BRADENTON, Fla. - The Kansas Wesleyan Flag Football team battled its way back through the losers bracket side of the Inaugural NAIA Flag Football Invitational, picking up two big wins along the way, but the Coyotes' run would come to a close in the tournament on Friday at IMG Academy.
The Coyotes played three games on Friday through the heat and humidity of the Gulf Coast of Florida as they worked their way into the losers bracket final, looking for a berth in the Championship Game on Saturday, but came up just short. The Coyotes can claim a third place finish in the Invitational after reaching the losers bracket final.
The third place finish is one of the best team finishes for a KWU team in school history at an official NAIA postseason event.
Wesleyan picked up two big wins on Friday, knocking off KCAC rivals Baker and Ottawa, eliminating both the Wildcats and Braves from the tournament field. KWU then faced Keiser for a second time in the tournament, and dropped the contest to the Seahawks.
KWU 53, Baker 35 - Wesleyan first contest of three of the day facing the Baker Wildcats, a team that the Coyotes had lost twice to earlier in the season, once in the regular season and once in the KCAC Tournament.
After Baker scored first in the game, the Coyotes came back and took the lead 7-6 as Leila Casillan scored from a yard out on a direct snap and the PAT gave the Coyotes the lead.
Wesleyan then got an interception by Aliyah Wood on the next Baker drive giving the ball back to the Coyotes and KWU would capitalize. Chihiro Iwata would find Jenise Washington for a 2-yard touchdown pass and the Coyotes would take a 13-6 lead.
Baker would turn the ball back over to the Coyotes on the next drive and on the short field the Coyotes again capitalized as Iwata found Wood for a 13-yard touchdown and the PAT was good making it 20-6.
Baker scored on its next drive but the Coyotes answered right back. Iwata found Laura Hernandez Sanchez on a 66-yard catch and run touchdown on the first play of the drive and the Coyotes extended the lead to 27-12.
Another interception by the Coyotes, this time by Zo Lucas set up another KWU score as Iwata again found Washington for a 6-yard scoring play and the PAT extended KWU's lead to 34-12 which would carry over to the half.
Wesleyan opened the second half with a flourish as Iwata again found Hernandez Sanchez for another 66-yard touchdown play on the first play of the drive and the Coyotes took a 40-12 lead.
Hernandez Sanchez then stepped up on defense, intercepting a pass on Baker's next drive and the Coyotes again found paydirt as Iwata hit Jazmine Whitfield from six yards out to give KWU a 46-12 lead.
Baker scored on its next drive but the Coyotes answered right back as Iwata linked up with Whitfield again to make it 53-20 early in the fourth quarter.
Baker scored on two more drives but could not come back against the Coyotes as KWU would prevail and eliminate the Wildcats.
Iwata was phenomenal for the Coyotes going 29 of 35 passing for 317 yards and seven touchdowns. Hernandez Sanchez had 132 yards receiving on two catches, both for scores. Whitfield had nine catches for 72 yards and two scores, Washington had six catches for 35 yards and two scores and Wood had five for 35 yards and a score.
Ava Duerr had nine flag pulls for the Coyotes. Khylie Douglas had four, which included a sack.
KWU 19, Ottawa 13 - Most times when Ottawa and Kansas Wesleyan meet up, you have a thrilling flag football contest that goes down to the wire. Friday's match-up between the Braves and Coyotes was no exception.
Wesleyan fell behind with 43 seconds left in the game, but marched downfield and scored with four seconds left to beat the Braves 19-13 and eliminate the five-time NAIA Flag Football Finals winners from the NAIA Invitational Tournament.
Both teams battled through the first quarter without putting points on the board signaling a defensive challenge from both sides in the game.
Finally in the second quarter, the Coyotes found the endzone.
A 16-yard pass from Iwata to Washington kept KWU's drive going, converting a third down and the Coyotes would find paydirt as Iwata hit Wood for a 16-yard touchdown play to make it 6-0 Coyotes.
Wesleyan's defense made a huge stand at the end of the second quarter to keep Ottawa out of the endzone. Ottawa had first and goal at the KWU 9 after converting a fourth down play, but the Braves would throw three straight incomplete passes and the Coyotes would hold.
Neither team scored in the third quarter but an Iwata pass was intercepted and returned to the KWU 1, and the Braves would score to take a 7-6 lead with 10:28 left.
The Coyotes marched downfield and completed a 5-yard pass from Iwata to Washington to give the Coyotes a 12-6 lead with 4:58 left.
Ottawa took over and went downfield, trying to eat up as much clock as possible before getting a 17-yard touchdown play with 43 seconds left to take a 13-12 lead.
Calm and collected the Coyotes began the game winning march. Iwata completed a pass to Washington for nine yards and a first down, then hit Wood for 12 yards, Hernandez Sanchez for 13 yards to give KWU first down at the Ottawa 32.
Iwata then took the snap and found Washington streaking down the sideline and her catch and dive into the endzone with four seconds left gave the Coyotes the lead. The PAT conversion put the Coyotes up 19-13.
Ottawa tried a multi-lateral passing play to try and score as time expired, but Washington would play the double hero and pick off the pass and secure the win for the Coyotes.
KWU outgained the Braves 250-243 in the game.
Iwata was 29 of 39 passing for 241 yards and three scores. Washington had seven catches for 67 yards and two scores. Wood had six for 50, Whitfield five for 38, Watanabe five for 28.
Hernandez Sanchez anchored KWU's defense with six flag pulls, while Washington, Lucas and Douglas had five each. Douglas had three stops for lost yardage.
Keiser 47, KWU 28 - After a brief break while Warner and Keiser played in the winners bracket final, the Coyotes returned to the field for their third game of the day in the sweltering Florida heat and humidity.
The Coyotes would face Keiser for a second time in the tournament after the teams met in the first round on Thursday with the Seahawks coming away with the win.
Wesleyan took an early lead in the game as Iwata found Washington for a 24-yard scoring play with 7:25 left in the first quarter and the PAT was good putting the Coyotes up 7-0.
Keiser scored on its first possession, but the PAT was failed and KWU held a 7-6 lead.
After a stalled KWU drive, Keiser would take the lead with 10:20 left in the second and after an interception the Seahawks would extend their lead out to 19-7.
The Coyotes used a 38-yard pass from Iwata to Washington to set up Eva Decesare's 1-yard touchdown run to make it 19-13 with a minute left in the half.
Keiser then answered back with a 59-yard touchdown play to take a 25-13 lead into the half.
Keiser extended its lead on the first drive of the third quarter and the Coyotes would drive to the Keiser-3 but turned the ball over on downs.
Wesleyan's defense stepped up again as Wood picked off a pass and returned it four yards for a touchdown and the 2-point PAT got the Coyotes within 12 at 33-21.
Keiser responded with a long pass play for a touchdown to lead 40-21.
Iwata hit Wood for a 10-yard touchdown with 10:20 left in the game to get back within 12, but Keiser again scored to seal the win.
Iwata was 38 of 49 passing for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Washington had seven catches for 91 yards, Watanabe had five for 76, Wood eight for 50, Duerr six for 40, Hernandez Sanchez three for 34, Whitfield four for 28, Casillan two for 12, Savannah Jolman one for eight, Douglas one for six and Decesare one for two yards.
Washington led the defense with eight flag pulls.