The Basics
Score: #13 Evangel 20, #25 Friends 11
Records: Evangel (8-0, 2-0 KCAC); Friends (6-2, 1-1 KCAC)
Location: Eagle Stadium | Nixa, Mo.
Box Score
NIXA, Mo. -- The 13th-ranked Evangel Valor football team flexed its muscles forcing five turnovers Saturday, sealing a 20-11 victory over No. 25 Friends University in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference action.
Evangel continues its undefeated season improving to 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the KCAC. The Falcons fall to 6-2 and 1-1 in the KCAC. The defense not only forced five turnovers but also held Friends to just 11 points as the Falcons entered averaging 45 points per game, third-best in the NAIA.
The Valor recovered five Falcon fumbles as Bradley Myers, Jaren Foster, and Clayton Uber helped jar the ball loose for three of them. Both defenses battled back and forth early, before Jonah Edwards connected on a 28-yard field goal at the 5:57 mark in the second quarter. A drive that started via a Falcon fumble gave Evangel a 3-0 lead.
After a third fumble recovery, Evangel struck quickly again to build a 10-0 lead with 3:58 left before halftime. RJ Wakley found Broc Lyle over the middle on the first play for a 35-yard touchdown pass and catch.
Wakley finished 11 for 17 for 118 yards with two touchdowns through the air while adding 67 yards on the ground on 10 carries.
The Falcons managed to get on the board with 27 seconds left before halftime on a 43-yard field goal by Cole Thompson.
The Valor opened the second half marching down the field before settling for a 42-yard field goal. Edwards' second field goal pushed the Evangel lead to 13-3 at the 10:59 mark of the third quarter.
Evangel recovered a fourth fumble with 5:36 left in the third quarter when Bradley Myers forced the fumble and De'Marius Reynolds jumped on it at the Evangel 15-yard line. The Valor marched 85-yards and took 9:58 off the clock as Wakley found Dillon Hester for a 5-yard touchdown catch. Hester's score was his 21st of his career and moved him into seventh on the all-time receiving touchdown list.
Hester also broke the all-time reception record at Evangel as his five catches pushed him past Brandon Schmidly (1994-97) with 153 catches. The Strafford, Missouri, native finished with five catches for 55 yards to lead Evangel in the win.
Sammy Robinson added 11 carries for 49 yards on the ground and Broc Lyle caught four passes for 32 yards and one touchdown.
Friends added a late touchdown with 4:03 left in the game when K'Vonte Baker capped a 70-yard drive with a 10-yard rushing touchdown. Baker carried 21 times for 151 yards, as the Falcons finished with 289 total yards, all coming on the ground.
Bradley Myers and Jaren Foster led Evangel with 12 tackles each and a forced fumble, while Riley Childs and Ian Ary added tackles. Childs also added two tackles for a loss to lead the Valor defense.
Evangel returns to the road next Saturday at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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—
