WINFIELD, Kan. – It was not all sunshine and roses on the gridiron for the No. 6-ranked Southwestern College football team on Saturday night in Winfield. Instead, it was a tough, hard-nosed performance that SC concocted. The squad squared off with another 3-0 team in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), as the Avila Eagles entered Richard L. Jantz Stadium with something to prove. They gave it all they had to try to topple the Builders, but even an 11-point advantage with 7:29 remaining in the fourth quarter was not enough to derail the Moundbuilders undefeated start. SC sent the Eagles home with a 24-21 loss, and a heartbreaking one at that.

The opening quarter followed a very similar trend to the opening frames of two of the first three Builder football matchups this season. The only points that were put up in the period were on a Gabriel Medrano field goal from 33 yards out as the first quarter expired.

Then, in the second quarter, the only drive where points were scored was by Avila. They put up together a seven-play drive for a total of 65 yards. The march was capped off by a three-yard rush to make it a 7-3 Builder deficit at the half.  

Southwestern did come out of the intermission with some life offensively, as they were able to mount a 10-play, 86-yard drive to the house on their opening possession in the second half. It was capped off by a 19-yard touchdown strike from Brad Cagle to Josh Edson with 9:45 to go in the penultimate quarter. But that 10-7 lead for SC would not stand for long, as Avila struck back with a TD drive of their own on their primary possession of the latter half of the tilt. A four-yard rush ended an 11-play, 80-yard drive by the Eagles, as they went back on top by a 14-10 margin.

The fourth quarter began with the same 14-10 score, but Avila would extend their advantage with a 23-yard touchdown pass on fourth down in Builder territory. The score made it 21-10 with only 7:29 left to play. However, the 11-point lead would not hold, as Southwestern was able to rally for a five-play drive that traveled 85 yards and was capped by a 11-yard floater from Cagle to Ziyon Kenner to make it 21-16. The team tried the two-point conversion, but a Cagle rush was snuffed out before the goal line to keep it at a five-point deficit for SC. After failing to recover an onside kick, the Moundbuilders forced a three-and-out and got the pigskin back with 3:18 on the clock. The ensuing drive that lasted just 1:20, and eclipsed 68 yards in three plays, would put the Builders in front 24-21. A 22-yard pass down the middle between three defenders to Matthew Holthusen from Cagle put the score at 22-21. A two-point rush by Thomas Yam off the bench gave SC the three-point 24-21 lead.

It was not over yet, though, as Avila quickly marched down the field, aided by a pair of costly penalties on the Moundbuilder defense. Avila had first down and goal from the SC two yard-line with just under a minute left, but squandered their opportunity by rushing the ball for a loss of four to the SC six yard-line and had to rush to the line to snap the ball with just under 20 seconds left. They then ran a rush up the middle that looked like it had eyes for the endzone, but Riley Havird stepped up to deliver a hit just outside the goal line. Avila attempted to run their field-goal unit onto the field as the clock was expiring, but were unable to get all of their goal-line personnel off the field, causing the clock to run out and result in a 24-21 win for SC with the goal-line stand by Havird and company. What a finish it was, and fittingly, the Southwestern defense stood tall when it mattered most.

In the Builder passing game, stats were heavily skewed to the second half when the majority of the offensive production occurred. Cagle led the squad through the air with 239 yards and three touchdowns, while completing 17-of-30 as a passer.

Jaqulis Coleman had a strong day rushing the ball for the Builders, as he carried the rock 12 times in the tilt for a total of 69 yards, which equates to a 5.8 yards per carry clip. Cagle rushed 13 times, but gained just 27 yards in the bout.

It was Layke Hoffman who stepped up to lead the Southwestern receiving corps with six catches and 97 yards, which were both team-highs in the battle. He did not catch a touchdown, but put Edson (5 rec, 62 yds, TD), Kenner (3 rec, 42 yds, TD) and Holthusen (2 rec, 34 yds, TD) in position to make big plays for SC.

Josh Carter had a standout game on defense, playing a part in 20 total tackles. He had nine solo stops and assisted on 11 of them, while having two of those tackles result in a loss. Drew Smith also had a huge day, racking up 10 total tackles with two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Landon Davis reeled in an interception on a deep shot toward the endzone by Avila that helped keep Southwestern in the game, as well.

The Builders (4-0, 4-0 KCAC) are now one of two remaining undefeated teams in the conference, as they look forward to next week's home matchup against McPherson College at 1 p.m. at Richard L. Jantz Stadium. It is the lone set of back-to-back home games this season for Southwestern.

--buildersports.com--