Pride held by Pioneers, 56-39
OLATHE, Kan. – MidAmerica Nazarene collected its second win of the season on Saturday with a 56-39 victory over Clarke.
The Pride (0-6, 0-0 North) trailed 21-7 with 6:31 left to play in the first quarter before scoring on a 47-yard field goal by Anthony Gomez (FR/Santa Ana, Calif.) to trim the deficit to 21-10.
Running back Garrett Egan (JR/Merced, Calif.) scored on a 12-yard rush merely one minute into the second quarter to trim the deficit to four. Quarterback Kenyon Williams (SO/San Diego, Calif.) then found Caden Miller (FR/Texarkana, Texas) on a 12-yard strike with 1:38 left in the half to take the 24-21 lead into halftime.
MidAmerica's quarterback Blake Atkins threw for five touchdowns, with Caleb Tanis on the receiving end of three as Atkins went 20 of 37 for 394 yards. Tanis finished the game with 174 yards receiving, while running back Jarian Manning finished with 50 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown, a one-yard score midway through the first quarter.
Williams was 18 of 34 for 238 yards and a career-high four touchdown passes. Egan rushed for 155 yards on 20 attempts, averaging out to 7.8 yards per carry.
The Pioneer defense scored twice on interception returns, one that was returned 42 yards in the first quarter, and another returned 31 yards near the end of the third to lead it 42-24. MidAmerica Nazarene (2-4, 0-0 South) won at home for the first time this season.
Clarke got back in the game by scoring on its first two possessions of the fourth quarter. Williams connected with Steffen on touchdown passes of 31 and 56 yards to get MidAmerica's lead down to 42-39 with seven minutes left to play. Atkins connected on touchdown passes of 17 and two yards at the end of the fourth to extend the lead.
The Pride defense was led by linebacker Bryan Valdes (FR/Florida City, Fla.) with 10 tackles, while teammate Logan Otting (FR/Cascade, Iowa) collected nine tackles, including one and a half for loss. Johel Gonzalez (SO/Norco, Calif.) notched two pass breakups.
Ahead for Clarke, the team will have the next weekend off of competition before facing Peru State in Peru, Neb., on Oct. 16. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.