Football heads to Leavenworth on Saturday to face Saint Mary

By KWU Athletics Release October 22, 2024

The Coyotes travel to Leavenworth for a Kansas Conference and Bissell Division game against Saint Mary. Kickoff is 1 p.m. Saturday at Charles Berkel Memorial Stadium.

LIVE COVERAGE

RECORDS

  • Kansas Wesleyan 3-4 (1-0 Bissell Division)
  • Saint Mary 1-5 (0-1 Bissell)

THE SERIES

  • The Coyotes have dominated the series in recent years, winning the last six games. KWU prevailed 17-14 last season at JRI Stadium and has an 18-4 advantage since 2001.

KANSAS WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE

  • The Coyotes trounced Avila 38-3 in their Homecoming game last Saturday at JRI Stadium. It was their first game against Gene Bissell Division opponents and first under the leadership of interim co-head coaches Chris Snyder and David Leonard.
  • KWU scored 21 points in the first quarter and led 35-0 at halftime. Defense paved the way limiting Avila to 180 total yards that included just four yards rushing on 31 attempts. The Coyotes forced four turnovers (three interceptions) and tied a school record with eight sacks.
  • Richard Lara and Byron McNair alternated at quarterback. Lara started and was 7 of 11 passing for 66 yards and two touchdowns while McNair was 4 of 8 for 67 yards. Luke Armstrong had 93 yards rushing on 11 carries highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
  • McNair threw for 292 yards and a touchdown against USM a year ago. KWU led 17-7 at halftime and held on after Saint Mary scored with 4:32 left in the game. Jacquante Pitts had four catches for 133 yards and a touchdown and Artaveon Shaver five for 88 yards for the Coyotes.
  • Saint Mary finished with seven yards rushing on 25 attempts – 0.3 yards per carry. KWU had five sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

SAINT MARY AT A GLANCE

  • The Spires lost to Ottawa 33-30 last week in Ottawa after leading 14-13 at halftime. The Braves scored the game-winning touchdown with 5:45 remaining.
  • USM lost its first three games of the season, defeated Bethany, and has lost its last two. The Spires are 11-27 over the past three-plus seasons.
  • Senior quarterback Cesar Vela leads the offense. He has completed 47 percent of his passes for 805 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions. He also has 192 yards rushing and two TDs. Senior running back Raymond Webster has 518 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Michael Gazzana is the top wide receiver with 22 catches for 481 yards and seven TDs.
  • Saint Mary averages 21 points and allows 41. The Spires average 336 total yards – 152 rushing and 184 passing. Opponents average 41 points, 277 yards rushing and 207 passing.
  • The Spires are coached by Lance Hinson who’s in his fifth season in his second stint at USM. He previously coached there from 2005-2013.

KWU COACHES CHRIS SNYDER/DAVID LEONARD
Snyder: “Just proud of the kids, what they experienced previously and then had a good work week. We had no issues with attendance at practice, everybody was coachable, and I think you saw that carry on into at least the first half of the game. Some things we need to definitely address but it’s always easier to do when you win a ballgame well.
Leonard: “I think Saturday was a really good example of that (defensive) line getting pressure and the secondary had great coverage. Same with the linebackers and it led to turnovers, it led to picks, and that’s what you’re looking for. It was good to see guys having fun flying around.”
Snyder: “There is a saying if you have two quarterbacks you don’t have one. But we’re in a unique situation because you’re having a kid (McNair) come back from injury and there was no way I felt comfortable starting him. You don’t want to punish a kid but it’s just hard to come back with the bullets flying right away so it was good to ease him back into that.”
Leonard: “(Saint Mary) has a quarterback that’s going to (throw the ball deep) so that’s always that challenge. If you can force a team to stay in the drive, the more plays they’ll have and the more challenging it is to score rather than a one-shot touchdown. So, eliminate the big plays, keep everything in front and really tackle and pursue the ball.”

RICHARD LARA
“Our running game is our strength. (Offensive coordinator James) Bauer preaches run, run, run – that’s going to be how we win. But we’ve got guys that can catch the ball, we’ve got guys that can run (pass) routes for us and I feel like with our offensive line playing better our pass game is going to open up as well.

“We’ve got iPads on sidelines, so we (he and McNair) sit down on the bench and talk about what the defense was in, what he saw and what I saw. I think it’s definitely a great help because we’re both in that position and we both know that we can get it done.”

NEXT WEEK
The Coyotes return home for a Bissell Division game against Tabor. Kickoff is 1 p.m. Saturday at JRI Stadium.