St. Francis (Ill.) secures no less than a share of their first Midwest League crown since 2015, while three programs will fight for the Mideast League championship in the season finale next week.
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#21 ST. FRANCIS (ILL.) 14, ROOSEVELT 0
A pair of touchdowns in the second quarter was all No. 21 St. Francis (Ill.) needed, as the Saints’ defense shut out Roosevelt in a 14-0 win to claim at least a share of the Midwest League title; the third for St. Francis since joining the MSFA in 2000, and the program’s first since 2015.
Twice scoring on a short field, the Saints (6-2, 6-0 Midwest) defense forced a fumble, then got a stop on fourth-and-5 to set up the USF attack for the only points of the day. Sam Tumilty found Ravon Johnson for a 24-yard TD pass following Ryan King’s forced fumble for the 7-0 lead. Later in the second quarter, Kemond Cohran got the key stop on fourth down as the Lakers (4-5, 3-3 Midwest) went for it at their own 30 yardline.
Tumilty finished with 102 rushing yards and a TD for St. Francis, while also completing 8 of 19 pass attempts for 71 yards and a TD. Johnson was his key target, bringing in five receptions for 66 yards and a score. Defensively, Chris Johnson made nine tackles, and Oshikai Ebikhmi finished with a pair of sacks.
Tyler Tenner rushed 23 times for 97 yards to lead the Lakers, while Chris Smith registered 14 tackles on the day.
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#7 INDIANA WESLEYAN 61, TAYLOR 0
Twenty-one points in the first quarter set the tone early, as No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan shut out Taylor, 61-0.
The Wildcat offense was firing on all cylinders, scoring four TDs each on the ground and through the air. Xander Stokes finished with 288 passing yards and three TDs, on 18-of-23 passing, with Jacquez Carter leading all receivers with seven catches for 180 yards and two TDs. Peyton Shoemaker rushed for 82 yards on 20 carries, scoring one of the team’s four rushing TDs. Devodney Alford found the end zone twice, carrying the ball ten times for 58 yards. Defensively, Clayton Mosher led Indiana Wesleyan (8-1, 5-1 Mideast) with five tackles.
Zac Saltzgaber recorded 86 yards on 8-of-19 passing for Taylor (2-7, 1-5 Mideast). Josh Saltzgaber led the Trojan defense with 16 tackles.
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#9 MARIAN 28, SIENA HEIGHTS 6
A defensive performance that saw five sacks and 12 tackles for loss led No. 9 Marian to a 28-6 victory over Siena Heights.
The Knights (7-2, 5-1 Mideast) held Siena Heights (4-5, 3-3 Mideast) to just 193 yards of total offense, surrendering just one touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter. Sir’Zion Dance led Marian with eight tackles, while Tyler Majors made six stops and finished with two sacks in the win.
Zach Bundalo threw for three TDs and 204 yards in the win, completing 12 of 17 passses for the Knights. Johnny William brought in a team-high five receptions for 87 yards, while Drew Byerly made two catches for 74 yards and a TD.
Kaleb Jefferson collected 85 rushing yards on 17 attempts for the Saints, with Andre Chenault scoring the team’s lone TD of the day. Kole Murlin led the SHU defense with 13 tackles and a fumble recovery.
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#10 CONCORDIA 58, MADONNA 6
A seven-touchdown performance from the offense, and a defense that held Madonna to just 111 yards of total offense resulted in a runaway victory for No. 10 Concordia, 58-6 over the Crusaders.
Gavin Brooks threw for 198 yards and three TDs, completing 17 of 26 passes as the Cardinals (7-1, 5-1 Mideast) built a 31-0 lead by the end of the first half. Madonna (1-8, 0-6 Mideast) got on the scoreboard with the first drive of the third quarter, on a two-yard TD run from Spencer Rivera.
The Cardinals would keep Madonna off the scoreboard the rest of the way, while adding another 27 points on offense. Four players would record rushing TDs for Concordia, with Keirell Jackson leading the way on 14 carries for 67 yards. Seeger DeGayner brought in three TDs and 117 yards on six receptions. Defensively, Aaron Rahn finished with seven tackles and a sack for the Cardinals.
Mike Mathias was a highlight for the Crusader offense, recording 33 yards on five carries. Mitch Nguyen made nine tackles for the MU defense.
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#14 SAINT XAVIER 58, JUDSON 21
A run of 34 unanswered points kept No. 14 Saint Xavier in the Midwest League title race, as the Cougars won their fourth straight, 40-13 at St. Ambrose.
Tied 6-6 early in the second quarter, the Cougars (7-2, 5-1 Midwest) found the end zone three times before the end of the half, and twice more in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. Stuart Ross threw three touchdowns, including two to Justin Pringle, for 53 and 74 yards, while also rushing for another in the win.
Ross finished with 314 passing yards, going 19-for-24 on the day, with Pringle scoring eight receptions for 163 yards and a pair of TDs. Amari Venerable collected 95 yards on 14 carries with a TD. Joey Markasovic led the SXU defense with 10 tackles.
Mark Skokna scored the Bees’ (3-7, 2-4 Midwest) lone touchdown on the day, rushing five times for 36 yards. Gabe Cole finished with seven tackles for St. Ambrose
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LAWRENCE TECH 31, SAINT FRANCIS (IND.) 28
After falling behind 14-0 just four minutes into the game, Lawrence Tech battled back to take a 31-28 victory over Saint Francis (Ind.).
The Blue Devils (7-3, 3-3 Mideast) bounced back with three straight TD drives, a Tyler Kulka TD run and two more TD passes from Kulka to claim a 20-14 lead early in the second quarter. The Cougars (3-5, 2-4 Mideast) briefly reclaimed the lead in the third quarter on Jay Segal’s four-yard TD pass to Heath Simmons, 21-20, but Lawrence Tech would answer with 11 straight points before the start of the fourth quarter to go back up 31-21.
Saint Francis would close the gap with another late TD pass from Simmons to Segal, but Lawrence Tech were able to run out the clock on the following drive.
Kulka finished the day with 393 yards through the air on 27-of-40 passing, and two TDs. Jalen Wallace brought in four receptions for a game-high 125 yards and a TD. Defensively, Micah Waters finished with seven tackles, and Matt Plaga made six stops with a sack and a half for the Blue Devils.
Simmons led the Saint Francis attack with three TD passes and 260 yards, completing 22 of 33 attempts. Segal made six catches for 66 yards and a pair of scores, while Matt Kominkiwicz had seven catches for 85 yards. Emmanuel Davis had 12 tackles with a sack and a forced fumble for the Cougars.
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MISSOURI BAPTIST 28, JUDSON 22
Trailing 22-10 at the half, Missouri Baptist scored 18 straight second-half points to come from behind and defeat Judson, 28-22.
The Eagles (3-7, 2-4 Midwest) opened a 12-point halftime lead thanks to three TD passes from Aubrey Williams, including a pair to Jaquavious Wise. The Missouri Baptist defense stepped up after the break, keeping Judson off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
The Spartans (4-6, 1-5 Midwest) pulled to within two points early in the fourth quarter, when Josh Munn found Gavin Claud for a 10-yard TD pass. MBU took the lead for good on Ronald Allen’s six-yard TD run with under three minutes left to play. Judson had two chances to reclaim the lead, but Jaylen Cowley’s interception ended the first threat, and later the Spartans got a stop on fourth down to close out the game.
Munn finished with 141 passing yards and a TD in the win, going 11-for-24 through the air. Giovanoi Sanes collected five sacks along with 11 tackles for the MBU defense.
Williams completed 26 of 37 passes for the Eagles, throwing for 293 yards and three TDs on the day. O’Vauntay Vickers caught seven passes for a game-high 131 yards. Josh Mason led the Judson defense with nine tackles and a sack.
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OLIVET NAZARENE 41, TRINITY INTERNATIONAL 14
Combining for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense, Olivet Nazarene made enough key stops on the defensive side of the ball to earn a dominant 41-14 victory over Trinity International.
The Trojans (3-7, 1-5 Midwest) were held to 4-of-15 on third-down conversions, as the Tigers (6-3, 4-2 Midwest) held their opponents to just 14 points despite surrendering over 400 yards of total offense. Evan Leake gave Olivet Nazarene a 13-0 lead with a pair of first-half touchdowns, and the Tigers would lead 20-6 at the half as the Trojans got on the board with a TD pass from Derrick Taylor to Khalid Humphrey.
The Tigers responded with 21 unanswered points after the Trojans’ first score, taking a 34-6 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Leake finished with 141 yards on 12 carries and two TDs in the win, while Brian Jenkins led the ONU receivers with 81 yards and two TDs on three catches. Jason Freeman finished with a career-high 31 tackles.
Taylor threw a pair of TD passes, finishing with 265 yards and completing 28 of 42 passes for Trinity International. Derek Lowe rushed for 105 yards on 15 attempts. Kemon Reese and Lorenzano Blakeney each made ten tackles for the Trojan defense.
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