MSSU football falls to Washburn 37-20 on Senior Day

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern football team trailed 21-7 at the half, but the Lions couldn't complete the comeback, falling 37-20 to Washburn inside Fred G. Hughes Stadium today for Senior Day.

The Lions (4-7, 4-7 MIAA) wrap up the regular season with four wins in coach Atiba Bradley's second season.

Luke Sampson went 18-of-32 for 233 yards and a touchdown, while Jaedon Stoshak caught four passes for 84 yards and a score and ran back an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown. Stoshak's punt return touchdown is the second of the season for him and ties a single-season and career record at Missouri Southern with Steve Sater (1981).

Dwayne Lawson ran for 61 yards, while Nick Williams had three punts for a 47.7-yard average including a long of 71 yards.

Defensively, Richard Jordan Jr. led the Lions with 14 tackles in his final game as a Lion. Colton Winder had nine tackles and an interception, while Coleman Booker and Solomon Garcia had seven tackles each. Ife Current had an interception and two break ups to go with five tackles, while Jamie Tago and Kalepo Fiaseu had a sack each.

The Lions out gained Washburn (7-4, 7-4 MIAA) passing 233-215, but were just shy of the Ichabods 337-283 in total yards.

Washburn had four different players record a touchdown today.

Washburn started the scoring off as time was winding down in the first quarter, taking a 7-0 lead with 1:57 left and added another touchdown with 9:28 remaining in the second quarter.

The Lions got on the board on the next drive as Sampson hit Stoshak for a 43-yard touchdown to cut the lead in half. The Ichabods added one more touchdown to make the score 21-7 at the break.

Stoshak started the scoring in the third with his 83-yard punt return for a touchdown as he shifted through traffic and eventually found daylight on the opposite side of the field.

Washburn added a safety and a touchdown before the Lions got a one-yard score from Akeem Gilmore to make the score 30-20 with 12:46 remaining in the game. The Ichabods added one final tally.

Jordan finishes the season with 106 tackles and is the third Lion to record three separate 100-tackle seasons in his career. He finished his career with 381 tackles, ranking third in MSSU history behind only Hall of Famer's Ron Burton and his father Richard Jordan Sr.

Williams finishes the season just off the single-season record for punting average at 43.3 (43.4 is the record). He ranks sixth in a career in kick scoring (120), while his 24 field goals rank fourth-most all-time at MSSU.

MSSU football falls 27-5 to number 11 Northwest Missouri

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Maryville, Mo. - The Missouri Southern football team started strong and played strong defense in the opening half, but the Lions fell 27-5 at No. 11 ranked Northwest Missouri today inside Bearcat Stadium.

Southern (4-6, 4-6 MIAA) picked up a safety from Jamie Tago on the Bearcats' opening possession and Nick Williams added a 39-yard field goal in the game.

Luke Sampson went 16-of-32 for 167 yards, while Jaedon Stoshak had six receptions for 63 yards and Ezekiel Lang caught four passes for 55 yards. Ja'Veon Marlow ran eight times for 80 yards, while Nathan Glades had 12 carries for 52 yards.

Defensively, Colton Winder had 11 tackles, including nine solo and a half a tackle for a loss. Richard Jordan Jr. had six stops, while Zach Bergmann had five tackles and a forced fumble. Tago finished with a pair of tackles for a loss, while Jermaine Young Jr. had a sack and Jalen Dennis picked up a fumble recovery.

Northwest (8-2, 8-2 MIAA) was led by Mike Hohensee as the quarterback went 12-of-15 for 95 yardas and had 24 yards on the ground with a score. Jay Harris, Jadon Brady and Jamar Moya had a touchdown each on the ground.

The Lions started strong as the defense led the way in the opening quarter. After a Williams' punt that pinned the Bearcats inside their own two-yard line, Tago sacked Hohensee in the endzone for a safety and put the Lions up 2-0 at the end of the first.

The Bearcats picked up a touchdown early in the second quarter as Hohensee scored on a two-yard rush to put Northwest up 7-2.

Southern answered back and got a 39-yard field goal from Williams to get the Lions within two (7-5) with 8:59 left to go in the 2nd. That proved to be the score at the break as the two teams flashed defense in the first half.

The Bearcats picked up a touchdown run from Jadon Brady early in the third and added another rushing score from Moya to go up 21-5 at the end of three.

Northwest added one more score on a one-yard rush with 3:39 left in the game.

Southern will be back in action next week as the Lions close out the regular season at home with Washburn for Senior Day. Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium is set for 2 pm.