No. 6 Marian earns a top-25 win over No. 13 Saint Xavier, while Roosevelt and Concordia enjoy MSFA crossover victories in Week 3.
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#6 Marian 28, #13 Saint Xavier 21
The visitors would overcome a 14-point deficit to even the score in the second half, but No. 6 Marian would score midway through the fourth quarter and get two key fourth-down stops on defense to earn the win over No. 13 Saint Xavier, 28-21.
The host Knights (2-0) opened with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, with Drew Byerly and Zach Bundalo each punching the ball into the end zone on a pair of short-yardage TD runs. The Cougars (1-1) would first get on the scoreboard thanks to the special teams unit, with Justin Pringle taking the kickoff out of the end zone and 100 yards for the touchdown, cutting Marian’s lead to 14-7 at the end of the opening period.
Capitalizing on a fumble forced by Adrian Cuevas and recovered by Matthew Chavers, the Knights would go back up by two scores on another Bundalo TD run from the one-yard line. Aidan Voss would drive the Cougars in the final two minutes of the half however, finding Brandt Hixson for a 24-yard TD pass with just 15 seconds before the break to make it a 21-14 game at the half.
On the Knights’ first drive of the second half, a pick-six from Kevin Countryman would tie the game at 21-21. Both teams would remain in a stalemate until midway through the fourth quarter, when Jayshawn Underwood’s interception set the Marian offense up in Saint Xavier territory. The Knights would drive 42 yards in over six minutes, resulting in a two-yard TD run from William Gibson to take the lead for good.
The Knights would force two four-and-outs, with the Cougars coming up short on back-to-back fourth-down conversion attempts, to secure the win.
Bundalo completed 16 of 26 passes for 190 yards in the win, while Gibson rushed 22 times for 94 yards and the TD to lead the Knights attack. Justin Pringle would lead the Cougar with seven catches for 77 yards, along with his kick return TD.
On the other side of the ball, Terry Elias made 17 tackles to lead Saint Xavier, including a sack and a half. Jake Paris led the Marian defense with 10 stops, while Tyler Bukur finished with seven tackles and three tackles for loss.
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#5 Indiana Wesleyan 24, Valparaiso (Ind.) 21
No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan picked up a victory over their NCAA Division I visitors on Saturday, using a second-quarter rally to defeat Valparaiso (Ind.) 28-21.
The Beacons (0-1) took the first lead of the day after a scoreless opening quarter, finishing a TD drive early in the second for a 7-0 lead. Over the last ten minutes of the first half, the Wildcats (2-0) took advantage of a pair of interceptions and a blocked punt to go into the halftime break up 17-7. Preston Sykes grabbed the first pick, setting the Wildcats up inside the Valpo red zone, allowing Xander Stokes to find Tristen Hayes for an 11-yard TD pass two plays later.
Neil Campbell would nab an interception later in the second quarter, leading to a 29-yard Josh Clifton field goal that put IWU ahead 10-7. After a Beacon four-and-out, Chase Bradman blocked a punt that was converted to a 27-yard TD pass from Stokes to Isaac Smith with just two seconds left in the half.
Valparaiso would rally back in the third with a pair of field goals, but Stokes’ third TD pass of the day pushed the Wildcats lead to 24-13 late in the third. The Beacons converted a field goal early in the fourth, and their TD drive in the closing minutes gave Valparaiso a game-tying two-point conversion opportunity, but the pass would fall incomplete to seal the win for the Wildcats.
Indiana Wesleyan would generate just 225 yards of total offense, but the Wildcat defense claimed six takeaways, including five interceptions to secure the win. Sykes and Campbell each grabbed two picks, while Luke Bays added one along with a team-high 12 tackles. The Wildcats also registered six sacks, led by Caleb Williams’ two and a half sacks on the day.
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#24 St. Francis (Ill.) 17, Saint Francis (Ind.) 0
The Saints would hold the Cougars to under 200 yards of total offense in the battle of Saint Francis; with the team from Joliet pitching a shutout in what was a defensive battle for both sides, 17-0 at home.
Both teams’ defenses would keep their opponents off the scoreboard through the first quarter, before Brian Maday’s 30-yard field goal broke the deadlock. Sam Tumilty would break through late in the third quarter with the game’s first touchdown, punching the ball in from five yards out for a 10-0 lead. The Saints’ quarterback struck again midway through the fourth, scoring after Cameron Holman’s fumble recovery gave St. Francis a short field to close out the win.
Tumilty threw for 160 yards and rushed for another 84, with two TDs on 22 carries. Dezzion Jordan nearly reached the century mark, making four catches for 98 yards to lead the Saints’ receivers.
Defensively, Nate Talhelm made a game-high 12 tackles for the Cougars (0-2), along with an interception. Karsen Hansen made seven tackles for the Saints (2-0), while Michael Johnson had five stops and a sack.
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Concordia 34, Olivet Nazarene 28
In an MSFA crossover battle that saw four lead changes throughout, a defensive touchdown in the fourth quarter was the difference as Concordia held on for the road win over Olivet Nazarene, 34-28.
The Tigers (1-1) would open with a 19-yard TD pass from Brandon Odam to Brian Jenkins for a 7-0 edge by the end of the first quarter. The visitors would bounce back with a 75-yard scoring drive, resulting in an 11-yard TD pass from Gavin Brooks to Jordan Garcia. A fumble recovery by James Carpenter on the following kickoff gave the Cardinals (2-0) a short field, and six plays later Concordia would take the lead on a 17-yard TD pass from Brooks to Seeger DeGayner.
Olivet Nazarene would immediately pull even again, with a fumble recovery and 94-yard TD run on the kick return, tying the game at 14-14 before the halftime break.
The Tigers would reclaim the lead on their first drive of the second half, marching 67 yards in over six minutes, capped by a three-yard Cameron Crouch TD run. The Cardinals tied the game again at 21-21 with a 98-yard scoring drive, as DeGayner threw a 16-yard TD pass to Logan Hay.
Concordia would take their first lead since the first half when Kelly Matthews recovered a fumble and returned the ball 38 yards for the score to put the Cardinals ahead 28-21 early in the fourth quarter. The first two-score lead for either side came moments later when Brooks connected with Hay for a 10-yard TD catch. The Tigers would get one last touchdown in the final minute, but the following onside kick would be recovered by Concordia to secure the win.
Brooks finished the day with 313 passing yards and three TDs, with DeGayner securing seven catches for 119 yards and a TD to go along with his TD pass.
Odam led the Tigers with 122 passing yards, completing nine of ten pass attempts for two TDs, while Crouch rushed 18 times for 83 yards and a TD.
Liam Kerry made 14 tackles to lead the Cardinals, along with a fumble recovery and a half-sack. David Cagle made nine tackles with a sack and a half and two forced fumbles in the win. For the Tigers, Abraham Flores-Cuen finished with a team-high seven tackles.
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Roosevelt 38, Siena Heights 10
Siena Heights would score on their opening drive, taking advantage of a short field after Mason Leach’s interception, but hosts Roosevelt would answer with three unanswered touchdown drives in the first half as the Lakers cruised to a 38-10 MSFA crossover victory.
Tyler Tenner led the way for the Lakers (1-1), scoring four rushing TDs and another receiving score, collecting 169 rushing yards on 34 carries. After three TDs from Tenner in the first half, the Saints (0-1) converted a 32-yard field goal from David Medvedik for a 21-10 halftime score.
Tenner would find the end zone two more times after the break, as the Roosevelt defense held Siena Heights scoreless in the second half. Roosevelt won the turnover battle 6-3 after picking off five passes throughout the day. Joey Mahop finished with three interceptions while Stacey Terry grabbed two.
Courties Draper finished with seven tackles to lead the Lakers, along with one sack in the win. On the other side of the ball, Jack Fitzgerald made six tackles to lead the Saints defense, while Joseph Wharton made five tackles with two forced fumbles and a sack.
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Butler (Ind.) 41, Taylor 14
Seventeen unanswered points to start the game proved too much to overcome, as Taylor rushed for over 150 yards but would find the end zone just twice in a 41-13 loss to NCAA Division I opponent Butler (Ind.).
Damon Hockett closed out a 79-yard drive late in the second quarter by connecting with Ja Thomas for a 24-yard touchdown, getting the Trojans (1-2) on the board before the halftime break. The Bulldogs (1-1) pulled away in the third however, scoring 21 points before tacking on another field goal in the fourth. Stephen Ellis would lead Taylor in rushing but also connected with Dakohta Sonnichsen for a 75-yard TD pass late in the game for the Trojans’ second score of the day.
Aven Jones led the Taylor defense, registering a game-high 16 tackles along with one sack.
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Upper Iowa 45, St. Ambrose 26
St. Ambrose would take an early lead on the road with a 76-yard TD pass, but the NCAA Division II hosts Upper Iowa would respond to take a 17-14 lead at the halftime break en route to a 45-26 win over the Bees.
Trailing 10-7 in the first half, The Bees (0-2) would score another long TD to move back in front, but the Peacocks (1-1) bounced back to reclaim the lead before the break.
Another touchdown in the third quarter extended the lead for Upper Iowa, before the Bees responded with a score but would have the extra point blocked. Back-to-back scores for the Peacocks would put the game out of reach for the visitors.
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Quincy (Ill.) 89, Madonna 0
The host Quincy Hawks would score 75 points in the first half, as Madonna struggled to contain their NCAA Division II opponents in an 89-0 road defeat.
Bobby Martin led the defense for the Crusaders (0-2), finishing with four tackles and two tackles for loss. Reese Pulliam also made four tackles, while Ja’Marcus Glenn made three stops with an interception.
