D'Heaven Domena finally got his chance and taken full advantage of it.
Thrust into duty when Kansas Wesleyan's NAIA First Team All-American running back Luke Armstrong suffered a season-ending injury in the second game Domena had been superb in five consecutive games. His effort Saturday night against Sterling, though, was otherworldly.
Domena rushed for 259 yards on a whopping 40 carries, caught two passes for 51 yards and scored three touchdowns in leading KWU to a 35-0 rout of Sterling on a rainy and chilly Homecoming night on Gene Bissell Field at JRI Hospitality Stadium and the Graves Family Sports Complex.
The Coyotes improved to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the Bissell Division.
Domena, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., has 776 yards rushing on 127 carries in the last six games and has scored seven touchdowns in the last two after scoring four times against Saint Mary.
On the season he has 868 yards on 151 attempts (5.7 per carry) and 10 touchdowns.
"He was just waiting his turn and now he's had an opportunity," KWU coach Matt Middleton said on the postgame radio show. "He's a physical back that makes some things happen and I do believe he is getting better and better each and every week."
Domena was dominant against Sterling. By halftime he had 129 yards on 18 carries that included a 32-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He also caught a screen pass that went for 50 yards.
Wesleyan led 21-0 at halftime.
Domena added 130 yards rushing in the second half and scored twice in the third quarter on runs of five and four yards.
Henry Austad, still hobbled by a leg injury, completed 17 of 30 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown and scored on a 1-yard one. KWU outgained Sterling 481-215 in total yards and had 33 first downs to the Warriors' 13.
The Coyotes lost two fumbles deep in Sterling territory in the first quarter but scored three touchdowns in the second on Austad's sneak from the 1, Domena's long run and Austad's one-yard pass to Callum Armstrong who typically plays defensive end.
"In junior college he played receiver and tight end and then transitioned to defensive end," Middleton said. "He's been on me a little about letting him catch a ball, so I let him run around this week and said, 'if I get a chance, we'll go one on one and throw it up' and that's what we did. One catch, one target, one touchdown."
Wesleyan's defense was suffocating from start to finish. Sterling had minus-33 yards rushing at halftime and ended with 25 on 24 carries. The Coyotes notched five sacks and intercepted five passes, giving them nine in the last two games. Safety Taylor Collins picked off two passes Saturday and had two against Saint Mary.
"I think they've been more aggressive," Middleton said. "The bottom line is they're breaking to the ball more and we're catching them versus bouncing off our chest like before. I'm super proud of them, the defensive staff and what they've done."
Sterling quarterback Rocklin Baptista was 12 of 29 for 143 yards and four interceptions. Backup quarterback Zachary Isaak also had a pass intercepted.
"Coach (David) Leonard (defensive coordinator) will tell you our number one goal going into the season was to stop the run," Middleton said. "Somebody beats us throwing it then that's what happens. It was a huge night for us."
The Coyotes embark on a brutal three-game stretch over the next three weeks starting with unbeaten and fourth-ranked Friends at 1 p.m. Saturday at Equity Bank Park in Wichita. The Falcons (8-0) defeated Southwestern 42-28 Saturday in Winfield.