Area college football: Northwest Missouri State remains unbeaten in MIAA play
Here’s a look at the KC-area college football results from Saturday’s games.
Northwest Missouri State 52, Fort Hays State 3: The Bearcats dominated at home in Maryville, Missouri, with 437 rushing yards. Zecheriah Owens — who shares QB duties for the Bearcats with Chris Ruhnke — rushed for 164 yards on eight carries for two TDs: one for 73 yards, the other for 56. The Bearcats have won six straight games and stand atop the MIAA with a 5-0 conference record (6-1 overall). The Tigers, on the other hand, have lost two straight and are 3-3 in the MIAA, 4-4 overall.
Benedictine 52, Central Methodist 7: Ravens quarterback Jackson Dooley (Lawrence High) threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in the rout at Central Methodist in Fayette, Missouri. Robbie Sharp (St. Pius) averaged 19.4 yards per carry (five rushes for 97 yards with two TDs) and Xavier Ugorji tallied 10.6 yards per carry (13 attempts for 138 yards) for Benedictine. The Ravens are 6-1 and have won five straight; Central Methodist fell to 2-5.
Benedictine is ranked No. 3 in the latest NAIA coaches poll. The Ravens’ only loss on the season was to current No. 1 Grand View 27-24 in Des Moines on Sept. 6.
Avila 27, Bethany 26: The Eagles notched their first victory of the season with the triumph in Lindsborg, Kansas. Quentin Curtis’ 48-yard run to the house put Avila up 27-23 late in the third quarter and proved to be the winning score. Curtis also got into the end zone on a 2-yard run in the second quarter for Avila (1-6).
Pittsburg State 44, Missouri Western 20: Pittsburg State running back Zahmari Palode-Gary (Raytown Hight) got to the end zone three times. And the Gorillas came away with points on six of seven occasions they made it to the red zone, while the Griffons got points on two of three such trips. With the victory in St. Joseph, Pitt State won its sixth straight game, improved to 6-2 overall and is 5-1 in the MIAA. Missouri Western is 1-6, 0-5.
Washburn 37, Central Missouri 17: It was one pick-six and six picks: The Ichabods broke a five-game skid with the home victory in Topeka. To get there, Washburn intercepted six Central Missouri passes. L.J. Minner Jr. returned his interception 26 yards for a TD and a 20-10 lead in the third quarter for Washburn (2-5). The Ichabods’ Jordan Finnesy collected two interceptions. The Mules (3-4) also lost two fumbles. That’s minus-8 on turnovers.
Baker 34, MidAmerica Nazarene 14: MidAmerica Nazarene came in with a record of 5-1 and Baker 2-3 in this Heart of America Athletic Conference rivalry showdown in Baldwin City, Kansas. But it was Baker that took advantage of three interceptions in grabbing the home victory. Baker quarterback Truman Juelsgaard (Lawrence High) passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more.
Missouri Southern 24, Nebraska-Kearney 16: The Lions grabbed a 17-0 lead and held on for the home victory in Joplin. Nebraska-Kearney outgained Missouri Southern 430 yards to 264. But the Lions intercepted three passes thrown by Lopers quarterback Daron Bryden. RJ Hill had two of those picks and returned one of them 70 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Lions improved to 3-4, while the Lopers dropped to 5-3.
Indianapolis 62, Lincoln 7: The Blue Tigers scored their lone touchdown in Indianapolis on a Jareese Howard 53-yard run in the second quarter. Lincoln (2-5) has lost five straight. The Greyhounds, meanwhile, improved to 7-1.
Northeastern State (Oklahoma) 35, William Jewell 7: Xavier Winston (Lee’s Summit North) pulled in four catches for 69 yards, but the Cardinals had trouble getting much else going in the Homecoming loss in Liberty. William Jewell has dropped five straight and is 2-5. Northeastern State is 4-3.
Kansas Wesleyan 42, Saint Mary 21: The Spires had a 14-7 lead by the end of the first quarter at home in Leavenworth but had trouble keeping up the rest of the way. Michael Gazzana caught eight passes for 118 yards with two touchdowns for St. Mary, which dropped to 2-5. Kansas Wesleyan got its record to 5-2.
Central Oklahoma 56, Emporia State 22: This game, on paper, might have looked like a toss-up coming in — each team at 3-3 overall, Emporia State 2-2 in the MIAA, Central Oklahoma 3-2. But it was all Bronchos on Saturday in Edmond, Oklahoma. Emporia State defensive back Tyler Schultze (DeSoto) was in on nine tackles (six solo) and picked off a Jett Huff pass in the loss. Huff threw for five touchdowns.
Ottawa at Evangel: This game was rescheduled due to storms in Missouri on Saturday. Kickoff has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday in Nixa, Missouri.
This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 10:38 PM.