Football Falls at Home to Baker on Family Weekend

Marshall, Mo., (Sept. 27, 2025)-The Missouri Valley College team hosted Baker (Kan.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference South Division contest on Family Weekend Saturday afternoon inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The Vikings battled throughout, but fell by a final score of 38-28.

Baker received the opening kickoff, and the Viking defense came up with a three-out-stop to begin the came, as Senior Defensive Back Octavious Griffin (Decatur, Ga.) tackled a BU rusher just short of the yard-to-gain on third down to force the punt.  However, the initial drive for Missouri Valley ended on a turnover, as Junior Quarterback Tomele Staples (Kanakee, Ill.) threw an interception near the Wildcat 20-yard line with three minutes played in the contest.

The Viking defense came up with another three-and-out stop, as Junior Defensive Lineman Augustus McKoy (Pahokee, Fla.) earned a tackle-for-loss to help with the defensive effort.  Junior Wide Receiver Jesse Johnson (St. Louis, Mo.) returned the Baker punt, and went for 38-yards into BU territory.  Missouri Valley was unable to pick up a first down on the drive, and attempted a 42-yard field goal.  The attempt from Sophomore Kicker Bruno Kincaid (Madrid, Spain) sailed right of the uprights, and the teams stayed scoreless midway through the first quarter.

The ensuing drive for Baker included a pair of first down conversions, and had the team inside the Viking 20-yard line.  Facing a third-and-short at the MVC 11-yard line, the pair of Sophomore Linebacker Jayden Maggert (Concordia, Mo.) and Senior Defensive Back Jeremiah McNair (Hattiesburg, Miss.) teamed up on a tackle-for-loss to force a field goal attempt.  The 29-yard attempt was good, and the Wildcats moved in front, 3-0 with under five minutes remaining in the quarter.

Missouri Valley's next drive ended after one play, as a pass from Staples was intercepted, giving BU possession at the Viking 37-yard line.  Baker took its drive into the second quarter, and scored on the first play of the quarter, on a three-yard run to extend its advantage to 10-0.  Missouri Valley started its next possession with a 16-yard completion to Junior Wide Receiver Adonis Whitely (St. Louis, Mo.), who followed with a 14-yard rush.  The Vikings eventually moved to the Wildcat 31-yard line, but had to settle for another field goal attempt.  Kincaid made his 48-yard kick, and the deficit shrank to 10-3 with nearly four minutes played in the quarter.

Baker made quick work of its next drive, moving 58-yards in three plays, capping the series off with a touchdown to make it a 17-3 score near the nine-minute mark.  Missouri Valley responded with a long drive, converting a pair of third-down attempts.  Facing a fourth-and-one situation, MVC chose to try for the first down, and Sophomore Running Back Silas Morton (Strafford, Mo.) ran for 10-yards into BU territory.  Staples then hit Junior Wide Receiver Eddie Strong (Middletown, Ct.) for a 40-yard completion, and followed with a three-yard touchdown pass to Junior Wide Receiver Khalil White (Decatur, Ga.) to cap the drive.  Kincaid made the extra-point, and MVC trailed, 17-10, with just over four minutes to play in the half.

The scoring continued with Baker's next drive, as the Wildcats moved 75 yards in eight plays, and took a 24-10 lead with under two minutes remaining until halftime.  After penalties on both teams started the final MVC drive of the half, the Vikings eventually moved the ball, as Staples completed three-straight passes for a total of 21 yards, then gained 15 yards rushing.  White caught a 34-yard pass to move Missouri Valley inside the BU 10-yard line, Morton ended the 10-play, 79-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run in the final seconds of the quarter.  Missouri Valley went into halftime trailing, 24-17.

Play in the second half began with Missouri Valley receiving the kickoff, and moving down the field.  The Vikings gained a total of 19 yards on the ground in the first three plays, and moved into Baker territory.  The drive stalled, and MVC attempted a long field goal.  Kincaid put his 53-yard attempt between the uprights for a career-best kick, one yard short of the program-record, and made it a 24-20 score with just over five minutes played in the third quarter.

The Wildcats responded with another scoring drive, adding a touchdown to make it 31-20 near the six-minute mark.  Missouri Valley answered back with a long drive, moving 81 yards in 11 plays.  Johnson had a rush for 12 yards, and Staples added a 12-yard rush early in the drive.  Senior Running Back Bryce Jackson (Columbia, Mo.) added 22 yards rushing, and the drive ended on a Morton four-yard touchdown run late in the quarter.  Missouri Valley went for a two-point conversion, and Staples hit Junior Tight End DJ Holly (Los Angeles, Calif.) on the play to cut the gap down to 31-28 going into the fourth quarter.

Baker was able to put together a long drive to open play in the fourth quarter, taking off nearly nine minutes from the game clock, and capping the drive with another touchdown to put the MVC deficit at 38-28 with just over six minutes remaining.  The Viking offense took its final drive of the game into BU territory, after converting a third-down attempt, then a fourth-down attempt, but eventually turned the ball over on downs near midfield.  Baker picked up a first down on its ensuing drive, and ran out the remaining time.  Missouri Valley fell, 38-28.

Staples completed 15 passes for 172 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, and added 55 yards rushing.  Morton had 16 rushing attempts for 80 yards and two touchdowns.  White had four receptions for 61 yards and one touchdown, and Strong added three receptions for 61 yards.

Junior Defensive Back Eric Potts (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and McNair both had 10 tackles, while Maggert added seven tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss.  Mckoy had five tackles, one tackle-for-loss and one forced fumble.

Kincaid made two of his extra-point attempts and was 2-for-3 on field goal attempts, with makes of 48 yards and a career-best 53 yards.  Johnson had one punt return for 38 yards.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Heart South Division.  Baker improves to 1-3 on the season and 1-0 in the division.

Up next, the Viking football team will welcome Heart newcomer St. Ambrose (Iowa) into Volney C. Ashford Stadium for a game Oct. 4, with kickoff at 1 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.