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

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