SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel Valor return to action on Saturday (Sept. 12) morning, hosting the #22 Southwestern College Moundbuilders for a top-25 clash in the KCAC. Kickoff is set for 11 AM in Ozark, Mo., at Tiger Stadium.
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OPENING STORYLINES
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Saturday's contest opens one of four consecutive matchups against teams that were top-25 or receiving votes to open the season.
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Evangel eleventh-year head coach Chuck Hepola enters Saturday's contest with a 72-36 overall record, the most wins by a football head coach at Evangel, set last season in a road win against Avila.
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Evangel was picked to finish first in the Kessinger Division coaches and media poll. In the Bissell, McPherson was picked just slightly over Friends in the coaches poll, while the Falcons edged the Bulldogs in the media poll. Southwestern was picked to finish third in the Bissell preseason coaches poll and media poll.
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The Valor are ranked #19 in the preseason edition of the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Rating. In the KCAC, Friends is tied for ninth, McPherson opened the season at #21, Southwestern sits at #22, and Kansas Wesleyan is currently receiving votes.
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Evangel and Southwestern match up for the seventh time in program history, as Evangel looks to continue their winning ways against the Moundbuilders. The Valor were victorious on the road last season, 35-25, in an upset win.
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Senior Broc Lyle sits 2nd all-time in receptions (157), 7th all-time in receiving touchdowns (23), and 10th in receiving yards (2,033) in school history.
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Kyle Cummings led the team in rushing yards last Saturday, finishing with 65 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns.
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Matt Allen led all QBs last Saturday, going 21-26 for 185 yards, tossing three touchdowns in the win.
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Logan Putman & Talon Stephens came away with their first interceptions of the season at Sterling.
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Cody Voysey went 6-6 for PATs on Saturday, moving his streak to 50 consecutive PAT makes, dating back to a year ago.
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The Evangel defense recorded eight tackles for loss in last Saturday's road win over the Warriors.
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Grady Goss blocked Sterling's final PAT attempt last Saturday, joining Stephens as the only other Evangel athlete to block a kick this season.
UP NEXT
Evangel Football heads back to Kansas on Saturday (Sept. 19) night, taking on the #21 McPherson Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m., in McPherson, Kansas.
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—
