OLATHE, Ks – William Woods (1-8, 1-4 Heart) took a trip to Olathe, Kansas, to take on Mid-America Nazarene (6-3, 3-1 Heart), looking to get back in the win column.
The Owls received the opening kickoff and wasted no time setting the tone. Quarterback
Dontae Rhodes would connect with
Matthew Segovia for a 40-yard strike to set up a receiving touchdown for RB
Jalen Proctor. After the extra point, the Owls held an early 7-0 lead.
Mid-America responded quickly, stringing together a pair of scoring drives and forcing a turnover on downs to jump ahead 14-7. Both defenses tightened up in the second quarter, each forcing a turnover.
Dontae Rhodes would break this streak as he would find 29 yards on the ground, setting up K
Justin Sharkey would knock in the field goal from 35 to bring the score to 14-10.
A fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff gave the Owls prime field position, but the Pioneers blocked Sharkey's next field goal attempt to keep their lead intact. With the momentum on their side, Mid-America would march down the field and score a touchdown to extend their lead over the Owls 21-10.
Woods would not go easy into halftime as Rhodes found
Bryson Nealy 3 times for a 60-yard bomb and touchdown with the time winding down to bring the score to 21-17 right before halftime.
The Pioneers struck fast out of halftime, turning a Woods fumble into two quick touchdowns to push the lead to 35-17. Looking at a 35-17 deficit, Sharkey added another field goal to make it 35-20, and following an interception from
Carter Holloway, Rhodes would find
Desmond Wilkins for a 42-yard touchdown on the next offensive drive. With a failed 2-point conversion, Woods cut the lead to 35-26.
Both defenses held firm down the stretch, with neither offense able to find the end zone again. Despite a strong effort and several explosive plays, the Owls came up just short, falling 35-26 to the Pioneers.
William Woods will look to bounce back next Saturday when they return home to host Clarke University at 1:00 p.m. at the North Campus Athletic Complex.
