WINFIELD, Kan. — The Southwestern College football team delivered a dominant performance Saturday afternoon, defeating the University of Saint Mary 83-0 at Richard L. Jantz Stadium. Combined with Kansas Wesleyan University's loss to McPherson College, the victory secured the Moundbuilders the KCAC Bissell Division championship and an automatic berth in the NAIA Football Championship Series.
The win marked Southwestern's seventh consecutive victory, improving the Moundbuilders to 9-1 overall and 5-0 in KCAC play.
Southwestern wasted little time establishing control, as Wayne Carter Jr. returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown just 14 seconds into the contest. Noah Roberts followed with a 66-yard punt return touchdown less than two minutes later, giving Southwestern an early 14-0 advantage.
One of the afternoon's most memorable moments came midway through the opening quarter when offensive lineman Austin Tener powered into the end zone for a 1-yard rushing touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Tener's score extended the lead to 21-0 before Roberts added his second punt return touchdown of the afternoon, this time from 50 yards, making it 28-0 after the opening quarter.
The Moundbuilders continued their offensive dominance in the second quarter, receiving rushing touchdowns from Christian Steward and Zamir Hall before quarterback James Odom connected with Dazurre Paggett for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Southwestern entered halftime leading 48-0.
Odom finished the afternoon completing 8 of 10 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yard scoring strike to Hall in the third quarter.
Quarterback Roland Harvey added 88 passing yards and a touchdown while leading Southwestern with 61 rushing yards and another score. Will Stewart hauled in a 13-yard touchdown reception from Harvey, while Jace White and Kaleb Anderson added rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Southwestern delivered a shutout performance, holding Saint Mary to just 141 total yards, including 44 passing yards. The Moundbuilders forced three turnovers, including interceptions by Byron Johnson Jr. and Jackson Meadows. Sean Ross added a forced fumble and recovery.
Joshua Ferrara led Southwestern with five tackles, while Isaiah Yehudah, Brogan Hardy, Matthew Johnson and Ross each recorded four.
Southwestern finished with 426 yards of total offense, including 208 rushing yards, while scoring 12 touchdowns.
With the division championship secured, Southwestern now turns its attention toward closing the regular season before beginning postseason competition.
The Moundbuilders will host Kansas Wesleyan University on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. at Richard L. Jantz Stadium. The contest will serve as Southwestern's Senior Day and the final game of the 2026 regular season.
