Westgate Falls Short at Austin 38-21

SHERMAN, Tx. – The Austin College football team toppled visiting Westgate Christian University 38-21 on Saturday evening at Jerry E. Apple Stadium, with Zyan Stewart rushing for 222 yards to lead the way while Jermiah Johnson had a kick return touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the game.

Austin College piled up 342 rushing yards as a team, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt, with Stewart running 31 times to get his 222 yards with a score, while Jon Rawles Thompson rushed 14 times for 70 yards and Jaylon Talton added 54 yards and a score on eight attempts. Talton also completed 5-of-9 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, including a 41-yard strike to Johnson and a 63 yard score to Michael Cress, who led the ‘Roos with 76 yards on three receptions.

Westgate got on the board first with an eight play, 75 yard drive capped by an eight yard touchdown run from Jonathan McCoy on the opening drive for the Ravens, but Johnson responded with a 90 yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff. Westgate went on top 14-7 early in the second, but Johnson hauled in his 41 yard touchdown pass late in the quarter and Cress caught his long score with 1:18 left in the half.

Stewart capped a 12 play, 79 yard drive to open the second half with a one yard touchdown run to make it 28-14, before the Ravens answered with a touchdown reception by Daylin Robinson from Allen Rainey to make it 28-21 at the end of the third. Talton put the ‘Roos up 35-21 early in the fourth with a six yard touchdown run, and Caleb Balderas finished off the scoring with a 20 yard field goal to make it 38-21 with 4:13 left to play.

Austin College outgained Westgate 469 to 374, and Cam Hammond led the ‘Roos defensively with nine tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Pablo Cantu added nine tackles, and Evan Dennis and Eazy Robertson each had an interception for the ‘Roos. AJ Scott led Westgate defensively with 13 stops, while McCoy ran 15 times for 122 yards and two scores while Trey Williams connected on 7-of-12 passes for 96 yards and added 118 yards on 10 carries.

Story and image courtesy Austin College Athletics

Builders Second-Half Comeback Falls Just Short at Methodist

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Down 20-0 at halftime, The Apprentice School football team stormed back in the second half, scoring a touchdown with 18 seconds left to pull within a point, but the two-point conversion to win fell to the ground as Methodist hung on for a 20-19 win Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Builders fall to 1-3 overall for the 10th time since 2000. They also finish the season series against USA South opponents 0-3.

After an Apprentice fumble on the opening drive of the game, Methodist methodically marched down the field, going 45 yards in 11 plays to score on a fourth down passing play from Ty Little to Tyrone Atkinson for the game’s first points. The Monarchs then forced an interception and went 83 yards in 13 plays on their next drive to score on a Little 1-yard run to push the score to 13-0 after the missed PAT.

The two teams traded punts on their next drives before Methodist forced another interception that led to another Little rushing touchdown, capping an 8-play, 58-yard drive that gave them a 20-0 lead that would go to halftime.

The Builders woke up in the second half, blocking a field goal attempt from inside the 10 on the first drive of the second half and immediately turning it into points as Kendall Hunt found Isaiah Townsend for a 72-yard touchdown, the longest play of the season, to cut the lead down to 20-6 after a blocked PAT. After forcing a punt, the Builders drove right down the field again, looking for more points, but this time it was Methodist who blocked a field goal attempt from inside the 10-yard line to keep the score at the 14-point margin.

Apprentice answered right back, though, forcing a three-and-out to allow Hunt to find T.K. Petty down the sidelines for a 29-yard touchdown that trimmed the lead to seven. The two sides traded punts and the Builders got the ball back with 5:30 to go on their own 19-yard line.

The Builders marched down the field, taking up over five minutes of game clock to 14 plays, setting up Hunt to again find Petty for a 3-yard passing score on fourth-and-goal that brought the Builders to within one. Apprentice elected to go for two on a fake PAT, but the pass fell to the ground in the endzone and Methodist recovered the ensuing onside kick to hold on for the win.

Hunt finished the day 18-for-32 for 251 yards and three touchdowns, linking up with seven different receivers on the day.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @shotsbyk8lyn

Clayton State Knocks off NAIA Point 25-14

WEST POINT, Ga. – Clayton State scored 25 unanswered points and knocked of Point University 25-14 on Saturday.

Point, a member of the NAIA Appalachian Athletic Conference, did all of its scoring in the first two quarters and went into the locker room with a 14-0 halftime lead. But Clayton State made the second half its own, shutting out the Skyhawks and turning up the offensive firepower.

Laker quarterback Sire Hardaway passed for three touchdowns, including passes of 65 and 25 yards to Savion West for scores. Hardaway also connected with Danimon Moxey from 10 yards out. Jaydon Lilly scored on a 17-yard scamper.

CSU outgained Point 374 yards to 253, including 258 through the air.

Clayton State improves to 2-1 on the season and faces Jacksonville AA next Saturday in Morrow, Georgia.

Image courtesy Clayton State Football

Apprentice Makes History with First NSAC Football Win

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – In the first ever New South Athletic Conference football game, it was The Apprentice School that ended up on the winning side as the Builders blanked South Carolina Central Christian Saturday afternoon 59-0.

With the win, the Builders improve to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Builders’ next conference game will be in three weeks.

Apprentice took the opening kickoff and drove down the field, but the Gladiator defense stood strong, forcing a Logan Eastman 30-yard field goal that put the Builders in front, 3-0. After a strip sack set the home team up with a short field, Colby Messe punched it in from a yard out to take a 10-0 lead.

The Builders added two more 1-yard rushing touchdowns early in the second quarter, one by Malachi Mitchell and one by Tyreon Taylor that made the score 24-0. The game looked as if it would stay there going into the break, but Khamarie Trueblood stripped the ball away from a Gladiator and ran it back 65 yards for a 31-0 lead at the half.

Kendall Hunt got things going in the second half, finding Baker Green for a 13-yard pitch-and-catch before running in a touchdown from three yards out. Hunt added another passing score to Bradley Hebb in the back of the endzone for a 22-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 52-0 at the end of the third. Mitchell added one more score from the 2-yard line in the fourth.

Hunt finished the day 15-for-21 for 174 yards and a trio of touchdowns, two through the air. The Builders had seven rushers total 141 yards on the ground.

Defensively, Apprentice forced three turnovers on the day, turning all three into points.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson/@shotsbyk8lyn

Northeastern State Rolls Past Westgate

TAHLEQUAH, Ok. – Northeastern State set a modern-day program scoring record and set or tied school records in at least three other statistical categories as the RiverHawks cruised past Westgate Christian (Texas) 70-12 on Saturday afternoon on Gable Field at Doc Wadley Stadium.

NSU is off to a 2-2 start through four games for the first time since 2021 and just the second time since 2010. The RiverHawks scored 70 points for the first time since 1919 and passed the modern scoring mark set in a 64-7 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Nov. 6, 1999.

NSU scored 10 touchdowns, eight of those on rushing plays, setting and tying single-game school records, respectively. Kicker Troy Nguyen booted 10 conversion kicks, breaking the former record of nine, set by Larry Dotson at Northwestern Oklahoma State on Oct. 31, 1970. The winning margin of 58 points was the fourth-highest in program history and the RiverHawks’ 31 first downs were their third-most ever, and just one off the school record.

NSU’s defense also shined, limiting the Ravens to minus-22 yards rushing, the third-best total in program history, and intercepting four passes, tied for the sixth-best total ever by the RiverHawks.

“I was just proud of the way that we played hard the entire game,” NSU coach Darrin Chiaverini said. “We got better today as a football program, as a football team. We did what we were supposed to do against that opponent. We’re going to have tougher opponents on our schedule, but I was proud of the way that we played hard.

“We made the simple plays, the routine plays, routine, and we didn’t make the simple plays hard today, which we have been doing the last couple weeks. We took care of the football on offense and we took it away on defense, and that’s winning football.”

Kacie Riley had seven carries for 67 yards and three touchdowns (on runs of 5, 2 and 32 yards) for NSU. Ramon McKinney Jr. led the RiverHawks in rushing with 99 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while Ethan Washington had 10 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Cam Jackson’s lone carry, on a reverse play, resulted in a 69-yard touchdown, and LJ Robins added nine carries for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Donnie Smith completed 8 of 10 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns, one apiece to Jackson and Cam Woods. Backups Dereun Dortch and Brady Norman also took snaps behind center for the RiverHawks.

On defense, 26 players recorded at least one tackle for NSU, led by Kale Charboneau, who had seven. Jaxon Woods, Marvelous Owens, Jordan Tolbert and Hagen Foreman each intercepted a pass as the RiverHawks limited Westgate Christian (1-3) to 181 yards of offense.

Westgate Christian stopped NSU on downs inside the 1 on the RiverHawks’ first series, but the only thing that kept NSU from scoring on each of its subsequent 12 drives was the end of each half.

A 16-yard scoring run by McKinney and Jackson’s 69-yard run put NSU up 14-0 after one quarter. It was 35-0 by halftime and 49-0 before the Ravens scored, on a 6-yard pass from Trey Williams to Dallas Kiram. Jaxon Woods blocked the conversion attempt for NSU.

Riley’s 32-yard touchdown run put NSU up 70-6 with 2:12 left before the Ravens scored with 34 seconds left on a 13-yard pass from Allen Rainey to Christian Ross. Westgate Christian – a second-year program which is not affiliated with either the NCAA or NAIA – suited up only 45 players, the vast majority of them freshmen.

Story and image courtesy Northeastern State Athletics