The 2026 Kansas Wesleyan Flag Football season started with a bang.
The Coyotes opened the season with a dominant 73-0 win over the Hesston College Larks on Saturday at JRI Hospitality Stadium at the Graves Family Sports Complex.
Overnight snow in the area melted away nicely before the game to set the stage for Wesleyan's dominating performance.
KWU excelled in all phases of the game holding Hesston to 55 yards of total offense while racking of 466 of its own.
Wesleyan started with the ball and needed only one play to get on the board. Chihiro Iwata found Nyjah Green along the sideline and Green outran the Hesston defense into the endzone for the first score of the season just 11 seconds in.
The Coyotes scored on their next drive as well, as Iwata capped it with a five-yard run with 7:53 left in the quarter.
Wesleyan made it 3 for 3 on scoring drives as the Coyotes marched downfield quickly and capped the drive with a 6-yard pass from Iwata to Aliyah Wood. The scoring play set up by a 20-yard pass to Yui Watanabe.
Laura Hernandez Sanchez picked off a pass on Hesston's next drive and Wesleyan made it 28-0 as Iwata hit Aaliyah Young for a 3-yard touchdown pass.
Wesleyan's first drive of the second quarter also yielded points as Iwata hit Wood for a 15-yard pass to make it 35-0.
The Coyotes wasted little time in getting the ball back as Jocelyn Huntsman picked off a pass, returning it 22 yards to the Hesston-3 and the next play the Coyotes were in as Iwata hit Green to make it 42-0 with 5:07 left in the half.
Iwata threw another touchdown pass for the Coyotes, this time converting on fourth and goal at the 14 as Iwata found Young again for the score with 36 seconds left making it 48-0.
KWU's first drive of the third quarter yielded points as Shanya Murape outsprinted everyone on the field for a 17-yard touchdown run and it was 54-0.
Wesleyan's only failed drive of the game was next as KWU could not convert on a fourth down at the Hesston 7.
KWU scored on its next drive as Murape ran it in from 10 yards out.
The Coyotes had two more scores as Naomi Shannon hit Ava Duerr with a dart from 14 yards out with 5:47 left in the game and Shannon tossed a second touchdown pass to Kylie Marshall from four yards out with 2:09 left to cap the scoring.
Hesston's final drive was its best of the game as the Larks drove to the KWU 28 on the final play of the game.
Hesston only passed its own 20 yard line two times, once in the first quarter - only to the 21, and the second time on the final drive of the game.
The Coyotes were phenomenal on offense. Iwata was 19 of 21 passing for 251 yards and six touchdowns, all coming in a half of action. She added four rushes for 39 yards and a seventh touchdown. Shanya Murape was 8 of 9 passing for 64 yards and had four runs for 51 yards and two scores.
Green had four receptions for 81 yards and two scores. Young had five catches for 45 yards and two scores. Wood had five catches for 47 yards and two scores. KWU had 12 different players catch a pass.
Murape and Ansdiane Rabano led the Coyote defense with three tackles each.