SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The first road trip for the Evangel Valor football team kicks off Saturday evening at Graceland at 6 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY
Evangel is 25-8 all-time vs Graceland and holds a 12-4 lead in the series in Lamoni. Last year, Evangel shut out the Yellowjackets, 62-0, the third most points ever scored by Evangel in a game. The second highest came in a 65-0 shutout in 2019 against Graceland in Ozark, Missouri.
OPENING STORYLINES
The Evangel Valor makes its first road trip of the 2022 season Saturday evening at Graceland. The Valor look for a sixth consecutive win against the Yellowjackets.
Evangel seventh-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday's contest with a 36-27 mark as EU's sideline boss; his win total ranks third in school history, trailing only Keith Barefield (66) and Scott Metcalf (44).
Evangel and Graceland have met 33 times in program history dating back to 1988. Evangel is currently on a five-game win streak against Graceland, however, the longest win streak for EU is 13 games from 1991 to 2003.
After last week's win against Clarke the Valor move to 4-0 all-time against the Pride. Opening the game with a 2-play, 25-second drive, EU responded with a 7-play, 59-yard drive in 2:27 to build a 14-3 lead. EU had just one drive that was longer at 4:41 showing the ability to score as needed.
Six different receivers caught passes in the win. Michael Murray led the way with 9 catches for 89 yards, while Dillon Hester had 7 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Andrew Holden was responsible for 13 of the 31 points scored by Evangel in the win. Holden caught a touchdown pass late in the first quarter before kicking a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter. Holden also converted 4 extra point attempts for the Valor.
A pair of linebackers picked up where they left off in 2021. Joey Sylvester and Ian Ary led Evangel in tackles with 7.5 and 6.5 respectively. Ary also had a TFL and 0.5 sack while helping force a fumble in the final seconds of the game.
Evangel won the turnover battle in Thursday's win forcing three fumbles and coming away with two. Zach Myers played a role in both forced fumbles as the defensive lineman also recorded 1.5 TFL and 0.5 sack.
Hayden Conrad earned the start at quarterback for Evangel going 16-of-24 for 163 yards and two touchdowns. He also split time under center with RJ Wakley who was also an impressive 10-of-16 for 86 and had a pair of yards on the ground to help setup a field goal late in the first half.
Evangel won the field position game as Ryan Conner played a vital role in special teams. The sophomore punter from Claremore, Oklahoma nailed six punts inside the 20-yard line and averaged 41.1 yards per punt on eight punts.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel will return home to take on the 22nd ranked Wildcats of Culver-Stockton. Gametime is set for 6:00 p.m. at Eagle Stadium in Nixa, Mo.
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—
