SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 13th ranked Evangel Valor football team continues their trek through Kessinger divisional play on Saturday (Oct. 21) afternoon, as they host the 25th ranked Friends Falcons for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. at Eagle Stadium in Nixa, Missouri.
OPENING STORYLINES
- Evangel hosts No. 25 Friends in a top-25 matchup. The Valor knocked off then-No. 20 Kansas Wesleyan to open the season as this will be the second top-25 meeting this season.
- Evangel seventh-year head coach Chuck Hepola won his 45th game against Sterling on Sept. 9, surpassing Scott Metcalf for second on the all-time coaching wins list in Evangel history. Keith Barefield's 66 wins sit at the top.
- Evangel moved up again in the latest NAIA Coaches Poll Top 25 this week to No. 13. The Valor cracked the poll on Sept. 11 at No. 25 after receiving votes in the preseason poll. Friends entered the poll this week at No. 25 after they knocked off then-No. 6 Southwestern, who fell to No. 14 as the only three KCAC teams ranked in the top 25.
- The Valor started the season at 7-0 for the first time since the 2018 season when they won their first eight games. Evangel finished 9-2 that season and was 2-2 in the Heart South Division.
- Evangel and Friends have been two of the top rushing teams in the nation. The Falcons currently lead the NAIA averaging 420 yards on the ground, while the Valor rank 11th at 206 yards per game.
- Saturday's game will meet one of the top offensive units vs one of the nation's top defensive units. Evangel ranks 8th in the NAIA in defensive points allowed (13.4), while Friends is averaging 45.9 points per game on offense and ranks 3rd in the NAIA.
- Evangel receiver Dillon Hester ranks 11th in the NAIA in receiving at 94.3 yards per game. Hester's eight touchdowns are also eighth best in the NAIA and one shy of breaking into the top 10 of the Evangel single season marks. Hester tied the Evangel mark for career receptions last weekend and sits at 148.
CAREER RECEPTIONS
Player Career REC
1. Brandon Schmidly 1994-97 148
Dillon Hester 2020-pr 148
2. Dallas Hester 2015-18 146
CAREER TOUCHDOWNS
Player Career REC
1. James Feazell 1986-88,92 29
2. Dimitrius Breedlove 1998-01 27
3. Anthony Ray 1988-91 27
4. Brandon Schmidly 1994-97 24
John Dollar 1994-97 24
6. Jesse Vaughn 2010-13 22
7. Shawn Bailey 2000-03 20
Dillon Hester 2020-pr 20
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel will hit the road to take on the McPherson College Bulldogs on Saturday (Oct. 28) afternoon in McPherson, Kansas.
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—
