WICHITA, Kan. — Facing their biggest deficit since October of the 2023 season, the No. 5-ranked Friends University Falcons were undeterred and came back to hand the No. 20-ranked McPherson College Bulldogs their first loss of the season while maintaining a perfect mark themselves 56-32 on Homecoming Saturday (Oct. 18) at Adair-Austin Stadium.
The action in the first quarter was fast and furious, beginning with McPherson College's Ryan Markarian connecting with Horace Bradshaw for a 73-yard touchdown pass at 13:33 to put McPherson ahead 7–0. Friends University responded with a sustained drive, culminating in a 14-yard touchdown rush by
K'Vonte Baker.
Truitt Bosher's extra point evened the score at 7–7 with 6:29 remaining. The Bulldogs regained the lead when Markarian found Jamai Rutherford for a 63-yard touchdown at 5:45. In the final minutes of the quarter, a fumble recovery by Dominique Bell of McPherson set up Markarian for a 1-yard rushing touchdown, expanding the lead to 21–7 with 1:35 left in the first quarter.
E'derian Sykes ignited the second quarter with a 68-yard touchdown run for the Falcons just nine seconds in to make it a one-possession game. The Bulldogs responded with a methodical drive, culminating in a 31-yard field goal by Finder at 8:13, narrowing the gap. Friends closed the gap to a field goal when
K'Vonte Baker scored on a 5-yard run with 34 seconds remaining in the half. As the quarter closed a huge swing occurred when
Joshua Flash intercepted a pass and returned it 44 yards before lateraling to
Kasey Lehman to complete the final yard for a touchdown and give the Falcons a 28-24 lead at the halftime break.
The third quarter saw the Falcons carry over that burst of momentum with a series of effective rushing plays.
Jud Cheatham propelled the drive with key gains, including a 23-yard rush to the McPherson 44-yard line. Baker capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run at 7:42 to give the Falcons a double-digit lead. The Bulldogs quickly responded with a scoring drive of their own, highlighted by Jalil Brown's 36-yard rush, which set up his subsequent 11-yard touchdown run at 5:59. Friends answered when
Kaden Rigsby broke free for a 28-yard touchdown run to again lead by two possessions. A late fumble recovery by Flash allowed the Falcons to maintain control as the quarter concluded.
In the fourth quarter, Friends extended their lead with a defensive highlight, as
Camari Geddis intercepted a pass from Markarian and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown for the Falcons' second pick six of the day to make it 49-32. Later, Sykes capitalized on a strong offensive drive and put an exclamation point on the victory with a 15-yard rushing touchdown with 4:43 remaining in the game.
Friends Top Performers
E'derian Sykes
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- Career-high 160 rushing yards on 12 attempts
- 2 touchdowns
K'Vonte Baker
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- 92 rushing yards on 20 attempts
- 3 touchdowns
Camari Geddis
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- 1 interception
- 55-yard return for a touchdown
Joshua Flash
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- 1 interception
- 1 fumble recovery
Sy Aponte
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- 6 tackles
Ethan Grimett
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- 1 sack
Truitt Bosher
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- 8 extra points made
McPherson Top Performers
Ryan Markarian
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- 23-for-33 passing for 406 yards and 2 touchdowns
Horace Bradshaw
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- 6 receptions for 163 yards and 1 touchdown
Jalil Brown
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- 9 rushing attempts for 63 yards and 1 touchdown
- 4 receptions for 20 yards
Kenneth Ray
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- 9 tackles
Another showdown awaits the Falcons next Saturday (Oct. 25) when they face No. 16-ranked Southwestern College at 1 pm in Winfield, Kan.
