Leavenworth, Kan.— The Spires drove 50 yards in the final 68 seconds, but Avila's Purifoy intercepted Garrett Hunnicutt in the end zone as the final seconds ticked and Avila held off the Spires 30-24 on Saturday, September 19th at Berkel Memorial. The Spires twice answered double-digit deficits and reached the Avila 30 before the Eagles secured the win.

The teams exchanged turnovers on the opening two possessions. Browner recovered a Hunnicutt fumble at the Avila 32, then Amari Akins recovered Anderson Jr.'s fumble one play later. Avila took a 7-0 lead when Vick connected with Porter for a 26-yard touchdown with 4:28 left in the first quarter.

USM responded strong with a 70-yard drive capped by Kameron Smith's 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The conversion attempt was fumbled and AU's Williams returned it 97 yards, giving Avila a 9-6 advantage. After Dickenson's 13-yard touchdown reception made it 16-6, the Spires covered 68 yards in the final 52 seconds of the half. Damarkus McCoy scored on a 1-yard run and caught Hunnicutt's conversion pass, trimming the halftime deficit to 16-14.

Anderson finished Avila's opening possession of the second half with a 4-yard touchdown on fourth down, but USM came back to answer yet again. Joshua Bingham made a 20-yard field goal after a 73-yard drive to cut the margin to 23-17. Anderson's second touchdown, a 1-yard run with 10:06 remaining in the fourth quarter, extended Avila's lead to 30-17. With about 10 minutes left in the final quarter, play was stopped for a lightning delay that lasted nearly three hours.

When play finally resumed, the Spires mounted another response. Smith completed an 11-play, 66-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, pulling the Spires within 30-24 with 6:14 remaining. Smith finished with 55 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while McCoy contributed 72 rushing yards and a score. Teralle Watson led the Spires with 79 yards on 14 carries. USM totaled 366 yards, including 236 on the ground, converted all three fourth-down attempts and scored on all four red-zone trips.

Wyatt Ramsey led the Saint Mary defense with 12 tackles, while Deante Nobles forced a fumble and Akins recorded five tackles with his recovery. The Spires regained possession at their 20 after Steenbock missed a 29-yard field goal with 1:08 left. Hunnicutt moved Saint Mary to the Avila 30, but Purifoy's end-zone interception on the final snap ended the USM comeback attempt.
 
Coming Up…

USM will take their efforts on the road next Saturday, September 26^th as they travel to North Newton, Kansas to battle it out with the Bethel College Threshers. Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m. at Thresher Stadium.