#11 Marian 49, #24 Saint Francis 0
With four interceptions in the passing game, and by holding the Cougars’ rushing attack to just 11 yards, No. 11 Marian recorded the first shutout in the Franciscan Bowl rivalry with a 49-0 win over Saint Francis.
Keagan La Belle rushed for three TDs in the first half, then picked up a fourth midway through the third quarter, finishing with a game-high 60 yards on 21 rushing attempts. Tristan Polk threw for 235 yards, completing 13 of 17 passes, while running the ball eight times for 25 yards. Montasi Clay led the Knights receivers with 103 yards on three catches.
For the Cougars, Joshua Kulka threw for 151 yards, with Colin McPeek collecting a team-high 57 receiving yards. Gregory Holmes III led the Saint Francis defense with seven tackles and a forced fumble.
Marian’s defense was anchored by Cade Houseman, who finished with 12 tackles and one tackle for loss. Isaiah Street finished with six stops, along with two sacks and a forced fumble.
#14 Indiana Wesleyan 71, Madonna 21
Quarterback Arjun Lothe matched an MSFA single game record, throwing seven touchdown passes as No. 14 Indiana Wesleyan dominated in their Mideast League opener, taking a 71-21 road win at Madonna.
The Wildcats collected 582 yards of total offense in the win, including 448 passing yards, while the defense forced five takeaways throughout the day. Arjun Lothe threw for 355 yards and seven TDs in limited action, completing 17 of 24 passes. Isaac Smith and Simon Vinson caught three TDs apiece, with Smith taking eight catches for 178 yards and Vinson reaching the century mark with 124 yards on five receptions.
For the Crusaders, Keel Watson threw for 125 yards and a TD, with Eric Thomas grabbing a game-high 11 receptions for 100 yards and a score.
On the other side of the ball, Terry Sylvester finished with a team-high six tackles along with a fumble recovery and an interception to lead the Wildcats, while Anthony Cheeseborough made three tackles including one and a half sacks, a forced fumble, and fumble recovery.
Mitch Nguyen led the Madonna defense with nine tackles, and Reese Pullham made eight stops and grabbed an interception.
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#23 Olivet Nazarene 53, Judson 7
Christian Dhue-Reid threw four touchdown passes before halftime, as No. 24 Olivet Nazarene ran up 560 yards of total offense in a 53-7 win over Judson.
The Tigers posted 15 points in the first quarter, as Dhue-Reid connected for TDs with Trey Reeves and Blake Lamb, while Josiah Johnson converted a 25-yard field goal. In the second, Dhue-Reid found Ray Coffey and Lamb for a second time, leading Olivet Nazarene to a 29-0 halftime lead.
Dhue-Reid would finish the day with 204 yards and four scores, completing 11 of 17 passes in the win. Lamb caught a team-high six passes for 101 yards and two TDs, while Shawn Payne, Jr. rushed 10 times for 96 yards.
Grant Alexander led the Judson offense, recording 60 yards and one TD on five receptions. On the other side of the ball, Avrian Gilbert made seven tackles with a sack and tackle-and-half for loss.
A balanced Olivet Nazarene defense would see five different players finish with a team-high five tackles, including Vaisen Viloria who also grabbed an interception in the win.
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Saint Xavier 10, St. Francis 0
A defensive struggle throughout, Saint Xavier kicked off Midwest League play with a tough road win, 10-0 at St. Francis.
The Cougars would get on the board midway through the first quarter, when Cam Manney nabbed a pick-six to give Saint Xavier an early 7-0 lead. St. Francis would be unable to generate a scoring drive, resulting in a punt in eight straight possessions.
Late in the fourth quarter, Saint Xavier would make it a two-possession lead with Christian Casillas’s 19-yard field goal.
Dominic D’Ambrosio threw for 166 yards and rushed for 53 more to lead the Saint Xavier attack, while Nathan Maul tallied 203 yards through the air for the Saints.
Terry Elias, Jr. and Chris Swayne each made eight tackles for the Cougars, while Cam Manney made four tackles to go with his interception. For St. Francis, Karsen Hansen finished with 15 tackles and an interception, with Nathan Choute made 12 stops including a half-tackle for loss.
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Taylor 42, Defiance 10
Defiance would open the game with a field goal to take the lead, and held Taylor scoreless in the first quarter, but the Trojans would put together six unanswered touchdown drives for a dominant 42-10 road win in their Mideast League opener over the Yellow Jackets.
Taylor rushed for 337 yards in the win, with Ethan Albert leading the way, scoring twice on ten carries to finish with 92 yards. Alex Amburgy tallied 69 yards and one TD on five attempts while throwing for an additional 103 yards.
For Defiance, Trent Barraza rushed 16 times for 89 yards to lead the offense. Defensively, Damon McCracken and Dominic Harris each made eight tackles.
Reid Messer finished with ten stops and grabbed an interception to lead the Taylor defense.
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Siena Heights 37, Lawrence Tech 28
With 20 unanswered points to start the game, including a 68-yard punt return TD, Siena Heights picked up the home victory in their Mideast League opener, 37-28 over Lawrence Tech.
The Saints opened the scoring with an 80-yard TD drive in the first quarter, capped with a 37-yard TD pass from Braylen Himmelein to Tendaji Alexander. Jaylen Flowers would double the lead for his team with a six-yard TD run later in the period, and Numehnne Gwilly scored a 68-yard punt return TD, giving Siena Heights a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Lawrence Tech would respond before the halftime break, with two TD passes from Ryan Schuster, but Siena Heights placekicker Carter Ball would grab a 22-yard field goal at the buzzer to give the Saints a 23-14 edge at the break.
Schuster would record another TD pass in the second half, as both teams traded touchdown drives in both third and fourth quarters, but Lawrence Tech were unable to close the gap any further.
Schuster finished with 319 yards and three TDs to lead the Blue Devil offense, completing 24 of 35 passes on the day. T.J. Byard caught seven passes for 144 yards and two TDs.
For the Saints, Flowers would tally 116 rushing yards on 13 carries with one trip to the end zone. Himmelein collected 216 yards through the air with two TDs, and Alexander led the receivers with five catches for 97 yards and two scores.
Defensively, Brody Snyder made nine takcles with a sack for Lawrence Tech. Jalen Edwards anchored the Siena Heights defense with seven stops including a sack, and a forced fumble.
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