Area football scoreboard: Pitt State remains unbeaten after wild finish against Mules

Third-ranked Pittsburg State remains unbeaten in the 2023 college football season following a wild 38-37 victory on Saturday afternoon at Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

Central Missouri (2-1, 2-1 MIAA) led 17-10 at halftime at Walton Stadium, but Pitt State (3-0, 3-0) took a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to two third-period touchdowns. And the final quarter was a shootout, with UCM scoring 20 points to Pitt State’s 14.

But it was points not scored that determined the outcome. The host Mules scored with 25 seconds left when Marcellous Hawkins rushed in from the 1, scoring his second TD of the day. But they elected to go for two and the win, instead of the kick to tie ... and the Gorillas stuffed the conversion attempt.

Pitt State quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. had a big day, completing 20 of 30 pass attempts for 286 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw an interception and was sacked twice. Kolbe Katsis was his favorite target, piling up 200 yards and a TD on nine receptions.

Mules quarterback Zach Zebrowski also had a fine afternoon, throwing for 316 yards and rushing for 117. He was 31 of 52 for three TDs and an interception.

Missouri Southern 18, Nebraska-Kearney 13: The Jaguars’ road trip north was a successful one as they improved to 2-1 with a hard-fought victory at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium. Luke Sampson hit Jaedon Stoshak for an 8-yard TD in the opening quarter; Ja’Veon Marlow rushed for the other TD for MSSU, which also got a pair of field goals from Drake Reese. The Jaguars had lost five straight to the Lopers, who in this one managed just 276 yards of offense.

Fort Hays State 17, Northwest Missouri State 6: The Tigers held court in Hays, Kan., shutting down the Bearcats — who lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2017. FHSU quarterback Jack Dawson was 17 of 33 for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Bryson Smith hauled in four catches for 109 yards and both TDs; teammate Trevor Watts had 126 yards on seven catches. It’s the first time since 2003 that Northwest (1-2, 1-2 MIAA) has been sub-.500 after three games, while FHSU improved to 2-1 (2-1).

Missouri Western 34, Central Oklahoma 31: At Edmond, Okla., the Griffons improved to 2-1 (2-1 MIAA) with a three-point road win Saturday. The go-ahead score for Missouri Western came with just 1:25 remaining as Armani Edden hit Jonas Bennett from 10 yards out. Brandon Hall ran for 109 yards on 11 carries for the Griffons, while Trevon Woolfolk’s 14 carries for UCO (1-2, 1-2) netted 124 yards and two TDs.

Emporia State 38, Northeastern State 0: Braden Gleason threw for three touchdowns and Billy Ross Jr. rushed for 104 yards and a TD on 23 carries as the Hornets took care of business in Tahlequah, Okla. Jaylen Varner was the recipient of four passes for 119 yards and all three of Gleason’s TD lobs. ESU improved to 3-0 while Northeastern dropped to 0-3.

Grand View 24, Baker 0: It was a long afternoon in Des Moines for the Wildcats as the hosts scored all of their points by halftime. Quarterback Jackson Waring twice hooked up with Avery Gates for TDs for Grand View (3-0), while Baker (2-1) mustered just 245 yards of offense. Most of that came via QB Truman Juelsgaard, who had a combined 217 rushing and passing.

Bethel 42, Avila 26: Avila fell to 1-3 in a home game that was 35-6 by halftime. The star for Bethel (3-1) was quarterback DJ Ciers, who ran for 107 yards and two TDs on 20 carries and threw for 141 yards and two more scores. Avila QB Eli Williams, meanwhile, was 28 of 50 for 337 yards with one TD and one interception.

McPherson 60, Ottawa 17: At Ottawa, Kan., quarterback Tristan Szabo threw for five touchdowns and ran for another as McPherson (3-1) routed the Braves (1-3). Wynton Ruth rushed for Ottawa’s lone TD of the afternoon, finishing with 57 yards on 15 carries.

Benedictine 62, Peru State 28: At Atchison, Kan., the Ravens raced to a 45-7 halftime lead en route to a blowout of Peru (0-4). Benedictine (2-2) piled up 601 yards of offense, with Jackson Dooley throwing for 364 yards and four TDs and Dalton Witherspoon rushing for 112 yards and two TDs and catching three passes for 85 yards and another score.

Evangel 59, St. Mary 42: At Leavenworth, Kan., a record-setting rushing attack helped the Valor prevaile in a game that was halted late by lightning. For Evangel (4-0), Eric Williams set a school record for most TDs in a game (five), including a record-tying four on the ground. Both teams put up big numbers across the board: For St. Mary (1-3), QB Erick Covington was 26 of 46 for 380 yards and three TDs with one interception; for the visitors, QB RJ Wakley threw for three scores and rushed for a fourth.

Washburn 24, Lincoln 10: At Dwight T. Reed Stadium in Jefferson City, the Ichabods held Lincoln to 85 yards of offense through three quarters en route to a decisive victory. It was the Bods’ 10th straight win against the Blue Tigers. Washburn quarterback Sam Van Dyne was 18 of 29 for 217 yards and two touchdowns. Taylon Peters and Teondre Carter each totaled 11 carries, with Peters going for 121 yards and a TD and Carter finishing with 89 yards.

MidAmerica Nazarene 29, William Penn 20: On Red Out Night honoring educators at the Olathe District Activity Center, Adrian Parsons threw a pair of touchdown passes to Myles Hymes as the Pioneers won by nine. Hymes finished with 72 yards on four catches while teammate Arlandes Mitchell pulled down a team-high nine catches for 88 yards. William Penn QB Sterling Ramsey threw for three TDs. MNU improved to 3-1; William Penn dropped to 1-2.