Oct 04, 2025

🏈 Football wraps up cross-division play Saturday heading to Evangel

Posted Oct 04, 2025 1:59 AM

The Coyotes make their longest conference road trip of the season for a game against Ted Kessinger Division favorite Evangel.

GAME INFORMATION

  1. Kickoff: 1 p.m.
  2. Day: Saturday
  3. Location: Eagle Stadium, Nixa, Mo.
  4. Records: Kansas Wesleyan 4-1; Evangel 3-2

LIVE COVERAGE

  1. The video stream of the game will be available online the Urban Edge Network (https://urbanedgenetwork.net/watch/3316). It will also be available on the KCAC Network (https://kcacnetwork.com/evangel/?B=2471575). Evangel's production crew will be handing production of the broadcast.
  2. Live Stats will be available at https://kwucoyotes.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
  3. Radio coverage will be on KINA starting at noon with Tyler Henry on the play by play. The online radio stream is available at https://radio.securenetsystems.net/ce/kina2.

THE SERIES

Evangel has won the last two games and leads the series 3-1 since 2001. The Valor won 35-24 last season at JRI Hospitality Stadium and 17-7 in 2023 in Nixa. The Coyotes were victorious 38-28 in a non-conference game in 2013 at Salina Stadium.

KANSAS WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE

  1. The Coyotes lost to Tabor 28-19 last Saturday at JRI Hospitality Stadium. It was their first setback after opening the season with four victories. KWU took an early 6-0 lead before the Bluejays scored the next 28 points. The Coyotes rallied in the fourth quarter but came up short.
  2. Henry Austad threw for 200 yards and rushed for 82 and a touchdown. Will Wilcox caught seven passes for 82 yards, all in the second half, and Aiden Jones had five receptions for 37 yards. D'Heaven Domena added 71 yards rushing on 13 carries and a touchdown. KWU outgained Tabor in total yards 380-330 but was hampered by three turnovers, a missed extra point and a missed field goal.
  3. Tabor ran eight plays (two of them punts) and had two yards of offense in the fourth quarter. Myles Elam led the defense with 14 tackles while Taylor Collins had 11. KWU notched three sacks led by Josh King-Bradley with 1.5.
  4. The Coyotes led Evangel 17-14 at halftime last season but were outscored 21-7 in the second half. Byron McNair threw for 125 yards and a touchdown and Zarek Fewell rushed for 86 yards. Luke Armstrong had 63 yards rushing and a touchdown.
  5. Saturday's game will be the Coyotes' last against teams from the Ted Kessinger Division. It's also their first afternoon game of the season. Following the KCAC's bye week on October 11 they begin play against their opponents in the Gene Bissell Division starting with Saint Mary on October 18 in Leavenworth.

EVANGEL AT A GLANCE

  1. The Valor have lost their last two games - 17-10 against McPherson in Nixa and 53-0 to No. 6 Friends last Saturday in Wichita. They outlasted Southwestern 35-25 on Sept. 13 in Winfield.
  2. Evangel averages 427.4 total yards and is the epitome of balance - 215.6 passing, 211.8 rushing. Offensively the Valor average 31.6 points and the opposition 24.6 (15.8 before Friends).
  3. Quarterback Reid Potts has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,048 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Lyle Broc has a team-high 22 receptions for 351 yards and two scores. Eric Williams is the top rusher with 472 and six TDs; he had 1,097 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024. Evangel has been dominant in the second quarter outscoring its opponents 61-33.
  4. Opposing teams average 182.2 yards rushing and 192.4 passing. Linebacker Draven VanGilder has a team-high 38 tackles and defensive back Cullen Snow a team-best three interceptions.
  5. Head coach Chuck Hepola is in his 10th season and has a 64-35 record. He earned a bachelor's degree from Evangel in 1991.

HEAD COACH MATT MIDDLETON

"I think we could have gone off the rails, but I do know for the last two minutes of the third quarter and the fourth quarter we scrapped, and we got after it. We made it a competitive game. We were bad on offense, we had dropped balls, we had missed assignments. On defense, we had the same things in busted coverages."

"I do think we've got a team that's resilient. They came back ready to work. Not going to lie, we're beat up right now, but we've got to get ready to go because we're going to be facing an amazing football team in Evangel. I think what happened was we got exposed in some areas that we've got to correct. I think we've done that and now it's about can we go compete with our backs against the wall?"

"We've been playing pretty local here, but this is our first big road test. I'm not worried about a one o'clock kickoff, we practice six o'clock in the morning, so I think they'll be ready to go. The biggest thing is that we travel well, that we travel the right way. It's a business trip and we're going to face what I consider a monster."

"We've got to be able to consistently run the football. I don't care what level you're at you win championships running the football. When you're forced to be one dimensional it puts you in a bind. We've run the football at will at times, but I think for us to be who we want to be we've got to be extremely balanced. I think we've been top heavy in certain games, but we've always said we would do what we had to do to win the football game."

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR DAVID LEONARD

"We always have to be the more physical team, and you know kudos to Tabor. They did a great job scheme wise; they did a great job up front; they did a really good job of protecting the quarterback. We had some sacks but gave up some third downs."

"(Evangel) is extremely well coached and very, very disciplined. They're very balanced ... they do a really good job of mixing it up. I think it comes back to being disciplined with your eyes, understanding what our job is on that certain call or play and being disciplined with it. It's a really tough match up. I think our guys are excited to just get back and play and kind of get that taste out of their mouth from last week."

NEXT WEEK

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