Courtesy of Midland Athletics
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Offense was the name of the game Saturday at Elwood Olson Stadium as No. 4 Morningside University defeated Midland University, 55-37, in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) football action.
Midland received the opening kickoff, which Tyson Denkert returned 25 yards to the Warrior 30-yard line. The Warriors struggled on the first possession, as quarterback Brodey Johnson was sacked on second down and Midland was forced to punt.
After both teams traded punts, Midland broke through first. Quarterback Zach Congalton hit Tim Brown for 37 yards to the Morningside 21, and two plays later, Denkert ran the ball to the 9-yard line. Congalton capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Payden Alexander‘s PAT made it 7-0 with 9:33 left in the first quarter.
Morningside quickly responded. Following a facemask penalty that pushed the Mustangs back to their own 43, quarterback Zack Chevalier connected with Drew Sellon on a 57-yard touchdown strike. Tommy Fitzsimmons’ extra point tied the game at 7.
After Midland turned the ball over on downs, Morningside struck again. Max Hough finished off a short drive with a 29-yard rushing score, though the PAT was blocked, leaving the Mustangs up 13-7.
Midland answered with a 39-yard Alexander field goal early in the second quarter, but Morningside extended the lead on Chevalier’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Sellon. After a three-and-out by the Warriors, the Mustangs added another score as Chevalier found Lennx Brown for a 25-yard TD. Morningside led 27-17 at halftime.
The Mustangs pushed the lead further in the third quarter. Lennx Brown scored on a 3-yard run, and later, after a Warrior touchdown pass from Congalton to Tae Marks cut the deficit to 34-24, Morningside’s defense came up with a momentum-shifting interception by Jack Brickhouse. That set up Chevalier’s third touchdown pass to Sellon, giving the Mustangs a 41-24 advantage.
Midland kept battling, with Johnson hitting Kevin Adams Jr. for a 14-yard touchdown to make it 41-31 early in the fourth. But Morningside sealed the win with back-to-back scores: Chevalier’s 27-yard pass to Jakob Nelson and a 69-yard touchdown run by Juven Hudson. Congalton added a late 15-yard TD pass to TJ Covington, but the Mustangs recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
Morningside finished with 492 yards of total offense, rushing 29 times for 218 yards and throwing for 274. Midland gained 478 yards on 85 plays, rushing for 101 and passing for 377.
Individually, Chevalier went 22-of-33 for 274 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Hough rushed for 104 yards and a score, while Hudson added 91 yards and a touchdown. Sellon caught 10 passes for 130 yards and three scores.
For Midland, Congalton completed 20-of-25 passes for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, while also rushing for two scores. Johnson added 128 passing yards and a touchdown. Denkert led the ground game with 60 yards, and Adams Jr. hauled in nine receptions for 105 yards and a score.
Defensively, Brandon Lance led Midland with 11 tackles, while Carson Crouch added an interception. Brickhouse had nine tackles and a pick for Morningside, and Cale Pittenger recorded 2.5 sacks.
Midland (2-2, 1-1 GPAC) returns home next Saturday for Homecoming, hosting Doane (0-3, 0-3) at Heedum Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Fremont, Nebraska.
