SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Evangel football faces another top 25 matchup Saturday as the 10th-ranked Valor head to No. 24 Southwestern. Kickoff from Winfield, Kansas, is scheduled for 1 p.m.
OPENING STORYLINES
- Evangel heads to No. 24 Southwestern for another Top 25 matchup on Saturday. The Valor lead the all-time series with the Moundbuilders, 1-0 with the lone meeting coming during the 2014 season.
- Evangel seventh-year head coach Chuck Hepola won his 50th game Oct. 21 vs. Friends as he sits second on the all-time coaching list. He passed Scott Metcalf for second on the all-time coaching wins list on Sept. 9 with a 55-0 win over Sterling. 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. 10. The Valor cracked the poll on Sept. 11 at No. 25 after receiving votes in the preseason poll. Southwestern held steady at No. 24 in the most recent poll.
- The Valor moved to 9-0 for just the third time in program history, with 2001, 1996, and 1988. Although the '88 season was forfeited, EU finished 11-1 all three seasons claiming a conference title each season as well.
- Evangel touts the second-longest winning streak (9 games) in NAIA behind Northwestern (Iowa) who has won 22 straight games. The Valor also holds the eighth-longest winning streak in college football, see page 3 for the list.
- The Evangel defense ranks third in the NAIA in points allowed at 12.4, behind only Grand View (5.9) and Georgetown (Ky.) at 11.9 points per game. The Valor also ranks 5th nationally in yards allowed.
- Bradley Myers was named the NAIA and KCAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 20 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and 2 sacks against McPherson. Myers continues to lead the NAIA in tackles with 12.7 per game and 114 total tackles. Myers's 102 tackles last season was the first Evangel player to eclipse 100 tackles in a season since Devon Overall recorded 110 in 2015.
- Evangel receiver Dillon Hester broke the Evangel career reception record vs Friends with five catches to give him 153 for his career passing Brandon Schmidly (1994-97) on the all-time list. Hester also caught a touchdown to move into 7th on the career touchdown list.
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. Dillon Hester 2020-pr 21
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel returns home for the regular season finale and senior day against Bethel. Kickoff from Eagle Stadium 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—
