WICHITA, Kan. – There was plenty of optimism building around the 2023 edition of the Friends University Football Falcons heading into this season, and the excitement is only going to continue to build following a 64-20 statement victory over the University of Saint Mary Spires in the season opener for both teams tonight (Aug. 26) at Adair-Austin Stadium.
It was a landmark victory, with the 64 points the most scored in a game since 2009 while the 472 rushing yards rank as the highest for the Falcons since the 2016 season.
The Falcons took control immediately, forcing the Spires three and out on the first possession of the game and grabbing the lead when K'Vonte Baker took the first snap in his Falcon career and scampered 53 yards for a touchdown.
Baker wasn't the only newcomer to quickly make his presence felt, as Trey Palmer came down with an interception on the Spires' next possession.
Following a 29-yard run by Jett Cheatham, Laken Clowdus hit paydirt with a three-yard score for a 14-0 Falcon lead.
The Falcon defense was again up to the task when Bryson Wade and Barrett Roads teamed up for a sack on third down to force another Spire punt.
Baker then ran for 33 yards to put the Falcons in scoring distance that resulted in a 29-yard field-goal by Cole Thompson to make it a 17-0 cushion.
Saint Mary answered on the first play of their ensuing possession on an 82-yard scoring run by Michael Gazzana to get on the board.
The remainder of the first half belonged to the Falcons, starting with a quick 63-yard strike from Baker to Kevin Green on the second play of the following possession.
After a series of punts, Palmer again showed off his electric athleticism with an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown that stretched the Falcon lead up to 29-6.
The Falcons weren't through and embarked on a seven-play, 78 yard drive powered by 36 rushing yards from Cheatham before capping it with a one-yard plunge by Baker for a 36-6 lead at the half.
The second half started a bit ominous, with the Spires capitalizing on a fumble by the Falcons on the first possession and scoring on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Shane Bishop to Nick Holmes.
But the Falcons were undeterred, marching 64 yards on 12 plays to answer with Baker's third rushing touchdown of the game, a one-yard run for a 43-13 lead.
Friends then locked the game away and put away the key when Kerrion Hadnot scored his first career touchdown, a 13-yard score late in the third to balloon the lead up to 50-13.
Rushing touchdowns by Kaden Rigsby and Zach Dressler in the fourth quarter put a nice bow on the victory for the Falcons.
"Our guys have had an awesome few weeks of practice," said second-year Friends football head coach Terry Harrison. "It showed tonight as we were able to execute at a pretty high level. I am most proud of the way they responded after the turnovers we had."
Baker made quite the first impression in his first career start under center for the Falcons, rushing for three touchdowns and tossing a 63-yard score. Dressler led the Falcons with 82 yards on the ground and Hadnot rushed for 79 yards in his first career game. The Falcons also got 75 yards on the ground from Cheatham and 74 more rushing yards from Rigsby.
Bishop completed 6-of-19 passes with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions for the Spires. Gazzana had 89 yards on the ground for Saint Mary, with 82 of those yards coming on his touchdown run.
Marco Torres paced the Falcon defense with eight tackles and two tackles for loss.
Aidan Arnold had a team-high nine tackles for Saint Mary.
The Falcons will next hit the road for the first time in 2023 next Saturday (Sept. 2) for a 1 pm kickoff at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kan.
