Salina, Kan.— Spire football fell 49-3 to Kansas Wesleyan on Saturday, October 17, at Bissell Field in Salina, Kansas for the Coyotes homecoming weekend, after the hosts scored touchdowns on their first two possessions.
Kameron Smith led the Spires with 90 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Kansas Wesleyan opened the scoring on Wyatt Oak's 15-yard touchdown pass to Kyler Brown, then went ahead 14-0 when Sylve connected with Armstrong for a 3-yard score.
Damarkus McCoy broke a 32-yard run to midfield early in the second quarter, but USM's possession ended with a punt. McCoy finished with 56 yards on 15 carries. Mitchum's 14-yard touchdown run made it 21-0 before the Spires produced two defensive stops:
Amir Akins intercepted Oak with 4:29 remaining in the half, and
Daniel Black recorded a 4-yard sack on the Coyotes final possession before halftime.
Brown's 5-yard touchdown run extended the margin to 28-0 early in the third quarter. Smith opened the Spires next possession with a 57-yard run from the Spires' 25-yard line to the Kansas Wesleyan 18.
Andres Cruz finished the five-play drive with a 35-yard field goal at the 8:49 mark. Kansas Wesleyan answered with a 54-yard run by Mitchum followed by a 12-yard touchdown run with 7:59 left, pushing the lead to 35-3. Mitchum finished with 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Wyatt Ramsey led Saint Mary with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops, and ended two KWU possessions on fourth down. Ramsey stopped Oak for no gain on fourth-and-1 late in the third quarter, then tackled Deal short of the marker on fourth-and-17 early in the fourth.
Amir Akins added 10 tackles and a pass breakup alongside the interception.
Amari Akins and
Damion Gordon each recorded eight tackles, with
Amari Akins also breaking up a pass.
Fowlkes intercepted freshman
Zavian Martinez with 12:33 remaining, setting up Sylve's 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down. Jackson later found Wilson for a 31-yard touchdown with 4:32 left to complete the scoring. Woods made all seven extra-point attempts. Kansas Wesleyan finished with 536 yards, including 331 on the ground, and converted 9-of-16 third downs.
USM totaled 160 yards and went 0-for-14 on third down. Martinez completed 2-of-10 passes for 17 yards with two interceptions, while
Alex Aleman completed 1-of-3 for nine yards and added 13 rushing yards.
Keleb Pritchard had a 14-yard reception, the Spires' longest catch. Cruz averaged 36.5 yards on 10 punts and placed two inside the 20.
Coming Up…
USM will come home to celebrate Hall of Fame weekend this upcoming Saturday, October 24
th at Berkel Memorial. The Spires will kick off against the No. 18 McPherson College Bulldogs at 1 p.m. and will honor the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 at halftime.
