Oct 17, 2021

Coyotes win homecoming game, remain undefeated

Posted Oct 17, 2021 3:15 PM
<b>KWU's Nick Allsman had 113 yards rushing.</b> Photo courtesy <a href="http://kwucoyotes.com">kwucoyotes.com</a>
KWU's Nick Allsman had 113 yards rushing. Photo courtesy kwucoyotes.com

Drevon Macon (JR/Los Angeles, Calif.) certainly isn't the biggest guy on the football field. Fact is he's one of, if not the smallest at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds.

Macon's value to and versatility in Kansas Wesleyan's offensive juggernaut is ginormous, though. Never has his worth versatility been more obvious than it was Saturday afternoon.

The speedy and hiccup-quick Macon ran for a touchdown, completed a 23-yard pass that led to a touchdown, caught four passes and returned two punts and a kickoff in the No. 8 Coyotes' 45-17 Kansas Conference and homecoming victory over McPherson before a Graves Family Sports Complex record crowd of 2,187.

KWU improved to 7-0 overall and the KCAC and remained atop the conference standings with a one-game lead over Southwestern and Bethel.

The Coyotes rolled for 472 total yards, 274 passing and 198 rushing, while McPherson (3-3) had 325 total yards, 270 passing.

Macon, who lines up as a slotback, got things started when he threw a 23-yard to Eren Jenkins (FR/Chicago, Ill.) on KWU's second possession. The pass was underthrown but Jenkins came back and made a falling backwards catch at the McPherson 4-yard line. C.J. Fluker scored the first of his two touchdowns four plays later to make it 7-0.

Macon got the pass off despite being grabbed by a McPherson defender in the process.

"I was under pressure, the defender grabbed my shoulder pad so it made me twist," he said.

Macon struck again midway through the third quarter when he took a reverse toss from Nick Allsman (SO/Belleville, Kan.) and sprinted around left end into the end zone from 14 yards out, giving the Coyotes a 31-3 lead.

Macon finished with four catches for 58 yards and the rushing touchdown. He leads KWU with 41 receptions for 372 yards and a touchdown this season. He also has 145 rushing yards on 20 carries and 232 combined yards on punt and kickoff returns.

Macon said the Coyotes were able to take advantage of McPherson's defensive alignment.

"They run a lot of Cover 2 so we just tried to find holes in the Cover 2 and Cover 3," he said. "Today I just made sure I gave it my all and came out with a win. The team, they lift me up every day. We have a special team and I feel like we're to do a lot of big things this season."

"Drevon does everything," KWU coach Myers Hendrickson said. "He catches the ball inside, outside, run the ball, even throws the ball. (The pass completion) was a huge play for us early in the game. We needed it and proved to be big. Without those big plays early, we go into halftime in a really tight ballgame. Can't say enough about Drevon Macon."

Those other big plays came in the second quarter complements of Isaiah Randalle (JR/Sacramento, Calif.) and wide outs Stevie Williams (SR/East Los Angeles, Calif.) and Jenkins. Williams caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Randalle on the first play of the quarter, extending the Coyotes' lead to 14-3, and Jenkins hauled in a 60-yard scoring pass from Randalle with 1:39 left before intermission that gave them a 21-3 lead at the break.

KWU tacked on 10 points in the third quarter on Aaron Main (JR/Tulsa, Okla.)'s 21-yard field and Macon's 14-yard jaunt.

The teams alternated touchdowns in the fourth quarter – KWU's scores coming on a 41-yard Allsman run and Fluker's second 1-yard run with 1:39 remaining.

"They came in playing with a lot of confidence and at a high level," Hendrickson said of the Bulldogs. "I'm really proud of our group to come away with a win today. It really took all three phases (offense, defense, special teams) because they're a good team. We had to play well to have a chance to win and we did that."

Wesleyan enjoyed another balanced offensive thrust. Randalle was 15 of 26 for 251 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, Jenkins had four catches for 114 yards and Williams three for 69. Allsman led the ground attack with 113 yards on nine carries and Fluker had 79 yards on 15 attempts.

"I think the offensive line played great," Hendrickson said. "On some of those runs we were creating a new line of scrimmage; I was really proud of how the offensive line played because that's a great (McPherson) defensive line. You saw a lot of the same players you saw last year from their front seven. Thought we handled that really well, both Allsman and Fluker had big games and came ready to play."

Tristan Szabo, McPherson's freshman quarterback, had a productive day completing 34 of 53 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. But he was on the run much of the time and was sacked four times. Melvin Reid caught eight passes for 101 yards and two scores.

"I was never concerned," Hendrickson said. "I felt like we were in control because we were getting to the quarterback. He never really got in a rhythm throughout the course of the game. Chris Scott (JR/Chicago, Ill.), Christian Bowman (JR/Gardena, Calif.) had sacks and Cole Parker (JR/Orland, Calif.) had a big sack in there. We got pressure on their young quarterback and that helped tremendously."

Linebacker DeVante' Gabriel had a team-high nine tackles and cornerback Esaias Freeman seven.

Hendrickson was ecstatic when told of the record crowd, surpassing the gathering that watched the playoff game against Baker in 2019.

"It speaks volumes of the administration, Dr. Matt Thompson (president), Steve Wilson (director of athletics)," he said. "They do a great job putting us in position to be successful. Steve and the marketing do things that make this a fun environment for people to come and watch.

"To break the record again and be over capacity … is special. The Salina community's special, the Kansas Wesleyan campus community's special, they came out and supported us today and I'm very thankful for their support."

The Coyotes play their last road game of the season next Saturday in Hillsboro against Tabor, starting at 1 p.m. Their final three regular season games are Graves Family Sports Complex.

-kwucoyotes.com-