SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 18th-ranked Evangel football team opens the 2019 season Saturday at William Penn.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday is just the fifth meeting all-time between Evangel and William Penn. The Crusaders won 28-14 last year in Oskaloosa, Iowa, to claim their first win at William Penn in the brief series history.
OPENING STORYLINES
►The 18th-ranked Evangel football team enters the 2019 season as one of four Heart of America football teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25. Saturday's opponent William Penn is receiving votes in the preseason poll as well.
►Evangel returns a majority of its starters on both sides of the ball. Led by the offensive line that will see four-year lettermen Matt Collins, Kade Kelley, and Garrett McGuire led the Crusaders. Junior Pierce Smith and Derrick Johnson also return as starters from last year's 9-2 team, while juniors Walter Gilstrap, Troy Gunckel, and sophomores Tyler Waggoner, Hunter Wilson, and Taylor Nixon saw plenty of action last season.
►Senior quarterback Cameron Hardesty enters the 2019 season sixth all-time at Evangel in passing touchdowns (34) and passing yards (3,610). Last season Hardesty completed 55 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.
►Running backs Darrius Lee and Ben Friend (Lighthouse Christian) return after carrying the bulk of the rushing game last season. Lee finished with 742 total yards and seven scores, while Friend added 235 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
►Senior linebacker Sam Morton (Strafford, Mo.) returns after leading the Crusaders last season with 96 tackles. Morton added 11 tackles for a loss and five sacks while being named first-team all-conference.
►The defensive backfield returns all-conference selections Micah Daniels and Andrew Poppen while senior Dalton Taylor (Strafford, Mo.) and junior Dalton Cloyd (Fair Grove, Mo.) combine in secondary as four-year starters.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel will make its home debut Saturday, Sept. 7 against Peru State at Tiger Stadium in Ozark. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, follow the Crusaders on Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics or go to www.EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the Go Evangel Front Row App at EvangelAthletics.com/FrontRow available on Google Play and in the App Store.
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