STERLING, Kan. – On Saturday afternoon in Sterling, Kan., the No. 10-ranked Southwestern College football team was looking for their seventh victory of the 2022 campaign at the home of the Sterling College Warriors. The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) battle started slowly, but quickly gained traction, as SC boasted two 90-plus yard plays which resulted in scores during their 31-14 triumph over Sterling.

"I thought we played okay as a team today," said head coach Brad Griffin. "Defensively, we played a lights out game for the majority of the day. Offensively, we did some really good things, but we need to be more consistent these next two weeks. Special Teams were great overall, with a big time kick return by Martez Jones II."

In the game's early stages, neither offense had much going their way, as neither side earned any points. The results of the first four drives of the game, which occurred in the first frame, were three punts and a interception thrown by Sterling. The pick was made by Cameron Cornelius, as he was the highlight of the first quarter of play.

On a drive that began in the waning moments of the first quarter, Southwestern would finally put some points on the board with a 14-yard Martez Jones II rush into the endzone. Long passes of 19 and 23 yards by Josh Edson and Matthew Holthusen helped set the Builders up to take the 7-0 lead. Then, after another Sterling punt, the Moundbuilders took advantage with a massive 12-play drive that resulted in an 11-yard TD strike from Thomas Yam to Holthusen, as his day had just begun in the receiving game. Neither side would score for the remainder of the frame, though SC had a chance to do so with the ball at the Sterling 11 yard-line, before he was intercepted in the endzone as the half expired, making it a 14-0 lead for the Moundbuilders at the break.

In the third quarter, after a pair of fruitless possessions for the Warriors and one for the Builders as well, Southwestern received the ball at their own six yard-line after a nice punt by Sterling. After an incompletion, the play of the day on offense occurred, as Holthusen was on the receiving end of a 94-yard catch-and-run TD pass from Yam. The score made it 21-0 after Gabriel Medrano's made PAT, but the Warriors would answer quickly. Their next possession lasted just three plays and ended in a 65-yard passing touchdown to make it 21-7. The scores did not stop coming in a rather small window, as the ensuing kickoff was returned by Jones II to the house for another Builder score. It was a 96-yard return to the endzone to make it 28-7 after the extra point. That though, would be the end of the scoring for either side in quarter number three.

Southwestern tacked on a field goal in the fourth quarter, as Sterling was also able to score a garbage-time touchdown to make the final score more respectable at 31-14 for the Moundbuilders. The victory sent the Builders on to 7-1 for the season.

Yam (16-of-25) threw for 260 yards in the game, and was aided heavily by the 94-yard score. He tossed a pair of TD's in the game, both to Holthusen. Brad Cagle came on in relief for a few possessions in the fourth quarter, and completed 3-of-7 passes for 34 yards.

The Builders ran the ball 45 times in the battle, as they looked to establish a running game. The team did not run the ball particularly well, as Jaqulis Coleman had 23 carries for just 84 yards and Jones II had 13 totes for 66 yards. The two combined to reach about four yards per carry.

Holthusen had a special day at the office, compiling 155 receiving yards on six catches. He had a pair of touchdown grabs and boasted a catch-and-run of 94 yards. Josh Edson added valuable production, tallying 75 yards on six snags. Jordyn Jackson (2 REC, 30 YDS) and Layke Hoffman (4 REC, 25 YDS) also caught multiple passes for the Moundbuilders.

Cornelius and Will Hilton were responsible for the team's two interceptions on Saturday, while the team tallied eight tackles for loss as a defense. Josh Carter led the team in tackles and had 1.5 TFL's, to lead the squad. Jakharious Smith got in on the special teams effort with a blocked field goal, while Jones II returned a kickoff for a TD for the Moundbuilders' first return score of the year on special teams. Medrano knocked through all four PAT's and a 40-yard field goal in the bout, as he continues to show his value for Southwestern.

"It is always great to go on the road and win," continued Griffin. "There is no question that we have to be more disciplined and clean up our penalties. The aggressive close calls are one thing, but the unnecessary ones with lack of concentration and discipline need to go. I am excited with where we are at, but we need to have a great week of prep for a rivalry game in Wichita."

The Builders (7-1, 7-1 KCAC) have just a pair of tilts left to play in the 2022 regular season, as they make the trip to Friends University in Wichita on Saturday, November 5 to face the rival Falcons at 1 p.m. To close out the year, SC will host (RV) Kansas Wesleyan University, who they beat to win the 2021 KCAC automatic bid to the NAIA postseason. As things wind down , the team is still in the hunt for a possible national berth.

--buildersports.com--