Week 2: Madonna nets first on-field win in program history

No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan had a high-scoring win to put their name in the record books, while Madonna picked up the first on-field victory in the program’s young history in Week 2 across the MSFA.

Top Performers

Matching their program record, No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan became the sixth Mideast League team to reach 79 points in a game on Saturday, as the Wildcats cruised to a 79-21 win over Judson.

The Wildcats tied the Mideast League record for points in a half, building a 58-7 lead at the break behind four passing TDs from Arjun Lothe, one of two kick return TDs from Drew Dutton on the day, and a fumble return TD from Anthony Cheeseborough.

Brock Short and Cameron Morrison would both reach the end zone twice, as Short led all rushers with 127 yards on six carries. Grant Irwin recorded 115 yards and a TD on just two receptions.

For the Eagles, Grant Alexander, Jr. collected nine receptions for 185 yards and a TD to lead the Judson offense.

Zach Dutton led the IWU defense with seven tackles, including a tackle for loss. Brayden Miller made six stops for the Eagles, with a half-tackle for loss.

With 435 yards and seven touchdowns, the rushing attack from No. 23 Marian would be too much to handle, as the Knights used the ground game to cruise to a 69-14 win over Defiance.

After a ten-point first quarter that saw a Kenny Curry field goal and an Avery Garlock TD run from 68 yards out, Marian exploded for a 28-point second quarter to take a 38-0 lead into the half. Throughout the game, the Knights would record four touchdown runs of over 60 yards, all from four different players.

Tristan Polk led Marian with 134 passing yards and one TD, to go along with 71 rushing yards and two TDs on six carries.

On the other side of the ball, Marian pulled down three interceptions, led by Jaxson Scruggs’s seven tackles and one pick. Cade Houseman finished with nine stops and 1.5 tackles for loss.

For Defiance, Jehlani Warren completed 12 of 17 passes for 152 yards and two TDs. Cameron Turner made two catches for a team-high 61 yards and one TD. Dominic Harris led the Yellow Jackets with four tackles and one sack.

Saint Francis recorded their first shutout victory since 2022, collecting over 400 yards of total offense and making five trips to the end zone in a dominant 35-0 win on the road over Lawrence Tech.

The Cougars’ special teams unit struck first, after Ifeoluwa Adeoba blocked a punt and returned the loose ball for a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. Later in the first quarter Drew Wheat doubled the USF advantage with a four-yard TD run, capping an 88-yard drive for the Cougars.

Saint Francis would add three more touchdowns, one in each quarter, with three TD passes from Joshua Kulka.

Kulka would finish the day with 197 yards, completing 16-of-37 passes, as Wheat carried the ball 22 times for 175 yards and a TD. Crosley MacEachen led all receivers with 67 yards on three catches.

Defensively, Aaron Mitchell led the Blue Devils with 12 tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss. Tamarris Springfield led Saint Francis with six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Siena Heights would use a 17-point fourth quarter to rally from behind on Saturday, coming back to take a 24-21 win at home over St. Francis (Ill.).

St. Francis would strike first with a ten-play drive in the first quarter, culminating in Aaron Larkin’s seven-yard TD run. The home team would pull even just before the end of the first half, when Brendan Haisenleder found the end zone from five yards out for the 7-7 halftime stalemate.

Out of the break, St. Francis would go on a 19-play, 79-yard march that took over ten minutes to complete, ultimately finding paydirt in a Gavin Day six-yard TD run.

Entering the fourth quarter Siena Heights would find themselves trailing 14-7, but after a 22-yard field goal from Carter Ball, the Saints took their first lead of the day on a 7-yard TD pass from Braylen Himmelein to Credell Prather. Another TD later in the fourth from Jaylen Flowers would push the Siena Heights lead to 24-14.

St. Francis would pull to within three with an 18-yard TD pass from Nathan Maul to Ryan Little, and after getting a defensive stop would cross midfield looking for the game-winning drive. On a third down, Greg Predina would get to the St. Francis quarterback and force a fumble recovered by Clarke Hamilton to secure the win for SHU.

Himmelein threw for 322 yards in the win, completing 22 of 31 passes. Tendaji Alexander caught six passes for 89 yards to lead all receivers. For St. Francis, Larkins led the attack with 50 rushing yards on 10 attempts and one TD.

Defensively, Jalen Edwards made a game-high 12 tackles for SHU, including a half-tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Hamilton collected 11 stops, two sacks, and a fumble recovery.

Karsen Hansen led the St. Francis defense with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss.

After collecting over 550 yards of total offense and finding the end zone in all four quarters, the Madonna Crusaders recorded their first on-field win in program history, defeating NCAA Division III Olivet (Mich.) on the road, 45-28.

The Crusaders would set a program record for points scored in the win, led by three TD passes from Nathan Patterson. Madonna opened a 21-7 lead in the second quarter after Kwame Miller’s TD run in the first quarter, and a 78-yard TD pass from Patterson to Mohammad Berro followed by Keel Watson’s 29-yard pass to Rodney Francois.

Olivet would get another touchdown before the end of the first half, but the Crusaders’ Jordan Zimmerman converted a 22-yard field goal to take a 24-14 lead into the break.

The home team would take the lead with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns, 28-24, but Patterson responded with two TD passes to put Madonna back in front, 37-28 early in the third quarter. LeShaun Bennett’s four-yard TD run, capping an 80-yard drive for the Crusaders to put the game away.

Patterson would finish with 322 yards and three TDs, completing 20 of 37 passes in the win. Miller collected 101 yards and a TD on 15 carries, while Berro led all receivers with 111 yards and a TD on four receptions.

On the other side of the ball, Corey Watkins and Chris Coates each made eight tackles to lead the Crusaders defense.

With 380 rushing yards on the day, including a 250-yard performance from Nathan Parker, the Taylor Trojans were able to hold off visiting Kentucky Christian, 42-35.

The Trojans would take an early lead with a pair of rushing TDs from Parker in the first quarter for the 14-0 advantage. After Kentucky Christian responded with two scoring drives of their own to tie the game, Taylor would retake the lead with a 76-yard drive capped with an Ethan Albert touchdown from one yard out.

Kentucky Christian would quickly rally, marching 95 yards in just 32 seconds to find the end zone again and tie the game at 21-21at halftime.

Parker would break out again, scoring two more rushing TDs on back-to-back drives to put the Trojans back in front 42-28. The visitors would add one more touchdown drive but would run out of time on the comeback as the Trojans secured their second straight victory.

Parker would finish with 251 yards on 30 carries and four TDs, while Albert punched in two TDs and 76 yards on 15 attempts.

On the other side of the ball, Reese Pinckney made nine tackles to lead Taylor, while Caleb Ranzau finished with eight stops and a half-sack.

Held to just over 100 yards of total offense for the day, Saint Xavier struggled in their matchup with NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater, falling at home 37-0.

Marquel Porter would lead the Cougars in both rushing and receiving, with 44 yards on the ground, and 19 receiving yards on one catch.

Defensively, Terry Elias, Jr. made nine tackles, with one sack and two tackles for loss to pace the Cougars.