FULTON, Mo. - Scoring all its points in the first half, William Woods University (7-3, 5-3 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) took home flag football Show-Me Bowl rights, beating the oldest college flag football program in Missouri, Cottey College (2-6, 1-5) 19-6 Wednesday at North Campus Athletic Complex. With the result, the Owls won their seventh straight, and it was WWU coach Charlie Holloway's first win at the helm in just his second day on the job.
"The girls played incredibly today," Holloway said. "We've only had two practices together since I took over, but this team never got down. They're an extremely resilient group of young women who rally around each other."
Holloway wasn't the only one adding their name to the Owls' record book as
Makenzie Hicks completed a 51-yard throw to
Evonne Bruestle, WWU's longest pass and reception of its inaugural campaign.
Quarterback Hicks and wide receiver Bruestle guided Woods' offense overall. Hicks went 22-33 through the air for 239 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions and carried it four times for 10 yards. Bruestle hauled in four catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Exemplifying the two-way play of the sport, Bruestle also recorded a game-high three sacks for an 18-yard loss, which accounted for half of her six tackles.
Kennedy Vannoy notched a team-high seven tackles and tacked on two pass breakups and an interception for The Woods, while
Madi Jones had a game-high three pass breakups and added three tackles and one interception.
William Woods' first forced pick on the day by Vannoy late in the first quarter gave the Owls the football for their first scoring drive of the afternoon. Taking just two plays to reach pay dirt, Hicks hurled her record-breaking 51-yard touchdown pass to Bruestle to cap the possession, and WWU's signal caller converted the 1-point pass attempt to put it at 7-0 Owls.
Hicks finished her three-touchdown display in the second quarter. With 9:29 left until halftime, Hicks found Jones for a 9-yard touchdown, increasing WWU's lead to 13-0. Then, Hicks connected with Bruestle on a short route, and she zipped past the Comets and took it to the house for a 50-yard touchdown with 1:26 to go in the first half.
The Owls' 19-point first half proved enough offense for the game. Woods didn't score in the second half, and it held Cottey to just six points in the final 24 minutes. The Comets posted their lone touchdown on a 40-yard pass with 6:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
For the game, William Woods totaled 248 yards of offense (239 passing yards and nine rushing yards), scored three passing touchdowns, intercepted two passes and had two penalties for five yards. Cottey tallied 145 yards of offense (141 passing yards and four rushing yards), scored one passing touchdown and had three penalties for two yards.
"Today's win is a true testament to their unselfish play, and I could not be more proud of them," Holloway said. "Even when mistakes are made, they quickly move on and stay focused. It's an incredible team!"
The Owls take a four-game weekend road trip to Campbellsville, Kentucky, beginning it by facing host Campbellsville University (4-4) at 12:30 p.m. CST and Milligan University (7-2) at 3:30 p.m. CST Friday at Finley Stadium.
