SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel Valor football team returns home after a strong 35-24 victory over 24th ranked Kansas Wesleyan, playing host to the Tabor Bluejays at 6:05 p.m. in Nixa, Missouri on Saturday, Sept. 7th.
OPENING STORYLINES
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The Evangel Valor picked up their first win of the season last Saturday against 24th ranked Kansas Wesleyan, 35-24. Their win moved Evangel's record to 3-1 against Kansas Wesleyan and is Evangel's fourth consecutive season opening win.
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Evangel eighth-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday's contest with a 54-31 overall record, the second most wins by a football head coach at Evangel, twelve wins behind Keith Barefield (66).
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Evangel was picked to finish tied for first in the Kessinger Division coaches poll, but were the lone first place choice in the media poll by a single vote. In the Bissell, Kansas Wesleyan was picked over last years division champ, Ottawa. Tabor was picked to finish tied for third in the Bissell division coaches poll.
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The Valor open the 2024 campaign ranked 14th in the nation, after going 11-1 last season. Kansas Wesleyan (0-1) and Friends (1-0) are both tied for 24th overall while Ottawa (0-1) is receiving votes.
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Evangel and Tabor meet for the third time in program history. Last season, Evangel took a 14-7 win in a defensive battle in Hillsboro, moving to 2-0 all-time against the Bluejays.
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Evangel sophomore Broc Lyle earned KCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, after racking up 157 receiving yards and reeling in three touchdown receptions.
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Evangel holds a 30-17 all-time record in season openers, as the Valor look to move their winning streak of home openers to four games with a win on Saturday.
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The Valor offense racked up 427 total yards of offense on Saturday, their most in a game since last November against Bethel (Kan.).
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Reid Potts made a big impact in his first game of the 2024 season, going 17-25 with 257 passing yards and three touchdowns.
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Bradley Myers picked up right where he left last season off, leading the team with 13 total tackles.
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Kyair Warner also had a strong showing for EU, finishing with five total tackles, 1.5 for loss, while also forcing a fumble.
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The Valor hold a 255-230-3 all-time record in their 47 years as a collegiate team.
LOOKING AHEAD
Valor Football hits the road to take on the Sterling College Warriors next Saturday (Sept. 14) evening at 6:00 p.m. in Smisor Stadium.
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—
