The Lowdown: Friends University at Sterling College

Location: Sterling, Kan.              

Kickoff: Nov. 7 @ 1 PM

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Flying with the Falcons (8-1 2-1 KCAC Bissell): The Friends University Falcons improved to 8-1 overall and 2-1 in the KCAC Bissell Division with a dramatic 49-48 victory at Kansas Wesleyan University last Saturday (Oct. 31) in Salina, Kan. In a game dominated by offense, it was the Falcon defense that stepped up and halted a potential go-ahead two-point conversion by KWU with 21 seconds left to seal the victory. Read the full thrilling game recap of the Falcons' victory at Kansas Wesleyan HERE!.

E'derian Sykes (612 yards), Elon Conley (586 yards), Michael Lopez (566 yards), Joey  Millspaugh (562 yards), Walker Overman (492 yards) and Nick Cordova (415 yards) have each surpassed the 400-yard rushing mark to lead an extremely balanced Falcon ground attack this season.

Overman has thrown eight touchdown passes on the season with 439 yards. DJ Dingle has also seen action and has passed for five touchdowns and 280 yards. DJ Pearson leads the Falcon receiving corps with 204 yards and six receptions, with four of those catches going for touchdowns.  Samuel Becker is second on the Falcons with three receiving touchdowns and has amassed 115 receiving yards on the season.

Tyson Wallace leads the Falcon defense in both tackles (66) and tackles for loss (10.5) this season. Cale Milleson has recorded a team-high five sacks, with Zamarion Manuel, Cooper Skrobecki and Mikah Rocco each producing two interceptions.

The Falcons are currently second in the NAIA in points per game (57.1) and tops in rushing yards per game (435.1).  Defensively, the Falcons are tied for second in defensive touchdowns (five) and tied for fourth in fumble recoveries (12) while ranking sixth in tackles for loss (76). Individually, Michael Lopez is first in the NAIA in kick return average (41.9) and fifth in all-purpose yards (1434), with Connor Tillman ranking sixth in kicking points (74).

Scouting the Warriors (3-6, 2-2 KCAC Bissell): The Sterling College Warriors won 21-3 at Saint Mary to move to 3-6 overall and even their KCAC Bissell Division record at 2-2.

Steven Werking has thrown six touchdowns, 10 interceptions and 1220 yards this season for Sterling. Stephenson Kennard leads the Warriors in rushing yards (519 yards) and Khyaire Hines has team-highs of 664 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions.

Dutton Taylor is leading the Warrior defense in both tackles (68) and tackles for loss (15.5) on the season and is tied with Jaquan Lowman for the team-lead in interceptions (three). Marques Zenon has produced a team-high 3.5 sacks for the Warriors.

The Series: The Falcons were victorious in a 66-7 romp over Sterling at home last season and have now won four straight in the series. Friends is 16-6 vs. Sterling overall since 2004 and 7-5 on the road during that span. The Warriors won the last matchup in Sterling 42-14 during the 2021 season.

Dondlinger Construction: We are proud to have Dondlinger Construction as a top sponsor of Friends University Athletics this season!  Click HERE to visit their official website and learn more on the services Dondlinger can offer!

Rushing to More History: The Falcons accumulated a NAIA single-season record 5,351 rushing yards in 2024 under head coach Terry Harrison's pristine flexbone offensive system only to break their own mark last season with 5,979 rushing yards.

Rush Hour: The Falcons have led the NAIA in rushing in all four years of head coach Terry's Harrison's tenure. This rushing success particularly correlates with Harrison, as he's now coached the last seven NAIA team leaders in rushing (his last three years at Bethel and all four seasons at Friends). The Falcons are at it again this season with a NAIA-leading 435.1 yards per game on the ground.

Falcons by the Numbers:

Overall: 8-1

KCAC Bissell Division: 2-1

Home: 3-1

Away: 5-0

The Falcons record when …

Scoring 0-9 points: 0-0

Scoring 10-19 points: 0-0

Scoring 20-29 points: 0-1

Scoring 30-39 points: 0-0

Scoring 40-49 points: 3-0

Scoring 50 + points: 5-0

Allowing 0-9 points: 0-0

Allowing 10-19 points: 3-0

Allowing 20-29 points: 3-0

Allowing 30-39 points: 0-0

Allowing 40-49 points: 2-1

Allowing 50+ points: 0-0

Scoring first: 5-0

Opponent scores first: 3-1

Leading at halftime: 8-0

Trailing at halftime: 0-1

Tied at halftime: 0-0

Committing fewer turnovers: 5-0

Committing more turnovers: 1-1

Turnovers are even: 2-0

Leading in total offense: 8-0

Trailing in total offense: 0-1

Winning time of possession: 6-0

Losing time of possession: 2-1

The Coaches:

Terry Harrison enters his fifth season as the Friends University head football coach and has transformed the Falcons into a legitimate national contender and a consistent conference title threat.

Harrison appeared to be the perfect choice to lead the Falcon program and has done nothing to change that perception in now his fifth season at the helm.

He has earned consecutive KCAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Falcons to back-to-back conference titles and a program-record 12 wins in 2025.

This past season saw the Falcons lead all four-year college football in points per game (54.2 ppg) and advance to the NAIA FCS quarterfinal round for the first time in program history.

In his four seasons thus far, Harrison has overseen the NAIA's top rushing offense in total yards and yards per game. The Falcons also broke their own NAIA single-season rushing record with 5,979 rushing yards last season.

Individual players continued to thrive under Harrison's tutelage, with quarterback K'Vonte Baker winning his third KCAC Player of the Year award last year and Kyree Watkins being named the KCAC Offensive Lineman of the Year. 

In 2024, the Falcons' progression reached its apex with the program's first conference title since 2008 and first NAIA FCS Playoff victory in school history. Harrison earned KCAC Kessinger Division and Victory Sports Network (VSN) NAIA Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Falcons to an 11-2 record for the team's most wins in the modern era. 

Under Harrison, Baker was named the KCAC Kessinger Division Co-Offensive Player of the Year and offensive lineman Watkins was selected as a first-team AFCA NAIA Coaches' All-American. Overall, the Falcons averaged 411.6 rushing yards per game, nearly 100 yards ahead of the next closest team (Taylor, 311.7) while also rushing for a nation-leading 58 touchdowns last season.

The 2023 season saw Harrison guide the Falcons to their first winning record since 2014 (9-2) and coach 20 All-KCAC players, including KCAC Player of the Year K'Vonte Baker along with NAIA All-American and Rimington Award winner Keegan Martin.

Harrison arrived on campus after transforming fellow KCAC member Bethel College into a conference and national power.

After taking over a Bethel program in 2018 that was 1-9 and at the bottom of the league the previous season, Harrison's impact was felt immediately as he installed the flexbone offense and guided the team to finish third in the NAIA in rushing offense (274.4) per game.

The following season, Harrison would begin to affect the wins column by leading the Threshers to a second-place showing in the KCAC with an 8-3 overall record. Bethel continued to climb the leaderboard nationally, finishing tops in the NAIA in total rushing offense (4,084) and rushing offense per game (371.3) while ranking third in passing efficiency (180.3).

The best was yet to come as the next season, Harrison and the Threshers captured a Co-KCAC regular season championship and an NAIA national playoff berth to wind up No. 13 in the final NAIA FirstDown PlayBook Top 25 poll. The conference championship was the Threshers' first since 2007 and the national playoff appearance represented the first since the 2006 campaign and only the third in school history.

Once again, Harrison's squad set the standard nationally in rushing, leading the country in both total rushing offense (3828) and rushing offense per game (348.0) for the second consecutive season.

Harrison had the Threshers rolling again this year with a 9-2 overall record and a 9-1 league mark that netted the squad their second consecutive co-KCAC regular season title along with a final NAIA national ranking of 17th.

Harrison is embarking on his second go-round as a head coach of the Falcons in Wichita, as he spent five seasons as the head coach of the Wichita Heights High School Falcons.  At Heights, Harrison guided the team to four Kansas 5A regional titles, a district championship and a Greater-Area Wichita-League title along with a 38-16 overall record.  In 2016, Harrison was named the City-League Coach of the Year.

He has also received the opportunity to speak at multiple coaching clinics, with the most recent engagement being the Tulsa Glazier Mega Clinic in 2016.

Harrison was a three-year captain at Sterling College and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Sciences in Physical Education and Health.  He then earned his Masters of Science in School Leadership from Baker University in 2011.

Reggie Langford Jr. is in his third season as head coach of the Sterling College football program and also serves as the offensive coordinator for the team.  

Langford came back to Sterling as the offensive coordinator in 2022 following a tenure at Bethel College in the same position.

A Sterling College alum, Langford played collegiately for the Warriors and still ranks first all-time in all-purpose yards and second in rushing yards while helping the program win the KCAC championship in 2013.

Following his playing career, Langford served one season as quarterbacks coach for the Warriors.

Up Next: The Falcons will wrap up the regular season with a game at Equity Bank Park next Saturday (Nov. 14) vs. the University of Saint Mary Spires at 1 pm. Purchase tickets to that game HERE!