SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel Valor travel to Kansas City to take on the Avila Eagles on Saturday (Oct. 25) afternoon, continuing Kessinger divisional play. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. from "The Z".
OPENING STORYLINES
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Evangel tenth-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday's contest with a 66-35 overall record, tied for the most wins by a football head coach at Evangel with former head coach Keith Barefield.
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Evangel was picked to finish first in the Kessinger Division coaches and media poll, while Avila was slated to finish tied for third in the division's preseason poll.
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The Valor remained receiving votes in the sixth edition of the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Rating. In the KCAC, Friends is tied for fourth overall, while Southwestern is at #15. McPherson dropped to #22 after a loss to Friends, 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 Avila match up for the 20th time in program history, with the Valor looking to continue their winning streak over the Eagles, having taken four straight wins in the 16-3 all-time matchup.
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Eric Williams leads Evangel in rushing yards and total offensive yards, currently with 582 yards rushing and 785 total yards this season. Williams has rushed for seven touchdowns and reeled in four from the air to open the season.
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Broc Lyle currently sits ninth all time with 18 total receiving touchdowns, leading the team so far this season with 401yards receiving and three touchdowns this season.
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Reid Potts leads Evangel at quarterback, throwing for 1,404 yards so far this year and 12 touchdown passes.
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Zach Myers had a strong game defensively last week, recording 2.5 sacks for 21 yards in the win over Ottawa.
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Draven VanGilder leads Evangel defensively with 59 total tackles.
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Evangel enters Saturday's contest with a 267-234-3 all-time record, recording a win in their 500th game against Southwestern on September 13th.
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Brady Allen is coming off a dominant showing last Sunday, scoring three touchdowns in the 28-23 win over Ottawa.
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—
