Football Endures Long Weather Delay, Loss at William Woods

Fulton, Mo., (Oct. 18, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College football team traveled to Fulton, Mo., for a Heart of America Athletic Conference South Division contest against William Woods (Mo.).  A more than three-hour weather delay impacted the game, and a last-second field goal made by the Owls resulted in a 36-35 loss for Missouri Valley.

Missouri Valley received the game's opening kickoff and used an 11-yard run from Junior Wide Receiver Jesse Johnson (St. Louis, Mo.) and an 18-yard pass completion from Junior Quarterback Tomele Staples (Kanakee, Ill.) to Junior Wide Receiver Eddie Strong (Middletown, Ct.) to eventually put the team deep into William Woods territory.  Facing a fourth down, the team tried a 39-yard field goal from Sophomore Kicker Bruno Kincaid (Madrid, Spain), but the attempt was no good.

The Owls took their first possession and moved down the field, finishing off a four-play, 78-yard drive with a touchdown to put the team in front, 7-0, with five minutes off the clock.  The Vikings used a big play on its ensuing drive for their first score of the contest.  Staples connected with Junior Wide Receiver Khalil White (Decatur, Ga.) on a 52-yard pass for a touchdown, and Kincaid's extra-point tied the teams at 7-7 midway through the quarter.

The two teams traded touchdown drives on their next set of possessions.  William Woods finished off a drive with a touchdown to regain the lead, but a missed extra-point made it a 13-7 score. Missouri Valley used a 52-yard touchdown run from Sophomore Running Back Silas Morton (Strafford, Mo.) to tie the teams, and a Kincaid extra-point put the team in front for the first time, 14-13, with just under five minutes to play in the first quarter.

William Woods moved into MVC territory on its ensuing drive, but the defense forced a stop, helped by a tackle for no-gain by Freshman Linebacker Adrian Miles, Jr., (Biloxi, Miss.) late in the drive.  The Vikings took their next possession into the second quarter, and a Strong 47-yard run put the team inside the WWU 10-yard line.  However, the Owls forced and recovered a fumble to stop the scoring threat for Missouri Valley.

The Viking defense came up with another stop, as William Woods chose to convert a fourth down situation, and Senior Defensive Back Jeremiah McNair (Hattiesburg, Miss.) stopped the WWU quarterback a yard short of the line-to-gain to earn the turnover-on-downs.  Missouri Valley responded with a long drive, as Staples rushed for 18 yards and completed three passes for 50 yards on the drive to help put the team at the two-yard line.  Morton followed with a two-yard touchdown run, and Kincaid's extra-point made it a 21-13 score near the six-minute mark of the quarter.

Missouri Valley's defense came through with its first three-and-out of the game, as Miles, Jr., finished a tackle-for-loss on third down to force the punt.  The Vikings took over at their own 29-yard line, and needed only one play to add to the advantage as Staples completed a 71-yard touchdown pass to Junior Wide Receiver Adonis Whitley (St. Louis, Mo.).  Kincaid made the extra-point, and the lead grew to 28-13 with just over four minutes to play in the half.

William Woods was limited to a second-straight three-and-out by the MVC defense, but the Vikings were unable to move the ball on its ensuing possession.  The Owls used a special teams play to trim down their deficit on a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.  The extra-point was blocked, and Missouri Valley maintained a 28-19 lead late in the quarter.

There was enough time for one more drive in the half for Missouri Valley, which started on three-straight runs from Morton to move 23 yards and into WWU territory.  The next three plays were all pass completions from Staples, and ended on a 14-yard touchdown completion to Staples in the closing seconds of the quarter.  Kincaid added the extra-point and the Vikings went into halftime in front, 35-19.

Play in the second half started with an initial William Woods drive, and the MVC defense forced another three-and-out, helped by a big loss for the Owls offense on second down.  Missouri Valley's first drive of the half was cut short due to incoming weather, and the team's endured a more than three-hour weather delay.

After weather cleared, the Vikings were forced into a punt, and William Woods followed with a drive into MVC territory.  The Owls went for a fourth-down conversion and Sophomore Linebacker Noah Carr (Kissimmee, Fla.) stopped the WWU ball carrier one yard shot of the first down line, resulting in a turnover-on-downs.  The Vikings quickly moved deep into William Woods territory, but a Morton fumble was recovered by the defense, and the MVC scoring drive was stopped.

William Woods picked up a first down on its ensuing drive following the turnover, but the Viking defense came up with three-straight tackle-for-loss plays.  Freshman Defensive Lineman Royce Adeniken (Edmonton, Alberta), Sophomore Linebacker Jayden Maggert (Concordia, Mo.) and Senior Defensive Lineman Ryan Greenwood (Beaumont, Texas) each had one tackle during the sequence to force and punt and help send the game into the fourth quarter with Missouri Valley on top, 35-19.

The Vikings were unable to put together a long drive to start the fourth quarter, and failed to pick up a fourth-down conversion attempt, as WWU took possession near midfield.  The Owls took advantage of the short field, and cut its deficit to 35-27 midway through the quarter.  The Vikings ran only three plays on their following drive, and punted back to William Woods.

The punt resulted in another short field for the Owls, and they only needed one play to score another touchdown.  Trying to tie the score, William Woods went for a two-point conversion, but the attempt failed, and Missouri Valley maintained a 35-33 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.  The Vikings could not pick up a first down on the following possession, and Freshman Punter Ben Bullock (Perth, Australia) got off a 55-yard punt to pin the Owls at their own five-yard line.

William Woods moved down the field, and ran out the final four minutes on the clock.  The Owls eventually reached the MVC seven-yard line, and attempted a field goal in the final seconds.  The attempt was blocked, but a penalty on the play allowed for William Woods to run off one more untimed down.  The Owls made their 21-yard attempt to end the game, and give Missouri Valley a 36-35 loss.

Staples finished 15 of 23 passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns.  Morton had 187 yards rushing on 22 carries for an 8.5 yards per carry average, to go with two touchdowns.  Strong led with seven receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown.  Whitley had two receptions for 92 yards and one touchdown, while White had three receptions for 62 yards and one touchdown.

Carr led with 10 tackles and one tackle-for-loss.  McNair had nine tackles and one tackle-for-loss, and Greenwood added two tackles-for-loss.

Kincaid made all five of his extra-point attempts, and Bullock had a lone punt of 55 yards, pinning William Woods inside the 20-yard line once.  Johnson added 94 yards in kickoff returns.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the Heart South Division.  William Woods improves to 1-6 on the season and 1-2 in the division.

Up next, the Viking football team will host Missouri Baptist in a Heart South Division contest for Homecoming, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m., inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.

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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.