Football Drops Senior Day Contest to MidAmerica Nazarene

Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 8, 2025)-The Missouri Valley College football team hosted MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference South Division contest Saturday afternoon for Senior Day inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The Vikings fell by a final score of 45-14.

The opening kickoff went to MidAmerica Nazarene, and the Pioneers moved down the field to score the first points of the game.  The drive was capped with a touchdown, and Missouri Valley fell into a 7-0 deficit with just over five minutes played.  The initial possession for Missouri Valley ended after three plays, and Freshman Punter Ben Bullock (Perth, Australia) got off a 44-yard punt, but MNU took over near midfield.

MidAmerica Nazarene put together another scoring drive, adding a touchdown as MVC trailed by a 14-0 score with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.  Missouri Valley was held to another three-and-out, and MNU took over at the Viking 38-yard line.  The defense came up with a stop, and held the Pioneers to a 51-yard field goal attempt.  The kick went wide of the uprights, and the score stayed at 14-0 as Missouri Valley carried their next drive into the second quarter.

After picking up a pair of first downs, thanks to 10 yards rushing from Senior Running Back Bryce Jackson (Columbia, Mo.) and another 12 yards gained from Sophomore Running Back Silas Morton (Strafford, Mo.), Missouri Valley moved into Pioneer territory.  Morton added 16 yards on the ground to help MVC reach the opponent's 28-yard line.  The drive stalled, and the Vikings attempted a 45-yard field goal, but the kick from Sophomore Kicker Bruno Kincaid (Madrid, Spain) was wide of the uprights as MVC still trailed, 14-0, early in the second quarter.

The Viking defense forced its first punt of the game, but the ensuing possession for Missouri Valley ended on an interception.  The return put MidAmerica Nazarene at the MVC nine-yard line.  The Pioneers were stopped by the Missouri Valley defense, and forced into another field goal attempt.  This time, the 27-yard kick was good, and MNU increased its lead to 17-0 near the nine-minute mark in the second quarter.

Missouri Valley took its next drive to midfield, as Freshman Quarterback Joseph Glennon (Tampa, Fla.) completed three passes on the drive for 19 yards.  The team faced a fourth-and-three situation, and tried to convert the first down on a fake punt attempt, but the rusher was stopped short of the line-to-gain, the MNU regained possession.  MidAmerica Nazarene quickly worked down the field, and capped its drive with another touchdown, extending the team's lead to 24-0 with less than three minutes to play before halftime.

The ensuing drive for MVC ended in a punt from Bullocks, which went for 43 yards.  The Pioneers took over on the Viking side of the field, but the MVC defense forced a stop.  Freshman Defensive Lineman Ayden Ellington (Leavenworth, Kan.) sacked the quarterback early in the drive, and MNU was held to another long field goal attempt.  The 45-yard kick in the closing seconds of the quarter was wide of the uprights, and team teams ended the first half with a 24-0 score.

Play in the third quarter started with Missouri Valley taking the first possession, but the team went three-and-out on the drive.  Bullock sent a 47-yard punt to put MNU on its side of the field to open the team's first possession of the half.  MidAmerica Nazarene ran off four plays, and reached the end zone to extend its advantage to 31-0 with less than four minutes played in the quarter.

The following possession for Missouri Valley started with a nine-yard completion from Junior Quarterback Tomele Staples to Senior Wide Receiver Nate Pouliot (Clearwater, Fla.), followed by a nine-yard gain by Jackson to put the team near midfield.  Three plays later, the Vikings put their first points on the scoreboard as Staples connected with Junior Wide Receiver Adonis Whitley (St. Louis, Mo.) on a 50-yard pass that reached the end zone.  Kincaid added the extra-point, and the deficit was cut to 31-7 midway through the third quarter.

MidAmerica Nazarene answered on its next drive, using four plays to tack on another touchdown, and make it a 38-7 score less than two minutes later.  The Vikings responded with a long drive, started on an 18-yard completion from Staples to Pouliot.  The two connected on another 18-yard gain, and Morton added 26 yards rushing on three plays later in the drive.  Staples scrambled for a seven-yard gain, and the next play was a three-yard touchdown run from Staples to close out the drive.  Kincaid added the extra-point, and the team sat in a 38-14 deficit as the game went into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter started with MNU driving down the field, and adding one more touchdown to close out scoring in the contest.  The Viking defense came up with a turnover late in the quarter, as Sophomore Defensive Back Robert Williams (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded an interception.  Missouri Valley fell by a final score of 45-14.

Staples and Glennon combined for 140 yards passing on 11 completions, with Staples throwing the one touchdown pass, to go with one rushing touchdown.  Morton had 17 carries for 84 yards, and Jackson added 49 yards rushing.  Whitley led with two receptions for 57 yards and one touchdown, while Pouliot added four receptions for 57 yards.

Freshman Defensive Back Nick Carlisle (Apex, N.C.) led with eight tackles.  Williams had five tackles, one interception and two pass break-ups, while Ellington added five tackles and one sack.  Freshman Linebacker Adrian Miles, Jr. (Biloxi, Miss.) totaled five tackles and one tackle-for-loss.

Bullock had a 42.8 yards per punt average on five punts.  Kincaid made both extra-point attempts, and Jesse Johnson added 166 kickoff return yards to finish with 181 all-purpose yards.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 3-6 overall and 0-5 in the Heart South Division.  MidAmerica Nazarene improves to 7-3 on the season and 4-1 in the division.

Up next, the Viking football team will play its final game of the 2025 season, going to Fayette, Mo., for a Heart South Division game against Central Methodist (Mo.), Nov. 15.  Kickoff is 12 p.m.

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About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.