Area college football roundup: UCM’s Zebrowski throws for 508 yards, 6 TDs in opener

Action-packed small-college football games were the rule across and beyond the Kansas City metro on Saturday as a number of local programs kicked off their respective 2024 seasons.

Here’s a rundown of highlights from the weekend:

Central Missouri 63, Northeastern State (Okla.) 21: The Mules had no issues in their home opener. Led by quarterback Zach Zebrowski, whose father is the quarterbacks coach at Kansas, the Mules scored six touchdowns through the air and three on the ground. Of Zebrowski’s 508 passing yards and six touchdown tosses, NyNy Davis (101 receiving yards) brought down two scores and Hogan Wasson added 95 receiving yards and a touchdown. Marcellous Hawkins aided the offense with 60 rushing yards, 79 receiving yards and two rushing scores. On defense, Ladarian Paulk had a pass breakup and interception, while Tyler Shuey recorded a sack.

Pittsburg State 42, Missouri Southern 17: Gorillas quarterback Chad Dodson Jr. completed 12 of 22 passes in the game in Joplin. Four of those 12 went to the house, including a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jack Roberts (Shawnee Mission South) in the second quarter. The Gorillas’ Noah Hernandez ran for 73 yards on 13 carries and scored twice. The Pitt State offense averaged 7.83 yards per play. Missouri Southern’s Draper Parker had 121 yards on seven receptions, including a 46-yard TD. The two schools are separated by about 30 miles and the Kansas-Missouri border.

Fort Hays State 30, Missouri Western 16: Fort Hays State running back Shane Watts ran for 161 yards on 24 carries. Watts’ 42-yard TD run in the third quarter put the Tigers up 23-13 in a very evenly-matched game. The Griffons outgained the Tigers 382 yards to 337. Fort Hays State had three penalties for 25 yards to Missouri Western’s 11 for 95 yards.

Baker 52, St. Ambrose (Iowa) 0: Baker romped its way through its opener in Baldwin City, Kansas. Quarterback Truman Juelsgaard, who played at Lawrence High, hooked up with ten different receivers for 298 yards and three touchdowns. The Baker defense sacked the St. Ambrose quarterback four times.

Ball State (Ind.) 42, Missouri State 34: Bears quarterback Jacob Clark threw for two touchdowns, but Missouri State was unable to pull the upset against the FBS-level Cardinals. Missouri State did lead 14-7 in the third quarter after a Jacardia Wright touchdown run, but the Cardinals answered with three straight touchdowns to take control of the game in Muncie, Indiana. Missouri State put a scare into the Cardinals with a 20-point fourth quarter, pulling within eight in the final 20 seconds. P.J. Hall also had a 59-yard pick-six.

Nebraska-Kearney 21, Northwest Missouri State 14: Northwest Missouri had a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter but did not score again as the Bearcats fell to 0-2 with the road loss. Northwest Missouri QB Chris Ruhnke threw for 311 yards with two touchdowns, but he also was picked off twice, including on fourth-and-goal with 30 seconds left in the game.

Emporia State 17, vs. Angelo State (Texas) 12: Emporia State QB Gunnar Gundy threw for 252 yards with two TDs and two interceptions in Emporia, Kansas. The Hornets improved to 2-0 and will play at Pittsburg State on Sept. 14.

Quincy (Ill.) 46, Lincoln 5: There were two safeties in this game at Quincy, one by each team. Lincoln’s Darian Fletcher caught two passes for 45 yards.

Benedictine 45 William Penn (Iowa) 27: Ravens quarterback Jackson Dooley spread the ball around to eleven receivers for his 338 yards passing in the victory in Atchison, Kansas. Dooley completed 29 of 39 passes, three of them for touchdowns. Ravens punter Cullen Bruner boomed a 66-yard punt.

Southwestern 40, Avila 21: Avila was in a 20-0 hole by halftime and was unable to catch up in the game in Winfield, Kansas. Jalen Thach — who is from Dededo Guam — had six receptions for 94 yards for Avila, while Kareem Chambers added four catches for 65 yards with a TD.

MidAmerica Nazarene 69, Culver-Stockton 7: Adrian Parsons connected on 14 of 18 passes for 244 yards with five touchdowns in the rout in Canton, Missouri. The Pioneers, who rushed for 307 yards in the game, scored six first-half TDs.

Friends 38, Ottawa 7: The Braves got on the board first in Wichita when quarterback Taylor Eggers found Keavian Long for a 33-yard touchdown. Friends, however, took over the game from there, scoring 38 unanswered points. De’Anthony Curtis carried the ball four times for 51 yards for Ottawa.

Bethel 33, Saint Mary 17: Keylin Hodge intercepted a pass and returned it 12 yards and into the end zone as the the Saint Mary Spires got on the board in the second quarter in North Newton, Kansas, cutting Bethel’s lead to 16-7. Saint Mary’s Raymond Webster rushed for 60 yards on 13 carries in the game.