Carroll made seven tackles for the Cougars, while Noah Solis made eight stops with a forced fumble for the Eagles.
#15 ROOSEVELT 17, ST. AMBROSE 3
Despite holding No. 15 Roosevelt to just ten points on offense, St. Ambrose struggled to score as well, as the Laker defense held the Bees to a lone field goal, winning on the road 17-3.
Nearly scoreless through the first half, the Lakers (7-1, 4-1 Midwest) took a 3-0 lead into the break after Andrew Bucaro converted from 25 yards out. St. Ambrose (2-6, 2-3 Midwest) matched with a 25-yard field goal from Joe Namio in the third quarter to tie the game.
Near the end of the third, Roosevelt found the end zone for the first time, driving 51 yards and scoring on an eight-yard TD pass from Luke Wilson to Tiron Washington. Late in the fourth quarter, the Lakers secured the victory on Jalen Perkins’ 46-yard pick-six.
Tyler Tenner led the Lakers with a game-high 76 rushing yards on 19 carries. For the Bees, Yemi Ward finished with 52 receiving yards on three catches.
Zavier Barnes made 12 tackles for Roosevelt, as the team combined for seven sacks in the win. Rolando Sepulveda also tallied 12 stops for St. Ambrose, with two tackles for loss.
ST. FRANCIS (ILL.) 35, OLIVET NAZARENE 21
A one-possession game at the half, St. Francis (Ill.) would hold Olivet Nazarene to just one score in the second half to remain perfect in Midwest League play, defeating the Tigers 35-21.
The Saints (6-2, 5-0 Midwest) struck first, in the closing seconds of the first quarter, on a five-yard Keenan Hailey TD run. Olivet Nazarene (4-4, 3-2 Midwest) responded on their next drive, when Evan Leake broke free for a 41-yard scoring run.
Capitalizing on one of three interceptions grabbed by the Saints defense, St. Francis twice found the endd zone in the second quarter, with Sam Tumilty punching the ball in from the one, before finding De’Whon Gavin for a nine-yard TD pass. The Tigers answered with a 62-yard TD drive, with Brian Jenkins bringing in a five-yard TD pass from David Hutton in the final seconds of the first half, cutting the USF lead to 21-14 at the break.
Two more scores in the third quarter, both after fourth-down stops made by the St. Francis defense, allowed the Saints to pull away. The Tigers would score one more late in the game but would run out of time on the comeback attempt.
Haley rushed for a game-high 129 yards on 20 carries, scoring two TDs in the win. Tumilty completed 7 of 14 passes for 148 yards and two TDs, while rushing 25 times for 75 yards and a score.
Leake finished with 75 yards on nine rushing attempts for the Tigers, and Jenkins tallied 49 yards on four receptions and a TD to lead the ONU receivers.
On the other side of the ball, Scott Tumilty made a team-high eight tackles with an interception to lead the Saints, while Brayden Cook had 11 tackles and a forced fumble for the Tigers.
CONCORDIA 44, LAWRENCE TECH 21
Scoring 30 unanswered points and holding their opponents scoreless through the first half, Concordia cruised to a Homecoming victory, 44-21 over Lawrence Tech.
Brandon Stewart led the way for the Cardinals (3-5, 2-3 Mideast), scoring receiving and rushing TDs in the first quarter as Concordia jumped out to a 30-0 lead by the midpoint of the third quarter. Lawrence Tech (2-6, 1-4 Mideast) got on the board after a 65-yard TD run from C.J. Davidson.
The Cardinals put the game away with two more scoring drives, leading by as much as 44-7 before a pair of late Blue Devil TDs closed the gap.
Stewart finished with 149 yards and two TDs on 21 carries, as well as a 34-yard TD reception in the win. Jalen Smith completed 14 of 23 passes for 155 yards and a pair of TDs.
Tyler Kulka threw for 283 yards for Lawrence Tech, going 21-for-38 with a pair of TDs. Kendyl Williams caught six passes for a game-high 115 yards and a TD.
Liam Karry led the Concordia defense with seven tackles, while Ryan Crowley made nine stops to lead the Blue Devils.
SAINT FRANCIS (IND.) 44, TAYLOR 6
Saint Francis tallied nearly 500 yards of total offense, while Taylor struggled to keep pace, as five giveaways resulted in a 44-6 home victory for the Cougars.
The Cougars (4-4, 2-3 Mideast) took a 10-0 by the end of the first quarter after a 29-yard Jack James field goal, and a 50-yard pick-six from Brayden Payne. The USF offense found the end zone for the first time early in the second quarter, on Cameron Peterson’s four-yard TD run for a 17-point advantage.
Taylor (5-4, 3-2 Mideast) would get on the scoreboard before the end of the first half, as the offense drove 71 yards ending with a three-yard TD run from Dylan Scally. The Cougars responded with points just before the break, when Garrett Yoon found Marquis Johnson for a nine-yard TD.
The Trojans would be held scoreless through the second half, as Saint Francis pulled away with 27 unanswered points to close out the win.
Yoon finished with 292 yards and two TDs, completing 24 of 38 passes in his first collegiate start. Peterson rushed for 132 yards and two TDs on 21 carries. For the Trojans, Damon Hockett led the offense with 68 yards on 11 carries.
Nate Talheim made 10 tackles to lead the Cougars, while Aven Jones made 12 stops for Taylor.
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MISSOURI BAPTIST 24, TRINITY INTERNATIONAL 10
BOX SCORE | RECAPS: MBU | TIU
A pair of first-half TDs helped the home team to lead start-to-finish, as Missouri Baptist celebrated Senior Day with a 24-10 victory over Trinity International.
Opening the game with a nearly seven-minute drive, the Spartans (3-6, 1-4 Midwest) struck first on a three-yard rushing TD from Ronald Allen. Taking advantage of a short field in the second quarter, Missouri Baptist doubled their lead on the first of two TDs from Lionel Banks.
The Trojans (0-9, 0-5 Midwest) found their first points of the day just before the halftime break, on a 31-yard Cameron Outlaw field goal. Odaine Reed matched midway through the third quarter with a field goal of his own, from 38 yards out, and Banks’ second TD of the day in the fourth would secure the win for the Spartans.
Darrius Morrison rushed 13 times for a game-high 106 yards for Missouri Baptist, while Banks finished with 62 yards and a pair of TDs. For the Trojans, Liam Mickle completed 21 of 42 passes for 229 yards, with Cameron Jones making eight catches for 96 yards.
Joe King led the Spartan defense, making six tackles and bringing in two interceptions in the win. Jeremy Walton made 12 stops for the Trojans, along with a pair of sacks.
