SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel Valor return home for homecoming on Saturday (Oct. 4) afternoon, hosting the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes at 1:05 p.m., looking to bounce back after a tough loss on the road against #6 Friends.
OPENING STORYLINES
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Evangel tenth-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday's contest with a 64-35 overall record, the second most wins by a football head coach at Evangel, just two wins behind former head coach Keith Barefield (66).
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Evangel was picked to finish first in the Kessinger Division coaches and media poll. In the Bissell, Kansas Wesleyan was picked to finish fourth by the coaches and third by the media.
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The Valor remained receiving votes in the third edition of the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Rating. In the KCAC, Friends is ranked #6, while Southwestern moved down to #18. McPherson entered the top 25 at #24 after opening the season 5-0, while Kansas Wesleyan is still also receiving votes. An updated top 25 rating comes out every Monday the rest of the season.
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Evangel and Kansas Wesleyan match up for the fifth time in program history, as Evangel looks to continue their winning ways against the Coyotes. The Valor were victorious on the road last season, 35-24, their first ever win against Kansas Wesleyan on the road.
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Eric Williams leads Evangel in rushing yards and total offensive yards, currently with 472 yards rushing and 648 total yards this season. Williams has rushed for six touchdowns and reeled in four from the air to open the season.
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Broc Lyle currently sits ninth all time with 17 total receiving touchdowns, leading the team so far this season with 351 yards receiving.
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Reid Potts leads Evangel at quarterback, throwing for 1,048 yards so far this year and eight touchdown passes.
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Evangel boasts a 24-23-1 record in homecoming games and have played in only three games on homecoming with the temperature at kickoff higher than 80f (Wins vs Friends '23 & Avila '24, Loss to Benedictine '95)
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Draven VanGilder leads Evangel defensively with 38 total tackles.
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Evangel enters Saturday's contest with a 265-234-3 all-time record, recording a win in their 500th game against Southwestern on September 13th.
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—
