Emporia State Hornets sting Northwest Missouri St., ending lengthy home winning streak
Emporia State ended one of the region’s longest football winning streaks Thursday night in Maryville.
In a game that included a 30-minute lightning delay, the 18th-ranked Hornets snapped Northwest Missouri State’s 18-game home winning streak with a 33-13 victory over the fifth-ranked Bearcats.
Northwest (1-1, 1-1 MIAA) had beaten Emporia State 29 straight times, but not on this night. Emporia State’s Chance Rodriguez picked off a pair of Northwest passes, the final one sealing the Hornets’ victory.
Braden Gleason threw for three touchdowns for Emporia State (2-0, 2-0 MIAA), finishing 26 of 37 for 257 yards.
Emporia State’s Jaaron Joseph scored the first touchdown of the game, stepping in front of a Mike Hohensee pass and returning it 76 yards to the end zone.
The Bearcats used three QBs Thursday. Starter Chris Ruhnke struggled, throwing four interceptions. Henry Martin and Hohensee tossed one apiece as the Hornets finished with six picks in all.
For Northwest, Jay Harris turned in his second straight 100-yard game on the ground, gaining 125 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Martin rushed for the Bearcats’ other TD.
In other games Thursday night:
Missouri Southern 30, Washburn 23: The Lions scored their first win in Topeka since 1997. Luke Sampson recorded his second three-touchdown game of the season for Southern (1-1, 1-1 MIAA), completing 14 of 23 passes for 235 yards. Southern last beat Washburn in 2014 — a seven-game losing streak to the Ichabods.
Pitt State 40, Fort Hays State 14: No. 3-ranked Pitt State (2-0, 2-0 MIAA) scored the game’s final 30 points to post a 40-14 win at Fort Hays State (1-1, 1-1). The Gorillas trailed 14-13 at the midpoint, then began to pull away. A 20-point third quarter — and shutout defense after halftime — kept Pitt State unbeaten. Chad Dodson Jr. paced PSU with 239 passing yards (26 of 36) for two TDs and one interception.
This story was originally published September 8, 2023 at 12:47 AM.