Leavenworth, Kan.– Spire football fell to No. 17 McPherson on Saturday, October 24, at Berkel Memorial Stadium, as Brown's three first-half rushing touchdowns helped put the game out of reach. USM scored their lone touchdown on an 80-yard drive in the third quarter.
The Spires produced two early defensive stops. After Garcia Jr. intercepted
Zavian Martinez on the opening possession,
Amari Akins broke up a third-down pass to force a three-and-out. Later,
Amir Akins forced a fumble by Younie that
Deante Nobles recovered at the McPherson 31. The Spires could not convert that takeaway into points, with
Joshua Bingham missing a 36-yard field goal while McPherson led 7-0.
Brown scored twice on three-yard runs in the first quarter, then added a one-yard touchdown in the second. Markarian connected with Hamid for a 19-yard touchdown, and Younie's five-yard scoring run made it 35-0 at halftime. McPherson extended the margin to 49-0 in the third quarter on Markarian's 22-yard touchdown pass to Aubrey and 31-yard scoring run.
The Spires' defense held after a fumble gave McPherson possession at the Saint Mary 18. Nobles broke up a goal-line pass before the visitors missed a 20-yard field goal. Saint Mary then drove 80 yards in 11 plays, using 6:01.
Alex Aleman found
Tyler Laningham for 13 yards on third down and
Tyrrell Nelson for gains of 16 and six yards.
Kameron Smith finished the possession with a two-yard touchdown run with 1:35 left in the third quarter, and Bingham's extra point made it 49-7.
Smith led the Spires with 66 rushing yards on 16 carries, while
Damarkus McCoy added 54 yards on 16 attempts. Aleman completed 7-of-12 passes for 63 yards, and Nelson caught four passes for 35 yards.
Chase Campbell led the defense with six tackles. McPherson finished with a 718-219 advantage in total offense, including 383-79 passing and 335-140 rushing.
The Bulldogs answered the Spires' touchdown with Ford's 57-yard scoring pass to McCullough with 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Smith then found Sanchez for a 61-yard touchdown with 11:49 left in the fourth to complete the scoring. USM later forced a punt when
Santea Hollis stopped Warren Bijou for a one-yard loss on third-and-one, but that would be enough to end the afternoon.
Coming Up…
USM will have one final home outing next Saturday, October 31
st as they celebrate Senior Day at Berkel Memorial Stadium. The Spires will kick off against the Warriors at 1:00 p.m. in Leavenworth.
