Football Suffers Road Loss to Peru State

Peru, Neb., (Sept. 13, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College football team went on the road to Peru, Neb., for a Heart of America Athletic Conference inter-divisional contest against Peru (Neb.) State, Saturday evening.  The Vikings held a lead at halftime, but fell by a final score of 16-8.

Missouri Valley received the game's opening kickoff, but failed to pick up a first down on its initial possession, punting to Peru State.  Freshman Punter Ben Bullock (Perth, Australia) got off a 59-yard punt that flipped field position, and put the Bobcats at their own 18-yard line to start their first drive.  Peru State moved into MVC territory, but faced a fourth-down situation.  The Viking defense forced a stop, and took over at its own 33-yard line with five minutes played in the contest.

The Vikings followed with a long drive, using a 19-yard rushing gain from Junior Quarterback Tomele Staples (Kankakee, Ill.), and a total of 40 yards rushing from Senior Running Back Bryce Jackson (Columbia, Mo.) to eventually reach the PSC six-yard line.  However, Staples fumbled, and Peru State recovered for the game's first turnover, giving the team possession at its own seven-yard line.

The Bobcats followed with a scoring drive, working into the second quarter.  Peru State converted four times on third-down attempts, eventually reaching the MVC 11-yard line.  The Viking defense forced a stop there, and PSC settled for a 28-yard field goal to move in front, 3-0, with just over two minutes played in the second quarter.

Missouri Valley opened its next drive with a 16-yard rush from Junior Wide Receiver Jesse Johnson (St. Louis, Mo.), and the team moved into Peru State territory.  However, the drive stalled and Bullock got off a punt that pinned PSC at its own three-yard line.  The Bobcats followed with another long scoring drive, this time running off 12-plays and covering 82 yards.  Eventually the team settled for another field goal, and the 32-yard attempt made it a 6-0 score with four minutes remaining in the half.

The ensuing possession for MVC finished with a three-and-out, but Bullock got off another quality punt, going 66-yards and putting PSC at its own 10-yard line.  Missouri Valley's defense forced its first three-and-out of the game, and the Bobcats were forced to punt from their own 11-yard line.  However, the snap sailed over the punter's head and out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety for the Vikings and cutting the deficit down to 6-2 with less than two minutes to play in the half.

Receiving a free kick following the safety, Missouri Valley started its final possession of the half at its own 40-yard line, and moved quickly.  Staples connected with Sophomore Running Back Silas Morton (Strafford, Mo.) on a 55-yard pass on the second play of the drive, then Staples found Junior Wide Receiver Adonis Whitley (St. Louis, Mo.) for an 11-yard touchdown pass with just seconds remaining before halftime.  The extra-point by Sophomore Kicker Bruno Kincaid (Madrid, Spain) was missed, but the late score pushed MVC in front, 8-6, at the end of the first half.

Peru State received the opening kickoff to start the second half, and put together a scoring drive, covering 69 yards in 11 plays.  The Bobcats settled for a 22-yard field goal to move back in front, 9-8, with just over four minutes played in the third quarter.  Missouri Valley converted a pair of third down attempts on its first drive of the half, as Staples picked up 16 yards on a rushing attempt, and later in the drive completed a 13-yard pass to Junior Wide Receiver Eddie Strong (Middletown, Ct.) to pick up a first down and move into PSC territory.  However, the drive stalled and Bullock got off a 38-yard punt to put the Bobcats at its own 38-yard line.

The ensuing drive for Peru State eventually went into Viking territory.  Sophomore Defensive Back Jonathan Wright-Daniel (Goose Creek, S.C.) came up with a tackle-for-loss for the MVC defense to help stop the Bobcats, and Missouri Valley took over possession at its own 10-yard line after a Bobcat punt.  However, the Viking drive ended with a three-and-out, as PSC took over near midfield early in the fourth quarter.

The short field allowed Peru State to score quickly on its possession, covering 47 yards in five plays.  The touchdown pushed the MVC deficit to 16-8 with just two minutes played in the fourth quarter.  Missouri Valley followed with a long drive, which included a third-down conversion when Staples hit Senior Wide Receiver Nate Pouliot (Clearwater, Fla.) with a 10-yard gain, followed by Staples converting another third down on a completion to Whitley for seven yards.  The Vikings eventually reached the PSC 17-yard line, but had to settle for a field goal.  The 40-yard attempt from Kincaid sailed wide of the uprights, and MVC trailed, 16-8, with just over five minutes to play in the contest.

The Viking defense followed with another stop, helped by a tackle-for-loss by Freshman Defensive Lineman Royce Adeniken (Edmonton, Alberta) on second down, and both Senior Defensive Back Octavious Griffin (Decatur, Ga.) and Senior Defensive Lineman Ryan Greenwood (Beaumont, Texas) teamed up on a third-down tackle to stop the Bobcat receiver just short of the line-to-gain to force a punt late in the game.  

Missouri Valley started its final possession at its own 30-yard line, and a 17-yard rush from Staples, and a nine-yard completion to Junior Tight End DJ Holly (Los Angeles, Calif.) put MVC into Peru State territory.  However, the Vikings were unable to capitalize on the drive, and turned the ball over on downs.  The Bobcats ran out the remaining time in the game, and handed Missouri Valley a 16-8 defeat.

Staples finished 16 of 29 passing for 171 yards and one touchdown.  Staples also added 45 yards rushing, while Jackson had 45 yards rushing on eight carries.  Morton led with two receptions for 67 yards, and Whitley had three receptions for 21 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, the team was led by Griffin who had eight tackles, joined by Sophomore Linebacker Jayden Maggert (Concordia, Mo.) who also had eight tackles.  Wright-Daniel finished with five tackles and one tackle-for-loss.

Bullock averaged 45.8 yards per punt on five punts with a long of 66 yards and four punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Missouri Valley falls to 1-1 while Peru State improves to 2-1 on the season.

Up next, the Vikings stay on the road, and travel to Canton, Mo., to play Culver-Stockton (Mo.), Sept. 20, with kickoff at 6 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

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.