SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Saturday pits a showdown between unbeaten Heart South Division teams as the Evangel Valor travel to 6th-ranked Benedictine for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
SERIES HISTORY
Evangel trails the all-time series 15-23 and has lost two straight to Benedictine. The Ravens won last year in Nixa, 28-0, as the Valor is looking for their first road win against Benedictine since 2007.
OPENING STORYLINES
? Evangel travels to Benedictine Saturday for a meeting of Heart South Division's unbeaten teams. Both teams sit at 3-0 while the Valor is riding a four-game win streak; the Ravens have won seven straight since a 44-42 loss at Grand View on Sept. 3.
? Evangel earned a 21-13 win over MidAmerica Nazarene last Saturday. With a pair of second-half interceptions, the defense held the Pioneers scoreless over the final three quarters to preserve the win.
? Bradley Myers and Ryan Conner earned Heart Player of the Week honors for their performance against MidAmerica Nazarene. Myers recorded a career-high 20 tackles with a forced fumble. Conner had eight punts for 340 yards and averaged 42.5 per punt. He also had five punts inside the 20-yard line.
? Athanie Leeviraphan still sits at five interceptions this season and at 14 interceptions during his career. The Owasso, Oklahoma native moved into a tie for second all-time with Derrick McBride (93-94) and Cam Bruffett (09-13). Eric Collins (1977-80) holds the all-time record with 16.
? Will Anoa'i now ranks second all-time in tackles for a loss with 47.5. The former Kickapoo Chief sits behind only Josh Evans (2014-17), who holds the record with 64.5.
? The Valor defense has been one of the tops in the Heart allowing just 16.8 points per game. Evangel has also tallied 15 interceptions, ranking second in the Heart and tied with Benedictine.
? Dillon Hester ranks third in the Heart in receiving yards per game at 86.3 and third in receiving touchdowns with seven. The Strafford, Mo., native has also cracked the top 10 in the Evangel record books in kickoff return yards with 842 yards.
? Ryan Conner leads the Heart in punting with 2,443 total yards and averages 38.8 yards per punt. The sophomore already ranks sixth all-time in punt yards and is fourth in punting yards in a single season.
? Evangel seventh-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday's contest with a 41-29 mark as EU's sideline boss; his win total ranks third in school history, trailing only Keith Barefield (66) and Scott Metcalf (44).
? All Evangel home games in 2022 will be streamed live on the Evangel Sports Network in conjunction with the Heart Network. Fans can download the Heart Conference Network App for AppleTV, Amazon, or Roku and watch Evangel football games on their smart TV or streaming devices.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel will head back on the road for its final two regular-season games, starting with a road trip to 7th-ranked Benedictine.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.
—#OneValor—
