MSFA Week 3: #5 Wildcats survive upset scare from ONU

Olivet Nazarene came out strong, leading by as much as 14 points in the first half at No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan, but the Wildcat defense would step up after the break, holding the Tigers scoreless in the second half as IWU rallied for the 28-27 win.

Christian Dhue-Reid threw two TDs in the first quarter, including a 76-yard score to Ray Coffey, then added a third to start the second quarter when he connected with Blake Lamb for a 50-yard TD.

Cameron Morrison closed the gap for the Wildcats with a one-yard TD in the second quarter, then opened the third with an 11-yard TD reception from Arjun Lothe to make it a six-point game, 27-21. Indiana Wesleyan took their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter, with another 1-yard TD run from Ayden Ewing.

The Tigers had chances in the second half, but two fourth-down stops, including one at the goal line, allowed IWU to hold on for the win.

Lothe finished the game with 316 passing yards and two TDs, while Braxton Myers led the receiver corps with 121 yards and one TD on five catches. For the Tigers, Dhue-Reid tallied 277 yards and three TDs through the air, and added 55 yards and a TD on the ground.

Defensively, John Harman led Olivet Nazarene with 12 tackles, while Garrett Hathaway made a team-high nine tackles for the Wildcats.

St. Francis scored four first-half touchdowns, jumping out to a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter and remained in control in a 42-28 home win over Lawrence Tech.

Carl Bew started the scoring with a 26-yard TD run in the first quarter, followed by a pair of TD passes from Nathan Maul to Connor Engstrom. In the final minute of the first half, Larry Stringham found the end zone from two yards out to push the Saints’ lead to 28-7 at the break.

Midway through the third, St. Francis continued to pull away when Bew returned a kickoff 100 yards for the touchdown, recording just the third 100-yard kick return in Midwest League history, and the 9th all-time in the MSFA overall.

Maul finished the day with three TDs and 251 yards, while Ryan Little made four catches for 90 yards to lead the Saints receivers.

Lawrence Tech’s Ryan Schuster posted four TD passes with 369 yards through the air. Jaylen Johnson led the Blue Devils with six catches for 121 yards and a TD. Tyler Garrett also reached the century mark for LTU, with 112 yards on eight receptions.

On the other side of the ball, Brody Snyder led the Blue Devils with 12 tackles, and Justin Greer-Sykes made 11 stops with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. For the Saints, Karsen Hansen led the way with 10 tackles including one sack.

A 21-point outburst in the second quarter would be enough for Saint Xavier to secure a comfortable 21-7 win over Madonna on Saturday night, as the Cougar defense would hold the Crusaders to under 200 yards of total offense, and -34 rushing yards in the win.

Tyreese Lee rushed for two TDs during Saint Xavier’s high-scoring second quarter, in two drives between a Taj McClelland interception to give Saint Xavier a short field for the 21-0 lead.

Keel Watson led Madonna with 150 passing yards and one TD pass, connecting with Kwame Miller for a 67-yard score in the third quarter.

Defensively, Corey Watkins, Baba Conate, and Mitch Nguyen all made a team-high seven tackles for the Crusaders. Chris Swayne paced the Cougars with 11 tackles and two sacks in the win.