FULTON, Mo. — William Woods football (3-3, 0-1) fell to Missouri Valley (3-2, 1-0) 24-22 Saturday at the North Campus Athletic Complex.
The Owls trailed 15-0 at halftime before beginning their comeback in the third quarter. Coleson Baum connected with JaQuieze Holland for a 1-yard touchdown with 3:11 remaining in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 15-6.
Missouri Valley extended its lead to 18-6 on a 40-yard field goal with 9:52 remaining in the fourth quarter. William Woods answered when Baum found Makel Brown for an 11-yard touchdown with 5:19 left, followed by Ryan Mendoza's extra point to cut the deficit to 18-13.
The Vikings pushed their lead back to 24-13 on a 4-yard touchdown run by Silas Morton with 2:06 remaining. The ensuing extra point was blocked by Jowell Smith, who returned it for two points to bring the Owls within 24-15.
William Woods quickly moved down the field on its next possession. Baum connected with Desmond Wilkins for 30 yards before finding Caiou Chatman for a 17-yard touchdown with 1:24 remaining. Mendoza's extra point cut the deficit to 24-22.
With all three timeouts remaining, the Owls recover an onside kick.
William Woods' final possession reached the Missouri Valley 19-yard line, but Rashaud Howard blocked Mendoza's 41-yard field-goal attempt with 26 seconds remaining. Missouri Valley ran out the clock to secure the win.
Baum completed 14 of 33 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Wilkins led the Owls with four catches for 84 yards, while Chatman added 69 receiving yards and a touchdown. Jalen Becerra recorded a 56-yard reception.
Defensively, Carter Holloway led William Woods with nine tackles. Smith and Jaquan Bell each recorded seven tackles, with Smith adding the blocked kick and Bell forcing a fumble.
William Woods finished with 319 yards of total offense, including 249 passing yards.
