Bobcats Outlast Pioneers in OT, 41-38

OLATHE, Kan. - Peru State forced a fumble in the second overtime and got a 23-yard field goal from Greg Conry to hold off host MidAmerica Nazarene, 41-38, Saturday afternoon in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Game of the Week at the Olathe District Activities Center. Box Score | Postgame Quotes

The Bobcats (5-1, 3-1 HAAC) looked like they would have no trouble claiming their fifth win of the season after dominating almost the entire first half. Peru State scored touchdowns on each of its first three offensive possessions and held a 28-0 lead with 4:28 before halftime after a 2-yard scoring run by Nate Tromblee.

With both the offense and defense struggling early on, the MNU special teams got the team on the board with 2:18 before halftime. Markeith Cooper blocked a punt by Conry and recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

The Pioneers (1-4, 1-3 HAAC) took the momentum of that scoring play and carried into the start of the second half. Trent Hedlund led a 9-play, 46-yard drive that was finished off with a 5-yard pass to Michael Lindsey to cut the lead in half.

Peru State recorded just four first downs in the third quarter, punted three times and lost a fumble after marching up and down the field for most of the first half. The defense sparked the offense for MNU, meanwhile, as Greg Gates scored on runs of 34 and 25 yards to tie the game at 28-28 with 38 seconds left in the quarter.

The Bobcats ended the MNU scoring stretch when Ethan Bray finished off a 13-play, 59-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge with 4:55 to play. However, the Pioneers went 69 yards on just six plays with Hedlund finding Taylor Davis on a 29-yard touchdown pass that led to the eventual overtime.

Both teams drove inside the 10-yard line in the first overtime, but had to settle for field goals of 24 yards by Conry prior to a 30-yard conversion by Michael Brewer.

MNU looked poised to strike early to start the second overtime with Hedlund finding LaDon Hudson for 23 yards on the second play. However, Hedlund was sacked on third down from the three and Jon Draeger recovered the ball for the Bobcats.

A thrilling finish had more drama still to unfold. Tyler Audsley attempted an option pitch on the second play for the Bobcats, but missed his target. However, Tyler Ford pounced on the loose ball to keep Peru State on offense.

The Bobcats used a pair of runs by Bray to push the ball to the MNU 6 beffore Conry secured the victory with his game-winning kick.

Peru State rushed for 438 of its 505 total yards with Bray leading all players with 34 carries for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Audsley also finished with 135 yards on 26 rushes while also completing 2-of-7 for 48 yards. Hedlund converted 20-of-40 for 274 yards and two scores while Gates carried 16 times for 106 yards and a pair of touchdown runs. Hudson led all receivers with seven grabs for 104 yards.

Game Recaps - Oct. 13

Benedictine 62, Avila 37
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Senior RB Cameron Fore carried 21 times for 236 yards and a school-record six touchdowns to lead No. 5-ranked Benedictine to a 62-37 win over host Avila at the Zarda Athletic Complex. Fore posted a career-high in yardage, as well, eclipsing the 200-yard mark on the ground for the first time in his career and posting the sixth-highest single-game rushing total in the NAIA this season. He scored four of his touchdowns in the second quarter as the Ravens tallied 34 points in the second frame to take a 41-17 lead into halftime. He added a 25-yard scoring run at the 8:54 mark of the third quarter to best his own personal-best of five touchdowns scored on Nov. 12, 2011 against Culver-Stockton. Kelwin Burke Jr. also had an impressive day on the ground, rushing 25 times for 235 yards and three touchdowns for Avila (2-4, 0-4 HAAC), which outgained Benedictine by a 570-542 clip. Bill Noonan completed 15-of-24 for 201 yards and two TDs with one interception for Benedictine (6-0, 4-0 HAAC) while Jacob Hicks finished 24-of-39 for 204 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

Missouri Valley 35, Graceland 7
LAMONI, Iowa - Bruce Reyes completed 28-of-50 for a school-record 446 yards and five touchdowns to lead 6th-ranked Missouri Valley past host Graceland, 35-7. Reyes bested the previous Missouri Valley record of 385 yards tallied by Chris White during the 2009 season. He connected with four different receivers on his scoring throws with Mikquel Johnson scoring on catches of 53 and 15 yards, respectively. The defense did the rest for Missouri Valley (4-1, 4-0 HAAC), which held Graceland (1-5, 0-4 HAAC) to 193 total yards and forced a pair of turnovers. Both Johnson and Darrian Turk recorded over 100 yards receiving with Turk leading all players with 132 yards. The duo were joined by Jacoby Bellard and Jarrell Davis with four catches each while Raysean Brown had four grabs for 70 yards and a touchdown to lead the Yellowjackets. Mathis Thomas led the ground attack for Graceland, rushing 17 times for 83 yards.

Baker 39, Culver-Stockton 0
CANTON, Mo. - Baker converted three forced turnovers into 20 points to spark the 11th-ranked Wildcats to a 39-0 victory over Culver-Stockton at Ellison Poulton Stadium. Baker (5-1, 3-1 HAAC) tallied five interceptions on the day, four of them tallied by Darrick Smith while Adam Novak had the other that he turned into a 79-yard return for a touchdown. Baker limited Culver-Stockton (0-6, 0-4 HAAC) to a season-low 225 total yards to help offset three turnovers of its own. Clarence Clark matched the longest touchdown reception in conference history (based on available records) with a 98-yard catch and run from Jake Morse at the 9:04 mark of the first quarter. Clark also hit field goals of 39 and 24 yards in the first half while the backfield duo of Dillon Baxter and Camren Torneden combined for 157 yards and a touchdown on 29 attempts. Chris Cunningham shared game-high receiving honors for Culver-Stockton with five catches for 57 yards while Tyler Hatcher had five receptions for 78 yards for Baker.

Central Methodist 44, Evangel 14
FAYETTE, Mo. - Central Methodist found the end zone on each of its first three possessions on the way to a 44-14 victory over visiting Evangel at Davis Field. The Eagles (4-2, 3-1 HAAC) scored just 1:07 into the game on a 35-yard scamper by Maurice Coon and added a second touchdown on its fourth offensive play when Paul Stevens scored on a 26-yard run at the 11:10 mark. Evangel (2-3, 2-2 HAAC) came into the game missing four key offensive starters, including QB Andrew Brimhall and WR Jesse Vaughn. Brady Burke and Brett Diers split time under center for the Crusaders and combined for 12-of-19 passing for 103 yards. Kaleb Borghardt finished 11-of-16 for 152 yards and an interception for Central Methodist and led 14 different players who had at least one rushing attempt with 49 yards on 10 totes and scored twice. The Eagles finished with 500 total yards (252 rushing, 248 passing) and limited Evangel to 258 yards in the game and a 2-for-14 clip on third downs.