Michael Hill recieves a pass during the NFL Pro-day on Friday March 22. Tevin Harris | Photo Editor

Possibly getting Hill and Bass to the next level is a big achievement for coach Jerry Partridge and his staff. While Zuerlein only spent one season kicking at Western, Bass and Hill were program players who each spent five years as Griffons. Both players were largely unrecruited by other universities coming out of high school, redshirted their freshman seasons and made strides in performance every year.

Bass, a 6-4 262 pound defensive end, came to Western weighing in at only 200 pounds and added 60 to his frame in the weight room. He started for four straight years and broke the all-time Western sack record with 39.5 for his career.

“He looks the part,” Partridge said of scouts looking at Bass after he broke the record. “His measurements are good, he just needs to put some numbers up and he’s already done that throughout his career.”

Scouts got a look at Bass already at the NFL combine and in the East West Shrine Bowl where he competed alongside top FBS Division I prospects and showed promise.

“Bass has room to refine his pass rush moves to be more effective, but he flashed in practice why he was able to be so productive in college,” said Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com.

Bass projects is projected to be drafted sometime in between rounds four and seven.

Hill’s future in the NFL is considered less of a sure thing, but the 5-10 204 pound halfback’s stock has been on a steady rise, which should be no surprise to those who have seen him play.

Hill broke the all-time and single season rushing record at Western and carried for 4,601 yards as a Griffon. He led the entire nation in rushing yards as a senior and was a finalist for the Harlon Hill trophy, awarded to the nation’s best Division II player.

He was a power runner at Western who would hit defenses just as hard as they hit him. He would routinely send corners and safeties from opposing defenses out with injury from hitting them when they were supposed to be punishing him.

Hill dominated at the Raycom College All-Star Classic, which also featured 22 players from the SEC – widely considered the best football conference in the nation at any level. Hill put himself on the map with two long runs for 45 and 54 yards with two touchdowns.

Even if he doesn’t hear his name called in the draft, Hill is likely to be invited to a pro camp and have an opportunity to make a team.

Arian Foster, who went undrafted in 2009, but eventually made the NFL as a free agent and is a three time all-pro. Hill hopes to be a diamond in the rough for any team that takes a chance on him.

Coach Partridge signed 21 student athletes for the upcoming 2013 football season. Among these 21 included two star Quarterbacks with nearly identical stats. These two Quarterbacks will be competing for the4 2014 spot of starting Quarterback.

Skyler Windmiller of Mill Valley High School, Shawnee, Ks. and TJ LaFaver of Warrenton High School, Warrenton, Mo. both announced their intent to play for Western on National Signing Day.

Western’s coach Jerry Partridge made it clear that the two future quarterbacks will both redshirt their first season.

“We will not kill a year on mop-up duty,” Partridge said. “If they are playing next year it’s because of worst case scenario; injury.”

This means after the current quarterback, Travis Partridge, finishes his senior year this season, there will be a quarterback job opening for the following season. By that time the top two candidates, Windmiller and LaFaver will both have four years of playing time to contribute to the team.

“We historically have not had transfer quarterbacks,” Partridge said. “We’ve been able to raise our own and build them. In some cases some of them have had gigantic pedigrees, such as Drew Newhart. Some were considered option quarterbacks that couldn’t throw it and ended up being first team all-conference. So we’ve done a good job at picking kids out and developing them into football players.”

Windmiller and LaFaver are two of 15 offensive players Western had signed on National Signing Day. LaFaver is one of 13 signees from Missouri, and Windmiller is one of three signees from Kansas.
Partridge also made it known that there is no front runner for the position yet. Prior to signing, both Windmiller and LaFaver were aware of Western’s interest in each other. Both of them showed similar value to Western after they finished their high school careers, as well as other schools. Partridge also makes note as to how much self confidence they have in themselves to understand that a similar player will be competing for the same spot that only one can get.

“They were actually trained by the same quarterback instructional guy that Drew Newhart was, so they knew about each other,” Partridge said. “That tells you what kind of character they have and what competitive zeal they have to both say ‘look I’m going to be the guy.”’

It was difficult for recruiters to compare and contrast their physical capabilities because of how similar they are. Their sizes are virtually identical, being within one inch of height and five pounds from each another. Their playing styles are very similar, from their long ball throwing strength to their athletic scrambling abilities.

Although both are very athletic, running speed was the only category stated that one had an advantage over the other. Not only is LaFaver faster than Windmiller and Travis Partridge, he was faster than any defensive back or wide receiver they had at a combine-like event during his visit, according to Partridge.

Windmiller may be slower, but he has the slight advantage when you compare their high school stats. He had 2231 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns, with 586 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 92 carries his senior season, while LaFaver had 1829 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, with 466 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 91 carries.

There is no quarterback controversy as long as Travis Partridge remains healthy this season, but the following season will have a lot of questions. Those questions will bring answers that will likely decide who will be Western’s future field leader.

Western’s all-time leading rusher Michael Hill will play in the Raycom College Football All-Star Classic in Montgomery, Ala. on Saturday, January 19.  His team will be coached by ex-NFL head coach Dan Reeves.  The practices are open to the public.

Travis Partridge, Michael Hill, Macon Allen, and David Bass were selected to the first team Don Hanson All Super Region 3 team. Ben Pister and Shane Simpson were honored by being selected to the third-team all defense.

Griffons baseball held its first practice of the highly anticipated season.  The Griffons start the season with high expectations as Collegiate Baseball Lineup ranked them No. 25 in their preseason poll.

“We did things that no other Western team has done and nobody can take that away from us,” senior safety Shane Simpson said.  “We had fun and created a lot of good memories.”

Travis Partridge running the ball into the end-zone to score against Washburn. The griffons demolished the Icabods in this contest

The Griffons went 9-1 in the extremely competitive MIAA, including a 21-20 comeback victory over rival Northwest Missouri State in the championship game in Maryville.  Western gained sole possession of the MIAA championship for the first time.

Western looked to expose defenses on the ground with a potent rushing attack.  Senior running back Michael Hill led the way, rushing for 2,168 yards and 16 touchdowns.  Hill ranked No. 2 in the nation in rushing yards per game with 154.  Quarterback Travis Partridge rushed for 451 yards and a school record 18 touchdowns on the ground.  Raphael Spencer spelled Hill and added 608 yards and five touchdowns.

“Western in my mind will always be home, this is the place and only place that showed interest in my abilities and has helped me grow as a player and a person,” Hill said. “Knowing that I have accomplished a lot while here is an awesome feeling. I’ve worked my tail off, although I couldn’t have gotten all of the awards or accomplishments with out my teammates, it shows hard work pays off.”

Partridge showed vast improvement as a passer in his second season as the starting quarterback.  He threw for 2,706 yards and connected with his receivers for 30 touchdowns, while throwing 12 interceptions.  He set a new career-high for passing in the playoff game against Minnesota-Duluth with 319 yards.

The Griffons featured a deep core of receivers.  Kyle Knox led the team in receiving with 602 yards and added 2 touchdowns while Tarrell Downing added 508 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Ty’ron Crockom used his speed and elusiveness to gain 465 yards and scored seven touchdowns, often the result of a screen pass or reverse.  Tight end Reggie Jordan proved to be a valuable red zone weapon, scoring 11 touchdowns on the season while gaining 233 yards.

The defensive front proved to be a big strength for the Griffons.  Senior defensive ends David Bass and Ben Pister caused mayhem for opposing offenses all season.  Bass led the team in sacks with 11.5 and set the all-time career sack record with 36 while Pister sacked the quarterback eight times with a record 22.5 tackles for loss.  Austin Baska added 11.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Freshman Michael Jordan starred at cornerback with four interceptions while Simpson, Bass, Ben Jackson and Stephen Juergens came away with two each.  Juergens led the team with 95 tackles including 44 solo.

The Griffons only allowed teams to gain 383 yards per game while the offense powered its way to 458 yards per game.

Kicker Taylor Anderson made a record 80-straight extra point attempts.

After a 6-0 start, Western lost to Missouri Southern 31-30 on homecoming and responded to the adversity in a major way.  Western traveled to Pittsburg, Kan., and handed the defending champions their worst home loss in history, a 63-14 blowout.  Western continued to dominate ranked opponents for the next two weeks to secure their spot in the playoffs, beating No. 15 Emporia State 57-28 and No. 25 Washburn 56-28.

Western has some big shoes to fill on both sides of the ball next season after graduating 22 seniors.

Western senior running back Michael Hill is one of eight finalists for the highest honor in Division II football, the Harlon Hill Trophy, and has earned a chance to impress the pros this upcoming semester.

The Harlon Hill Trophy is given to the best player in D-II. Many consider it to be the Heisman Trophy of this level. Hill’s historic season at Western has been enough to catch the attention of other schools and coaches of all levels around the country. He continued to produce game changing stats week after week all season, earning himself the honor of being mentioned as one of the top athletes.

“Being a finalist means a lot to me just because all of the work that I have put in is presenting itself,” Hill said. “Not only that, but I am representing the entire football team because they are a part of this as well.”

The Harlon Hill Trophy was first awarded in 1986 and has been an annual award ever since. Although there have only been three award recipients who have been drafted, there have been winners of the honor who has been signed as a free agent in the NFL — such as the two-time winner of the award Danny Woodhead out of Chadron State, who currently plays for the New England Patriots.

That will be one possibility for Hill as he moves forward. The NFL is always looking to find talent wherever it can get it. With a team as talented as Western, NFL scouts have been eying what players Western has who could possibly make an impact at the next level.

“Teams have been around practice to check David Bass out and that helps me having a high caliber guy like that around to help me get my foot in the door,” Hill said.

Hill will take part in a pro day sometime this March. He will be dedicating a lot of his time training this winter to make sure his impression this spring will be as good as he can make it.

“These next few months will be a piece of the process to determine if I will get a shot or not in my opinion,” Hill said.

Hill represents Super Region 3 for the Harlon Hill Trophy, alongside the sophomore quarterback Kevin Rodgers out of Henderson State, whom Western beat out of the playoffs. Super Region 1 is represented by junior running back Franklyn Quiteh of Bloomsburg University and junior quarterback Zach Zulli out of Shippensburg University. Representing Super Region 2 is the lone wide receiver of the group, Chris Bowden from Wingate University and senior running back Derrick Washington out of Tuskegee University. Super Region 4 is being represented by senior quarterback Taylor Housewright out of Ashland University and junior quarterback Dustin Vaughan from West Texas A&M. The list of the remaining candidates is according to the official listing of the Harlon Hill Trophy finalists on HarlonHillTrophy.com.

Hill racked up 2,168 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 202 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in 14 games this season. Hill has made his mark at Western with 4,969 total rushing yards, 35 rushing touchdowns, 882 receiving yards and nine total receiving touchdowns in 50 games here at Western.

Time will tell if Hill gets a chance to represent the St. Joseph community in the pros.

Western is coming off Saturday’s fresh road victory over Henderson State. The game became the first road playoff victory for the Griffons and helped send them to Minnesota to play against the top-seeded Mavericks.

The Griffons are 8th in Division II in rushing offense, scoring 43 rushing touchdowns and collecting over 3,600 rushing yards. Michael Hill places second among fellow rushers averaging 172.08 yards per game to go with his 16 rushing touchdowns on the season. As a finalist for the 2012 Harlon Hill Award, Hill and Western are going to test Mankato’s defense.

In Division II, the Mavericks rank sixth in rushing defense. They’ve only allowed 12 rushing touchdowns on the season and give up just over 83 rushing yards per game. The surprising stat is that Mankato’s opponents only average 2.63 yards per carry.

Western doesn’t hold a high spot in rushing defense, but it has solid stats that will help it against Mankato. Overall, the Griffons only allow 154.77 rushing yards per game on 4.37 yards per carry.

The Mavericks are just a few spots behind Western, ranking 17th in rushing offense. With just under 2,800 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns, Mankato’s offense will suffer slightly due to their lack of an outstanding rusher.

Overall, Western’s scoring offense ranks 14 spots ahead of Mankato’s. The Griffons have collected 572 points to the Mavericks’ 454. However, Mankato outranks Western in scoring defense by 30 spots. They allow just over 17 points per game, while the Griffon give up almost 23.

Whoever wins this game will be playing in the Semifinals against the winner of the Valdosta State and Carson-Newman’s game.

The Griffons quarterfinal game is set for this Saturday, Dec. 1. Kickoff will be at noon in Blakeslee Stadium.

“We were so close to sitting here crying and asking why and now we get to play again,” said Coach Jerry Partridge. “I’m just so proud of what we have done the last two weeks with the pressure when games could go either way against great teams.”

Quarterback Travis Partridge led the Griffons with seven total touchdowns. He threw for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns while running for 24 yards and 4 touchdowns and connected with Reggie Jordan for the game-winning 2-point conversion.

“We’ve been in close games and there’s no panic at all,” Partridge said. “It’s just ‘OK we have to do our jobs’. It’s been crunch time for about four weeks now.”

Mike Hill ran for 194 yards and a touchdown and Tarrell Downing had a break-out game catching the ball for the second straight week. Although he wasn’t one of the Griffons wideouts that got into the endzone, Downing hauled in six catches for 144 yards including some clutch catches in crunch time.

“The wide receivers just try to make plays when our numbers have been called and that’s what we’ve done,” Downing said. “With our depth at receiver it’s pick your poison.”

Duluth quarterback Chase Vogler threw an interception to Marc Harrison on the first play of the game. The Griffon offense capitalized on the turnover when quarterback Travis Partridge connected with Tyron Crockom for a 21-yard touchdown to make the score 7-0.

The Griffon defense allowed Duluth to move the ball down the field, but forced them to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Andrew Brees to make the score 7-3. The Griffons marched down field and Partridge found tight end Reggie Jordan for a spectacular catch in the corner of the endzone to make the score 14-3 Griffons. Duluth added another field goal to make it 14-6.

As it appeared that the Griffons would score again, Partridge threw an interception in the endzone. Duluth got their running game going and Vogler and Austin Sikorski both ran in touchdowns. The Griffons went into halftime trailing 20-14.

“They got momentum going but the next couple of drives, we came out,” Hill said. “After that interception, we came out and got the ball and from then out it was just a stalemate battle between both teams.”

Western came out and took a 21-20 lead after Partridge connected with Kyle Knox from 18-yards out for his third passing touchdown of the day. Duluth’s offense responded with a long drive and a 1-yard touchdown run by Vogler and a successful 2-point conversion to take a 28-21 lead.

Western’s offense did the same thing and Partridge ran in a 9-yard touchdown to tie the game. Duluth scored on a 1-yard run from Sikorski to take a 35-28 lead. The Griffon offense responded with a long drive and a 1-yard touchdown run from Partridge. The defense held tough and the game went to overtime.

Neither team would give an inch as Michael Hill started off the scoring in overtime with a 7-yard touchdown run. Duluth responded two straight Sikorski rushing touchdowns and the Griffons answered with a 1-yard touchdown plunge from Partridge to make the score 49-49 after two overtimes.

In the third overtime, it’s a rule that each team must attempt 2-point conversions after scoring a touchdown. The Griffons scored with another 1-yard dive from Partridge and connected with Reggie Jordan for a successful 2-point conversion to give the Griffons 57-49 lead.

Duluth responded with Sikorski’s fifth rushing touchdown of the afternoon, but could not convert the 2-point conversion after Vogler tripped on a designed bootleg play.

“I don’t think we even had a chance to get fatigued because the game was on the line,” defensive end David Bass said. “For the most part, I think we just wanted to have the best players on the field. Everyone was able to put aside their tiredness to get the job done.”

The Griffons defense gave up 408 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

“So many times on pass plays, I don’t know if they had the intention of throwing, he just scrambled around,” coach Partridge said. “That kid was one of the very best quarterbacks I have ever coached against, that’s why he won a national title a couple years ago.”

Partridge will continue on the quest to try and win his first national championship, taking on No. 2 seed Henderson State in the second round in Arkadelphia, Ark. on Saturday, Nov. 24.

After defeating Northwest and winning the MIAA Championship , the Griffons will take on No. 7 ranked Minnesota-Deluth this Saturday at noon in the Spratt Stadium.
*photo courtesy of gogriffons.com

No. 3 Western (10-1) is set to take on No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth (10-1) this Saturday in the second ever home playoff game.

Western hopes to claim their first home playoff victory in the program history this Saturday as they take on the Bulldogs. Last season, the Griffons were handed a heartbreaking loss in the first home playoff game to rival Northwest in the first round of the playoffs.  This year they are coming off of an emotional win at Northwest.

As a well-known rushing team, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 10 in Division II with just under 3,000 rushing yards this season and collect almost 270 yards rushed per game. Their quarterback just happens to be the core of their rushing game. This past weekend, Chase Vogler rushed for 224 yards on 22 carries, including a 64-yard scoring run, and five touchdowns. The senior quarterback has lost just three games on the road in his college career.

While the Griffons rushing defense isn’t highly ranked, they’re still a force to be reckoned with. Western only allows 140 total rushing yards per game on an average of 4 yards per carry, ranking them No. 4 in the MIAA at defending the run. They have great defensive stoppers in Austin Baska, David Bass, and Ben Pister who combine for 113 total tackles and 21 sacks for 129 yards lost. Bass also has two interceptions for 63 yards. Together, the three will give the Minnesota-Deluth runners plenty to worry about.

Western has major promise in First Team all-MIAA running back Michael Hill. In his first three seasons at Western, he’s rushed for over 2,800 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. During just the fourth game of the season, Hill broke the record for most-career yards and most-career carries. This season he averages 7.4 yards per carry and 164.5 yards per game. With his contributions this season combined with Dominic Thomas, Raphael Spencer and Travis Partridge, he’s helped place Missouri Western at the no. 1 spot in rushing offense in the MIAA.  Hill was named Offensive Player the Year by the conference.

In Division II, the team is ranked No. 7 in rushing offense, three spots ahead of run heavy Minnesota-Deluth, averaging 287 rushing yards per game.

The Griffons offense has been bolstered by the improvement of quarterback Travis Partridge from a season ago.  Partridge was named first team all-MIAA after passing for 2023 yards and and 25 touchdowns with just eight interceptions.

Minnesota-Duluth is ranked No. 13 in rushing defense, allowing just under 100 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry. In their one loss on the season, they gave up 176 rushing yards to St. Cloud State. That was the highest amount they allowed in opponent’s rushing yards this season.

The Griffons will play the Bulldogs this Saturday, Nov. 17 in Spratt Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon.

No. 11 Missouri Western overcame a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter to defeat rival No. 4 Northwest Missouri State 21-20 in Maryville to win sole possession of the MIAA championship for the first time in school history.

“This is why we signed here, for this exact game, this scenario” said defensive end Ben Pister, who came away with four tackles and a sack on a crucial down in the fourth quarter. “This outcome is amazing. I feel invincible. After what we did today, this is our year.”

The Griffons offense struggled to get anything going in the first half with two punts, an interception thrown by quarterback Travis Partridge and a missed field goal attempt into harsh wind.

Northwest capitalized on the turnover as quarterback Trevor Adams connected with Tyler Shaw to put the Bearcats on the board up 7-0 in the second quarter. Jordan Simmons ran the ball into the endzone from two yards out for a touchdown after a long drive and Todd Adolf hit a 22-yard field goal to give Northwest a 17-0 lead at halftime.

“We just regrouped in the locker room,” Pister said. “We had a lot of pregame jitters and emotion. We had to get rid of it. We had a lot of anger toward this team and we just had to relax and play our game.”

The Griffons came out and gained momentum in the second half as Partridge connected with Tyron Crockom for a 19-yard touchdown to put the Griffons on the scoreboard 17-7.

“There was never a doubt that we were going to make a run,” Partridge said. “In that locker room there was no panic. Everybody was looking in each others’ eyes knowing that we can do this. We had to calm down and play our brand of football and we did that.”

Northwest was able to drive the ball down the field again, but the Griffons defense stood tall forcing them to a field goal, which made the score 20-7 with just over seven minutes to play.

Partridge connected with Tarrell Downing over the middle for a 38-yard touchdown that put the Griffons back in the game. After Taylor Anderson made the extra point, the score was 20-14.

“I was thinking after I caught the ball that it has to be a touchdown. I have to get into the endzone,” Downing said. “This win has been four years in the making really and it feels great.”

The Griffon defense forced a punt on the Bearcats next possession, which gave them a chance to win the game.

Partridge got the ball back with just over three minutes to play and moved it right up the field with a series of short plays until running back Michael Hill busted off a 13-yard run to get it down to the Bearcats two yard line. Partridge then ran it in the endzone for the two yard score. Anderson knocked in the extra point which put the Griffons on top 21-20.

“I couldn’t have done it alone,” Partridge said. “The offensive line was battling and it was a total team effort. If there’s ever a total team effort, today was it.”

Northwest had one final chance with around a minute left, but turned the ball over on downs.  Partridge took a knee and the Griffons fans stormed onto Bearcat Field.

Partridge finished 19-for-26 passing with two touchdowns and gained 31 yards and a touchdown on the ground.  Hill gained 121 yards on 19 carries and caught one pass for six yards.

The Griffons improved to 10-1 on the season, a new school record for wins.

This victory sealed up a home playoff game for Western. The Griffons will find out who they play tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the watch party in the Fulkerson Center.

“It’s a special thing to host a playoff game and everyone in this program deserves one,” Partridge said. “These fans deserve one. It’s big for the program and big for the city.”

After two dominant road performances, the No. 11 Griffons return to Spratt Stadium at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, to take on No. 25 Washburn in a pivotal MIAA contest on senior day.

Washburn is 7-2, but Northwest Missouri State beat them 56-6 last week on their home field.

“Washburn is a good football team,” coach Jerry Partridge said.  ”They have had a very good year. They had a tough week last week, but I don’t think they were themselves that week. They are always physical, well-coached and do the fundamental things right.  They play well in all phases. Offensively they can run the ball and make plays throwing the football, and defensively their linebackers are very athletic and they have size in the front.”

The Griffons are on a roll lately, defeating two of the top-ranked teams in the MIAA — and the country — on the road when they played Pittsburg State and Emporia State.  This week the Griffons are back playing at Spratt Stadium, where they took a one-point loss to Southern the last time they played.

“We’ve been playing pretty well at home, too,” Partridge said. “I think we’ve been playing well all year long, but to me the last two weeks we’ve played are best.”

The Griffons have gained 982 yards on offense in the last two games with seven different players scoring touchdowns while the defense has only allowed 42 points, most of which came with Western’s starters sitting on the bench.

Washburrn is led by quarterback Mitch Buhler, who has thrown for 1,692 yards on the season with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has several main targets to throw to with Matt Kobbeman gaining 435 yards and four touchdowns, Tore’ Hurst has 324 yards and three touchdowns, Jordan Hart has 307 yards and four touchdowns, and Ryan Mertz catches passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns.

“I think they are a good ball club,” defensive end David Bass said.  ”Ever since I’ve been here, they have done what they had to do to win.  They are a 7-2 program so I’m no sleeping on them.”

Hayden Groves leads the Washburn rushing attack with 593 yards and six touchdowns on the season for an average of 4.3 yards per carry.

The Griffons aren’t going to overlook Washburn despite its big loss last week because they know how it feels to bounce back from a loss.

“They are still a tough team,” running back Michael Hill said. “They got beat pretty bad against Northwest, but look at us, when we got beat and came back and were ready to go and did some damage on Pitt.  We just have to prepare for this like any other tough MIAA game.”

Both Hill and Bass have been four-year players at Western, and they want to come away with a victory on their senior night.

“I have 22 other brothers out here with me, and I want to go out with a win, not for myself, just for them,” Bass said.  ”It’s our last time at Spratt in the regular season, so we want to make it perfect.”

“It’s definitely going to mean a lot,” Hill said. “‘For all these guys in the class and the coaches and everyone a part of Mo West,  It makes you think back – and it goes fast – and just cherish it. “

Travis Partridge running the ball into the end-zone to score against Washburn. The griffons demolished the Icabods in this contest

Stopping Missouri Western’s running game looked unattainable against Washburn after beating the Ichabods 56-28 on Saturday, Nov. 3, at Spratt Stadium.

It was senior day for the 22 seniors, and the team made it a game to remember.

“I thought we played well,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “We did not execute in the passing game as well as the running game, but we didn’t feel like they could hold up against our zone running game, and they didn’t.”

The fireworks started when quarterback Travis Partridge ran for a 5-yard touchdown run with eight minutes left in the first quarter. The touchdown was the first of Partridge’s three rushing scores.

Partridge connected with Tyron Crockom on a 45-yard touchdown that resulted in the only passing score and gave the Griffons a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

After the defense continued to pound on the Ichabods offense, running back Mike Hill started to pick away at the defense as he broke off a 36-yard touchdown run, giving the Griffons a 21-0 lead ending the first quarter.

“He can do it all,” coach Partridge said. “He is running well, and he is running away from people. We need Michael Hill on offense.”

The second quarter started with more dominance from Hill and the running game. The offense continued to makes plays down the field by utilizing the run game as well as the passing, ending another drive with a 3-yard touchdown run from Hill.

The defense held the Ichabods scoreless, 28-0, until halfway through the second quarter.

Running back Hayden Groves outran the Griffons on a 71-yard scamper. The Ichabods defense stopped the Griffons and were able to push out another score before halftime, making the score 28-14.

“We did have a bad stretch late in the first half,” coach Patridge said. “They popped that big run on us after they saw our safeties were in the box. It made us gameplan at halftime, and we came out and answered the call and got after them in the second half.

Western’s defense, led by senior David Bass, raised the intensity by staying strong after the two touchdowns from Washburn (7-3, 7-3 MIAA). Bass came up with a big sack for a loss that gave the momentum back to the Griffons (9-1, 8-1).

“We had a couple of busted plays that allowed them to get two scores on us,” Bass said. “But our mindset never changed. We just trusted in our offense. We had to fix some minor problems and bounce back.”

Bass finished the game with seven tackles, two resulted in a loss and one sack. From there on, the defense bullied the Ichabods offense and left the rest for Hill.

The running game was just too much for the Washburn defense, and Hill ended up having a career day.

He finished the game with 259 yards and three rushing scores off of 26 carries. Hill was only 25 yards shy from breaking the single game rushing record, but he was able to break the school’s single season rushing record with 1,688 yards.

“I honestly think that we have the best back in the nation right now,” Bass said. “I would take [Hill] over anybody, in any level. It doesn’t surprise me when he puts up the numbers he does. We don’t need to pass the ball.”

After three quick running scores put the Griffons up 56-14, it was time to give Hill and other starters a rest. Backup running backs Dominic Thomas and Raphael Spencer racked up some yards while running the clock with Spencer also rushing for a 20-yard touchdown.

The final touchdown marked it 56-28, and the Griffons were satisfied with the win. However, they know next week brings a new challenge as they face their rival Northwest Missouri State (9-1, 8-1) next week, with the outright MIAA championship on the line.

“We are a well-coached group,” offensive lineman Nick Clark said. “Our team chemistry is good, and I feel that if we continue to do our jobs, you will continue to see displays like today for the rest of the season.”

Coach Jerry Partridge gives a couple Griffon football players a pep talk during their game against the Emporia State Hornets. The Griffons triumphed 57-28.

Griffon Football looked ferocious on Thursday, Oct. 25, serving No. 20 Emporia State its first loss of the season with a 57-28 blowout at Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kan. The Griffons improved to 8-1 while the Hornets dropped to 8-1.

The Hornets came into the game with the top ranked offense in the MIAA, but the physical Griffon defense allowed only one first down in the entire first half and no points.

“We played Emporia well and obviously we are starting to reach our expectations,” defensive end David Bass said.  ”It’s ideal and I know it’s not going to happen every week, but we are going to go out and try to make it happen.”

Kicker Taylor Anderson made a field goal to put the Griffons on top 3-0; then running back Michael Hill went to work. Hill ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter, both from three yards out as the Griffons took at 17-0 lead.

“We pretty much came out and wanted to carry over what we had the week before at Pitt,” Hill said. “We didn’t run too many different plays, a lot of inside zone and kept shoving it down their throat. I don’t know how many times we passed, but we smashed them in the trenches.”

Anderson hit another field goal to make the score 20-0 at the start of the second quarter. Quarterback Travis Partridge connected with the elusive Tyron Crockom on a screen pass for a 19-yard touchdown and then ran the ball in from eight yards out to give the Griffons a commanding 26-0 lead at the halftime break.

“Tyron is just a good football player,” Coach Jerry Partridge said.  ”He catches the ball and has ran reverses. The wealth has been spread around pretty evenly  on offense for us.”

The second half started with another highlight play from the Griffons, this time it was on defense.  Cornerback Michael Jordan intercepted a pass thrown by quarterback Tyler Eckenrode and returned it for a 91-yard touchdown that put the Griffons on top 33-0.

“Michael Jordan is going to be one of the very best corners we have ever had here,” Partridge said. “He’s solid as it gets with good speed, good agility, good hands, and he’ll tackle you.”

Hill had 185 yards and two touchdowns after the first half and was able to rest for the second half with the large lead. Reserve backs Dominic Thomas and Raphael Spencer took over rushing the ball and found success, showing the depth that the Griffons are working with at the position.

“We’ve done that a lot this year, and the running backs behind me can come in and do the things that I did,” Hill said. “It feels good, but also I want to be out there at the same time.  Whenever you are out of the game, you know that your team did their part to get you there.”

The Griffons rushing attack was responsible for 382 net yards and five touchdowns. Thomas gained 53 yards and scored on an 11-yard touchdown run while Spencer gained 96 yards and scored on a seven yard touchdown run that put the Griffons on top 47-0.

Emporia scored 14 points in both the third and fourth quarters as the Griffons reserves got into the game, but it was too late as the Griffons already had an insurmountable lead.  The Griffons forced the Hornets to punt eight times on the day and held Eckenrode to 24-for-48 passing and forced two interceptions.

“We’ve got a lot of kids playing time in two games where they shouldn’t have gotten the playing time,” Partridge said. “It was good to play a lot of kids and hopefully we are going to be healthy enough now for this pivotal stretch run.”

“Great, great win,” Coach Jerry Partridge said. “I  think we played very well and it was fun to watch it all come together like that and play at that level.”

The Gorillas struck first with a pass from Anthony Abenoja to John Brown that gave them a 7-0 lead.  However, those would be the only points that the Griffon defense would allow all afternoon.

Defensive coordinator Regi Trotter wasn’t happy with the Gorillas success on their first possession, but was proud of the way the defense responded.

“We really buckled down and stuck to our plan,” Trotter said “We played very well.”

The Griffon offense scored 56 unanswered points, leaving the crowd of nearly 12,000 stunned and heading for the exits as Pittsburg State took only its 13th loss in history at Carnie Smith Stadium.

“We were surprised because we always go in expecting a war,” Safety Shane Simpson said. “It’s just a blessing and you love those days.  Everybody just played good, we did all the little things.”

Quarterback Travis Partridge threw for four touchdown passes and 213 yards on only 14 passing attempts.  Partridge connected for touchdowns with Derek Libby for 64 yards, Brandon Wright for 35 yards, Reggie Jordan from seven yards out, and found Michael Hill in the flat on a fake reverse play for a 48-yard score.

Partridge was happy with the way the offense played and felt like it was a very complete performance by everybody.

Hill scored three more touchdowns on the ground as he ran the ball into the end-zone from two, five, and 10 yards out.  Hill finished with 116 yards on the ground on 17 carries for an average of 6.8 yards per carry.  Hill got to rest early after totaling 180 all-purpose yards with the big lead as reserve backs Dominic Thomas and Raphael Spencer showed off their talents.  Thomas finished with 59 yards while Spencer ran for 64.

Defensive end David Bass had a huge game, coming away with 2.5 sacks and an interception that he took back 55 yards for a touchdown.  Ben Pister was also wreaking havoc from the other end position with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks.  Pister recorded 2.5 tackles for a loss, a category in which he leads the MIAA.  Bass and Pister are seniors playing in their final season at Western.

“It’s been fun watching those guys grow up,” Trotter said.  ”When you have two seniors that care so much about this program and have been dominant forces for four years now, it’s good to watch those guys do some damage.”

Defensive back Michael Jordan led the Griffons with nine tackles while safety Shane Simpson intercepted a pass in his first game back from a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for two weeks.

“Shane Simpson is that senior leader back there and we really needed him,” Trotter said. “He really stepped up for us when he came back in.”

Before the game, Western was ranked No. 16 in Division II football while Pittsburg was ranked No. 7.  After the game the Griffons moved up four spots to No. 12 while the Gorillas fell to No. 20 in the AFCA coaches poll.

The game will be televised on the MIAA network, channel 19 on Suddenlink Cable in St. Joseph.

The Hornets are a perfect 8-0, but have only faced one team with a winning record — Lindenwood. Their closest game came in a 19-15 win over 1-7 Southwest Baptist three weeks ago, and in the last two games, Emporia defeated Lindenwood 13-0 and 4-4 Truman State 52-26.

“Emporia is very, very dangerous and very confident right now,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “They really believe in themselves and there will be a lot of emotion on Thursday night.  We’re going to get their best shot.”

Emporia ranks first in the MIAA in total offense with 484 yards per game, while Western ranks second with 467 yards per game.

“We approach this just like any other week,” quarterback Travis Partridge said.  ”We are going to do what we do offensively and distribute the ball. Our experience level is going to carry us.”

The Hornets rely heavily on the passing game to move the ball down the field.  Quarterback Tyler Eckenrode has thrown for 2,518 yards this season with 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

“Their offense is very good,” defensive coordinator Regi Trotter said. “They have a stable of good running backs, but they really throw the ball well.  Those guys really do a good job.”

Wide receiver Shjuan Richardson has proven to be the main weapon for the Hornets’ offense, catching 59 passes for 973 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.  He’s averaging 121 receiving yards per game. Ray Ray Davis has also heavily contributed to Emporia’s success through the air with 634 yards and five touchdowns.

“We just need to carry this momentum from the Pitt State-win into Thursday,” safety Shane Simpson said. “It’s not going to be easy.”

The Hornets use a balanced rushing attack to supplement the passing game.  Derwin Hall has rushed for 393 yards and five touchdowns while gaining 4.6 yards per carry, Dozie Iwuagwa has gained 331 yards and six touchdowns with a 4.5 yards per carry average, and Jordan Tice has rushed for 287 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry.

Playing a top-20 team on the road with a short week is a challenge, but the Griffons feel like they are well-prepared.

“The front end is very difficult,” coach Partridge said. “I’ll enjoy the back end of it if we win the game and get the weekend off, but its very difficult right now.”

Emporia’s defense ranks fourth in the MIAA in total yards per game, allowing 335 yards per game, while Western ranks fifth, giving up 348 yards per game.

The Griffons have won the last three games at Emporia.

It will be no easy task for the 6-1 Griffons as reining national champion 5-1 Pittsburg is also looking for redemption from its first loss of the season, a 31-21 defeat by Northwest Missouri.

“Pitt is good and they are going to be hungry,” Coach Jerry Partridge said.  “We’re planning on going to Pittsburg and getting a win and I think we are very capable of doing it.”

Gorillas quarterback Anthony Abenoja has thrown for 1663 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Abenoja’s main target this season has been John Brown, who has caught 39 passes for 627 yards and six touchdowns.   The Griffons should be well-aware of Brown as he gained 70 yards receiving and ran a punt back 84 yards for a touchdown last season when Pittsburg came to Spratt Stadium and won 34-7 last season.  Brown has also returned one punt for a touchdown this season and is averaging 219 all-purpose yards per game.

Pittsburg’s leading rusher is Briceton Wilson has ran for 327 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.  Jason Spradling  also had success running the ball, he’s averaging 5.1 yards per carry and has ran for 251 yards and a touchdown this season.

Linebacker Nate Dreiling anchors the Gorilla defense with a team-leading 36 tackles and five pass breakups while defensive end Gus Toca has sacked opposing quarterbacks five times on the season.  The Gorillas lead the MIAA in defense, allowing 307 total yards per game.

The Griffons defense is banged up, dealing with injuries to several star players. Linebacker Yomi Alli is out with a knee injury suffered on Sept. 15.  Defensive tackle, Austin Baska hurt both ankles against Southern and defensive end Ben Pister is dealing with a shoulder injury.  Safety Shane Simpson missed the last two games with a hurt ankle, but should provide a boost when he makes his return this week.

“I can’t wait to get back on the field,” Simpson said. “Pitt State is a good team.  We need to play our best and limit mistakes.  If we do that, I’m sure we will be happy with the outcome.”

Griffons running back Michael Hill will be looking to bounce back from his lowest rushing total of the season, 54 yards.  Hill is averaging 161 yards per game, which leads the MIAA by a wide margin with the second leading rusher averaging 94 yards per game.

“We can still do everything we wanted to do,” Hill said “One loss doesn’t even put a dent in our goals.”

The Griffons and the Gorillas both have high-powered offenses.  The Gorillas average 39.5 points per game while the Griffons get 39 points each contest.  The Griffons lead the MIAA in total offense per game with 469 yards per game while the Gorillas come in second with 466 yards per game.

Coach Partridge wants his team to keep their confidence despite having the deal with defeat for the first time this season.

“We have to keep the outside influences from affecting us and understand that we are still good enough and go get it done,” Partridge said. “We’re still a very good football team.”

Dom Thomas makes a run against Missouri Southern in the Homecoming Game on Saturday Oct. 13

Missouri Western football suffered its first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion as Missouri Southern upset the Griffons 31-30 on Homecoming at Spratt Stadium.  The Griffons are 6-1 on the season.

“We outplayed them really and probably should have had them put away in the first half,” coach Jerry Partridge said.  ”We didn’t make enough plays obviously to win.”

The game was delayed for nearly and hour by lightning with 3 minutes and 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter with the Griffons leading 30-24 and Southern in possession of the ball at its own 37-yard line.

When play resumed, the Lions put together a scoring drive which ended in a 1-yard run by JJ Jones.  The extra point put Southern ahead by one point.

“We needed to step up and make a stop,” said linebacker Stephen Juergens, who led the Griffons with 11 tackles. “I can blame myself; I missed a tackle on that last drive.”

Western got the ball back with two minutes left on the clock, but turned the ball over on a fumbled exchange.  The Griffons stopped the Lions on the next three plays and forced a punt, then used all of their timeouts to stop the clock, which gave the offense 40 seconds to try and put together one last game-winning drive.

It wasn’t meant to be as quarterback Travis Partridge threw his only interception of the day, and Southern ran out the clock for the one-point win.

“We do it all the time, and we felt like we could get it done,” receiver Kyle Knox said about failing to score on the final two possessions.  The Griffons six-point lead in the fourth quarter came from two Taylor Anderson field goals.  Knox felt Southern gained momentum when the Griffons were unable to score a touchdown on those two drives.

Coach Partridge felt there were several instances where there was error on the part of the officials and was arguing with them in the first half.

“It was difficult to deal with,” Partridge said. “Anybody that has been a part of sports; this happens.  You just have to deal with it and pick up the pieces and play.”

The Griffons offense outgained Southern 493 yards to 374 and was only forced to punt once. Partridge threw for 233 yards, connecting on 20 of 27 attempted passes, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Reggie Jordan in the first quarter.  Partridge also ran for 67 yards and a touchdown as part of the Griffon ground game that netted 260 yards.

Michael Hill was held to 53 yards rushing on 14 attempts and kept out of the end zone.  Despite the loss, Hill is staying optimistic about this season.

“I’ve lost games like this before,” Hill said.  ”Things happen and it’s better off that we know that we aren’t going to roll over people.  Now we can move on with more focus and work our butts off.”

Jordan scored his second touchdown of the day as he ran a fake punt 86 yards for the score in the second quarter.

Knox led the Griffons in receiving with 103 yards on five catches. Derek Libby hauled in three catches for 41 yards while Tyron Crockom caught five for 33 yards.

Anderson made all three of his field goal attempts, including a 53-yard kick that sailed through the uprights.

The Griffons will try and bounce back against No. 7 Pittsburg State at 2 p.m. next Saturday, Oc. 20, in Pittsburg, Kan.

“Homecoming is a special time and it’s a great event for any universities campus life, but I don’t think we treat it any differently,” coach Jerry Partridge said.  “Our crowd is always pretty good anyways.”

The Griffon defense will take on the task of stopping quarterback Kellen Cox and the triple option offense.  The 5-foot-10-inch 160-pound former wide receiver ranks third in the MIAA in rushing at 94.3 yards per-game with eight touchdowns.

“He’s the key guy, the cog,” coach Partridge said. “They will try to run the ball with him. We have to stop him and obviously we have to stop all phases of the triple option.”

Cox numbers through the air are much less flattering than on the ground.  He’s completed only 20-for-44 passes with eight interceptions and two touchdowns.  Defensive end David Bass expects to deal with a heavy dose of Southern’s running game.

“The triple option is usually a difficult offense to play,” Bass said, “but with the seniors and experience that we’ve got, I think we’ll be able to handle it.”

Western has been very good defensively all season ranking No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 14 in the country allowing 16.7 points per-game, but Bass believes there’s room for improvement.

“We aren’t where we want to be,” Bass said.  “The entire defense messed up on some assignments and responsibilities last week.  As long as we stick together and trust one another then we are going to be good.”

One of Southern’s strengths is their ability to stop the run, however, Griffons running back Michael Hill is no ordinary runner as he leads the nation in rushing.  Quarterback Travis Partridge also has the ability to gain big yards on the ground.

“I’m sure running the ball is going to be very difficult,” coach Partridge said. “They have given up some passing yards, and we are going to have to take advantage of that.”

Opposing receivers have been torching the Lions’ pass defense all season as they are giving up 244 yards per-game while only gaining an average of 77 yards themselves.

Travis Partridge is going to stick to the game plan, but is more than willing to make the necessary adjustments and burn the Lions through the air.

“Every week we go in with a game plan and we try to establish the run first,” Partridge said. “We just kind of take what the defensive is giving us, so if they’re giving us yards through the air then that’s what we’re going to do.”

Every game is huge in football, but it’s hard not to look forward to next week when the Griffons travel to Pittsburg, Kan., to face the No. 1 ranked and reigning national champion Pittsburg State.

Bass isn’t looking forward as he knows that Southern will prove to be a formidable opponent.

“No, never,” Bass said.  “This is my senior year. Every week is crucial to me, so I can leave on a good note and have fun while I’m doing it.”

Reggie Jordan receives a touchdown pass against the UCO Bronchos.

Missouri Western football avoided a second-half comeback attempt to defeat Central Oklahoma 45-23 at Spratt Stadium to improve its record to 5-0 for the first time under coach Jerry Partridge.

“We just have better football players,” Partridge said. “Their program is just trying to get off the ground right now.”

The Griffons build up a 28-0 lead before Central Oklahoma was finally able to get on the board in the third quarter.

“We dominated the first half,” Partridge said. “We didn’t play very good defense in the second half, that’s for sure.”

Central Oklahoma attempted a comeback in the second half after scoring three straight touchdowns and narrowing the lead to 31-23 with 1:35 left in the game.

“We had several chances to throw a knockout punch and we’ve been pretty good with that,but we didn’t do it today,” Partridge said.

After a failed onside kick attempt, the nation’s leading rusher Michael Hill busted off a 30-yard touchdown run with around a minute left in the game.  Michael Jordan then intercepted Adrian Nelson and ran it back 42-yards for a touchdown with two seconds left in the game.

Quarterback Travis Partridge threw for 224 yards and a touchdown and found success running the ball, gaining 87 yards on 10 carries. He had two touchdown runs including outrunning the defense for a 45-yard scramble.

Hill led the Griffons in rushing with 143 yards on 22 carries, including his clutch fourth quarter touchdown run and caught two passes for 27 yards.

Kyle Knox had a breakout performance, leading the Griffon receivers with 108 yards on seven catches.

“It’s a great feeling, I love helping the team out to win,” Knox said. “Travis throws a perfect ball that hits me in the chest every time.”

Coach Partridge has nothing but positive things to say about Knox.

“Kyle is a gritty veteran and a tough kid,” Partridge said. “He’s done his time and he’s come in and made some plays. Anybody that knows Kyle Knox likes him a lot.”

Tarrell Downing caught five passes for 42 yards. Reggie Jordan caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Partridge to give him four touchdown catches on the season.

“It’s a weapon having a 6-4, 250 (pound) receiver,” quarterback Partridge said of Jordan. “He’s definitely a red-zone weapon, but he can block and do other things, too.”

The Griffon offense utilized nine different receivers in the passing game.

“We are never going to have a go to player unless it’s in the red zone,” coach Partridge said. “It’s just not what we do.”

The most electric highlight of the day might have been the first score of the game when Tyron Crockum took a reverse hand off and turned the corner out-running everybody for a 22-yard touchdown.

Stephen Juergens led the Griffons with nine tackles including five solo while Ben Pister had seven tackles including five solo plus a sack and a forced fumbled.

“They didn’t quit fighting and we knew that they wouldn’t because they have outscored their opponents in the second half all year,” Pister said.

Austin Baska brought the quarterback down for two sacks while Davis Bass recorded one as the Griffon defense allowed nothing in the first half and gave up all their points late. As the quarterback, Partridge knows how strong the defense is.

“We play against them every day, so we know what they can do,”Partridge said. “They are a great defense. As an offense, it kind of relaxes you a little bit.”

The Griffons return to action on Saturday in Tahlequah, Okla., against MIAA opponent Northeastern State.

“Fort Hays played their best football all year,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “I don’t think we played our best football, but I wouldn’t say we played poorly. If you’ve been to Fort Hays, you know it’s not the funnest trip to take. It’s a long bus ride.”

Quarterback Travis Partridge put on a good performance on his 22^nd birthday as he threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Partridge connected with Kyle Knox on a 19-yard pass to put the Griffons on the board in the first quarter after the defense forced a punt.

Hays scored their only points of the day on a field goal in the second quarter that made it a 7-3 game. On the next Griffon possession, Partridge connected with Tarrell Downing for a 17-yard score to push the lead out to 14-3.

Despite the Griffons turning the ball over twice on an interception and fumble and dealing with some penalties, Hays was unable to capitalize, and the score remained 14-3 at the half.

“We got a win, that’s all that really matters,” Michael Hill said.  “They came out there and fought and battled. They have seniors and players that want a ‘W,’ too.

We killed ourselves a little with penalties and minor mistakes, but we got the win.”

Michael Hill became Western’s all-time career rushing leader in the second quarter and added to the total with 198 yards on the game.  Hill leads the entire country in rushing with 184 yards per game.

The offensive line has been dominant this season as the Western ball carriers are averaging an outstanding 6.6 yards per-carry.

The Griffon defense was relentless all afternoon, sacking quarterback Tarean Austin three times and forcing three fumbles which were recovered by Western.

David Bass sacked and took the ball from Austin in spectacular fashion and ran it back 47 yards before fumbling himself and giving it back to Hays. Bass finished with three tackles and a sack.

Ben Pister provided pressure from the other end of the defensive line as he made three solo tackles for a loss of yards, had one sack, and one fumble recovery. Sean Tray Bryson also got to the quarterback for a sack.

Defensive back Michael Jordan led the Griffons on tackles with six solo and Dan Ritter recorded five solo tackles.

Despite making 16 first downs, Hays never made it in to the red zone for a chance to score a touchdown.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, Sept. 29, against Central Oklahoma at Spartt Stadium.

(Left) Michael Hill stiff arms an opponent and breaks a tackle versus Nebraska-Kearney earlier this season.

Michael Hill ran into the Griffon history books on Saturday at Fort Hays when he broke Western’s 15-year-old all-time leading career rushing record.

“I’m just lucky to be in the position that I am,” the running back from St. Joseph said.  “I’m honored to have the record and I’ve just been around great players and coaches the entire time I’ve been here. Every player here made me get it, it’s not just mine.”

Hill ran for 198 yards at Hays and needed just 56 yards to become Western’s career-rushing king.  Hill has rushed for 3,538 in his career and his 709 attempts also sets the all-time mark for carries.

Hill has ran for 743 yards so far in his senior season for an average of 184.2 yards-per-game which leads the entire nation in rushing. Hill was third on the list before his near 200-yard outburst at Hays.

“It’s pretty big, but we’re only in game four,” Hill said. “We’ve got a long road ahead of us and that’s awesome that we got to this point, but you have to strive for more.”

Although Hill has proven to be the Griffons’ and the country’s most dangerous weapon, he isn’t worried about teams stacking the box and focusing solely on stopping him.

“If they do, then we are going to throw the ball down the field, and they will have to cover that, too,” Hill said. “Travis is a good thrower, and we have good receivers, too, that will catch the ball.”

Hill wasn’t recruited highly coming out of Central High School by other teams besides Western.  That’s a fact that coach Jerry Partridge still doesn’t understand to this day.

“I was amazed every time I talked to him that somebody else wasn’t talking to him,” Partridge said. “I thought the 1-AA teams were going to get on him.  I never understood why the MIAA wasn’t recruiting him.”

Despite not being at the top of everyone’s list coming out of high school, Hill doesn’t walk around with a chip on shoulder or use it for motivation. He just takes care of business.

“I really don’t care,” Hill said. “I’m happy that I’m here, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. “

Hill is an all-around back that shows no weaknesses in his game.  He is big, strong, fast, and can do damage on the ground or as a receiver.  Offensive coordinator Tyler Fenwick has noticed the improvement in Hill, even from last season when he led the MIAA in rushing.

“You’ve seen him run away from people this year. I think he’s gotten faster than last year, he’s breaking a lot more longer runs,” Fenwick said.

Fenwick credits Hill’s understanding of the game and work ethic in the film room for a lot of his improvement over his time at Western.

“I think he really understands all the little things about being a running back,” Fenwick said. “Over the years, the more carries he gets, he learns and studies himself on film to make himself better.  He’s just so strong and explosive and just a good kid. He works hard.”

According to Hill, the people around him deserve a lot of credit for getting him into the record books, including being mentored by starter Thomas Hodges during his redshirt freshman season.

“It goes way back to when I was splitting carries with Hodges and him being a great role model for me,” Hill said.  “He did a great job teaching me and helping me out with the plays and stuff.”

One would think that Hill’s success as a Griffon would have him thinking about the next level, but that’s not something that has his focus right now.

“I would love to play after this year, and that’s every player’s dream, but I can’t look ahead at all,” Hill said.  “You can’t afford to let up or be satisfied, especially in week four with seven other games to play.”

Wide Receiver Tyron Crockom runs the football for a touchdown. The Griffons won with a score of 38-14.

Patriotism was in the air as the Missouri Western football team improved its record to 3-0 by defeating Nebraska-Kearney 38-14 on Military Appreciation Night at Spratt Stadium.

“It was a gritty win,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “I think we did some things early to keep them in the ball game, had some penalties and a turnover.”

Travis Partridge made up for an early interception by throwing for a career-high four touchdown passes to four different targets.

“As an offense we have so many weapons,” the quarterback said. “That’s what we expect. Our receiving core is so deep. It’s fun to be me and distribute and watch them work.”

Partridge connected with Reggie Jordan, Michael Hill, Tyron Crockom, and Derek Libby for scores through the air and showed his own versatility by running in a 27-yard touchdown run. He finished the day with 198 passing yards and 78 rushing yards.

Crockom scored his touchdown in spectacular fashion as he caught a short pass on the left side of the field and took the ball all the way across to the right side, turned the corner and out-ran the defense.

“I just let my feet do the work,” Crockum said. “I saw three dudes coming, and I didn’t want to get smacked by them.”

Jordan scored his third touchdown of the season in as many games and has become one of the Griffons go-to guys in the red zone.

“He’s a threat,” coach Partridge said. “He’s a tough match-up for people and catches the ball really well.”

Hill ran for 165 yards on 24 carries for an average of 6.7 yards per carry and caught a short pass that he turned into a 19-yard touchdown.  Hill has rushed for 539 yards in the Griffons three games this season which ranks first in the MIAA and third in the nation.

“I thought he ran the ball really well,” coach Partridge said. “He is the very best back in the MIAA, I believe that. I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”

The Griffon defense was burned for a 58-yard touchdown run from Tommy Flanagan after calling a blitz on fourth down, which led to the game being close at the half with Western up 14-7.

“We sent the blitz to the weak side and it was an excellent play call by them,” defensive end David Bass said.

The Lopers only other score of the day came on a trick play that ended in a 43-yard touchdown pass after the Griffons already had a commanding lead.

Western’s defense was solid all day, but suffered a huge loss as standout Yomi Alli suffered a serious knee injury that will keep him out of action for the foreseeable future.

Alli is the Griffons season leading tackler with 13 assisted and 10 solo and also grabbed an interception before the knee injury. Coach Partridge is disappointed Alli’s season is going to ge cut short, and the players aren’t too happy, either.

“That’s terrible,” Bass said. “The player that he is with his attitude and the energy he brings to this team, I’m hurt that he’s out.”

Bass recorded his third sack of the season while Ben Pister and Austin Baska were both credited with a half sack. Defensive back Michael Jordan intercepted a deep pass thrown by Eric Kaiser in the second quarter.

The Griffons are off to a 3-0 start for the fourth time under coach Partridge.

“Going 3-0 is definitely a great confidence booster for our program,” Bass said. “It will just allow us to stay hungry and keep getting better week by week.”

The Griffons go on the road for the first time this season on Saturday, Sept. 22, when they travel to Hays, Kan. to face Fort Hays State.

“He’s a great player, great person, and a great leader,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “If he stays healthy he will have many, many more. He’s meant a lot to us, and I’m happy for him.”

Bass’ ability to sack the quarterback has caught the eye of NFL teams, whose scouts have been visiting Western to get a look at the 6-5, 275-pound athletic pass rusher.

“Twelve of the 32 NFL teams have been through so far,” Partridge said. “He looks the part. His measurements are good, he just needs to put some numbers up and he’s already done that throughout his career.”

According to Bass, breaking the record isn’t what scouts will be focused on when evaluating him.  It’s about his entire body of work — especially during his senior season.

“It will just show I’ve been producing throughout my years,” Bass said. “I don’t think they will look at the record, they will look at how many sacks I have this season. It’s a lot of motivation for the program, myself and my family, and I’m thankful to have that.”

The Griffons have played two games this season, and Bass has recorded one sack in each game. Despite breaking the record, Bass has higher goals for his sack total.

“I want to get to 20 this season,” Bass said. “My goal coming into the season was two sacks per game, right now I only have 2, so I’m not reaching my goals right now.”

The only way for an opposing team to stop Bass from getting to their quarterback is to block him with two players, which frees up other Griffon defensive linemen to get sacks of their own.

“If I don’t  reach my goal, I know it’s going to be successful for us as a defensive line — if they slide my way it will free the other guys up,” said Bass. “As long as we win and as long as everyone is eating, I’m not going to be selfish as long as we reach our team goal.”

Despite the success he’s had at Western, Bass did not was not at the top of the list of many recruiters after coming out of University City High School in St. Louis.

“He should have been recruited heavy, but he wasn’t,” Partridge said. “There’s some teams that dabbled in him, but I don’t think there was anyone that was incredibly serious.”

Bass took a redshirt during his true freshman season.

“We attempt to redshirt all of our freshmen because it grows them into fifth year seniors that we are seeing right now — men,” Partridge said. “A lot of them are not quite ready to go strength and size-wise, and it gives them a year to put on something.”

Bass only weighed 200 pounds during his redshirt season and has transformed into a 275-pound-force four years later.

His sack total has improved every season as he took down the quarterback 6.5 times as a freshman, 8 times as a sophomore  and led the conference with 14.5 as a junior which earned him first-team All-American honors.

Bass needs 15 more sacks this season to tie Colorado School of Mines’ Marc Schiechl’s all-time Division II record for sacks with 46, set in 2010.

“As far as the record I was happy to get it, but I was more concerned with us just winning,” Bass said. “I’m fortunate enough to have a good enough defense where they could help me out to get the record.”

Running back Michael Hill started off the scoring for the Griffons by breaking a 52-yard run for a touchdown less than a minute into the game. Hill later scored on a 26-yard reception and finished off his day by running past everyone for a 92-yard touchdown. He finished with 210 yards on just 14 carries for an average of 15 yards per-carry.  Hill has five touchdowns in the first two games of the season.

“Michael Hill had a nice day,” coach Partridge said. “He’s got electric ability. He’s pretty good.”

“It was pretty easy actually,” Hill said. “If I get an opportunity I’m going to take advantage of it. I just try to do my best.”

Western showed its depth at the running back position behind Hill as explosive redshirt freshman Raphael Spencer ran for 81 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, while Dominic Thomas took fives carries for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Tight end Reggie Jordan scored his third touchdown of the season on an outstanding 11-yard reception midway through the first quarter. It was the first of two touchdown passes by quarterback Travis Partridge, who threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Western’s total offense was 539 yards with the rushing attack responsible for 398 yards.  The Griffons were up 35-0 at halftime and never looked back.

“We’ve been pretty accurate so far with a high percentage,” Jerry Partridge said. “I think we do a good job of managing football games here. It’s good to get a l ot of guys playing time and any time you pitch a shutout.”

“[William Jewell] competed pretty good from the mid-first quarter to the early second quarter. I think we’re good, but every week I’ll take a victory however we can get it.”

Yomi Alli led the Griffons with 10 tackles including two tackles for a loss of a yards. Jeremy Weston and Kirk Resseguie both made interceptions with William Jewell deep in Griffon territory threatening to score.

Backup quarterback Zach Hibbits came in during the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, and scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run and connected with Andrew Molloy on a 12-yard touchdown.

“We expect to take care of business every week,” left tackle Colt Schulte said. “We’re definitely excited to move on to MIAA play next week. I think we have a pretty good team and we want to keep it rolling.”

The Griffons return to MIAA action against conference opponent Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m. Saturday at Spratt Stadium.

Defensive Line David Bass attempts to sack the opposing William Jewell quarterback.

Missouri Western improved to 2-0 after a dominant 56-0 performance against William Jewell at Spratt Stadium in its only non-conference game of the season.

Defensive end David Bass broke the Western all-time record for career sacks with 31 when he brought down Sean Shelton in the second quarter. It was Bass’ second sack of the season.

“As far as the record I was happy to get it, but I was more concerned with us just winning,” Bass said. “I’m fortunate enough to have a good enough defense where they could help me out to get the record.”

Running back Michael Hill started off the scoring for the Griffons by breaking a 52-yard run for a touchdown less than a minute into the game. Hill later scored on a 26-yard reception and finished off his day by running past everyone for a 92-yard touchdown. He finished with 210 yards on 14 carries for an average of 15 yards per-carry. Hill has scored five touchdowns in two games this season.

“Michael Hill had a nice day,” coach Partridge said. “He’s got electric ability. He’s pretty good.”

“It was pretty easy actually,” Hill said. “If I get an opportunity I’m going to take advantage of it. I just try to do my best.”

Western showed its depth at the running back position behind Hill as explosive redshirt freshman Raphael Spencer ran for 81 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, while Dominic Thomas took five carries for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Tight end Reggie Jordan scored his third touchdown of the season on an outstanding 11-yard reception midway through the first quarter. It was the first touchdown pass by quarterback Travis Partridge, who threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Western’s total offense was 539 yards with the rushing attack responsible for 398 yards. The Griffons were up 35-0 at halftime and never looked back.

“We’ve been pretty accurate so far with a high percentage,” Jerry Partridge said. “I think we do a good job of managing football games here.

“[William Jewell] competed pretty good from the mid-first quarter to the early second quarter. I think we’re good, but every week I’ll take a victory however we can get it.”

Yomi Alli led the Griffons with 10 tackles including two tackles for a loss of a yards. Jeremy Weston and Kirk Resseguie both made interceptions with William Jewell deep in Griffon territory threatening to score.

Backup quarterback Zach Hibbits came in during the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, and scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run and connected with Andrew Molloy on a 12-yard touchdown.

“We expect to take care of business every week,” left tackle Colt Schulte said. “We’re definitely excited to move on to MIAA play next week. I think we have a pretty good team and we want to keep it rolling.”

The Griffons return to MIAA action against conference opponent Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m. Saturday at Spratt Stadium.

Chiefs camp gives Western the opportunity to make money through $5 parking and charging $5 to attend family fun day and a joint practice between the Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals, who were also on campus for part of their camp.

“If you just take the gates, the parking and the two paid days, we made about $22,000 more than we did the previous year on the paid stuff,” Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin said. “That doesn’t include sponsorships or anything like that, which is our other source of revenue.”

It takes a large amount of people working together to prepare the campus for the type of large crowds that the Chiefs can draw. The main issues that the staff faces is making sure the parking and traffic flow is efficient and that they can take on large crowds of people.

“The folks on the campus all work well together, there’s a lot of people with a lot of roles,” said Brett Esely, Western assistant director of athletics. “I think the operation went very well. We had 6,500 people at night practice, 7,000 for Family Fun Day and just under 3,000 for Cardinals practice. I think anybody that came, we were ready for them.”

The attendance was up for camp this year as opposed to last year. The job Western did in accommodating the Cardinals may have opened its eyes as they are now looking for a new place to hold their training camp in the future other than Arizona.

“They expect a sense of quality, and we gave it to them,” McGuffin said. “We provided shade for people because it was hot. Hy-Vee told me it was up in their concessions and that’s good.”

Chiefs training camp is guaranteed to be on the Western campus for the next two years and in the state of Missouri for five more after that. McGuffin plans to start negotiations to keep the team at Western for the next five years they will spend preparing for the season in Missouri after next summer.

With the Chiefs on campus, coach Jerry Partridge’s football team has a chance to see how the professionals prepare for a season.

“I think anytime you can watch a higher level practice then it’s always good to see what it takes and what people are made of,” Partridge said. “There’s a lot to be gained in watching the designs of the practices and the work ethic.

Although the camp was considered a success this year, McGuffin would like to fine-tune some things in order to keep making each year a special for the fans.

“Now we are going to be in year four next year and everything has kind of been the same for the first three years. Now what do we do to get people to continue to come back. Maybe it’s fireworks or a concert so we can have something that’s an added bonus.”

Travis Partridge (12) hands the ball off to Michael Hill (22) for an attempt to gain yards.

Missouri Western football took care of business in its season opener defeating conference opponent Central Missouri 38-26 at Spratt Stadium.

“I thought we played really well,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “We looked really impressive for the first quarter and a half. We played good against a good football team.”

The Griffons got out to a commanding 28-0 lead in the second quarter displaying their ability to score on the ground and through the air.

“We should feel good that we were in that position to throw a knockout punch on a really good football team,” coach Partridge said.

Tight end Reggie Jordan made two spectacular catches on the first scoring drive. The first was a 24-yard leaping catch in traffic and the second was an 8-yard diving touchdown reception from quarterback Travis Partridge that gave Western a 7-0 lead.

“Great catches. I’ve been singing his praises, I think he’s a real good football player. I think the best is still yet to come with Reggie Jordan,” coach Partridge said.

The next two Griffon scores came on the ground by running back Michael Hill. He broke off a 21-yard touchdown run to put Western up 14-0 and a 17-yard touchdown run to push the score to 21-0.

“Michael Hill was the warrior that he is,” coach Partridge said. “He played great.”

Hill finished the game with 169 yards rushing with an average of 6 yards per-carry and never carried the ball for a loss of yards.

“All I did was just run straight,” Hill said after his impressive game. “With the offensive line and receivers blocking down field, I didn’t have to put in much effort.”

Partridge found Alex Ferbet in the endzone from five yards out to give the Griffons a 28-0 lead. Partridge threw for 126 yards and three touchdowns on the day while only being sacked one time and throwing zero interceptions. He added 27 yards on the ground.

“I really feel like he played well,” coach Partridge said. “He made some plays that helped put us up.”

The Griffon defense forced turnovers and didn’t allow much of anything until the second half. Yomi Alli, Shane Simpson, and Marcus Thompson all came away with interceptions. Linebacker Stephen Juergens led the team with 11 tackles and a sack while Alli added 10 tackles to go along with his interception.

“We were in the right spots early on forcing pressure and forcing turnovers,” Alli said. “As a defense you never like giving up points at all.”

Elliott Arbanas sacked the quarterback two times while Davis Bass got to him once. Bass is now a half a sack away from breaking the Western record for most in a career.

Central got their first score late in the second quarter on a 16-yard pass and went into halftime down 28-7.

Partridge connected with Tyron Crockom for a 6-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to put the Griffons up 35-7. Partridge was sacked and fumbled at the end of the third quarter and a Central player picked it up and ran it for 52-yards and a touchdown to make the score 35-13. The extra point was blocked by Aaron Jamieson.

Kicker Taylor Anderson connected on his only field goal attempt of the day from 20 yards to give Western 38. Central tried to stage a comeback by scoring two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to get the lead down to 38-26, but it was too little too late as the Griffons were able to run out the clock and get the win.

“The theme for our spring parallels what our program has been, just a gradual improvement,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “There’s not any spot on our team or any group or individual that didn’t improve.”

The game didn’t offer any live hitting by the defense. That might not be the format that the fans want to see, but coach Partridge is glad that the Griffons made it though the camp without suffering any serious injuries.

“Certainly we have a a team with enough experience that we don’t need to prove anything in the spring,” coach Partridge said. “Michael Hill doesn’t need to be tackled until August 30. I just think you don’t want to lose players at practice.”

Even if the defense was allowed to tackle running back Hill, it’s not clear if they would’ve been able to.  Hill broke off a 50-yard run that led to a touchdown and a 40-yard run in for the score.

Hill will be a major part of the Griffons’ plan on offense again this season after rushing for 1384 yards with a 4.9 yards-per-carry average and scoring eight touchdowns on the ground. He showed his versatility out of the backfield by gaining 257 receiving yards including four touchdown catches.

Dual-threat quarterback Travis Partridge will look to build on a successful first season as a starter and has plenty of weapons to work with on the outside as well as tight end Reggie Jordan.

“I think it’s going to be exciting to watch Reggie play,” Partridge said. “I think he’s an all-conference caliber tight-end that you are going to see utilized more often this season.”

Cornerback Jeremy Weston intercepted Partridge in the scrimmage and makes up part of a talented secondary along with Ben Jackson and safety Shane Simpson.

“I don’t know if there’s a better combo of corners in the league, and we are really excited about all those guys on the back end,” defensive coordinator Regi Trotter said.

The defensive line includes pass rushers Ben Pister, Austin Baska and David Bass, who combined for 29 sacks last season.

“It’s good any time you can put pressure on the other team’s quarterback,” Trotter said. “When that 19-, 20- or 21-year-old young man has to think about getting hit, and he’s not used to it.”

The Griffons return most of the starters on both sides of the ball from a 9-3 team that hosted a home playoff game last season.

“We are very deep right now, and this is probably the deepest team I’ve been around since I’ve been back here,” Trotter said. “We’ve had a lot of good football players in the past, but as many good players as we have on the team right now is definitely an advantage.”

The Griffons were beaten badly by eventual national champion Pittsburg State in their first game last season, and coach Partridge has his focus on avoiding a similar start in the fall against Central Missouri.

“We have to be ready, and it’s going to be difficult,” coach Partridge said. “They are interested in throwing about 60 percent of the time, and we hope that trend continues because that’s what we are preparing for.”

Another reason the Griffons must win coming out of the gate is because of the strength of schedule at the end of the season. The last four games will be against Pitt State, Emporia State, Washburn and Northwest Missouri State.

“The schedule closes with a fury, so we have to be ready from the start,” coach Partridge said. “It’s good to have this kind of football team back. It’s good to have that kind of confidence and knowledge of what to expect out of a team more so than last year.”

“I don’t know that there’s things we want to get accomplished, but we get 15 opportunities to practice football, and everyday we go out there we want to be as good and as sharp as we can be,” coach Jerry Partridge said.

The Griffons return a plethora of experience on both sides of the ball from last season’s 9-3 playoff team.

“We’ve always had guys coming back; I think our program is built that way where we generally have a lot of guys back,” Partridge said. “At least half our starters are back every year it seems like, but there’s a unique amount this time.”

Western returns senior running back Michael Hill, who was the featured ball carrier last season rushing for 1,384 yards with a 4.8 yards-per carry average and eight touchdowns. Despite his success, Hill treats spring practices like he has a spot to earn.

“There’s always room to get better, and that’s what I try to do every time I go out there,” Hill said. “It doesn’t matter that I started last year, my spot can get taken. We have a lot of good backs.”

The Griffons return junior quarterback Travis Partridge, who now has a full season as a starter under his belt. This is a luxury that coach Partridge didn’t have at this time last season when the spot was vacant.

“Last year was an aberration in that category,” coach Partridge said. “A lot of times we have had kids that have started multiple years in their career, so last year was a weird spring not having a starting quarterback returning.”

Partridge threw for 1,697 yards and 17 touchdowns with 11 interceptions last season and did major damage on the ground, rushing for 731 yards and eight touchdowns.

The offensive line returns seven seniors and, according to coach Partridge, any position is open for competition.

Spring practices are a little different for the heavy hitters on the defensive side of the ball.

“We don’t go real live and physical,” coach Partridge said. “We call it thud which is contact, but we don’t take people to the ground and finish off.”

The defensive line features David Bass and Ben Pister, who combined for 23 sacks last season.

Safety Shane Simpson is back after interception five passes last season, but coach Partridge will be looking to fill the other safety spot that opened up with the graduation of Jack Long.

There’s a competition to see who replaces NFL-bound All-American kicker Greg Zuerlein between Taylor Anderson and John Schmiemeier.

“It’s exciting to get back out here I’ve been ready for it for a long time now,” Hill said. “It’s important for us to get more chemistry, we just have to be more united. Nothing is going to be handed to us because we are all back.”

“Every player had their chance to perform, and I felt like today was a good day for me,” Zuerlein said. “This is for your future and something that you have looked forward to doing your whole life. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but it’s better to be in this situation and have the opportunity that I have instead of not.”

The scouts already know about Zuerlein’s strong leg as he nailed an NCAA record 9-for-9 field goals from 50-plus yards, including two 58-yard field goals. The only variable that remains is how Zuerlein will perform in front of NFL-sized crowds of 60,000-plus compared to MIAA crowds of around 6,000 fans.

“For me as a kicker, I don’t think it matters from Division I to Division II or NAIA for that matter,” Zuerlein said. “Kicking is kicking. The field goal posts are the same, and you aren’t going up against any harder competition. It’s you versus the goal post.”

Zuerlein connected on all but one of his field-goal attempts, missing one from 48 yards. The deepest kick he made was 52 yards, and he didn’t attempt to kick from longer than that. He was very impressive warming up before the show started, nailing no-step and one-step kicks from deep straight through the uprights.

“As a kicking coach, I like to hear the football,” special teams coach Jay White said. “He has the sound, the explosive live foot, that ball explodes off of his leg. It’s up quick, that leg speed where the ball explodes and goes straight up through the uprights is definitely something that he has over a lot of other kickers.”

The workout concluded with Zuerlein practicing kickoffs from the 35-yard-line, where he sent an impressive 12 out of 16 into the back of the end zone. Three of his kickoffs were so high that they got caught in the ceiling and never came down.

“We have a 70 foot ceiling in here, and he’s kicking it up into the rafters; that’s all good stuff,” White said. “I think they were very pleased with him.”

The Vikings special team coordinator watched Zuerlein kick in a one-on-one workout a couple of weeks back and described it as the most impressive kick off workout that he has been a part of, according to White.

Zuerlein is projected by several sources as one of the top two kickers available in the ’12 NFL draft along with Georgia’s Blair Walsh. ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. projects Zuerlein as the best kicker in the draft. The chances of him getting drafted as a late-round selection are high.

“I don’t know if I will get drafted. If I do great, if not, hopefully I have an opportunity to kick at some point or at least be brought in a show what I can do,” Zuerlein said.

Zuerlein throws the ball before the Northwest Missouri game at Spratt Stadium. Griffons won 31-28. Photo by Jason Brown

In his one season at Western, Zuerlein hit an unprecedented 9-for-9 field goals from over 50 yards, including two 58-yard field goals. He led the nation in fields goals per game with 2.6 and the MIAA in scoring with 10.6 points per game. The strong-legged kicker was a First-Team NCAA All-American.

“It’s just his natural ability,” said Jay White, Western special teams coach. “He’s not a big guy, he’s just a lean guy. His initial leg swing is quick and gets the ball up right away compared to someone that’s a lot bigger. The ball just jumps off his leg, and it’s gone.”

According to Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN NFL Draft expert for 24 years, Zuerlein is the top-ranked kicker in the entire draft.

“You haven’t seen Zuerlein, but he banged home 21 straight field goals this year and showed off range out to 60 yards. He looks like a good one,” Kiper said.

The only unanswered question is how Zuerlein will perform under the pressure that comes with having to hit game-deciding or sometimes season-deciding field goals in front of NFL crowds. The attendance record at Spratt Stadium is 10,727, while 105,121 people crammed into Dallas Stadium to watch the Cowboys in ’09. White has no doubt in his mind that Zuerlein has the mental makeup to succeed under the most pressure-filled situations.

“Hands down, I would say he’s a professional,” White said. “Every kick is a pressure kick with him, and he wants to make everything, and he’s shown that this year with us.”

Zuerlein spent three years at Nebraska-Omaha, where he was an all-American before sustaining a hip injury that forced him to take a medical redshirt during the 2010 season.

UNO closed down its football program and went Division I in all of its remaining sports. Zuerlein had offers from Nebraska, UCLA, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Minnesota to play his senior season before the NCAA denied him eligibility due to the five year rule at the Division I level, according to the World-Herald. Division II does not have a set amount of time for eligibility.

After coming to Western, Zuerlein hit new career highs in every statistical category and bounced back from the injury, kicking longer and more accurate than he ever had before.  He was selected to the East-West shrine game featuring the best seniors in college football and made his only field goal attempt, a 35-yarder.

With a little more than eight minutes to play in the game and with Missouri Western up by two, the defenseive lineman gave his team the final score.

The Bearcats defeated the Griffons 35-29 Saturday at Spratt Stadium and now take on Midwestern State this Saturday in Wichita Falls, Texas.

“I’ve never scored a touchdown before in my life playing football,” Longacre said. “And I saw that football, and we were down, and I picked it up and ran as fast as I could and made sure that ball was not going to come out so we could get that score. It was big.”

Just after Todd Adolf missed a 26-yard field goal attempt, and the Griffons crowd erupted into a roar, the Bearcats snatched back momentum on the very next play.

Travis Partridge took the low snap, which was supposed to be a design run, and tried to make a play out of it. That’s when the Bearcats D-Line took their second opportunity at a turnover and jumped on him. Just as the ball squirted out, Longacre picked it up and saw nothing in front of him but the end zone.

With 8:01 to play in the game, Northwest took its first lead of the game.

“The effort that we gave today — to have a first quarter like we had and not quit — we were resilient for three hours,” said Bearcats coach Adam Dorrel, who is in his first year at the helm. “I thought our defense was just phenomenal today.”

Western jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead before anybody could blink. The first play of the game saw quarterback Trevor Adams throw a side pass to James Franklin, but the ball was sent backwards, immediately picked up by Griffons Ben Jackson, who returned it to the one-yard-line. Partridge ran a quarterback sneak on the next play to take a 7-0 lead.

The next two possessions for the Bearcats both ended in turnovers, as Shane Simpson took an interception back for a score on the third turnover, which ended the scoring route.

“We certainly had some things that we left out there,” Griffons coach Jerry Partridge said. “We just missed tackles on some of those bigger plays.”

Up 16-0 after kicker Greg Zuerlein missed the point-after-try, Northwest finally settled down and scored on a 51-yard touchdown to David Mosley. Zuerlein connected on two more field goals after he nailed a school record 58-yarder in the first quarter. He made a 57-yard field goal followed by a 52-yard field goal to mark the score at 22-7 before halftime.

Perhaps the biggest play for Northwest in the first half occurred by its defensive line, just as the final touchdown did.

At the one-yard-line, Western’s running back Michael Hill took a delayed handoff from the quarterback, only to be met by a pack of Bearcats and fumbled. Northwest came up with the ball, which could have essentially put the Griffons up 26-7 and make a comeback that much harder for Northwest (10-2).

“We probably should have burned a timeout and ran a quarterback sneak,” Jerry Partridge said. “Honestly that might have been the game right there. We were going to punch it away at that point, we just didn’t do it. It has nothing to do with (Michael Hill); I wouldn’t trade No. 22 for anybody in America.”

The second half was a complete 180 for the Bearcats, as they scored 21 unanswered points to win the game and move on to Wichita Falls to play undefeated Midwestern.

Jerry Partridge pointed to his fake punt decision in the second half as the momentum changer. Up 22-7, the Griffons decided to fake a punt at midfield, but came up four-yards shy and turned the ball over.

From there, Northwest scored on a 35-yard run by Franklin. Follwing that touchdown, Western score on a 38-yard run by Derek Libby. Northwest answered with a 66-yard touchdown, a 20-yard touchdown and Longacre’s score to give the Bearcats the victory.

The win gives the Bearcats a playoff win over Western for the second straight year. Last season, Northwest defeated Western in the playoffs despite being down 17-0 at the half. Two years in a row Western was up double-digits at halftime; two years in a row, the same outcome for the Griffons – a loss.

Western ends the year tying the school record with nine wins. The Griffons, once 2-2, fought an uphill battle just to make it to the playoffs, as they won seven straight, including a victory two weeks to the day over their rival — Northwest. Still, the Griffons see only better opportunities awaiting them, as they bring back a core of juniors that take three years of post-season experience with them. Hill, Jackson, David Bass, Ben Pister and Tarrell Downing, as well as their starting O-Line and and much of their defense all return for the Griffons to try at winning a playoff game and perhaps move on further.

“Missouri Western will certainly be back next year with our huge senior class,” Partridge said. “I got a really good football team coming back next year. I just hate it for the seniors.”

Zuerlein, who has a D-II record for most consecutive field goals made, as well as a college record at all levels for 50-plus field goals made (9) agrees with his coach. Zuerlein, a senior, looks to be kicking on Sundays now.

“(Western) is a great place to be,” Zuerlein said. “I wished I had more eligibility to play here, cause I really like it and they’re going to do great things in the future.”

Photos by: Jason Brown

Missouri Western defeated Northwest Missouri State 31-28 less than two weeks ago. The game is still fresh in both teams’ memories, but for two different reasons.

The loss moved Northwest from a potential No. 2 seed down to bottom No. 6. A win last Saturday jumped it above Abilene Christian, but the Bearcats still have to travel on the road for two straight weeks, possibly all three if they continue to win.

Western, on the other hand, have been playing every game since week four like it’s a playoff game, and they had to.

After starting the season 2-2, Western has won seven straight games. Perhaps an underrated statistic in the wins is the fact that the Griffons pulled out several wins on the road, and they did well in the second half. Unlike Northwest, Western has been in a fight for four quarters in almost every game, and although it is great to defeat every team by 50 points, it may not help a team in the end. The Griffons know if the game is close in the fourth quarter, they can pull out the win, because they have done so several times this season.

The Griffons defeated the Bearcats on Nov. 5 by a slim three-point margin. With the win, they put themselves in the playoffs and a home game. Had they lost, they would have probably played in the Mineral Water Bowl. Saturday another win sends them to Wichita Falls, Texas to play Midwestern State. A loss sends Northwest to Wichita Falls. What will it be?

Yes, the Griffons are the underdog, and yes they did beat the Bearcats. But does it really matter at this point? The winner out of this game will probably be the favorite to play in the Super Region 4 final. Opposite is Pittsburg State, Washburn and Abilene. If everything plays out like it’s supposed to, perhaps the Griffons can rematch the Gorillas. Anybody remember week one?

Well, forget it. That was a long time ago.

On Saturday, November 12 the Griffon Football team beat Fort Hays making their final record 8-2. The Griffons are now secured in the playoffs.

The Griffons were down early, but shut out Fort Hays State in the second half on their way to a 55-17 victory Saturday in Hays, Kan.

Western, sitting at 8-2 for the third time in the past five season, looked to assure itself a playoff spot. Unlike in the years prior, the Griffons did just that.

In 2007, Western went to Kirksville and lost 37-28 to Truman State. Two years later, it hosted Nebraska-Omaha, but couldn’t submit a bid there either, as it lost 30-21.

Knowing this, the Griffons dominated the Tigers, though the first quarter was a little slower than they would have liked.

Tigers running back Andre Smith took the first play from scrimmage up the middle for 77 yards, down to the three-yard-line. The next play, Smith ran it in for a score. 18 seconds into the game, the Griffons were down 7-0.

“Our defense was a little lethargic at the beginning,” cornerback Ben Jackson said. “We got things corrected after Washburn, and we’re starting to fire on all cylinders when we have to.”

Travis Partridge drove his team 50 yards on its first drive, before running in a four-yard touchdown tie the game at seven. The Tigers capped off a seven-play drive with another touchdown by Smith to mark the score 14-7.

“We knew they were going to have a burst of energy,” Partridge said. “We knew they weren’t going to be able to stop us and we knew our defense was going to get it done eventually.”

Michael Hill continued to make plays when his team needed him to. Hill, who finished with 182 yards on the ground, scored three of Western’s four first half touchdowns. The junior averaged over seven yards per-carry and led the team in receptions with three.

“Michael Hill had a great game,” coached Jerry Partridge said. “The drive before the half was the huge drive. We just shoved is down their throat and it set the tone at the end of the half.”

On that drive, Western covered 61 yards on nine plays. Hill had seven carries for 50 yards and scored his final touchdown, which put the Griffons up 28-17 before halftime. All season the Griffons have relied on their run game. This game was no different, as Western had 434 yards on the ground.

None of the players were on the 2007 team, but the 2009 season remains in their memories. Senior Adam Clausen said the big difference between those two teams and this year’s is the bounce back Western experienced from the first game of the season, a 34-7 loss to Pittsburg State.

“When we get our backs on the ropes, even during games, we’re just resilient; we know we’re going to fight back and play for 60 minutes every Saturday,” Clausen said. “[Travis] has come so far since that game. It’s night and day from what kind of quarterback he was in that game until now.”

One of the key contributors this season compared to years past has been kicker Greg Zuerlein, a senior transfer from Nebraska-Omaha. He tallied two field goals to give him 18 consecutive field goals made, which breaks the Division II record. The Griffon Indoor Sports Complex may have played a role in recruiting him.

“[The facilities] helped us out with Greg Zuerlein, no doubt it helped,” Jerry Partridge said.

The Griffons now wait their destiny. Though nothing is guaranteed just yet, Western had a No. 4 seed heading into Saturday’s game. Western looks to host its first playoff game ever, which seemed like a far stretch for a team that was once 2-2.

Western bounced back against Hays, once tied 14-14, the same way it did in the season. The Griffons have been on a roll, winning seven straight, just as it ended the game against Hays — 34 unanswered points.

Jackson ended any hope Hays had when he took a 35-yard interception back for a score, giving Western a 42-17 lead early in the second half.

“I got my hands on the ball, and I was just thinking end zone,” Jackson said. “Our defense is starting roll right when its supposed to.”

The No. 2 seed heading into Saturday, Washburn, lost its season finale to Central Missouri to end the regular season, tying the Ichabods with Northwest Missouri State and Western, all at 9-2.

Western finds its fate out at 3:30 today at the Fulkerson Center located on campus.

“I think we’ll be a four; it’s tough to guess,” Partridge said. “It will be Abeliene Christian or Northwest [at home]. It feels great. It’s unbelievable.”

Sport: Football

Year: Sophomore

Position: Quarterback

Stats this week: Completions — 12; Total Yards — 217; Touchdowns — 2

Partridge led a come-from-behind victory and put Missouri Western in position to not only make the playoffs, but host a playoff game after it defeated Northwest Missouri State. Partridge, who had zero turnovers, dusted off a 51-yard run in the third quarter to start a comeback that would eventually end up in the win column. Down 14-3 at one time, Partridge took part in two of the three scores by the Griffons, who won 31-28.

He put his head down and let his emotions clear. The sophomore quarterback had just pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Missouri Western football history.

Down at the half, Partridge led a turnover-free game, and pulled his team together when it needed him to; for the first time in his short career, he looked like a leader.

“This means everything,” Partridge said. “There’s a lot of emotion involved, and that’s a team victory if there’s ever one. It’s gigantic.”

Partridge had help from a great defensive game plan, as well as players Jack Long and Ben Jackson, who played one of the better games they’ve played all year. The defense not only prevented Northwest Missouri State from scoring its 56 points-per-game average, but Western cut it in half — 28.

Still, the game changed when the quarterback had the ball down by eight. Partridge stepped back to throw, but slid through the pocket and ran the ball 51-yards down field. On that run, the momentum switched and the fans erupted.

A few plays later, a one-yard run by Michael Hill and a two-point conversion pass from Partridge to Reggie Jordan tied the game. From there, Partridge connected on a two-yard touchdown to Adam Clausen, marking the score 28-21. And from there, Greg Zuerlein nailed a school record 58-yard field goal. Just like that, a 31-28 victory over Northwest gave Partridge and his family one of their biggest victories.

“It feels amazing,” Partridge said. “It’s surreal. I don’t want this feeling to end.”

The day has ended, but the memory will always be in his mind. He watched several quarterbacks go up against the Bearcats, and almost all of them have failed. But his first start, Partridge didn’t fail. He succeeded, and nobody can take that away from him.

“Honestly, I keep stopping and [wondering] is this a dream?” Partridge said. “I’ve had this dream so many times in my life.”

Travis Partridge (12) throws deep down field against Northwest Missouri State, in which Missouri Western was victorious. Final score 31-28

“It was a hard-fought game,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “I didn’t feel like we had it won until the very end. We played as good as we could play.”

The victory snaps an eight year losing streak for the Griffons against Northwest.

“It feels great to get Coach P. that win again,” Defensive Back Ben Jackson said. “We hit him with the Gatorade after the game, and it’s just a rival. It’s always good to beat your cross-town rival.”

“I think we believed the whole time; we believed the whole week,” safety Jack Long said. “Coach has been preaching to believe it and we all did.”

The Bearcats high-powered offense was on display early as they scored on their first two possessions. Northwest led 14-3 at the end of the first quarter. The Griffon defense forced three punts and gave up no points in the second quarter.

“Down 14-3, I don’t think anybody flinched at all,” Long said. “I think we were ready to go the whole time. It’s a long football game.”

The Griffon offense was able to put together their first touchdown drive midway through the second quarter. Travis Partridge hit Adam Clausen and Reggie Jordan for gains of 20 and 14. Partridge dove the ball into the end zone on a one-yard run to make the score 14-10. Greg Zuerlein added a 53-yard field goal to make the score 14-13 at half time.

“The second quarter was awesome, and that’s really where the momentum changed,” coach Partridge said. “They had total command of that game for a little bit. Our second quarter defense put us back in that football game.”

The Bearcats’ James Franklin broke off a 37-yard run early in the third quarter to give Northwest a 21-13 lead. Partridge responded by getting loose for a 51-yard run to start the Griffons’ drive. He completed a pass to Jordan for 19 yards and then Michael Hill ran it in the end zone. Partridge connected with Jordan again on the two-point-conversion to tie the game up at 21.

Jeremy Weston intercepted a pass from Trevor Adams on the next possession to give the Griffons the ball at Northwest’s 42-yard-line. The Griffons offense took advantage as they moved the ball up the field, and Partridge hit Clausen for a two-yard touchdown pass to give the Griffons a 28-21 advantage. Northwest tied the game at 28 on a three-yard run by Jordan Simmons.

Zuerlein hit a 58-yard field goal to put the Griffons on top 31-28 with 11 seconds left in the third quarter. The kick is the longest in Western history, breaking the record Zuerlein set earlier in the year of 57 yards.

“Coach gave me a chance, and I had a good snap, good hold, and I made it,” said Zuerlein, who has made an MIAA record 16 consecutive field goals. “I didn’t think that I hit it the best. I had some luck, I guess.”

Zuerlein made all three of his field goal attempts on the day.

“We need points every time,” Travis Partridge said. “There’s no point to force things. Other teams have to force things but we will just be safe and take the three points.”

The Griffons pulled off a huge goal line stand to start the fourth quarter after Northwest got the ball inside the five-yard-line. With the ball at the one on fourth down, Northwest elected to go for it instead of taking a field goal that would have tied the game. The play resulted in David Bass dragging the back down for a three-yard loss and a turnover on downs for the Bearcats.

“I’m sure they are regretting the decision to go for it now,” Long said. “I felt that if we stopped them right there, we would swing the momentum so much that they wouldn’t be able to come back from something like that, and it held true.”

Long recovered a fumble on the next Northwest drive. The Griffons continued to run clock and punted the ball back to Northwest with 2:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. The defense held tough and forced a fourth down and six. Jackson, who was beat deep early in the game, tackled the receiver one-yard short of the first down to secure the victory for the Griffons.

“As soon as I tackled him, I knew he was short, and I knew that was our game right there,” Jackson said. “As a DB, you got to have a short memory, and in the end I ended up making a nice play for the team.”

Jackson led the Griffons in tackles with 12.

Travis Partridge is 1-0 against Northwest as the starting quarterback of the Griffons. Growing up with Griffon football, beating his rival is a dream come true.

“There’s been great quarterbacks before me that have never had a chance to beat them,” Partridge said. “I’ve had this dream so many times in my life — it just feels surreal. There’s a lot of emotion involved. It feels amazing.”

Partridge threw for 111 yards and a touchdown and ran for 106 yards and a touchdown on the day.  The Griffon offense had no turnovers in the game.

“Travis played great. He’s a very good competitor,” coach Partridge said.

Clausen led the Griffons in receiving with 52 yards, and Hill ran for 80 yards and a touchdown.

The Griffons improve to 8-2 on the season and 6-2 in the MIAA conference. They will take on Fort Hays State next Saturday in the final game of the regular season. The possibility of a home playoff game exists with a win.

Photo by Jason Brown

Fans rush the field as the clock winded down in Missouri Western's win over North West Missouri State University Saturday.

Photos of last year’s game against Northwest. Western was shut out for the first time in thirteen years in an embarrassing 42-0 loss.

“It is our hated rival, and we are always amped up for this game,” safety Jack Long said. “It’s going to be an intense game, no matter what, every year.”

Northwest (8-1) is the No. 3 ranked team in the American Football Coaches Association top 25 and the No. 3 ranked team in the region. Western (7-2) is ranked No. 25 in the AFCA top 25 and No.7 in the region. Only the top six teams in the region will get into the playoffs.

“We realize it’s a contending football team and a team that’s in front of us, and we want to win the game,” Coach Jerry Partridge said. “Our playoff hopes are affected by it, but I don’t think they necessarily hinge on it. Certainly a win helps our chances and a loss hurts.”

Breaking either team’s stadium attendance record is nothing out of the ordinary for the annual game between the Griffons and the Bearcats. The game set the record for attendance at Northwest last year with a crowd of 10,800. In 2009 a crowd of 10,129 showed up Spratt Stadium and set the attendance record, which was broke by the Chiefs training camp with 10,727.

“Our fans sometimes need to create the excitement for us too,” Partridge said. “I want our student section to get here and get wild and crazy and do whatever they can to motivate our players and have a good time.”

This year’s contest between the two teams have the potential to see the Spratt Stadium attendance record broken again. Safety Shane Simpson can picture fans rushing the field following a big victory.

“The home crowd is always going to be good,” safety Shane Simpson said. “We feed off energy from the crowd a lot and we are at Spratt, so it’s going to be a perfect set up for whatever is going to happen.”

Northwest holds a 20-10 all-time advantage in the series, including beating the Griffons two times last season. The second game between the schools last year ended the Griffons’ season as Northwest edged Western 28-24 in the playoffs. The two schools are less than 40 minutes apart and are bitter rivals, competing for state funds off the field and regional supremacy on the field.

“Sometimes we put too much into it, to be honest with you, the community and the school does, which creates extra pressure on the kids,” Partridge said. “I think the kids want to win the game because it’s the next game for them.”

Partridge is more concerned with stopping a potent Northwest offense that averages 56 points and 560 yards per game.

“That’s the biggest concern to me,” Partridge said. “Can we stop them? No. But I hope we can slow them down enough to score more points than they do.”

“We just don’t want to give up the big plays,” Simpson said. “If we can just stay over the top and not let anything over the top of us, it will be a close game.”

Saturday is the last regular season home game for the Griffons, which means it’s senior night for Long, Adam Clausen, Isaac Collins, Greg Zuerlein, Nic Burrell, Jake Buckwalter, Kip Peters, Cody Kremer, Thomas Madget, David Fowler, Oliver Pryor, Jesse Engelken and Matt Speaks.

The game will be televised live by the MIAA television network and starts at 2 p.m.

Missouri Western — Offense: Michael Hill is coming off his best rushing game of his career. The MIAA Offensive Player of the Week will see a tougher matchup against Northwest, but giving him the ball will make the Bearcats respect the Griffons run game. This, in turn, could allow Partridge some time to make good efficient passes against a suspect pass coverage the Bearcats have. Playmakers like Tarrell Downing should also give Western plenty of chances to advance the football down field. Defense: David Bass and Ben Pister must put pressure on Christopher. If they can steadily be in the backfield, it will disrupt many of his throws. This could give Jeremy Weston and the rest of the secondary opportunities for some turnovers. Special Teams: It’s not a secret the Greg Zuerlein is the best kicker in the MIAA. He currently has made 13 straight field goals. Though that won’t beat Northwest, having great field position each drive will. But the less of Scott Groner fans see, the better off the Griffons might be.

Missouri Western plays its Highway 71 rivals Saturday afternoon at Spratt Stadium, a game anticipating a record number attendance. But how many fans will be there that sport black and gold? Definitely more than ever, as the student body will not just sit on their hands and fans will storm the stadium. But what about the people outside of Western?

Not only will green swoop down 40 miles from Maryville to see a game that would all but clinch the winner a playoff birth, but perhaps steal the fans of St. Joseph, and turn whatever loyalty and team spirit residing in their hearts green as well.

It’s not out of the question to ask if St. Joseph is Northwest’s hometown. Controversial? Yes, but what rivalry games aren’t? This game is bigger than it has been before, and that includes last season’s playoff game. Why? Years down the line can be affected by the outcome of Saturday’s game.

As of now, St. Joseph doesn’t exactly stampede the parking lots at Western Saturday afternoons. But the majority of them don’t head up to Maryville either. Now that the game has this sort of “win or go home” scenario, fans finally have the opportunity to see both teams play for stakes higher than before, right here in St. Joseph.

So when Todd Adolf or Greg Zuerlein kick off Saturday, there should be well over a thousand fans that just want to see football, that just want to see two teams play to the whistle blows. If this is the case, and Western pulls out the win, the fans that leave Saturday’s game will want to see them more. If Northwest wins, St. Joseph will once again wait to see the Bearcats play on television, deep into November, hoping that they keep advancing. Because the Griffons might not be there.

When Western announced Kurt McGuffin was the new director of athletics, he referred to Western becoming St. Joseph’s team, not just the Griffons. A win Saturday will be a huge step.

Name: Michael Hill

Sport: Football

Year: Junior

Position: Running Back

Stats this week: Rushes — 41; Yards — 246; Receptions — 4; Touchdowns — 1

Hill broke the school record for most rushing attempts Saturday in Bolivar, Mo. Hill’s 41 carries gave him the school record and also helped Western win its fifth straight game. Hill, who won MIAA Offensive Player of the Week, also averaged six yards per carry.

Missouri Western dominated over Truman State at the Homecoming game with the final score being 45 to 7.

“We stepped up when we needed to step up,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “I thought it was just a solid start-to-finish victory.”

Reggie Jordan scored the first two touchdowns for the Griffons. The first one came on a fake punt play that fooled the Truman defense and resulted in Jordan running the ball up the sideline for 64 yards and the score with three minutes left in the first quarter.

“It was very wide open actually,” Jordan said. “I could have jogged into the end zone.”

Early in the second quarter, Jordan caught a four yard pass from Travis Partridge that put the Griffons on top 14-0.

Tarrell Downing scored on an electrifying 80-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. Partridge hit Downing ten yards down the field after scrambling outside the pocket, Downing put a spin move on the defensive back and was off to the races to put the Griffons up 24-0 at the half. Downing had a big day, finishing with 171 receiving yards and a touchdown.

“We have some guys who can catch the short ones, make people miss and turn them into big plays. Tarrell did that,” said coach Partridge. “That’s the type of player I expect Tarrell to be.”

Michael Hill ran for 95 yards, 4.3 yards per carry and a third quarter touchdown that put the Griffon up 31-0. Hill had a 26-yard touchdown called back because of holding early in the first quarter.

Travis Partridge threw for 278 yards on 15-24 passing, three touchdowns and two interceptions on the day. He threw a bomb to Derek Libby for a 60-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put the Griffons up 38-0.

“I see Travis progressing more and more every week,” Downing said.  “It’s showing in the stats and in the game.”

The defense shut the Bulldogs out for most of the night before they scored their only touchdown in the fourth quarter. Nic Burrell led the Griffons in tackles with 9, followed by Jeremy Weston and Shane Simpson with 7.  Simpson also intercepted a pass late in the first quarter.

“Our defense is good. I really put them up against any defense in the league,” Travis Partridge said. “They pick us up every time we make a mistake. There is really no pressure because we know they are going to get it done.”

Greg Zuerlein hit his only field goal attempt of the day from 29 yards out and made all five of his extra point attempts.

Jerrin Walton scored the final touchdown late in the game on a 29 yard run to make the score 45-7.

The Griffon had 632 yards of total offense on the day.

“I wanted to make sure we closed out the right way. Our defense deserved the seven point total,” coach Partridge said.

The Griffons improve to 6-2 on the season and 5-2 in MIAA conference play.

What about this year’s soccer team? Kyle Inman sure thinks highly of them. And why not? The freshman are playing above expectations, and Missouri Western will see most of this team for the next few years.

On Thursday they played against Northwest Missouri State. They lost 5-1, as Northwest ran up the score like it were in the BCS, trying to leap frog somebody into National Championship contention.

Of course the game was tied at the half; it wouldn’t be a Western soccer game if that had not occurred. Next up was coach Chad Edwards’ alma matter — Missouri Southern State. Western lost this game as well, putting the MIAA tournament in doubt.

K.C. Ramsell hasn’t scored since the fifth game, but she is still finding ways to put the ball in position; the freshman just isn’t hitting the shot on goal as much. If Ramsell, Erin Widrig and a few other key players can score, and Kelly Voigts can continue to stand pat as goalie, the final two weeks of the regular season can see improvement.

Western plays Fort Hays State, Washburn and Emporia State next. The Griffons defeated those last two teams on the road, now they have them at home. It’s simple: Western wins the three games, it makes the tournament. If not, better luck next year.

Volleyball, never sub in until you have to

After losing three straight, the losses continued. The Griffons fell 3-1 to Hays on Friday.

Then another road game occurred when the Griffons went to Joplin to play Southern. The Griffons finally snapped the loss streak,
winning 3-0 against the Lions.

Before further analysis can occur, people must take a second and look at what Frederick has been able to do over the past three years he has been at the helm for the Griffons.

After the 2010 team finished the season with an 12-17 record, the Griffons saw three seniors graduate. Coach Cory Frederick said he would recruit hard and hard enough he did.

Sarah Fauble is making her presence known. She is like Todd Fuller to the Griffon News: very underrated.

This team also has great chemistry. Tahler Johnston is a great player. Alex Behnke is too, but both will graduate after the season. They’ll be alright.

Considering Stephanie Hattey is only going to be a better player in the next couple years, as well as Shelby Corkill and Sarah Fauble, leadership and skill shouldn’t be a problem. If only this team can take advantage of the rest of this year’s schedule, people will realize the talent they have. They also have terrific coaching, including Cory Gove, stat keeper.

Another football column 

I think I’ve written a few too many columns about Western football already this season. The players and coaches probably agree.

But does it really matter? It’s not like we’ve overwhelmed them with columns in the past.

Regarding Western’s three-game win streak, it will continue. Am I guaranteeing it? No. Am I saying it? Yes (Dwayne Bowe). Come on, if the Griffons blow a chance at improving their record to 7-2 before Halloween, it will be a monumental upset. It should make SportsCenter’s Not Top 10 list.

Despite losing to the teams they were supposed to lose to and beating the teams they were supposed to beat, the Griffons won somewhat toss-up games against Southern and Emporia. That has to be encouraging to Jerry Partridge and his staff, considering there was always “that one game” where Western would lose and jeopardize a post-season appearance.

Saturday, Western traveled to Emporia and held on to a hard-fought 22-16 victory. Western had to earn the win, and, in all seriousness, it knew that going into Emporia, because the Hornets do not lay down for any opponent. Homecoming is next.

Befriending the Enemy 

I work for the Griffon News, this is obvious. But, I also take part in the newspaper from across the town: The St. Joseph News-Press.

As an employee there, I can’t work for the Griffon News 24/7. I can only work for them 16/4 and 24/3. The other 8/4 I am a News-Press employee. Confused? Now you know how I feel.

I befriend the enemy. I play both sides. I’m like Ashton Kutcher cheating on his wife. Except, I don’t know who Demi Moore is in this situation.

I’m put in positions many times where I have to work downtown and cannot attend games. Thanks goes to my Editor-In-Chief (Dave Hon) and my boss Ross Martin (Western alum, ‘05), who understand this.

Anyway, it’s rough. Last Thursday, when Western played rival Northwest, I was unable to work for the Griffon News. I had to attend the game on behalf of the News-Press.

I had to cover Northwest for the most part, especially since it won and forward Victoria Von Mende scored a team record 10 goals this season. I still talked to the Griffon News staff who attended, including the Break Away guy, Jason Brown. I couldn’t tweet the game to the GriffonNewsCom followers, but instead, NPSportsNow followers received the game updates.

Last Saturday, this is even better, I had to attend a state quarterfinal softball game, and could not make a trip to Emporia. I then sent a tweet out to GriffonNewsCom followers to follow NPSportsNow for updates.

Oh, it’s worse: This Saturday, when everybody is attending Homecoming events and the football game, I will be at District Cross Country, covering local high school Central trying to pave its way to state. They may, because they have those Bachman twins. But anyway, scheduling conflicts again occur.

A Little Inside Info

I don’t wear glasses. Many people know this, but I needed a pair in order to take my picture.

This isn’t the News-Press, where, when they write a column, they are submitted into the paper with a full body length photo of them looking up, so that their shoes are the size of pebbles. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about.

But here we have to use a real mug shot (and not a Dave Williams type of mug shot, where you actually have a reason to look eccentric).

So instead of my picture focusing on my face and who I am, I needed an object to distract the reader. Insert Prof. Bob Bergland’s glasses. Instantly, my face became a hit. Not two hours after print people were asking me about the photo.

Since I am unable to grow a beard at this point in my life, and Bergland will not let me barrow his goatee, I need a new disguise. Any help?

One last note: My computer at the Griffon News in use, so I am taking this opportunity to type from Blair Stalder’s. The only reason why I mention this: Stalder needs a reference every now and then. Everyone knows Stalder doesn’t receive enough credit. “Stadler” on the other hand …

Four days after the citation, Pister did not play during the loss to Washburn. He also sat out two games last year, one against Mesa State and the other against Washburn, one due to injury.

Last spring, Pister was arrested on Jan. 29 for third-degree assault and second-degree burglary charges.  The arrest was related to a fight that allegedly took place between the football and baseball teams. According to a Feb. 2 article on newspressnow.com, the complainants said that a group that included Western football players assaulted them. In May, a municipal judge ordered Pister to pay a $200 fine for assault.

Head Coach Jerry Partridge declined to comment on Pister’s DWI citation.

“Anything that happens with our kids is going to be handled in house, and I’m not going to comment on it in public,” he said.

Pister is a physical education major who is a redshirted junior. He played for St. Joseph Central High School where he was two time All-state. This season, Pister has 5.5 sacks, one interception and 26 tackles.

According to the Athletics Department Drug and Alcohol Policy, the first misdemeanor or felony conviction related to alcohol would result in the notification of the head coach, athlete and the athlete’s parents or guardian. That athlete is also required to seek counseling independent of the athletic department.  The student athlete would also be subject to disciplinary actions through Student Affairs.

Associate Athletic Director Patsy Smith said that on top of the department’s policy, head coaches have their own policy.

“Each of our sports have certain rules within their sport that could differ from sport to sport and how a coach deals with things,” Smith said.

Smith said that she and former Athletic Director Dave Williams were addressing some concerns with the drug and alcohol policy — specifically the repercussions of a second incident. According to the policy, student athletes who have a second incident not only have to seek further counseling, but are also suspended for 90 days.

“Because sports vary in how long their season is, perhaps you’d look at a percentage of games rather than a number of days,” she said.

According to the Athletics Department Drug and Alcohol Policy, Western athletes must undergo drug and alcohol abuse awareness training. The policy states, “Missouri Western State University will provide an education program to inform our student-participants of the inherent hazards of abusing these substances.  It is our goal to promote the physical and psychological well-being of the MWSU student-participant.”

Zuerlein attempts one of the five field goals he made on Oct. 1 against Missouri Southern . The senior has an opportunity to move on to the next level, as scouts of NFL teams have already asked about him.

“He is going to be in an NFL camp next fall,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “We have had a lot of NFL teams come through, and that’s the feedback that I’m getting,”

When the University of Nebraska-Omaha announced it was shutting down its football program, it was news to Zuerlein.

“I was shocked, and I didn’t have any forewarning or anything,” Zuerlein said. “I was surprised at their decision to shut down the program.”

Partridge wasted no time in pursuing the strong-legged field goal kicker after MIAA teams were cleared to go after former UNO players.

“He was the first call I made,” Partridge said. “I just knew what kind of a weapon he was and what a special football player he is, because of how well he kicks.”

Zuerlein chose Western because he admired the athletic facilities and because of the way he had seen the coaches develop kickers in the past.

“Specifically the kicking coach Jay White,” Zuerlein said. “He has helped a lot of the kickers get better here, and I thought he could help me, so that was the biggest thing.”

Zuerlein was a three-time all-conference selection at UNO. He hit 136 field goals in his three-year-career, with a long of 52 yards. He holds the school record for consecutive extra point conversions with 61 straight. He also has a school record of 131 PATs made in his career.

In 2010, what would have been Zuerlein’s senior year, he suffered a torn labrum in the hip and was forced to sit out the season with a medical red-shirt.

“I was just kicking, and I felt a pop, and I couldn’t kick anymore,” Zuerlein said. “Now I’m getting back into the swing of things. I’ve had some setbacks, but I’m finally getting back to being 100 percent.”

Zuerlein has already impacted the Western record books after playing five games. Against Missouri Southern State, he set the school record for longest field goal with 57 yards and tied the record for field goals made in a game with five.

Zuerlein is 13-14 in field goal attempts on the season, including 4-4 from over 50 yards. That type of leg strength is exactly what professional teams look for in a kicker.

“I would definitely like to play football after college, but that’s mainly on the back burner for me right now,” said Zuerlein. “I just want to do what I can here and see what happens.”

Being able to depend on getting three points whenever the team can’t convert on third down is a great safety-net for the Griffon offense. Zuerlein leads the Griffons in scoring with 56 points on the season.

“When we start getting into his range we kind of start pulling the reins back a little bit, and it’s been effective,” Partridge said. “He has been a great teammate to the kids, and he’s just a great kicker.”

Coming to a new school, Zuerlein admits he did not know what to expect, but everything has gone well for him so far at Western.

“I love it here; it’s awesome,” Zuerlein said. “From the coaches to the players, everything is great. I feel like I have really been accepted into the program.”

Michael Hill stands far in the backfield as Travis Partridge kneels down and runs down the clock after a long day of running the ball versus Missouri Southern State University.

“Michael is a good, quiet leader by example,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “He does what’s right, and I think he is one of the most respected kids on the team.”

Hill was born and raised in St. Joseph and started playing football at the young age of eight.

“I used to always get in fights when I was little, so my mom said I needed to get into something, so she got me into football,” Hill said.

Hill starred at Central High School in St. Joseph as a three-year-starter and a two-time All-District back. Although Hill always knew about Missouri Western, he was unsure where he would play after high school.

“At first, it’s like you want to get away from home,” Hill said. “But after my first year and getting to know everybody here, I just felt good and knew that this was a good place. I like playing here; it’s my home and I just feel free here. ”

Hill takes on the role of RA in the dorms where he is in charge of the suites and works at the desk.

“I wanted to get involved more and be more than just a football player,” Hill said. “Just in case football ends for me I want to get my professional skills up and have something to put on my resume.”

On the gridiron, Hill’s resume as a Griffon is already impressive. As a freshman, he accumulated 792 yards on 180 carries, averaging 4.4 yards-per-carry and scored eight touchdowns. His success continued during his sophomore season as he racked up 704 yards on the ground and five touchdowns.

“He is a really good player and a very explosive athlete,” Partridge said. “A very strong, powerful, complete player. He’s a good receiver, a good blocker and a good runner.”

In Hill’s first two years he was forced to split carries with other upperclassmen, but this season, as a junior, the starting running back position is all his, and he is taking advantage.

“The first thing I’m thinking is you have to score and get no negative rushes,” Hill said. “Play every down like it’s your last.”

Averaging a remarkable 4.9 yards-per-carry with five touchdowns, Hill has 562 rushing yards and 114 receiving yards on the season, including three touchdowns in the first half of last week’s game against Lincoln.

“I always prepared like I was the starter,” said Hill. “It’s cool to be starting but at the same time I know these other guys can do close to what I can do. We are all different types of running backs.”

Hill is one of five Griffons who are from St. Joseph and currently hold down starting positions on the team.

“We realize it’s important that the community supports us and we certainly want to support them back,” Partridge said. “Hill really, surprisingly, didn’t get recruited very hard by other schools, which is shocking, but I’m glad he didn’t.”

Michael Hill stiff arms a Lincoln defender, then breaking a large run in the second quarter Saturday, October 8th.

Western defeated Lincoln (Mo.) 81-20 Saturday at Spratt Stadium. It was the second year in a row in which the Griffons put up 81 points against the Blue Tigers.

Alli’s block, which was returned 98 yards by the freshman in the second quarter, put the Griffons up 19-6. Had the extra point block not occurred, Lincoln would have been down by just 10.

In the very next play Tarrell Downing returned his second touchdown, which put the Griffons up by 20, doubling a score which might have been.

“Coach Bell did a great job of finding the weakness in the special teams,” Alli said. “I just did what Shane and J West taught me.”

Alli, who is becoming a fan favorite with his special teams play and big hits, recorded five tackles, had a quarterback pressure and a hit against Lincoln’s Robert Redmond to go with his block touchdown return.

“I know one thing’s for sure: If I got caught, Coach P. would have never let it down.”

Western started the game with Downing’s first return, a punt that he first dropped. After he picked up the football, Downing made two moves to speed his way through a big hole to go 72 yards for the score.

“The kickoff return was a really big one,” said coach Jerry Partridge, before giving credit to the other big special teams player . “Yomi took the time to block an extra point and run it back. It was a big play.”

A few minutes later, running back Michael Hill scored on a 53-yard pass from Travis Partridge.

After Western added a field goal, Lincoln scored a one-yard-touchdown from Deon Brock. The Blue Tigers were inside the 1o-yard-line after Travis Partridge threw an interception to pre-season All American O’Hara Fluellen.

“He hesitated a little bit,” Jerry Partridge said of his first-year starting quarterback.

The ensuing extra point was then blocked by Alli, and he returned it all the way for the Griffons own two point, which turned the game by three points in favor of the Griffons.

Western scored three more touchdowns to end the half up 43-6, two of the scores were by Hill. One was from 13 yards out, and the other was on a 44-yard scamper.

“I think Coach P. could have went in there and run the ball through those holes,” Hill said. “I really didn’t do nothing. I caught the ball on the screen and just ran straight. The same with the other one.”

The special teams didn’t miss a beat as Downing’s two returns helped Western jump out to its big halftime lead.

“I had great blocking in front of me,” Downing said. “[This is] a confidence booster. We just got to keep on keeping on.”

Western scored 38 points in the second half, as much of the backups came in to finish the game. Zuerlein hit a 50- and a 51-yard field goal to put him at 4-4 on kicks more than 50 yards on the season. He is also a perfect 7-7 on field goals 40 yards or more. His only miss this season was a 29-yard field late in the game against Central Missouri, a game in which Western won 23-6.

The Griffons scored seven different ways Saturday (punt return, kickoff return, extra point return, run, pass, interception return and field goal) on their way to the 61 point victory.

Western tied its own record of points scored in a game. Last season, the Griffons won 81-14 over Lincoln.

Western (3-2) fell behind early, after Southern (1-3) scored on a 1-yard-touchdown run by Steven Sumpter.

Western’s Greg Zuerlein connected on three straight field goal attempts on the next three drives, including a Western record 57-yard try, breaking the previous record of 54. Zuerlein tied a school record with five field goals.

Up 9-7, Travis Partridge hit receiver Adam Clausen in stride for an 8-yard score to give the Griffons a two score lead, 16-7.

After halftime, Western was up 16-10 when Jerry Partridge decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the 46-yard-line. The Griffons ran a sneak and Travis Partridge ran up the middle, pounding his way through the hole before breaking loose. He would score on the run to give Western a 22-10 lead midway through the third. The 46-yard-touchdown was Partridge’s second touchdown run this season.

Western didn’t look back. There were two interceptions in the second half, one by Jeremy Weston and the other by Shane Simpson, as well as two more touchdowns gave Western a 35-23 victory, which now pulls the Griffons even at 2-2 in the conference.

David Bass had another two-sack game, giving him nine on the season. Weston recorded his third interception. Michael Hill ran for 125 yards on 21 carries, and Partridge had 96 yards on the ground as well as completing 50 percent of his passes for 120 yards.

Western lost kickoff return specialist and starting receiver T.J. Fannin for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. The loss hurts the Griffons as he was the leading receiver on the team with 13 receptions heading into Saturday’s game. Also, cornerback Marcus Thompson broke his leg early in the first half, and he too will miss the remainder of the season.

Western returns home next week to play Lincoln (Mo.).

Other scores in the MIAA: In a battle between the top two teams in the MIAA, No. 16 Pittsburg State played No. 1 Northwest Missouri State in the annual Fall Classic game at Arrowhead in Kansas City, Mo. Pittsburg, once down 28-6, scored 29 straight points on its way to a 38-35 upset victory and ended Northwest’s 49-game conference win streak. Fort Hays State defeated Lincoln 24-21. No. 9 Washburn remains undefeated after a 41-20 victory over Emporia State. No. 18 Central Missouri topped non-conference opponent Arkansas Tech 42-16 and Truman State beat McKendree.

Missouri Western football is knee-deep in its regular season schedule. Four games in with only two wins, all indications are that the Griffons need to win six out of their next seven games to have a chance at another post-season appearance.

But Western may be on the uprise. With some heads looking down at the quarterback, Travis Partridge led a 12 play, 70-yard drive to signify his presence with the Griffons is needed. Before the drive, Western looked shot. It was down by two touchdowns, and the offense didn’t appear able to amount to a comeback.

Although the Griffons comeback did fall short, that drive alone stood out for many reasons. For one, the job of the quarterback isn’t simple, but one of the main areas a quarterback needs to be successful in is third-down- and fourth-down-conversions.

Partridge nailed a third down, 7-yard strike to TJ Fannin on the Griffon side of the field. Three plays later, on fourth-and-1, Partridge ran for a first.

His most impressive play came when he hit wide receiver Tyron Crockum for a touchdown. Not only did it give Western a serious shot at winning a nationally televised game, on the road against a top-10 opponent, but the ball zipped past the defender’s hand. If the ball was thrown any differently, an interception would have ended the night, and more criticism would come.

One question remains about the offense, and it is not the quarterback. Why is the offensive coordinator still running what seems to be over 90 percent of the plays out of the shotgun? Michael Hill is an old-school type of running back. He is averaging four yards a carry. Is the shotgun really needed? And it’s not like Western’s receivers have outstanding numbers right now.

Fannin leads the team with 13 receptions, and no other receiver has double-digit catches. If the offensive line can help give Partridge more time to throw, perhaps the team can justify its play calls.

Until then, the Griffons should give 100 percent effort Saturday afternoon, when they head to Joplin, Mo. to take on Missouri Southern. Because they know every game is the most important game of the week, and they must take it one game at a time.

In 2005, the same year Fannin graduated from high school, Hurricane Katrina forced him and his family to relocate to Missouri.

“I have been evacuated from probably 15 hurricanes in my life,” Fannin said. “I just thought this was another evacuation, but they weren’t letting people back in the state for a month or two this time.”

But this wasn’t just another evacuation. The city was ruined. Where Fannin lived was destroyed by wind damage, and 20 minutes down the road there was 40 feet of water.  Some of his friends lost their homes.

Fannin’s parents are originally from Missouri and decided to make the permanent move after being back here for a couple of months. Fannin’s heart was still in New Orleans, and he didn’t want to be in Missouri, away from everything he knew.

He went back on his own and began working and living in a FEMA trailer, which is a government-issued trailer given to victims of the hurricanes that sit in front of their homes and run off propane and electricity from the house. They have become part of the cultural landscape of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

“It was 5 or 6 feet by 15 to 20 feet,” Fannin said. “We would run out of propane all the time. There were times during the winter when we didn’t have any propane at all.”

The trailer Fannin was living in was in front of his best friend’s grandmother’s house. She decided that she didn’t want them living there anymore and cut off the electricity to the trailer. At that point, Fannin was living in a FEMA trailer with no propane or electricity.

Fannin went back to Missouri and attended a community college. He grew tired of it and decided to go back to New Orleans. He planned to work for a while and then walk on to a football team and go to school there, but money and living situations forced him to move back to Missouri with his parents.  He met a girl that encouraged him to go to school, and he started looking for a place to play football.

“I wanted to play for a really good school,” Fannin said. “I sent my highlight tape out to a bunch of places, and it came down to here and Northwest (Missouri State).”

The choice became an easy one when the coach of Northwest told Fannin that they only allowed two players to walk on each year, so he shouldn’t even bother.

“Western let me know that they wanted me here and were happy to have me,” Fannin said. “When I got here they had a locker ready for me and everything. It was like God sending me a message, telling me this is where I was supposed to be: this is my new home.”

Fannin’s greatest gift on the football field is his world-class speed. He has been clocked running the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds, which is very impressive for any level of athlete.

“He is obviously very fast,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “His running ability is so great that he can catch the short ones and make things happen after the catch. When he catches the ball he turns into a running back out there.”

Fannin misses his two sisters, two nieces, a nephew and his many friends who are in Louisiana and still visits when he can.

“It’s tough watching your best friends get married and have kids and you can’t be there, but it is what it is,” Fannin said. “Never would have thought I would be playing football at Missouri Western. I had never even heard of it, but it worked out great, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

When you run as fast as Fannin does, there is always a chance at having a future in professional football.

“I’d go play anywhere, really. I’d play arena football, Canadian football. Why not? To be making money to play football would be really cool. It’s a game,” Fannin said.

Western was up by three at halftime but let the lead squander away as they lost 41-20.

“They had big conversion plays [in the second half],” Partridge said. “We did wear down a little bit. Some of Washburn’s technique wore us down.”

The Griffons showed how well they could adapt on the road against a top-10 team, even when things weren’t exactly going their way.

Western had three turnovers in the first half, but still held a tight lead, 13-10.

“We played pretty good in the first half,” Partridge said, though he admitted Western still had problems. ”We did a lot of mindless things.”

Travis Partridge impressed the coach as well. Partridge was making his first road start of his collegiate career.

“One of the brighter spots of the football game was how he played.”

Travis kept his composure throughout the game. Even though he has faced skeptical criticism, Partridge showed he can play against an MIAA opponent on the road.

“In the first half we came out playing,” Partridge said. “We just didn’t get it done. There was not one thing I know that we could have done.”

In the second half, Western (2-2) fell behind after two big touchdown drives by Washburn (4-0). The Ichabods came out primed. They scored on a five play, 57 yard drive and then on an 11 play, 60 yard drive to tire out Western’s defense and keep Travis Partridge and company off the field.

“We were really not a smart football team tonight,” Jerry Partridge said.

Travis didn’t connect with his receivers for much of the third quarter. The Griffons went three-and-out, and then Partridge gave Washburn its biggest break of the game.

The Ichabods, up by four midway through the third, backed their pass coverage up. Playing off of wide receiver Tarrell Downing, Partridge sailed the pass too high, and Ichabods cornerback Devon Connors snatched the ball out of the air. The pass put Washburn in great field position to set up the next touchdown. Eventually, it would add a field goal to up the lead to two scores.

Partridge didn’t let the crowd, nor the 14-point predicament Western had in the fourth, affect his play. He stayed tough and drove the Griffons from their own 30-yard-line down to the seven. From there, he zipped a pass through Washburn’s defenders coverage to Tyron Crockum for the score. This put the Griffons down by a touchdown with 9:17 left in the ballgame.

Western’s defense couldn’t hold up against pre-season All American quarterback Dane Simoneau and his prolific offense.

“We just gave up some big plays in the second half,” cornerback Ben Jackson said. “We just didn’t play [Missouri Western] football.”

Jackson wasn’t on the field when the Griffons were down by seven late in the fourth. Instead, Marcus Thompson stepped in at right cornerback, but couldn’t handle the receivers he was put up against.

He was flagged for pass interference, which moved Washburn inside the 30-yard-line. And a few plays later, the Ichabods ended Western’s hope at a victory.

“They got a couple big runs,” Jackson said. “Passing wise, maybe we gave up a little bit over the top, but that’s on the secondary. We’ll come back harder.”

Washburn faked a run on third-and-goal from its three-yard-line, and delivered a strike towards Thompson’s side as wide receiver Ronnell Garner caught a pass in the back of the end zone. With 6:47 left on the clock, Washburn again found itself up by two scores.

“They made some great plays, and they’re a really good football team,” Jerry Partridge said.

Western gave up just eight yards on the ground in the first half, but in the third quarter alone had 207 total yards. Western had just four yards passing in the quarter.

The loss hurts the Griffons, not just because they find themselves at 2-2, but also because they have to go on the road again next week to battle Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo.

Western was without starting defensive end Ben Pister, who was suspended for disciplinary reasons. He will return for the Griffons next week, and they need him. Western did record two sacks on the day, but the pass rush wasn’t there, and it was noticeable in the second half. Jerry Partridge compared Washburn’s offense to Pittsburg State’s, as the misdirection plays in the second half hurt the Griffons.

With only two wins in four games, the Griffons find themselves in a must-win mode as they look to make it back to the playoffs. Last season, they fell to rival Northwest Missouri State in the first round, though the Griffons did make it in with three losses.

Downing had three receptions for 61 yards. Adam Clausen caught an 11-yard-touchdown to put Western up 13-10 towards the end of the second half.

Simoneau shook off a bad first-half performance to end up with 360 yards through the air. Another pre-season All American, defensive end David Bass, recorded a sack in this third straight game. The game was broadcast on national television (CBS Sports Network).

All Photos by: Jason Brown

Name: Michael Hill

Sport: Football

Year: Junior

Position: Running Back

Stats this week: Rushes — 19; Yards — 91; Touchdowns — 2

Hill opened up this year as the true starting running back for the Griffons, and has done a solid job so far. Against Langston, Hill rushed for a score and added another, this time as a receiver, in the third quarter.

But once that fan looks at the numbers and notices the competition was not the best, then they begin to question how good this Griffons team will really be.

The first part of the game was a slow start – not a lot of action for the offense – but the defense and special teams were making plays to keep the fans into the game. It seemed as though Western had the field goal kicker out there on the field more than the offense.

The defense made some excellent plays to keep this game a shutout from the beginning. Three interceptions and three fumble recoveries were plenty to keep the momentum going for the team, and with the help of special teams, it was only a matter of time before the offense would take off and begin to put up numbers.

Going into halftime with a strong lead was not good enough for the Griffons. In the third quarter, 21 points were added to the score to boast the differential to 40. The team was beginning to function well on all cylinders. Running the ball became the main strategy for Western. The scheme was working well, so they stuck to it throughout the quarter. The Griffons completed every one of their possessions in the quarter, where in the first half 4-7 possessions resulted in field goals.

Michael Hill had an average game. Nothing stellar took place, but he was a constant worry on this Langston University defense. Hill averaged 4.6 yards a carry, moving the ball in for three scores throughout the game showed his hard work had paid off, even though his numbers were nothing to boast about. Hill ran for under 100 yards and received another 13.

One standout player who kept popping up through the game was CB Isaac Collins, who was making plays on special teams and on the defensive side of the ball. With a blocked punt and the recovery taken all the way to the Langston seven yard line Collins was able to set the Griffons up for their first score of the game.

Early in the fourth quarter Collins was able to make a great interception in a very timely manner. It was the deepest Langston had made it into Griffon territory and while knocking on the door of the red zone, Collins was able to snag an opportunity away quickly.

For the most part, the team did look stellar to this 2-0 Langston team, but the one part of the team that looked weak to everyone was the Griffons quarterback. Travis Partridge seemed to be having problems making smart plays from the get-go of this game. Partridge seemed as though he could not throw on the run, nor could he complete a pass to a player in motion.

In the opening minutes of the third quarter, a 53 yard reception was made by Tarrell Downing. On paper the play looks like a great score, but in reality the receiver had to stop his momentum to come back for the ball, then make a great turn up the field for the score. Partridge never looked completely confident in the pocket. During scramble situations it seemed as though he was unsure of what choices to make.

Throwing for a 50 percent completion rate was not a great showing from this young quarterback against a team of Langston’s quality. With the 18 offensive plays in the third quarter, 11 rushes and seven passes were attempted. The third quarter was such a large success due mainly to the running scheme brought together by the coaches.

This Western team has the ability to have a great season, but with QB questions already being brought up by fans and players, it makes one question: What will happen? If the accuracy questions are brought to light and fixed for this Thursday’s game, then the team will have nothing to worry about except making a run for the playoffs.

But on Saturday, Western defeated Langston University 47-0 at Spratt Stadium, a game which sets up a tough matchup on Thursday at Washburn, who, as of Saturday, is ranked No. 13 according to the America Football Coaches Association.

“We played well,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “I felt pretty good about it. A couple plays bothered me.”

Western started out slow, as they went into half up 19-0. In the third quarter is where the game turned in the Griffon’s favor.

“We’ve really played well in the second half all year.”

Travis Partridge went 7-for-19 for 105 yards and one touchdown in the first half. His shaky performance changed in the second half, as he led the team on three scoring drives in a row. The Griffons first play from scrimmage in the second half — a 53-yard strike to Tarrell Downing — was a touchdown. From there, Western pounded its way to another touchdown behind junior running back Michael Hill.

The Griffons scored for the third time in the third quarter when Partridge ran a quarterback sneak up the middle for a 1-yard-touchdown as Western [2-1] went up 40-0 over Langston.

“There was no difference in our attitude from the first to the second half; we just executed,” said Partridge, who was making just his third career start. “After getting three under my belt, the game is starting to slow down. It’s fun.”

Partridge was a perfect 5-for-5 in the second half.

The starters were taken out after the last touchdown, as Western has to have a sufficient amount of rest before it’s next game. On Thursday, on national television in Topeka, Kan., Washburn awaits.

“[Washburn] is real important. We have to send a message to this team and the other teams in the MIAA,” David Bass said. He registered another pair of sacks to go along with his four-sack performance last week when Western upset No. 12 Central Missouri 23-6. The defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown since the second-to-last play in the opening week against Pittsburg State.

Western’s offense didn’t perform well in the first half, though they had a 19-0 lead. Four times Western had the Lions inside the 20-yard-line, but could only come away with 12 points [four field goals].

“We didn’t run the ball well down there,” Jerry Partridge said. “We didn’t cash in; we left some points out there.”

Special teams played a valuable role for Western as well. Yomi Alli and Isaac Collins both blocked punts in the first half to set up great field position for Western. Collins also had his second career interception early in the fourth quarter. The senior said it was exciting to be able to contribute, on both defense and special teams.

“We knew that they were a little bit weaker on the edges,” Collins said. “So we had a couple twist that were going on, to confuse them a little bit on who they were suppose to block.”

Western’s special teams also faked a punt and a field goal because they felt Langston [2-1] wouldn’t look for it. The fake punt saw Reggie Jordan take the snap to the left side and dust out a 57-yard run. He had two receptions for 56 yards to go with his long run.

Hill had 20 carriers for 92 yards and a touchdown. Backup quarterback Jerrin Walton saw a lot of playing time late in the game. He complete two passes but ran seven times. This marked the first shutout for the Griffons in nine seasons.

Western will play it’s third MIAA game Thursday at 7 p.m at Washburn. It will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.

Other scores in the MIAA from the weekend’s contest: Central squeaked out a seven point win over Emporia State, 45-38. Northwest Missouri State again pounded its opponent and improved to 3-0 as they defeated Lincoln [Mo.] 73-7. Washburn, just like the other two games, went on the road and won 30-14 against Missouri Southern State. Washburn is now 3-0 on the year. Southwest Baptist and Pittsburg made it five out of six for the road teams this week in the division as Baptist won 30-28 over Fort Hays State and the Gorillas surprisingly had trouble from Truman State. They won 27-26 to stay undefeated. All three were MIAA games.

All Photos By: Jason Brown

Griffon co-captains and starting safeties Jack Long and Shane Simpson have been in the national spotlight since saving the life of a young boy days before the Griffon’s home opener.

17-month-old Liam Snook was accidentally locked in a hot car and was suffering from heat stroke when Long and Simpson drove by. They noticed the boy’s grandmother frantically and unsuccessfully trying to break out the windows with a hammer. Not understanding why she was doing this, the duo kept driving, but then decided the scene didn’t look right.

They turned the car around and Simpson broke out the window with one swing. The boy’s life was saved. The heroes then went back to check on the boy later on that day to make sure everything was alright.

“The family was definitely grateful. We were just trying to be good human beings,” Simpson said. “It’s a humbling, good experience and it’s just crazy how fast it’s blown up.”

The feel-good story hit national coverage from every major network in the country including ESPN, CNN, NBC and FOX.

The family wanted to give the pair a monetary reward, but the two football heroes turned her down. NCAA regulations won’t allow them to even be treated to dinner, and the guys didn’t feel they deserved a reward anyway.  Saving a life and being lauded for their good deed is enough for them.

“Mostly teachers bring it up in class and a couple people walking around,” Simpson said. “It’s not too crazy. Facebook is really what’s been blowing up, going crazy everywhere.”

The original story, broke by Ryan Menley [Western Director of Athletic Video Production] through a YouTube video that now has 166,000 views.

“I thought that it would get regional play, but when I saw it on the main page of ESPN, that’s when I thought this might go big,” Menley said. “It made a great story because the woman was able to talk about it. It’s a feel good story and people need to know what these kids did.”

People don’t have to look very hard to find stories of college football arrests and other negative stories in the news, and Long credits that for the reason the story went national.

“I’m absolutely positive that’s why. People told us that when we were being interviewed that they were glad there was something positive about college athletes,” Long said. “It kind of counter balances all the negative stuff in the press.”

This story will be remembered and talked about for a long time. The two are thankful for the attention that they have received and feel they were just doing what any decent human being would do.

“I just want to say thank you and we appreciate it from everybody and everyone giving us respect for doing the right thing,” Long said.

Missouri Western football heard all week from the media and the people around them that they looked awful. It was a disaster, a performance that people couldn’t believe was the same team that made the playoffs a year ago. But it was. It was a game that could let a coach know where he stands and how he is perceived by the “true” fans, as well as his first-time quarterback. Until they played again.

Western did what they needed to do to keep the fans from not selling out on them so early in the season. The Griffons defeated a better team, according to AFCA’s rankings, this past Saturday. Rankings can easily be misleading, especially in the pre-season. How else can Pittsburg State, unranked, defeat the Griffons; yet Central Missouri lose?

Coach Jerry Partridge said after his team’s win over Central Missouri that his team just plays football, that Western doesn’t look at wins and losses to determine how they play, nor do they look at how good other teams are that they play. This was determined to be true as his team dominated both sides of the field against the Mules, the same way Pittsburg defeated them on opening weekend.

For people to bash both of the Partridges over one game was senseless. That game looked bad from every angle, but that didn’t mean the whole season would turn out that way. In one game, Western’s season was supposed to be determined as well as the play of a sophomore quarterback who was making his first start, which happened to be an MIAA opponent?

Now, for people to think because they beat the No. 12 team in the country, and Partridge shredded the defense with rigid force as he implemented total excitement in a crowd that hadn’t sounded as loud in two seasons with one 68-yard-touchdown, that this team is far better than week one might not stand true either.

It was two teams with two different game plans, and a team that wasn’t nearly as prepared week one, or motivated, as they were in week two. Now, as the season continues, Western must play as they did against Central, behind pre-season All-American defensive end David Bass and the defensive line, who lived up to the hype finally. If they do that, the football season won’t be as bad as it appeared to be heading after week one.

Bass had four sacks and tied the Griffon’s single-game sack record as Western [1-1] upset No. 12 ranked Central Missouri 23-6 Saturday at Spratt Stadium.

The Mules had no answer for Western’s pass rush, as the team combined for seven sacks and forced three turnovers in a defensive battle. Western’s offense was more calm than Central’s, and it showed.

With 4:55 to go in the first quarter, Travis Partridge stepped back and surveyed the field, only to fake the pass coverage and not throw the ball deep. Unlike last week, Partridge scrambled down field and used his legs to move the ball.

Seconds later, his decision to tuck the ball looked more proficient as he ran to the south end zone for a 68-yard-touchdown. As the crowd began to erupt, so did the Griffon’s sideline, as they knew they could beat Central [1-1] on both sides of the field.

“It was great and the receivers down field blocked, so I had an easy job,” Partridge said. “We all woke up and we just knew we was gonna do it.”

Partridge went 14-26 for 109 yards and one touchdown, but one key stat that changed from last week’s loss to Pittsburg State was the turnovers. Partridge had zero.

“[Last week] it was a little bit anxious and jitters and I was unsure about things. Week two I already knew what it was, and we knew what we needed to do, and we got it done.”

Western’s only turnover came midway through the third quarter when wide receiver T.J. Fannin fumbled the ball at mid field. Still, its defense held the Mules off from scoring a touchdown, forcing them to settle for a field goal. Bass said in a way he thanked Pittsburg State for last week’s game.

“That loss last week kind of motivated us,” said Bass, a pre-season All-American. “I’m just glad we’re back.”

Coach Jerry Partridge said that it was a dominate performance by the defense, and the first game was more of a system product that troubled the Griffons than his actual team.

“Pittsburg does a great job of the option,” Partridge said. “[Central] was our type of offense where you go after.”

After last week’s disappointment, Western came into Saturday’s contest with a lot to prove. With 6,251 people in attendance, it had the stage to do so.

“I’m just glad [the crowd] stuck with us after last week, and I’m glad we can put up a good showing,” said Ben Pister, who had two sacks to go along with his first career interception. He also tied linebacker Tom Madget for a team high of eight tackles.

Although the players and coaches said this wasn’t any more of a must-win game than others, they performed like it was, much to the pleasure of the crowd. If Western had dropped to 0-2, it would have been the first time in over 10 years that they hit that mark, and that was something Jerry Partridge couldn’t let happen.

“I never sensed a doubt on this football team all week long.”

Jeremy Weston intercepted the ball two times in the second half. Weston went up against the Mules’ talented wide-out Jamar Howard, who caught five passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns in last weeks 42-24 win over Missouri Southern. Saturday night, Howard was held to 37 yards receiving.

“[The defensive line] made our job easy,” Weston said. “Stay over the top was all we were preaching all week.”

To go with Bass’ four sacks, he had three pass defenses and three other quarterback pressures. Bass said that it was a team effort though.

“I thank the other 10 people who was out there on defense, most of them could have been coverage sacks and the others could have been from my three other lineman putting pressure.”

Michael Hill rushed 25 times for 113 yards. He had a 33-yard run to the left side in the fourth quarter. This looked to be the first time Central’s traveling fans realized their team might lose the game.

“It’s a boost for our team to know we can move the ball and stop the opposing team,” Hill said.

This season is the first time Hill is being used as a full-time starter. He helped Western rush for 238 yards compared to the Mules’ 20.

Tarrell Downing caught a 14-yard-touchdown reception with 2:38 to go in the first half. Downing ran a slant route from the left side of the field as Travis Partridge threw a perfect spiral to his target. It was Downing’s first touchdown of the season as well as Partridge’s first collegiate touchdown pass.

Western battles its first non-conference opponent, Langston University, this Saturday at Spratt Stadium. Langston is undefeated in two games this season.

Other scores in the MIAA from the weekend’s contest: Washburn, now 2-0, defeated Lincoln [Mo] 66-26 last Thursday. Truman, coming off a 62 point home loss to Northwest Missouri, beat Fort Hays State 36-31. Northwest improved to 2-0 as it handled Sioux Falls 52-17 and Pittsburg matched Northwest and Washburn with a mark of 2-0, as it defeated Emporia State 38-14. Pittsburg is the only MIAA school that has two division wins.

The same look as we saw most of the time Partridge takes another sack.

Penalties, sacks, chaos: it wasn’t pretty. Missouri Western dropped its season opener against MIAA opponent Pittsburg State Thursday night at Spratt Stadium 34-7.

Western’s defense was unable to control the Gorilla’s pistol offense, which controlled the game from beginning to end. It was supposed to be a coming out party for sophomore quarterback Travis Partridge. This game was supposed to prove that Western belonged in the top 25 AFCA ranking, but nothing could go right for the Griffons.

The Griffons opened the game by throwing the ball, surprisingly. Coach Jerry Partridge was not afraid to let his son and quarterback set the tempo between the two rivals. But after a few failed plays, Western had to the punt the ball. And that’s when it started.

John Brown returned the punt 84 yards for the first score of the game. Zac Dickey and company didn’t even see the field before their team was ahead 7-0.

“Coverage just broke down,” Jerry Partridge said. “We have to start doing our job; that killed us in the first half quite a bit.”

Western’s woes didn’t end there. Shortly after that play, Western went three-and-out, giving Dickey the ball and a chance to go up by two scores.

Dickey, a former redshirt at Oklahoma State, wouldn’t let up one bit in pounding the football right at Western’s defense. Though his first drive ended in a punt, he made sure they would score on his next opportunity, as Western surrendered an eight play, 81 yard drive that took less than three minutes.

“It’s very frustrating,” said junior defensive back Jeremy Weston. “It’s smash mouth football. When you don’t know where they’re gonna come from, they like to throw the ball, it’s frustrating.”

Weston recorded six tackles in the physical matchup, which saw both teams play very ruggedly at times. The style of play that was witnessed by over 5,000 fans proved to favor the Gorillas, as they quickly turned the game into a blowout.

Western [0-1] started the second quarter with a little momentum after running back Michael Hill had a 12 yard and the Griffons moved into Pittsburg [1-0] territory. But on fourth and 13, Western called for a pass, and it was snagged out of the air by Gorillas defensive back Elijah Olabode. Travis Partridge would go on to turn the ball over two more times, one inside the five yard line when he tried to run the ball in for a touchdown.

“Those first couple of drives, I’m not going to lie, things were moving very fast,” Partridge said. “But this was a team effort. When you only put up seven points in a football game, it’s all wrong.”

Partridge was sacked five times in the night and pressured many more. On one particular play in the second quarter, Partridge’s helmet was ripped off while he was laying on the ground, but no penalty was thrown. Coach Partridge said that he was told by the ref that his helmet came off a few times prior to that point. Given the nature of this particular night, it wasn’t going to be called anyways.

Not only could Western not function well on the field, but off the field they ran into problems as well.

“The head sets went down again,” Partridge said. “Communication was a pivotal thing that kind of cost us in a couple spots.”

Partridge pointed to the end of the first half, while his team was down 21-0 with less than two minutes to play, that without the head set he was not able to let his team know to run out the clock and go into halftime. Instead, Travis Partridge threw two straight incompletions and was sacked, which gave the ball back to Pittsburg with enough time to drive down field and score a touchdown.

“We got our butts kicked, period. But that’s football,” Jerry Partridge said. Western was called for nine penalties which resulted in 140 yards.

The Gorilla’s wide receiver Brown, a transfer from Coffeyville Community College, ended the night with four receptions for 70 yards, while Dickey continued what he left off from last season, registering 140 rushing yards and 114 yards threw the air.

Western’s lone score came late in the fourth quarter, when backup running back Dominic Thomas returned a punt return 60 yards, making sure Western would not let Pittsburg shut them out on their home field.

Western plays another division opponent next week, Central Missouri. Western hosts them next Saturday at Spratt Stadium, and Travis Partridge says the team won’t and can’t let this game be in their heads, stating that the team will move forward from Thursday night.

Central Missouri [1-0] ranks in the top 15 in the AFCA poll as of Thursday night. They defeated Missouri Southern 42-24.

Other MIAA scores from Thursday include Fort Hays State defeating Emporia State 27-17 and Northwest Missouri State went on the road and pounded Truman State 65-3. Washburn did not open the season against an MIAA opponent, instead they defeated Sioux Falls 33-17 while Lincoln [Mo.] plays Saturday against Avila University.

All photos by Jason Brown:

The Griffons were picked to finish fourth in the MIAA coaches poll and landed three spots outside the top 25 in the AFCA Division II coaches poll.

Coach Jerry Partridge says being ranked in that position isn’t anything out of the ordinary for the Griffons.

“I don’t really read too much into it, and I don’t think our kids do either,” Partridge said. “We are used to being on the outside looking in on the top 25. We lost a great player in Drew Newhart, so that’s part of the reason for the ranking.”

Newhart was a four-year-starter at quarterback who threw for close to 11,000 yards in his Western career. He will be replaced by Sophomore Travis Partridge, a 6’4” 230 pound athlete from Savannah.

Explosive running back Michael Hill will be one of the biggest weapons for the Griffons on offense this season. A Returning all-MIAA honorable mention, Hill is a 6’0” 205 pound junior half-back that has averaged over four yards-per-carry in both of his seasons as a Griffon. He has the opportunity to break out even more in 2011 because he won’t be splitting caries with another back like he has in the past.

“I wouldn’t trade Michael Hill for any back in the league,” Partridge.  “He’s got to stay healthy, and that’s up to the offensive line. I have a lot of faith in Michael. He is a class individual. He’s even a better person than he is a player.”

A strong core at the wide-receiver position should help ease the transition for quarterback Travis Partridge. The Griffons return three out of their top four wide-outs from last season. Tarrell Downing, Adam Clausen and T.J. Fannin headline a deep group at the position. The trio combined for ten touchdowns last season.

“We have great talent, a lot of athleticism on offense,” Hill said. “I have confidence in Travis Partridge and everything that we got.”

Defense is a big strength for the Griffons. Western returns all-MIAA conference performer safety Jack Long,  and alongside him will be ultra-athletic Shane Simpson.

“I think our starting safety’s are outstanding,” Partridge said. “I think our defense will be pretty good. They run well and are physical and have a bit of a nasty streak.”

Defensive end Junior David Bass will look to build on a very successful 2010 that netted him eight sacks and two interceptions. Ben Pister will be at the other defensive end position, while John Brown and Austin Baska will make up the rest of the defensive line.

“The biggest strength of our team is the D-line. We call them death row: you don’t want to go down there,” said Long, who led the team in tackles with 75 and caught two interceptions last season. “Our Defensive ends are physical, and the inside guys are strong and athletic for their position.”

According to Coach Partridge, another strength of the team that people might overlook is the special teams unit.

“I think our specialists are very good, and I think our return team will be very good,” he said.

The Griffons will begin the season against MIAA conference opponent Pittsburg State at 6 p.m. on Sept. 1 at Spratt Stadium.

Mead’s decision to play football turned out to be one of the best he has ever made, because his talent on the field caused him to get noticed by many schools.

“My junior year of high school, I started to get looks from people because of the success I had on the field,” Mead said.

His attraction got him invited to camps around the area, which got him noticed even more.

“Once the universities were calling, I realized that I would get my college education paid for,” Mead said.

Mead was right because he got the opportunity to play at his hometown college, Missouri Western State University. The school that he picked was only 15 minutes away from home and it was convenient for him and his family.

“I like being home,” Mead said. “I didn’t even consider a huge change and it has been great ever since.”

Mead was recruited by a good number of schools, and everyone’s interest for him was high. He was at the top of MIAA schools list, and they recognized his talents.
“I got recruited heavily by MIAA schools; Washburn, Central and Northwest were some of them,” Mead said.

He had another talent that made schools want him even more. He also played basketball while in high school and was recruited for that as well. He played two sports coming into college, and that was another reason for him to pick Missouri Western.

“As part of my visit for football, I also got take to take part in basketball as well,” Mead said.

Mead got to play on both the football and basketball team a couple of years ago here at Western. That is quite an accomplishment for an athlete. The majority are only good at one sport, but Mead was different than the normal athlete.

“The coach was pretty adamant and wanted me to come out for the basketball team,” Mead said.

Even though he played two sports, he said this was his best year academically. It caused Mead to work harder in the classroom. Playing two sports was hard to overcome at times because of the commitment he had to show for both teams.

“It was very difficult because in football we made it the Mineral Water Bowl that year, and in basketball, I had some games before that,” Mead said. “It was really difficult to get in basketball shape because of football.”
Even though it was difficult that year for him juggling two sports, nothing was as difficult as what was to come for him his senior year. In practice Mead suffered a concussion that was serious enough to knock him out for the entire season. The concussion occurred at a night practice, according to former teammate and quarterback Barron Bradshaw. Bradshaw said the concussion was due to a safety colliding with Mead.
“Mead was laying there motionless and we couldn’t even think about football,” Bradshaw said.

The practice was cut short, due to the severity of the situation. The focus was on Mead, who had to have medical attention for the injury.
The injury for Mead caused him to have to sit out from doing much activity.

His head injury had to be examined by someone with a great knowledge in this field, so he had to go to a specialist in Pennsylvania. This was a tough time in his life, and according to him, he did not even care about football anymore at that point.

The people who helped motivate him were among his family and one of his coaches; Coach Bell. He found a way helped reverse the bad thinking that had occurred in Mead’s mind.
“Coach Bell was helpful to me and positive about the whole thing,” Mead said. “He made the situation easier for me.”

The game got out of hand early beginning with Senior Andrew Mead’s touchdown catch from Senior Drew Newhart, which made it 10-0. From that point on Missouri Western continued to score at will throughout the game.

Photo | Jason Brown

“I scored three (touchdowns), three times in my career,” Mead said. “I really didn’t realize that it was the record, but it was a lot of fun. Drew was finding me early.”

Mead was a big threat for Newhart but everyone was clicking on all cylinders all day. Newhart seemed to be spreading the ball out with ease. He finished 16 of 21, 150 yards and four touchdowns. His stats could have been higher, but he was benched in the second half due to the score.

The running attack was on as well. with all the running backs combining for 322 yards. The runner of the day was Dalton Krysa with 207 yards and three touchdowns.

“Good offensive line play was executed well, all the backs ran hard no doubt. They played big all game, which allowed the offense to do so well,” head coach Jerry Partridge said.

The offense has been great so far, but so has the defense as the past two teams combined to just 17 points. The defensive line is getting pressure on the quarterbacks. The defensive backs are covering and doing their jobs covering the backfield, which resulted in Lincoln’s starting quarterback to throw for negative one yard. He could not do anything, which ultimately resulted in the nasty 81-14 loss.

“The defensive performance was good and they had to first make a couple of adjustments, move somebody out here a little bit after that it was a pretty good defensive performance,” Shane Simpson said.

That was actually an understatement because they dominated Lincoln the whole day.

The Griffons should not have anything to worry about if they continue to build off the past two performances.

Western’s next game is against 14th ranked Washburn Sept. 18 at Washburn.

“We’re going to have to look at the film and we will have to get real physical because Washburn is a very physical football team,” Partridge said.

“You always set long term goals, but you always have to keep it at more immediate increments, and that is to win every week,” Partridge said. “That’s the way we go about our business. Our goals are to win every week and to win the league.”

Last season, Western finished up 9-3 and was consistently ranked in the top 25 poll throughout the year. The Griffons started off the season 6-0 until they lost to Northwest Missouri, who was ranked second nationally at the time. Western made it to the Mineral Water Bowl and defeated Augustana College 34-21.

The experience the Griffons have at many positions will be one of the most important elements this fall in creating a winning team.

“We have a lot of starters that are seniors and most, if not all, the starters have either started before or have gotten valuable playing time,” senior offensive lineman, Andy Gilmore, said.

The MIAA has always been a challenging conference, and Partridge mentioned the importance of the Griffons being ready to compete every week. One of Western’s biggest challenges will be beating Northwest, a constant dominator of the MIAA.

“We have a very difficult league,” Partridge said. “Every week is a battle. Northwest is definitely a juggernaut that is very difficult to derail.”

“Every year, we want to win the conference,” Partridge said. “I think we’re capable of doing it. We’ve got to beat Northwest Missouri State, and we need somebody else to beat Northwest Missouri State also.”

Quarterbacks

At the quarterback position, the Griffons will rely on experienced Senior Drew Newhart (Cameron, Mo.) to lead.

“You have a quarterback in Drew Newhart that very capably can become the all time leading passer in the conference’s history,” Partridge said. “And Drew also has a chance to pass Missouri Western’s all time passing leader.”

Last season, Newhart started in all 12 games and completed 62.7 percent of his passes. He threw for 3,034 yards on 217 completions and 31 touchdown passes. Newhart led the MIAA in several categories throughout the season and was named All-MIAA honorable mention. Sophomore Tyron Crockum (Pasadena, Calif.), freshmen Travis Partridge (Savannah, Mo.) and Nick Anderson (Excelsior Springs, Mo.) will be looked upon as strong backup quarterbacks for the Griffons.

Sophomore Mike Hill (St. Joseph) and Senior Thomas Hodges (Raymore, Mo.) will be the key Griffon running backs this season. Hodges rushed for 925 yards last season, completing nine touchdowns. Hodges was also named All-MIAA honorable mention for his efforts in 2009. Hill rushed for 828 yards and completed eight touchdowns. Sophomore Octavius Thomas (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) will be the third man at the running back position.

“Both running backs have played a bunch,” Partridge said. “Hodges has a chance to pass our school’s all time leading rusher.”
Western also has a strong receiving core that comes with a lot of experience. After missing the 2009 season due to injury, Andrew Mead will return to the team in the fall to lead the receivers. Mead led the 2008 squad with 52 catches for 598 yards and four touchdowns and is hoping to improve those numbers for his final season.

“We have a lot of experience in the receiving core with Andrew Mead,” Partridge said. “You want to see those kinds of kids finish up their careers with a big splash.”

Other receivers that Western will look to will be junior Adam Clausen (Kansas City) and Crockum. Clausen finished up the 2009 campaign with 666 yards and eight touchdowns.

Partridge mentioned that in terms of experience, the offensive line probably has the most new players. After losing All-MIAA first team center Nathan Martin last season, Western has a big hole to fill. Junior Andy Gilmore (St. Joseph) will be the one to take Martin’s place and lead the offensive line.

“O-Line-wise, there’s probably a lack of experience in a couple spots – that would be my concern,” Partridge said. “Andy’s an experienced football player, but he’s never played center.”
Western will also look to younger players such as Brian Chiles (Lee’s Summit), Colt Schulte (Bagnell, Mo.), and Macon Allan (King City) to help out.

“Our O-Line is going to be straight, but the overall experience level is not great.” Partridge said. “But, we have some very talented young men that we think are going to be special football players.”

The defensive line and linebackers also comes with many experienced players. Senior Sean Whiters (Kansas City) will lead the way for the Griffons, as All-MIAA selection Whiters finished last season with 68 total tackles and 38 solo stops to go along with 4.5 tackles for a loss. Matt Glades (Galena, Kan.), Tom Madget (St. Joseph), and Shane Simpson (Blue Springs, Mo.) also finished the 2009 campaign strong and will see plenty of action in 2010.

The special teams, tight ends, and secondary will also come back strong for the Griffons in 2010. Senior Brad Beckwith (Cameron, Mo.) is coming off a strong 2009 season, setting the school record with a 53-yard field goal against Washburn and coming through for the Griffons in clutch situations. Several different tight ends will see action this fall, including Kip Peters (Highland, Kan.), David Fowler (Unionville, Mo.), Justin White (St. Louis), Billy Babcock (Stewartsville, Mo.), and Reggie Jordan (Hazelwood, Mo.). The Griffon secondary also has several strong returners, including Nate Bruto (Kansas City), who finished with two interceptions and a fumble return last year. Ian Thompson (Fullerton, Calif.) and Shane Simpson each finished with four interceptions last season, as well. Jeremy Weston (St. Joseph), Ben Jackson (Chino Hills, Calif.), Chris Sandoval, Isaac Collins (Savannah), and Jack Long (Parkville, Mo.) will also battle for spots this fall.

Overall, the experience and depth of all the positions will be

“We just have experience everywhere,” Partridge said. “I wouldn’t say that there’s anything that concerns me overall. We’re strong everywhere. You can’t list something that we’re not going to be strong at.”

Western’s overall strength and talent should help them have another great year in 2010. Partridge mentioned that if the Griffons take things one week at a time, bigger goals such as a beating Northwest, winning the league, and getting a playoff berth will come.

“We expect to compete at the highest level day in and day out,” Senior wide receiver, Andrew Mead, said. “With the combination of talent and experience, this football team possesses the the ability to play in December.”

Partridge mentioned that recruiting mostly from the Midwest is a part of the program’s strategy.

“It’s kind of our philosophy to get kids from the Midwest,” Partridge said. “We tell kids that it’s good football, retention rates are going to be better, it’s easier to judge what you can recruit against and who you can go against, and it costs less money to recruit from the Midwest than flying them in from all over the place.”

However, among all of the local products, only one recruit is from St. Joseph. Jared Fox, a defensive back from Central High School, will be joining the team in the fall.

Head coach Jerry Partridge announced the signing of 23 new football recruits for the 2010 season at a press conference on Feb. 3. Photo by Dave Hon

After the recruits got through physical testing on their visitation day, they got a tour of the new Chiefs facility. Partridge thought that seeing this building, even though it isn’t completely finished, was a big factor.

“I think it helped, no doubt about it,” Partridge aid. “It wasn’t as flashy and fancy is it’s going to be next year. But it was a factor, no question. Last year it helped a little, this year it helped quite a bit, and next year is going to be when it really helps – when you’re going to be able and walk in and see it and not just talk about it.”

Partridge thought it was difficult to pick out players from the bunch with more talent than the others.

“It’s always hard to say who’s the star of the class,” Partridge said.

The coaching staff doesn’t see any recruits that will make an immediate impact.

“I think we can redshirt them all,” Partridge said. “I don’t think any of those kids will crack the lineup right away.”

Overall, Partridge and the rest of Western’s staff and players have a good feeling about this recruiting class.

“You never know how many you’re going to sign when you get started on this thing,” Partridge said.

“There’s so many dollars you have and you try to get as many as you can for the amount of money you have. I feel pretty good about what we’ve accomplished. We felt like we did what we did what we needed to do.”

Junior lineman Andy Gilmore agreed.

“The class is really good,” Gilmore said. “I think we signed a lot of kids that will eventually help us win.”

Western is also hoping to get a few more local players to walk on and a few Junior College transfers to complete the recruiting class.

Photo | Marty Ayers

The redshirt freshman running back Hill knows that the dual system is of great benefit to the team.

“The system helps because one can come in right after the other,” Hill said. “That’s hard on the defense to adjust to. If you look at past games, you can see that.”

Another thing that is hard to adjust to is going from being the man to sharing the load. Hodges, a junior, was a conference player of the year in high school, and Hill was an All-State running back for Central High School here in Saint Joseph. Some might think that the two high school studs would have problems sharing duties, or that the two would form an unhealthy rivalry. But Hodges and Hill are proving that the two can co-exist.

“We have a friendly rivalry,” Hodges said. “I mean, there is no question we want to score as much as possible and when we see the other guy score, you just think to yourself ‘alright, now I have to get one.’ We always encourage each other and try to help each other out as best we can.”

The younger Hill had to get used to the idea but has seen the benefits of splitting carries.

“Sharing the ball, at first I didn’t think that I would like it,” Hill said. “After the first game, I realized that it would help the team out a lot and we could both do our thing. Now, I don’t care at all about sharing the ball, especially with Thomas. He’s a great guy and a good running back.”

Offensive coordinator Tyler Fenwick can attest to the fact that the two do, in fact, get along and enjoy playing with each other.

“They get along really well. They cheer for each other, they want to see each other do good,” Fenwick said. “For guys that have to share the ball, they get along.”

Getting used to the fact that the two would be used sparingly might have been easy for the two. But taking their game to the level that it is now took hard work. Both backs have put in tons of time into helping the Griffons ground game move up the MIAA statistics board. Hill’s year of redshirting definitely helped him in preparing for the 2009 season.

“My redshirt year I came in and learned that the game was faster and guys were bigger,” Hill said. “They were not only big, but they could move too. I also got better as a player, because I was on the scout team offense, and we got to go against the number one defense.”

As for Hodges, he accredits his jump in productiveness to his off season regiment.

“This summer I laid off the weight lifting to lose some weight, which has helped,” Hodges said. “I tried to run a lot. You have to be able to run to play this game, and it always seems like when I look back at games I see plays where if I was just a little faster I would have been able to score.”

Griffon quarterback Drew Newhart appreciates the time his teammates put in knowing that the end result will help the team’s offensive attack.

“They allow the offense to stay balanced and keep the defense on their toes,” Newhart said. “They both are great teammates that come to practice every day.”

One day while practicing, the two made up a nickname for their selves. The H-train. H for Hill and Hodges. With the progression both runners have made this season, the two can carry the Griffons to a National Championship, and opposing players into the end zone.

Western win came from a combined front that included running backs Hodges and Hill, along with wide receiver Cedric Houston scored for a touchdown in the game.

Hill’s touchdown was the result defensive back Shane Simpson’s interception.

Kicker Brad Beckwith had three field goals to help Western win as well.

Emporia only score came from an interception by Emporia’s defensive back Travis Brook when Western’s quarterback Drew Newhart threw under pressure from Emporia’s defense. The Hornet would capitalize on that play and score a touchdown several plays later. They tried for a 2 point conversion but failed.  

This makes Western 8-2 overall and 6-2 in the MIAA conference.

The end score doesn’t represent the way Missouri Western dominated on homecoming weekend. The offense had a great day at the office rushing for 223 yards on 49 attempts from the line of scrimmage. The Griffon’s passing game was just as impressive as their running game. Junior Quarterback Drew Newhart threw for 246 yards, had four touchdowns: three passing and one running and completed 18 of the 26 passes he threw on the day. The offensive line dominated the Mules’ defensive line, allowing no sacks on the quarterback. The only thing that would bring Newhart down on Saturday was losing homecoming king.

The receiving corps for the Griffons made big plays all day long. Ferrell McGhee caught a 13-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, Kip Peters hauled in a pass from 16 yards out and Cedric Houston erased some dropped passes early in the game with a four-yard touchdown catch.

Photo | Marty Ayers

Junior linebacker Sean Whiters believes that Western’s defense could be a big key in helping the Griffons improved play.

“We’re motivated on defense,” Whiters said. “We have a very good and efficient offense. If we can just slow down the other team and stop them, we’re going beat them more often than not.”

The win over Central Missouri was a big win because of the playoff implications and also huge for Western psyche. The polls had Central Missouri ranked one spot over the Griffons and every year it seems that the Mules are favored to beat the Griffons. Head coach Jerry Partridge doesn’t mind the lack of respect the team gets.

“It feels great to upset them for a seventh year in a row,” Partridge said.

Partridge also doesn’t mind the fact that the team is peaking at just the right time of year.

“It was a really complete game by us,” Partridge said. “Coaches did a good job of preparing them, the offensive line played great and Newhart made some good decisions. We just have to keep going.”

A big part of keeping it going is Newhart. Newhart believes that the team is still growing and believes that they have played their most complete game of the season.

“Running backs played well, offensive line played well and our receivers made huge plays,” Newhart said. “Coaches prepared us well. We kept them on their toes and they didn’t know what was coming.”

The Griffons take on the 2-5 Missouri Southern State Lions next week in Spratt Stadium at 1:30 p.m.

Western dominated the first period with good possessions and movement and Nebraska-Omaha did the same during the second period. Neither team balked at the challenge of taking the game to its full 110 minutes.

Head coach Jeff Hansen thought the team played well.

“We played a good game against a team that’s 7th in the region, who are right on the cusp of playing in the National Tournament,” Hansen said. “We all wanted to win, but it was a good effort.”

The Griffons controlled the pace during the first period, with the majority of the play centered in Maverick territory. The first goal of the game came at 6:47, when Audrey Henderson escaped her defender, stole the ball from the Nebraska-Omaha goalkeeper and scored with a kick from the 10-yard line into an empty net.

Photo | Mathew Fowler

Griffon goalkeeper Jenna Weis played a great game, finishing with four saves. However, she was not happy with the goal the Mavericks scored.

“I’m a little disappointed with the goal. I think I hesitated a bit which led to the corner kick,” Weis said. “But I thought we played a good game, and I was happy with our performance.”

During the second period, the teams swapped roles with Missouri Western being pressured for most of the period. The Griffons defended well but were not able to get many possessions. The Mavericks had seven corner kicks during the second period but were not able to capitalize on them, and Coach Hansen was increasingly surprised as the game wore on.

“To be honest, we dodged a bullet; we got away with one,” Hansen said. “If you had told me we had given away 11 corner kicks in the first two periods, I would have said we were not playing well.”

Both teams looked tired toward the end of the second period, but neither team gave up any openings, and they were both held scoreless.

The first overtime was uneventful with neither team taking control. During a shot attempt by the Mavericks, Missouri Western’s goalkeeper, Jenna Weis, was hit by an opposing player and sent to the ground. Fortunately, Weis was able to get up and continue play. The last seconds ticked off the clock and the Griffons headed into the final overtime.

The Griffons continued to play their hardest in a battle of wills. By the second overtime, eight players had over 100 minutes of field time. The game came down to a last second corner kick by Nebraska-Omaha. Western and UNO players crowded around as the ball soared into the pack, glanced off a Western player’s head and sailed clear. The horn sounded, and the game ended.

The Griffons’ record after Thursday’s game is 5-9-1, 3-7-1 MIAA. Western will hope for revenge against Emporia State this Friday after losing to the Hornets in their first meeting of the year. The game will be at Emporia on Oct. 29 at 4:00 p.m.

The Griffons showed that they can respond to adversity after dropping their first loss to Northwest and coming back with a vengeance.

“After the last game it was easy to bounce back because we really wanted to win a game,” junior offensive lineman Andy Gilmore said. “Obviously that was our first loss and our first time to see what a loss feels like. I think we wanted to get back on the winning track.”

According to head coach Jerry Partridge, the team’s ability to respond had a lot to do with leadership.

Photo | Ryan Richardson

Although the Griffons played a great game all around, Western’s defense gave a spectacular performance. The defense limited the Bulldogs to negative nine yards in the first half, sacked Truman’s quarterback five times and forced two turnovers. Most of the yardage that the Bulldogs did manage to gain came in the fourth quarter against the Griffon’s second and third string defenders.

“That was one of the best defensive performances we’ve ever had here,” Partridge said.

The defense took control in the first half and helped the Griffons to go into the locker room up 28-0. Touchdowns from Mike Hill, Thomas Hodges, Adam Clausen and a punt return from Cedric Houston gave the Griffons the advantage.

After another touchdown from Mike Hill to open up the second half put Western up 35-0, Truman outscored the Griffons the rest of the way 14-3. Brad Beckwith finished off the game with a 24 yard field goal to put Western up 38-14 and lead them to victory.

After this win, the Griffons improve to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the MIAA. This Saturday they will take on 14th ranked Central Missouri in Spratt Stadium at 1:30 p.m. for homecoming. Western is currently ranked 15th and tied with Central for second in the MIAA.

Missouri Western’s main goal is to limit their silly mistakes which should lead to success.
We can’t turn the football over again and we can’t give up big plays on defense,” Partridge said. “That’s kind of our problem.”

Quarterback Drew Newhart, who leads the MIAA in passing efficiency and finished Saturday completing 16 of 25 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown, agreed that if the Griffons can limit their turnovers, they will be successful.

“We just need to work on the little things and take care of the football and I think we’ll be okay for Saturday,” Newhart said.

This was evident in the first quarter of play when both teams combined for a whopping 35 points. Fort Hays quarterback Mike Garrison hit senior running back Jacob Irvin for a 7-yard touchdown. The Griffons would strike back like the empire with a drive that averaged 10 yards a play. They capped off the drive with an 8-yard run from Thomas Hodges.

The Tigers would score next after wide out O.J. Murdock caught a touchdown pass for 39 yards. Hodges would answer the call again and rumble his way in to the end zone from three yards out. The action continued when Fort Hays scored from 23 yards out with no time left on the clock.

The second quarter saw a little bit more defense from the Griffons and a little bit of luck. Western was able to get in good field position after the Tigers muffed a punt. With the ball at the goal line, quarterback Drew Newhart pulled off a quarterback dive. Newhart would later give the Griffons the lead with a 49-yard touchdown pass to speedster Cedric Houston. Western’s kicker Brad Beckwith missed the extra point on that touchdown which would leave them with a six point lead. The Tigers would manage to get a field goal to make the score at the half 27-24.

Western came out the second half looking to take control of the game. Newhart hooked up with Houston for a 14- yard touchdown pass giving them the biggest lead of the game. Fort Hays tried to answer back with a drive of their own but with the ball at the Griffons’ ten, Garrison threw a pick to sophomore safety Nate Bruto. Bruto then ran it back 100 yards putting the game at a safe distance.

The Griffons were well prepared for this close encounter with the Tigers and a lot of the credit goes to the coaching staff.

“Our coaches have prepared us well each week, and us as an offense are clicking, having fun and playing physical,” Newhart said.

Offense lineman Andrew Gilmore, who helped the Griffons gain 147 yards on the ground, feels the same way as his quarterback.

“Each week we have been given a different look by the (opposing) defense, but we have great coaches and have come into games with a great game plan. We are prepared to win each week,” Gilmore said.

“Newhart is unbelievable so he just needs to keep doing that.”

The Griffons will try to stay unbeaten against the Washburn Ichabods on Hall of Fame/Family Day weekend. To do that, they need to slow down the Ichabods high powered offense, which scored 54 their last time out. Missouri Western will face Washburn on Sat., Sept. 12 at 6:00 p.m. in Spratt Stadium.

Robinson, a 2006 graduate, made the Indianapolis Colts team for the second straight season. The tight end played 15 games last season and finished with 19 receptions and 166 yards.

Allen, who graduated in 2008, found out he made the team for the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, Sept. 5. During his time at Missouri Western, he started 48 games and was an AFCA All-American his senior year.

Having two Griffons in the NFL is huge for the Missouri Western football program.

“It’s a great thing,” head coach Jerry Partridge said. “It’s great to be represented on national TV, especially Gijon because he starts. Any time they’re doing the national telecast with the starting lineups, you hear ‘Gijon Robinson from Missouri Western State University.’ So that’s great advertisement for our school.”

According to Partridge, having that kind of exposure is great for recruiting purposes.

“When we’re talking to kids who want to come here we can say that we have two in the NFL,” Partridge said. “It’s great for prospective athletes looking at Missouri Western.”

Allen feels that Partridge and his other coaches at Missouri Western gave a strong foundation to build on.

“Western has contributed tremendously to my growth and success,” Allen said. “I lifted a lot of weights and gained over 80 pounds from high school to my senior year of college. I’ve learned a lot of from the coaches at there.”

Partridge and the rest of the coaching staff and team are extremely proud of Robinson and Allen and their accomplishments.

“It’s great to see those two make it,” Partridge said. “The pride of a coach toward a player is huge. They’re almost like sons, and to see them grow from high school kids into the men they are and to be pro football players, it’s just amazing.”

NFL caliber players don’t come along every day, especially from Division II schools. It takes a lot of talent to make it into the pro football world, and Allen realizes how hard it is to achieve what him and Robinson have.

“It feels pretty good just because of the limited number of guys that have made it this far,” Allen said. “So far it’s only me and Gijon that have made it to the regular season, so it’s a big blessing to have made it this far. We want to do Missouri Western proud.”

With the talent that the now 3-0 Missouri Western football team possesses, the future is bright for other Griffons to possibly go pro as well.

“We have kids who are capable,” Partridge said. “Down the road, who knows.”

The Griffons started off the 2009 campaign with a convincing rout of the Northern State University, defeating the Wolves 49-14.

Western scored all of their points in the first half. The Griffons drove the ball down the field with precision, scoring on the first four plays of the game.

The first drive took only seven plays as junior quarterback Drew Newhart connected with sophomore tight end David Fowler. That was the first touchdown of the game and also the first of what Griffons fans hope will be many touchdowns for Fowler.

The remainder of the first quarter was more of the same for the Griffons. The Griffon defense kept the ball in the capable hands of Newhart and his receivers continued to get open for him as he hit Adam Clausen and Cedric Houston for touchdowns before the end of the first quarter.

The Griffons capped off the first quarter with a nice run from redshirt freshman Michael Hill. Hill looked impressive in his debut for Western, gashing the Wolves for 71 yards. The only blemish of the half came when the Wolves recovered a long snap that went over the head of freshman punter Austin Barnes.

The second quarter saw more of the same from the Griffons. Newhart found Clausen in the back of the end zone again and would tie the Missouri Western single game record for touchdown passes with a pass to Ferrell McGhee.

University City product Barron Bradshaw would take control of the offense after that point. Bradshaw ended the scoring barrage by stepping up into the pocket and throwing a 68 yard floater to Houston.

The Griffons ball-hawking defense would take control from that point on not giving up a touchdown till 11:46 in the fourth quarter. Western had four forced turnover–two of those were picks

Sophomore wide receiver Adam Clausen catches a pass in the end zone to score during the Griffon’s 49-14 win over the Northern State Wolves. Photo: Matthew Fowler

from freshman cornerback Jeremy Watson.

With a huge victory like this, sometimes it’s hard to keep everything in perspective. But the Griffons seem like they won’t be having that problem.

“We just wanted to come out and play hard and have fun,” Newhart said. “Forty-nine points is 49 points. We just wanted to click on offense and try to play mistake-free football. We still have things to work on. We can’t be content winning our first game.”

Offensive lineman Andrew Gilmore feels the same.

“I think there is always room for improvement,” Gilmore said. “I don’t think any team can say they don’t need to get better even after a blow out. We just need to keep out-working our opponents every week.”

The Griffons know that they are in for a long season and will need to improve even with this great showing. Senior Nathan Martin knows that and hopes to build on the win.

“As a member of the offense, especially an offensive lineman, it always feels good when your teammates get into the end zone, especially when they do it seven times,” Martin said. “It shows what we are capable of.”

Griffon fans hope that the team will be capable of another big win Saturday, Sept. 5 when they play Mesa State in Grand Junction, Colo.

Last week, when that cannon went off, it was just not an ordinary football beginning, but the next battle in an ongoing rivalry pitting our football team against theirs. It was quite different in atmosphere than when they were here.

Yes, there was a lot of spirit and excitement in the atmosphere last year when they came and battled us on our turf, but it paled in comparison to last week when we went to their turf.

Besides the aforementioned cannon going off,  there was the crowd cheering “B-E-A-R-C-A-T-S” with their cheer squad as they waved the flags with that letter, the crowd  screaming “first down” when the announcer asked for it, a mascot that knows how to excite a crowd and a marching band that knows how to play and dance.

That is the kind of atmosphere that makes a great football game even better.  It may not be indicative of all their games but it is still a show.

Last year, we did not have nearly that much excitement and it is disappointing.

Maybe the other teams in the MIAA conference do not put on a show like that but Northwest is our rival and we are losing the war against them at everything, including this.

Yes their stadium is newer and cooler looking, but we could have just the same atmosphere as they have if we try and want it, but it seems that unfortunately, we don’t.

If we want to be a big, important, and equal rival to Northwest, we need to show that kind of enthusiasm. It can start at the football game.

We have some of those elements Northwest has, but we need to step it up several notches and its starts with the crowd. Our football team can draw in a crowd, but the sport, public relations, music, and cheer squad people need to help build that level of enthusiasm and keep it going throughout the game.

I am not asking for a dancing marching band, but a marching band that can entertain the crowd, not do the standard boring marching band routine.

I am not asking for an improvement to our stadium (all though that would be nice).

I am definitely not asking for a canon going off every time our team scores a touchdown.

What I am asking is more show in the game. Yes, the game is the primary focus of the event, but it could be as entertaining, or even better than Northwest if we take the necessary steps to do so. With that we can start battling Northwest and their encroachment and dominance in our territory.

Beginning March 24, the public will be able to get a first hand look at the 2008 Griffons, as spring football practice begins. The main purpose of spring practice is to shake cob webs and work on fundamental techniques. Offensive coordinator Tyler Fenwick agrees,

“Spring practice works on the fundamental things like tackling, blocking, getting used to the schemes and getting the player’s minds back into the game,” Fenwick said.

Aside from fundamentals, spring practice also allows coaches to analyze the heart and determination of the hard hitting players who desire to earn a starting spot in the fall. 

Although Western parted ways with 13 seniors in 2007, expectations remain high in 2008. Such a task should be easy work for a team whose roster boasts an abundance of talent and leadership.

Leadership is an important factor for winning in any sport. Head coach Jerry Partridge has no worries and is confident in his team’s leadership abilities.

“We have some good leaders back. Roger Allen is a leader who was a captain last year and Sylvester Gibson has stepped up to a leadership role. For the receiving core, Andrew Mead is a leadership type of kid, Thomas Hodges is a leader and our quarterbacks are leaders, Barron Bradshaw and Drew Newhart,” Partridge said.  

A leader is someone who holds influence over others. It is a demanding job and holds many responsibilities. For two players on the team, Barron Bradshaw and Andrew Mead, being a leader comes naturally.

“Anytime you become a leader, it’s a huge responsibility. You’re an important guy the team looks up to, especially in big play, big game situations. Being a leader means a lot, but all I can do is lead by example,” Bradshaw commented. Spring practice means high competitiveness among the players. To Mead, it’s the perfect time to exhibit his leadership ability.

“Especially in the springtime, I just want to go out and compete at the highest level and try to establish myself as someone the younger kids can look up to. Basically, I’m just trying to help our team get better,” Mead said.
This was the first of 15 practices at Spratt Stadium.  

Before this victory the Griffons last win was a 61-53 over Central Missouri on January 16. The Griffons played as a team  and this helped them win the game.

In the game, the Griffons were balanced in scoring. Jay McFarland had 15 points and six rebounds, Lonnel Johnson scored 16 points and Gus Moss added 13 points off the bench. They also shot well from the free throw line in the game as they went 23-29.

With this victory, the Griffons moved into a ninth place tie with Truman State in the conference. The Griffons still have to play catch up to make the conference tournament. They trail Washburn and Pittsburg State by two games a piece.
On Wednesday, the Griffons put up a good fight against No. 15 Southwest Baptist, as they lost 84-72. Southwest Baptist swept the season series from the Griffons for the second season in a row. The team struggled defensively by giving up 84 points.

The Griffons were led in scoring in the ball game by Reggie Bunch who put in 23 points, while Johnson contributed 14.
The Griffons took a lead into the half, but turnovers in the second half that led to easy lay-ups cost the Griffons the game. They played a close competitive game with the best team in the MIAA, which is a moral victory.

Ending the losing streak was big for the Griffons. They can now concentrate on trying to make the conference tournament. They will lead to play full games instead of one strong half and one weak half.

Against the Hornets, the Griffons played strong even falling behind 15-0 to start the game. The Griffons stuck to their game plan and took a 28-28 tie into the half against the Hornets.

The Griffons haven’t been playing close in their losses, losing by an average of 14.8 points per contest. That’s why finally winning and keeping it close against the highly ranked Bearcats was big for the Griffons.

The Griffons will head back on the road next week as they will travel to face the Pittsburg State Gorillas, who is a spot in front of the Griffons in the conference standings. They will also travel to face the Fort Hays State Tigers, who is currently sitting at fourth in the conference.    

The St. Joe Ravens are a semi-professional, eight on eight football ball team that play on an outdoor field, as opposed to playing indoors in an arena. They belong to the CPFL, or Central Plains Football League and have been around the area for years.

Unfortunately, not too many people are familiar with the CPFL, or even knew the St. Joe Ravens even existed. To the many that do not get a chance to play college football, the St. Joe Ravens may be your alternative.  

General Manager, Head Coach and current Missouri Western non-traditional student, John Gillock, brings opportunity to the St. Joseph area and currently to at least 10 Missouri Western students. How do you know if semi-professional football is right for you? According to Coach Gillock it’s all about exposure.

 ”It’s mainly for those looking for exposure and that are looking to make it to the next level,” Gillock said. “I recommend any player that either wants to get looked at by a college, an arena team, or anyone that still has a love for football or wants to play.”

Although the players are not paid, eligibility is not an issue when playing semi-pro football. “Players pay a fee to play and to be eligible, so they will not lose any NCAA eligibility,” Gillock said.

For two Missouri Western students and key players, Marcellus Stewart and Ro’Tez Irby, the St. Joe Ravens gives them a chance to develop and display their talents in hopes of opening more doors in football.

“You get experience and possibly get looked at by Arena Football League and National Football League scouts searching for new talent, making this a very good opportunity,” Stewart says.

To Irby, the Ravens are not only an experience tool, but also a positive outlet to stay out of trouble. “It makes me feel like I’m doing something with my life. I don’t want to end up like my uncle or my cousin who are in jail, so I feel like this is giving me something productive to do, I feel great when I’m doing this,” Irby said.

With optimistic hopes for the year, the St. Joe Ravens are preparing for their pre-season game against the Sioux City Bandits on Sunday, March 2, at 3 p.m. 

For more information on the St. Joe Ravens, visit the website www.cpflfootball.com/stjoeravens. It gives the team schedule and information about the members of the team. The website also gives information about the Central Plains league, which is the league that the Ravens play in.
 

They signed 24 high school players, 22 from the state of Missouri and four from St. Joseph. The Griffons signed three athletes from Central High School. From Central, they signed Michael Hill a running back, who had 746 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns his senior year.

They also signed Ben Pister, also from Central who played linebacker and was two-time all state during his high school career. The last player they signed from Central was Jeremy Weston who played both wide receiver and defensive back during high school.

The only other local player they signed was Dan Ritter from Lafeyette High School. Ritter played linebacker at Lafeyette and was a four-year letter winner. Head coach Jerry Partridge knows adding local players is good for the fan base.
“Hopefully will have towns coming to watch us play,” Partridge said.

The only two out-of-state recruits the Griffons signed were Matt Fairchild from Kansas and Ben Jackson from California. Fairchild who is from Andale, Kan., plays linebacker and is the all-time leading tackler in Andale High School history. Jackson who is from Chino Hills, Calif., plays defensive back and had 80 tackles in his two-year varsity career.

 The biggest focus for the Griffons this recruiting class was offensive line. They signed seven offensive linemen all from the state of Missouri. Colt Schulte (6-6, 315), Ethan Tabbert (6-3, 235) and Kyle Hoyt (6-2 235) are the core of the strong offensive linemen class.

 ”That’s a credit to our coaches and our offensive line coach that kids want to come here,” Partridge said.  “Those are seven kids that we think are going to be good football players.”

The Griffons are coming off a successful season were they went 9-3 and won the Mineral Water Bowl. They were also 6-3 in the MIAA conference play. Defensive Coordinator Regi Trotter believes the recent success has helped the Griffons in recruiting.

“The success has really helped us, especially in local recruiting,” Trotter said. “Guys aren’t looking to leave, they are looking to stay around here and that is a good thing for Western.”

The Griffons also added four people who transferred at the semester. The four players they added were Matt Glades (6-1, 215) linebacker who transferred from Fort Scott Community College in Kan., Andrew Jones (6-2 225) linebacker who transferred from Missouri State, Ian Thompson (5-10, 185) defensive back who transferred from Fullerton Community College in Calif., and Christian Sandoval (6-0 210) free safety from LA Pierce. The Griffons will also look to add more players through the junior college ranks. 

The athletes the Griffons added will look to help the team in the future. Though many will take a red shirt for next season, some might see immediate playing time. The Griffons loaded up with local talent. They are trying to get the top talent from St. Joseph every year. Though with all recruiting classes only time will tell if this class was a success.

The Missouri Western Griffons struggled throughout the 42nd annual Mineral Water Bowl hounded by cold, rainy weather but were able to pull out a 20-13 victory over Wayne State. The Wildcats — who hail from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s (NISC) —met the Griffons at Tiger Stadium in the annual battle that pits the best non-playoff team from their respective conference.

Western came into the game 8-3 fresh off of a demoralizing defeat to Truman State in the final week of the season to end their playoff hopes, while Wayne State came in with a 7-4 record.

Western’s head coach Jerry Partridge said that it was a typical Mineral Water Bowl —evenly matched teams playing in bitter weather.

“We had just enough turnovers to get them stopped and we made just enough plays on offense to score and we won the game,” said Partridge.

Offensively, both teams were struggling throughout the game trying to gain and keep the lead. The only score of the half happened when Western quarterback Drew Newhart threw an 11-yard pass to wide receiver Andrew Mead at the beginning of the second quarter.

The first half was marked with a lackluster performance by both teams with the inability to convert on third down or score on their minimal opportunities in the red zone.
As the second half began, the rain started to come down, soaking the 1,500 fans, and providing another obstacle for both teams to overcome.

The Wildcats finally answered Western’s score with a touchdown of their own late in the third quarter.

Their celebration was cut short by a 55-yard touchdown run by freshman running back La’Darrian Page on Western’s next possession.

 “I had a couple of big runs and the coach said ‘stick with it and you will break one eventually’ and I made a real effort to put in a couple of juke moves to get in the end zone,” said Page.

Page, who rushed for 147 yards, averaged 9.8 per carry and won the offensive MVP of the game, impressing Wayne State head coach Dan McLaughlin along the way.
“That little ‘back, we knew he was good but he is special; that little freshman, he is tough,” McLaughlin said.

Western added another three points with a Mineral Water Bowl record 48-yard field goal by kicker Dustin Strickler making the score 17-7.
Western’s special team also made two other crucial plays.

Punter Jamie Hanson kicked a 76-yard punt that the Wildcats were not expecting.

“We called a timeout thinking that we were going to get a decent field position but bang we were on the 6 or 7 yard line,” said McLaughlin.

The special team also gave Western a crucial first down with a fake punt pass to free safety J.R. Graham who ran for 32 yards.
“They had that look,” Partridge said.

That “look” was the Wildcats lining up to block the punt.

The defense also played a critical role, especially in the waning minutes of the contest.

The score was 20-13 and the Wildcats were hunting for another score to tie the game when the defense put an end to the threat.

“Their defense adjusted to what we wanted to do. I thought they did a great job adjusting to what our game plan was defensively,” McLaughlin said.

Senior linebacker Jacob Schoonover was awarded the defensive MVP of the game after tallying 14 tackles and one sack.

“The defense played well,” said Schoonover.  “The biggest thing that stuck out was a lot of our guys make some big hits.”

With less than five minutes to go in the game, Western opened the door for Wayne State to comeback when Drew Newhart fumbled on the Wildcats’ 18, Newhart went 14 of 29 passing for 146 yards.

The Wildcats then steadily marched down the field trying to get into the end zone.

Everybody in the stadium held their collective breath, seeing what the Wildcats’ offense would do.

With the game on the line and the Wildcats on Western’s 22-yard line, defensive lineman Andrew Gilmore provided a crucial play by sacking the Wildcats quarterback, his second of the game.

This caused the Wildcats to try to score on fourth and five but the pass rush from Western’s defensive tackle Soane Etu caused the Wildcats’ quarterback to throw and incomplete pass.

Western gained the ball and ran down the clock for their fourth victory in the Mineral Water Bowl, the third in the last five years.

Another Griffon football season came to a close Saturday and after a roller coaster of a season, Missouri Western’s general on the field has received some well-deserved recognition.

Drew Newhart was recently named the MIAA conference Freshman of the Year.  Newhart threw for 21 touchdowns, only 10 interceptions and over 2,000 yards this year.  He had the fourth highest passer rating in the conference during regular season play at 148.4 and completed 58.9% of his passes (139-236.)  Numbers like these are very strong, especially for a freshman.  Newhart was also an All-MIAA honorable mention selection, but credits his success to his teammates.

“It’s a team accomplishment really,” Newhart said. “It takes everyone to do that.  The o-line did a great job this year and the receivers always made big plays so it’s definitely a credit to them too.”

 

The freshman signal-caller led a highly ranked offensive unit full of young weapons. His 148.4 efficiency rating ranks third among all Division II freshman quarterbacks. Newhart has great poise and leadership, something that is very rare for a freshman.  Qualities like these along with his quick feet and even quicker release gives Newhart the ability to simply make things happen out on the field.  His play has guided the Griffons to a 9-3 record this year. It is the fourth time in five years that the Griffons have won at least nine games in a season.

Newhart is a very good quarterback, but as a freshman, he has a lot of time to develop into one of the best.  Running back Thomas Hodges is also a freshman and appreciates Newhart’s play.

“There’s a lot of good quarterbacks out there,” Hodges said.  “But one thing that drew has over all of them is that he has this great knack for making plays.”

Newhart’s play making ability a lot of time provided the spark for the Griffon offense.  Averaging 37.1 points per game, the Griffon scoring attack was packed with many big plays.  Some of Newhart’s highlights included a 94 yard touchdown hook up with Cedric Houston against Fort Hays State, which is the second longest scoring strike in Griffon history.  Newhart also threw for a career high four touchdown passes and 321 yards in a 52-21 victory over Emporia State.  Newhart’s numbers were near the top of the conference in nearly every category.  Head Coach Jerry Partridge is very proud of his quarterback’s play this year.

“There are a lot of good quarterbacks in this conference, but I wouldn’t trade Drew for any of them,” Partridge said.

Newhart was the leader of the team. Even as a Freshman he gained the respect of his teammates quickly.

The way Newhart captained this very young and very talented squad had many skeptics and believers alike talking about his play.  MIAA Freshman of the Year is one of three prized player awards given at the end of every year along with Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.  But this is just the beginning of the Newhart era.  After nearly leading the Griffons to a playoff berth in his first season under the reigns, Griffon fans are excited for what’s to come in the future.  Drew Newhart is equally excited.

“We’re only going to get better so we’re looking forward for things to come,” Newhart said.

Newhart will be one of many returning starters to the team next year. Along with Newhart the team will return Thomas Hodges, La’Darrian Page, Andrew Mead, Andrew Gilmore and many others. Next years team will be full of experienced players ready to make a run at a championship.

Both teams struggled in the first-half of the game, with Western scoring the only scoring opportunity of the half with a touchdown pass from quarterback Newhart, to wide receiver,  Mead.

In the second-half, Missouri Western put on 13 more points to counter the Wildcats’ 13 points.

Three of Western’s points were scored with a 48-yard field goal by kicker Dustin Strickler, a record for the Mineral Water Bowl series. He also had 30-yard field goal.

Running Back La’Darrian Page had a 55-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to help Western win over the Wildcats.

Western’s punter, Jamie Hanson, also broke a record with a 76 yard punt from Western’s 15 yard line to WSC’s 9 yard line.

Western’s Page was named offensive player MVP and Linebacker Jacob Schoonover was defensive MVP of the game. 

This slip up by the Griffons not only costs them a home playoff game, but maybe the playoffs all-together. The Mineral Water Bowl may even be in doubt because of the debacle at Truman State 37-28.

“The hardest part of this game is we could have gone deep into the playoffs if we won,” Jarrett Morris, a junior cornerback for the Griffons said. “Our offense was playing great and our defense had been getting turnovers all season long.”

The Griffons played a great first half other than the last minute of the second quarter. With a minute left in the half, the Griffons held a 28-14 lead. This was the beginning of the end of any success for the Griffons.

In that minute span before halftime, Truman State scored nine points and took the momentum of the game away from the Griffons who had consistently put together long scoring drives in the first half.

The Griffons started the second half strong, but after a penalty on their first drive, on a fourth down conversion attempt, the Griffons were forced to a field goal try.

Instead of stretching a 28-23 game to 31-23, someone on the coaching staff of made a bad choice that changed the possible outcome of the game. One of the coaches decided to fake the field goal and Dustin Strickler couldn’t make a first down on the play, so the Griffons turned the ball over.

This was the big momentum changer in the game. After the fake field goal, the Griffons had no more scoring attempts until the final drive of the game when an interception was thrown in the end zone to end any chance of a Missouri Western comeback.

After stopping the fake field goal, Truman State marched their offense down the field for a touchdown, which made the game 29-28. Truman went for a two-point conversion to make the lead 31-28.

The game would have been tied if the field goal had been kicked, instead of the score being tied; Truman took the lead and never gave it up.

“All phases of our game broke down,” said Allen. “It was a team loss and extremely disappointing. While Truman made adjustments to what we were doing to them, we made stupid mistakes.”
All of the games Missouri Western has lost this season had come when the Griffon offense could not put up more than 30 points in the game.

It was not all the defenses fault in this game though. They played hard in the second half and kept Truman out of the end zone after turnovers had given the Bulldogs great field position.
The story of the game was the Griffons weren’t able to get the job done on the road, in a game against a team they should beat, to go to the playoffs and have the first home playoff game in school history.

The team is young and there is always next year but this loss was a hard one to take, resulting in higher efficiency.”

The recent success of the Griffon football squad can be credited to the running game of an already potent offense.  With a dominant offensive line and the freshman one-two punch of running backs Thomas Hodges and La’Darrian Page, the Griffon rushing attack has helped Missouri Western finish 8-3 in the regular season.  Although the playoffs are not a possibility, the Griffons have had a pretty successful year.  A trip to the Mineral Water Bowl is now on the horizon.

This season, the two have combined for over 1,800 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns.  Page and Hodges have worked together to become a duo that teams in the MIAA have had a hard time stopping.  Two running back offenses have become a regular thing in football these days.  It is now almost a necessity because the game has developed into such a physical sport, constantly wearing down running backs.  Missouri Western’s team is no exception, and is working to their advantage.  Head coach Jerry Partridge appreciates his running game.

“They’re both very effective and it’s great to have them,” Partridge said.

Hodges is considered the more bruising, powerful back of the two, bringing the thunder.  Page brings quickness and speed delivering the lightning strike of the offense.  Although the two backs have contrasting running styles, but they both work together to make a very valuable rushing attack. 

 There is no other way to describe La’Darrian Page on the football field other than a playmaker.  Every time he touches the ball there is a chance that the crowd will see another Griffon touchdown.

 “If I can get past the linebackers I think I can score,” Page said.

   Page’s favorite NFL running back ever is Barry Sanders and you can see glimpses of that in his own explosive play.  With a 5-8, 160 lb. frame, Page may seem small, but he plays with the heart of a lion.  Offensive lineman Roger Allen recently dubbed LP “Lil’ Spiderman.”  Page’s quickness and agility like Spiderman make it no easy task to bring him down. 

Hodges said he would rather be the X-Men’s Juggernaut though.  When you watch Thomas Hodges run the football you notice two things at first, strength and determination.  As you watch more, you will discover that powerful running style of the 5-10, 220 lb. freshman is complimented by exceptional speed.  His favorite running back is Walter Payton, who immortalized the number 34 jersey that Hodges wears every Saturday.  Hodges runs with the same intensity that Payton brought to the game, always fighting for every yard.  Hodges doesn’t always make the big play, but he is effective and always gets the job done.

“I always try to get up field and get as much as I can,” Hodges said.

The two running back system helps keep both running backs fresh and provides other opportunities as well.  Having the luxury of two good running backs, especially with contrasting styles such as these, opens things up in the offense.  Page has the ability to get to outside and split the defense which give Hodges more of a chance to get yards up the middle.  Hodges hammers around inside for awhile and teams put more players in the box, this frees up Page to make a play outside.

Another difference in the two running backs is their personality.  Page is laid back, cool and soft-spoken.  Hodges has an outgoing, crazy and comical personality.

For Halloween this year, Hodges hid in a trash can and jumped out as teammates walked by to scare them.  Coach Partridge and the rest of the team enjoy both their personalities.

 “They’re popular guys,” Partridge said.  “Everybody likes them.”

What was a fun regular season is now over.  Missouri Western made a valiant effort to reach the playoffs for the second straight year but unfortunately fell short.  Both Hodges and Page mentioned that the highlight of their season was defeating conference foe Pitt. State at the Jungle this year.  The Griffons have developed into a MIAA powerhouse that is consistently one of the top teams in the conference.

La’Darrian Page and Thomas Hodges are both very good players and a lot of fun to watch.  Unfortunately if you haven’t made it to see them play yet, you have missed your chance for the year.  Don’t sweat it though; perhaps the most exciting thing about the deadly St. Joseph Squall tandem is that it’s only just the beginning.  Both players are only freshman, so it’s a storm that won’t blow over any time soon.

 With post-season play hanging in the balance, Missouri Western (8-2 overall, 6-2 conference) overcame a stubborn Mules team with some clutch, impressive special teams play.

 After one half of play the Griffons looked like they had total control of the game thanks to some tough defense and a key interception by senior Griffon linebacker Jacob Schoonover, who returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.  

However, early in the third quarter, Central (6-4 overall, 5-3 conference) punched in to the end zone with a 2-yard run from running back Jeremy Braden.  The score capped a 14-play, 6:20 drive that brought the Mules back within a score.  On the very next possession for Central, it only took them one play and a two-point conversion to tie up the game at 21.
“We were so close, so many times to getting into position to kick a field goal and putting the icing on it, we just never did,” Western coach Jerry Partridge said.  “To Central’s credit, they continued to battle, scratch and claw.”

The Griffons were not about to go down quietly however.  On their next possession, Ferrell McGhee set up the offense with an excellent kick return to the 50 yard line. Then, the offense only needed two outstanding throws from backup quarterback Barron Bradshaw to put his team back in the lead.  Bradshaw, who came in for an injured Drew Newhart, went two plays for 50 yards, and capped the drive with a 26 yard completion to sophomore tight-end Billy Babcock.

“I think what helped us out was Ferrell’s return that put us in good field position,” Bradshaw said.  “And to come in and, I guess you could say throw the game-winning touchdown, it’s something you dream about as a kid.”

 Western’s special teams weren’t done yet though.   After the Griffon’s defense held tough to force a Central punt, senior Jacob Schoonover decided one touchdown on senior day wasn’t enough.  He blocked the punt and ran the loose ball in for his second score of the day to put the Griffons back up by two scores.

 “I can’t explain how it feels,” Schoonover said. “It feels very good to know I contributed, but it wasn’t just me; we had a lot of guys stepping up and making plays.”
 The Mules threatened one last time in this back and forth game, but Missouri Western was finally able to get the running game going to seal the victory.  Running back La’Darrian Page, who finished the day with 129 yards rushing, kept the Central offense on the sidelines with four rushes, including one 38 yard run and a 29 yard scamper into the end zone.
 “Our running game started clickin’, and little ‘Spider Man’ LP squirted out for a touchdown,” offensive lineman Roger Allen said. 

 The victory was the fifth in a row for Missouri Western, and it was the fifth straight against a tough Central Missouri team. 

 The win also almost guarantees a playoff birth for the Griffons, barring a complete meltdown against a struggling 5-5 Truman State team.

Missouri Western’s defense played a big role in the Griffons, 37-9 victory as they held the Fort Hays Tigers to just 208 total yards of offense.

The Griffons (4-2) got on the board early when lineback­er Jacob Schoonover intercepted a pass and ran it back 26 yards to put the Griffons on the scoreboard. La’Darrian Page added a 14-yard touchdown run to put the Griffons up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Griffons improved to 3-0 on the road this season. Cornerback Jarrett Morris contributes their success on the road to the coaching staff.

“The coaches put it in our minds that to be a good team you must win on the road,” Morris said.

In the second quarter, Drew Newhart threw a 94-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Houston. That play was the sec­ond longest pass play in the history of Western football. The Tigers would add a field goal and recover a fumble in the end zone to make the score 20-9 at halftime.
The Griffons defense, after struggling last week against Washburn, bounced back in a big way against the Tigers, giving up only three points as a defense. Defensive Coordinator Regi Trotter thought the defense showed signs of maturity.

“Guys are starting to figure it out, we are starting to play up to our capabilities,” Trotter said.

Quarterback Drew Newhart had a career day. He passed for a career high 277 yards and also had career high in pass attempts with 32. Newhart believed ball con­trol helped the Griffons win the game.

“Offensively we had long drives to keep the momentum in our favor,” Newhart said.

The Griffons outscored the Tigers 17-0 in the second half. The Griffons would get another touchdown from Page as he scored from 26 yards out. Barron Bradshaw would throw a late touchdown to Anthony Anderson and Dustin Strickler added a field goal in the second half to make the final score 37-9.

The Griffons had a hard week of practice and Morris believes that harder practices in the future will equal to success.

“We need to practice harder and harder to keep getting better each week,” Morris said.
 
The Griffons will look to build off this victory, and keep momentum going into the homecoming game against Southwest Baptist. Trotter believes the team is building on these victories.

“We have been getting better and better each week; we keep improving,” Trotter said.

The Griffons need to finish this season strong to make another playoff appearance. They will start that run by facing Southwest Baptist this next weekend.

“We thought we could run over this team,” Chauncy Mayfield, strong safety for the Griffons said. “We shouldn’t sleep on any team. We got to play like its Northwest or Pitt State every week. We have to bring that same emotion every week.”

Washburn ran the ball 60 times for 293 yards and starting tailback for the Ichabods, Ra’Shawn Mosely, ran for 210 yards by himself.

“Mosely ran hard,” Seth Hane, middle linebacker for the Griffons said. “The coaches for Washburn had some good schemes against us and took advantage of one-on-one blocking up front.”

In the last three games against Northwest, Pitt State and Washburn, the Griffon defense has given up 1,444 yards of total offense and 749 of those yards have come on the ground.

The Griffons’ defense did make a play that could have turned the game around. When linebacker Robert Bishop forced a fumble, the ball was picked up by cornerback Jarrett Morris who returned it for a touchdown, making the score 31-24 with 2:40 left in the game.

The Griffons were down by only seven and needed a stop or to recover an onside kick.

“We thought about an onside kick for a second,” Jerry Partridge, head coach of the Griffons said. “We put Dustin Strickler in to kick. He’s our best pooch kick guy, but the wind was at our back and the ball went to far.”

The idea behind a pooch kick is for the ball to travel about 30 yards in the air and land in a vacant space where a Griffon could recover the ball, but the ball was kicked too deep and was caught easily by the deep returner for the Ichabods.

The Ichabod offense took the field after the deep kick and ran the ball twice. Each run was for more than 10 yards, effectively ending a miserable game for the Griffons.

Four of the top five tacklers for the Griffons were defensive backs, which means the Ichabod running backs were getting into the secondary way too much.

“We have to play our assignments, tackle better and play together,” Mayfield said.

“When I caught that ball, it felt wonderful,” said Houston. “The heat, the crowd, it all meant nothing after that catch.”

That catch gave the Griffons 38-32 lead over the No. 7 team in the nation, which became 39-32 with a Dustin Strickler extra point to cap off the win against all odds.

The Griffons’ defense gave Missouri Western the opportunity to win after the offense stalled with 1:30 left on the clock. Pitt State was in their two-minute offense, trying to march down the field with less than a minute left.

 Defensive lineman Etu Soane made made the play of the game when he hit Pitt State quarterback Mark Smith from behind, knocking the ball loose from the quarterback’s grasp.

The ball seemed to be on the rolling on the ground forever as madness broke out to recover the football. Players were diving on top of players to build a mass of humanity in search of the ball. If the other team had it, they would do anything to pry it from their hands.

At the bottom of the pile, with the ball, in the right spot at the perfect time, was first year defensive lineman Martin Lane. As the bodies were sorted through by the officials Lane, got up, jumped around in celebration and held the ball up where everyone could see it.

“We had a twist called and our guys got the job done,” Regi Trotter, defensive coordinator for the Griffons said. “I was just hoping for a turnover. A stop would have been great, but a turnover in that situation is even better.”

“The Jungle” that was once the hardest place for the Griffons to win, was now silent other than one corner of the stadium where the Griffon faithful sat.

The Griffons had not won at Pitt State since 1984 and the head coach of the Griffons, Jerry Partridge, had not won a game in “The Jungle” in his tenure at Missouri Western.

The young Griffons team showed their ability and remarkable composure to win in a tough environment.
“We knew it was going to be a tough win and just wanted to come out here and play our hardest to get the W,” said La’Darrian Page, one of the two running backs for the Griffons.

The Griffons offense was led by the running back combination of  “Thunder,” Thomas Hodges and “Lightening,” La’Darrian Page. Both backs ran for 155 yards, so the combination of Page and Hodges had 310 of the Griffons’ 469 yards worth of offensive production.

“Hodges and I came into this game knowing that we were going to have to get it done on the ground,” said Page. “We pounded the ball, made good decisions and held onto the football all day long. At the end of the day it got us a win.”

The unsung heroes of the game were the offensive linemen who opened up huge holes for the tandem of Hodges and Page to run through.

“The offensive line was terrific,” Page said. “It’s the best they’ve played all year. The offense moves and scores off of what they do up front.”

Houston was another go-to guy during the game. He had two touchdowns and made dazzling plays throughout the second half of the football game when the pressure was at its highest.

He had an amazing punt return on an all out block by the Griffons, which means he had no blockers down field and made something out of nothing. He caught a screen, broke at least three tackles, reversed field twice and scored a touchdown from about 30 yards out. His biggest play of the game came at the most crucial part: the end. He ran a stop and go to perfection, the corner bit on the stop route as Houston ran by, quarterback Drew Newhart threw a perfect pass right on Houston’s hands and the game was over.

Griffons win.

Once, every other year, the campus of Missouri Western State University comes to life as the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri travel down to compete in a heated rivalry game on the field of Spratt Stadium.  The fans proudly display their black and boldly wear their gold; they show up early to barbecue and haze the passing NWMSU fans.  MWSU students and alumni squeeze into Spratt Memorial stadium like sardines, just for a chance to cheer on their Griffon football team.  For one day, every other year, the common observer can look out into the crowd of black and gold and say that there is a football game going on at MWSU.

The problem is that the following week, or the week after that, when Washburn, SW Baptist, or any other division II NCAA football team comes to town, the campus turns back into plain-old boring Missouri Western.  A passerby would often have a hard time distinguishing whether it was a college football game or just a high school junior varsity scrimmage. 

This year a record breaking 9,007 people crammed inside the fences around MWSU’s football field to see the Griffons take on their rival NWMSU.  Regardless of how the game turned out, it was exciting to sit in the crowd and experience what it feels like to be at a game where the crowd shows pride in their school. 

As of 2005 Missouri Western is a state recognized university.  It’s time we start to show some pride in our athletics.  A good place to look might be just across the field next time NWMSU comes to town.  This year they lost their opening game and they still brought nearly as many fans to the big rivalry game as Missouri Western did.  Anyone who has traveled to Maryville to watch a football game knows what I’m talking about.  They show pride in their team every single week, win or lose.

For those who haven’t been paying attention, we have a team to be proud of right now.  Just last year the Griffon football team finished with a very impressive 9-3 record, and they made an appearance in the NCAA-II playoffs.  There has never been a better time to be a MWSU student and fan.  Saturday, September 9, Washburn is coming to town.  Be proud to be a Griffon and get out to cheer for our football team against somebody other that Northwest. 

This team showed they’re not waiting a few years to be good; they’re a playoff team now.

I watched redshirt freshman Thomas Hodges bull doze his way down the field for long run after long run. He ended up having 155 yards on the game, but that number could have easily been over 200 if a couple of his runs hadn’t been called back because of penalties.

Hodges dislocated his shoulder in the third quarter on a run play along the sideline, came out popped it back into place and kept playing. If that doesn’t show a bit of toughness, I don’t know what does.

La’Darrian Page limped off the play before Hodges got hurt, came limping back into the game as Hodges held his arm in pain, then ran for a long touchdown.

Page use smooth moves, quickness and speed to elude Pitt defenders all game long. Page had two long carries in a row for touchdowns in the third quarter where he slipped out of tackles, made people miss then used his speed to get to the endzone.

Keep in mind these players are freshman and will be around for three more years.

Quarterback Drew Newhart maybe didn’t have the greatest game, but he made a perfect throw to sophomore wide receiver Cedric Houston to win the game. He came up with the big play when the Griffons needed it the most.

Houston, as mentioned before, is a sophomore. Every time he touched the ball against Pitt, he did something spectacular with it. He was reversing fields, making people miss and doing whatever he needed to do for the team to win.

Pherrell Mcgee, a redshirt sophomore reciever, looked good as well on returns. He took the opening kickoff of the game 51 yards into Pitt State territory. That return led to a touchdown for the Griffons on the opening drive.

The most promising thing I saw about him was on a ball he didn’t catch though. He ran a post on a third down play, knew he was about to get hit  hard and went all out for it. Like I said before, he didn’t catch it, but the willingness to take the hit in order to catch the ball was apparent to anyone who was watching.

On defense, Brad Davidson, a redshirt sophomore, was all over the field. He made crucial tackles and sacks the entire game and showed leadership on the defensive line.
Redshirt freshman cornerback Kendall Davis ended the game with an interception in the endzone. He now has three interceptions on the season and is one of the leaders in the MIAA for interceptions so far this season.

If the Griffons look this good now, it won’t be too long before they are competing for championships. In fact, they are ready to compete now.

After the Griffons received the opening kickoff, there was still a buzz in the air as quarterback Drew Newhart completed the first pass of the game to wide-receiver Andrew Mead.  Unfortunately, that was the ed of the excitement as a northwest defender quickly drilled Mead, jarring the football loose.  Northwest recovered the football, and Missouri Western was not able to recover the quarter.

“That fumble the very first play of the game definitely sparked some momentum from them. It’s definitely hard to take, but you’ve got to live and learn,” Mead said.  “But at the same time, me, I can’t be doing that as a leader on this team; I can’t be putting the football on the ground.”

The Bearcats would go on to score three consecutive, unanswered touchdowns in the first quarter alone. The Northwest offense was led by senior running back Xavier Omon, who rushed for a total of 120 yards, and adding another 56 yards receiving. Junior quarterback Joel Osborn was also impressive throwing for 287 yards, completing 19 of 26 attempts. 

“Everybody was just gellin’. Osborn did a great job. He’s worked so hard. He deserved this,” Omon said. “We’re a great team; when we’re playing well, we’re a great team.”

Northwest struck first in the second quarter as well with a 13 yard touchdown pass from Osborn to tight-end Greg Applegate to complete their opening 28 unanswered points. 

Finally, with only six minutes and thirty-three seconds left in the half, Missouri Western got on the scoreboard with an eight yard pass from Newhart to Mead.  Newhart finished the game 15-27 with 152 passing, and Mead led in receiving with 125 yards.

However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the dominating performance of the Northwest Bearcats’ physical offense.

“I thought we got out-physicalled a little bit, and at this stage, where we’re stopping the run, we’ve got to score points more often than what we’re doing,” coach Jerry Partridge said.  “We just didn’t handle the early flurry of punches and momentum.  But I thought the second half we competed well,  hung in there and battled and we put a respectable showing.”

The Griffons began to mount a comeback in the third quarter by forcing Northwest into a quick three and out.  The teams traded possessions for a while until Missouri Western pounded the ball into the end-zone with a run by freshman running back Thomas Hodges.  Hodges finished with a team leading 56 yards rushing and one touchdown. 

In the end, the Griffons just weren’t able to respond to the blazingly fast Northwest start. The early turnovers are what put the Griffons in a deep hole early. The Bearcats add another tally in the win column of this historical rivalry with the Griffons, which Northwest now leads 16-11.

The Griffons go to Pittsburg State University, one of the hardest places to play in Division II football, next Saturday. Pittsburg State is always one of the best teams in the conference. This will be another tough game for the young Griffons.

The Missouri Western football team lost Saturday night to Northwest Missouri State University, 44-20.

In the 1st quarter, Northwest scored 3 unanswered touchdowns; 2 were within the first 6 minutes of the game. A fumble by Missouri Western lead to one of those touchdowns.

After allowing Northwest to score 28 unanswered points, Missouri Western finally scored a touchdown with a reception by No. 7, Andrew Mead, in the 2nd quarter.

Missouri Western’s second touchdown came from a rushing touchdown in the 3rd quarter by running back Thomas Hodges, narrowing the score gap to 28-14.

The last Missouri Western touchdown was a reception by Mead in the 4th quarter. Missouri Western failed to make a 2-point conversion off of that touchdown. The score was 38-20.

Northwest, however, would answer that touchdown by another of their own making the final score 44-20. They missed the ensuing field goal kick.

Other highlights of the game:

Drew Newhart, Missouri Western’s quarterback, was sacked 3 times in a drive late in the 4th quarter.

An on-side kick by Northwest led to them scoring the last touchdown of the game.

Missouri Western football is now 2-1 for the season.

Click for more photos of the game

More details and images to come.

The Missouri Western football team will look to build off last year’s successful season. The football team broke through and made their first playoff appearance last year. Many of the main players from last year’s team have graduated, so the team will look to younger players to step up.

The team will have a big challenge to start off conference play. The Griffon’s first three conference games are against Northwest,then Pittsburg State and Washburn who are the best teams in the MIAA. Head coach Jerry Partridge has
pushed his players extra hard to get ready for the tough schedule.

“That is why we have had such a tough camp because we are trying to push our kids to get ready for that,” Partridge said.

The team does bring back players off last year’s squad. The entire offensive
line returns including first team all conference lineman Roger Allen. On the defensive side of the ball the team returns six starters including first team all-MIAA J.R. Graham.

The football team has new offensive and defensive coordinators as well. There
has been an adjustment for both coaches, but for Trotter the adjustment was a little more challenging.

“It’s been an adjustment because of the late notice getting the job, but I think it is going well,” Trotter said.

The strength of the offensive is going to be the offensive line. The wide receivers will also play a big role under the offensive game plan. Fenwick believes that for the offense to be successful the receivers will have to
step up and make plays.

“With Brooks gone someone will have to step up and be that guy,” Fenwick said.
“We have a couple guys that can fill that role.”

The defensive strength will be the two returning safeties. J.R. Graham and
Chauncey Mayfield will look to provide senior leadership to a young defensive team. Linebacker Seth Hane will also return to help bolster the defense.

Some may look at this year’s team as being in rebuilding mode. The team
does not feel that way. Sophomore wide receiver Andrew Mead would like to
continue the success they had last year.

“We would love to go back to the playoffs and be competitive in conference,”
Mead said.

Freshman will play a big role on this team. Freshman defensive lineman Andrew Gilmore is a probable starter on the defensive line. There are also two freshmen battling it out for the starting quarterback position. The two players vying for that spot are Barron Bradshaw and Drew Newhart.

The special teams should be one of the strengths of the team. The team returns
kicker Dustin Strickler and punter Jamie Hanson, they were both all league performers last year. Partridge knows this will be solid at those positions.

“We have great specialists returning for our team,” Partridge said.

The football team will balance youth with experienced players and try to get back
to the playoffs. Getting to post season play is the main goal of the football team.

The team will rely on new players at many positions. They will need those players
to step up and fill the void left by last year’s departing players.

The starting quarterback position for the football team is still up in the air. The competition is between Barron Bradshaw and Drew Newhart. Both are good athletes and neither quarterback has made this an easy decision for the
football coaching staff.

Drew Newhart is a local product from Cameron, Missouri were he was the quarterback of the state championship teams for Cameron. He is listed at 6’0” 185 pounds.

Barron Bradshaw is an instate product from St.. Louis, Missouri. He is known for his great arm strength. He is listed at 6’2” 196 pounds.

As I stated before Bradshaw’s biggest strength is his arm strength and his leadership ability.Newhart’s strengths are his mobility and he is a little quicker than Bradshaw. The race between the two quarterbacks is dead even. Both quarterbacks are well liked by their teammates and show great leadership skills.

This year could also end up like last year and both quarterbacks could see playing time. Either way they go I believe either quarterback can be successful and lead the Griffons to great success.

Putting together a depth chart is like putting a puzzle together.Each piece has to fit together. Starters from last year’s team leaving gave opportunities to players to grab a starting spot.

Another position for opportunity is the wide receiver position. With Jarrett Brooks departure it has opened up for guys to step up into a bigger role. Players that could fill this role are Andrew Mead, Joey Harris, Anthony Anderson and Zach Sharp.

For the team to be successful this upcoming season young guys are going to have to step up and be playmakers. Young guys like Andrew Gilmore, Kendall Davis, Demarcus Trotter and Thomas Hodges. The team maybe young, but they are athletic and have a strong core of senior leadership.

The mix of young guys and returning players is what makes this team interesting. Watching this team this year will be exciting. It will be interesting to see how the team adapts to the new coordinators and also see how the new starters adapt
to their new roles. No matter what the outcomes of the games this team will be young and exciting to watch this season.

This is the highest honor a student athlete can achieve at Missouri Western. It stands for leadership and having special qualities that most people only dream to possess.

Lindsey Predovich, a pitcher and infielder for the softball team here at Missouri Western was the winner of the female athlete of the year award. She leads her team in batting average hitting .366, is one of the best pitchers in the conference with a 2.32 earned run average and strikes out almost eight batters a game, which is good enough for second in the conference.

Leon Douglas was the male athlete of the year for Missouri Western. His accomplishments include being named to the MIAA All-Conference team, starting Academic All-American team and many others that he has received in the past few months that have nothing to do with sports.

“It’s an honor to win this award,” said Leon Douglas. “I remember the first Athlete of the Year awards banquet I went to as a freshman. I wanted to be that person who wins the award and represents the school and athletic program in a good way.”

Both of the recipients do excalty that and are keeping the tradition of great student athletes alive at Missouri Western.

2 Detroit Lions-Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech
Wide receiver may not be Detroit’s most pressing need, but they cannot pass on the best player in the draft.

3 Cleveland Browns-Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma
Even with Peterson’s injury problems in college Cleveland takes the best running back in the draft.

4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Gaines Adams DE Clemson
Tampa Bay picks Adams in hopes that he becomes the next Simeon Rice.

5 Arizona Cardinals-Joe Thomas OT Wisconsin
Arizona gets their left tackle to help protect last years first round pick Matt Leinart.

6 Washington Redskins-Amobi Okoye DT Louisville
Washington takes the 19-year-old defensive tackle to address their defensive line need.

7 Minnesota Vikings-Leon Hall CB Michigan
Minnesota needs a cornerback and they get the best cornerback in the draft.

8 Atlanta Falcons-LaRon Landry S LSU
Along with DeAngelo Hall could make one of the best secondaries in the league.

9 Miami Dolphins-Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame
Miami gets their quarterback of the future with the pick of Quinn.

10 Houston Texans-Levi Brown OT Penn State
Houston drafts left tackle to help protect newly acquired quarterback Matt Schaub.

11 San Francisco 49ers-Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
San Francisco lacked consistent pass rush last year and they hope Anderson can help solve that problem.

12 Buffalo Bills-Patrick Willis LB Mississippi
Willis is a fast and athletic linebacker who can make an immediate impact for the Bills.

13 St. Louis Rams-Alan Branch DT Michigan
St. Louis has had problems drafting defensive tackles in the past. They hope Branch is the answer for them at that spot.

14 Carolina Panthers-Greg Olsen TE Miami
Carolina has long needed a playmaking tight end and Olsen is a playmaker.

15 Pittsburgh Steelers-Darrelle Revis CB Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh will go with the local product Revis to shore up their secondary woes.

16 Green Bay Packers-Marshawn Lynch RB California
Green Bay will replace Ahman Green with the athletic Lynch.

17 Jacksonville Jaguars-Adam Carriker DE Nebraska
Jacksonville needs a strong defensive lineman and Carriker fits that mold.

18 Cincinnati Bengals-Lawrence Timmons LB Florida State
Cincinnati will help out their linebacker core by drafting Timmons.

19 Tennessee Titans-Dwayne Bowe WR LSU
Right now Tennessee’s wide receiver core consists of Justin Gage and David Givens a receiver is a must for them in round one.

20 New York Giants-Joe Staley OT Central Michigan
Staley could be a starter for New York on opening day with their left tackle David Diehl not seeming to be a permanent solution.

21 Denver Broncos-Jarvis Moss DE Florida
Denver is in need of a pass rushing defensive end and Moss’s athletic ability makes him the pick here.

22 Dallas Cowboys-Ted Ginn Jr. Ohio State
The playmaking ability of Ginn will be too much for Jerry Jones to pass up at this pick.

23 Kansas City Chiefs-Justin Harrell DT Tennessee
Kansas City is desperate for good defensive tackle and they hope Harrell pans out better than the Ryan Sims disaster.

24 New England Patriots-Paul Posluszny LB Penn State
New England needs to bolster their linebacker core and in Posluszny they get a high class player.

25 New York Jets-Aaron Ross CB Texas
New York needs a cornerback to help out in the secondary and Ross is the third best cornerback in the draft.

26 Philadelphia Eagles- Michael Griffin S Texas
Philadelphia will look to add a safety to go along with pro bowler Brian Dawkins and with Griffin they get a good solid safety.

27 New Orleans Saints- Chris Houston CB Arkansas
Though the Saints were solid against the pass last season they lacked a true number one at cornerback. They hope Houston may develop into one someday.

28 New England Patriots- Reggie Nelson S Florida
The safety core is on shaky ground with ageless wonder Rodney Harrison leading the way. Nelson adds youth to the position.

29 Baltimore Ravens-Ryan Kalil C USC
Baltimore will look offensive line to help protect Steve McNair.

30 San Diego Chargers- Robert Meachem WR Tennessee
San Diego’s receiving core caught zero touchdowns last year. They hope a playmaker like Meachem can change that.

31 Chicago Bears- John Beason LB Miami
With the whole Lance Briggs saga the Bears will go linebacker and select a solid player in Beason.

32 Indianapolis Colts- DeMarcus Tyler DT NC State
They get a big powerful defensive lineman that should help the run defense.

Robinson could become the third player from Missouri Western to get drafted in the NFL draft. The other two being, John Fisher a defensive back who was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round in 1996 and Vince Thomson a defensive end who was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round in 1985.

There have been many Division II athletes that have had successful careers in the NFL. Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, Andre Reed, and Harry Carson to name a few that have been successful.

Even if Robinson goes undrafted, which I don’t think he will, he still could easily make a team. Antonio Gates went undrafted and I’d say he is doing pretty well for his self.

Being undrafted though is undoubtedly disappointing, but it gives a player freedom to sign were they would like to sign.

The reason I believe Robinson will get drafted is because of the combine he had. Robinson ran a 4.71 40 yard dash which was the second fastest 40 time for the tight ends. He was right behind Greg Olsen of the University of Miami.

Also weighing in at 255 pounds made him one of the bigger tight ends there. This is a good thing because blocking is one of Robinson’s best attributes.

I am not saying Robinson is the next Gates or anything like that, but I believe he is good enough to get drafted. Robinson getting drafted would not only be good for him, but would shed a positive light on the football program. I am sure recruiting would be helped if Robinson was drafted.

There is no doubt that NFL draft weekend is special for all involved. I hope it’s special for Robinson and we get to see his name scroll on the bottom of ESPN.

Despite the fact that Western has lost many key players, hopes are still high for the future. Head coach Jerry Partridge is optimistic about the freshman class coming in and also several players who are returning. “We have a great class of young players and they are all going to have to step up.”

The main thing the team lacks going into spring training is experience. This is something which will hopefully be sorted out through spring ball. “We want to have an idea of who’s ready and who’s not and hopefully the kids will get better,” said Partridge. After spring training, the team hopes to have the players confident and more experienced.

One of the major places the team lost seniors was on the defensive line. However, Western wisely recruited heavily for the defensive line. “We’ve recruited to that spot more than any other and the young kids are just gonna have to step up,” said Partridge.

Leadership is not much of a question for the team heading into the future. “We have veteran wide receivers as well as offensive lineman who will provide leadership,” said Partridge.

However, the defense will have valuable leadership as well. “We have linebackers who have played a lot of football,” said Partridge. The team will not lack confidence going into next season.

There are still many strengths on the team going into spring. One of the key strengths is an offensive line who has everyone returning. This will surely play a factor in helping a young quarterback develop and give him a chance to do well. “Really our only weakness is inexperience,” said Partridge. Coach Partridge as well as the rest of the team are confident in their ability to be a good team. Experience is the only weakness and it will come with time.

Missouri Western head coach Jerry Partridge announced the signing of 25 high school football players. The team signed 7 players from local schools.

Among them was defensive linemen Andrew Gilmore from Benton High School.

He is considered the gem of the recruiting class. He is 6’0 285 lb. and has a vertical leap of 28 in. He will be in competition for a starting spot next year.

“Andrew is a kid that has a great deal of potential to play next year,” Partridge said.

Other area players that will play for the Griffons include Central High School’s quarterback Casey Siela and linebacker Tom Madget. From Savannah High School they signed defensive back’s Isaac Collins and Dustin Williams. The Griffons also signed Buchanan’s tight end Jesse Engelken and Cameron High School’s defensive lineman Aaron Fritz.

The Griffons also signed 3 athletes from the state of Iowa. They are running back Sean Ratliff, defensive lineman Ryan Katch and offensive lineman Joseph Bailey. Katch will also be in competition for a spot on the defensive lineman.

The main focus of this year’s recruiting class was defensive line. After losing the four horsemen to graduation they need to reload at that position.

They signed 6 defensive linemen and are looking to get more through the junior college ranks. The group of defensive linemen that were signed is a solid group.

“This is a very good defensive line class we signed,” Partridge said.

The Griffons are coming off one of the best years in Missouri Western football history. They tied the record for most wins in a season last year and they also made their first playoff appearance in school history.

The senior class that just left won a record 32 games over a 4-year span. Replacing them will be a tough task. Getting a good recruiting class was another step in order to keep the program on the right path.

This recruiting class along with last years will play a huge role in the team’s future success. The Griffons are hoping that the players they have along with recruits they are bringing in can keep the winning tradition going here at Missouri Western.

The Griffons have to get leadership out of receiver Joey Harris and safety J.R. Graham to lead the younger players back.

Most of the football recruits will red shirt their freshman year to gain experience and get time in the weight room.

Gilmore has the skills to play as a freshman and the Griffon defense may need him. All four starting defensive lineman on last year’s team were seniors and will be gone next year.

“It would be exciting to go out and be able to compete right away,” said Gilmore. “I want to go out and fight for that spot.”

His size allows him to be productive on the football field. A 6’0 ft 285 pound frame makes him a force on the defense.

Western football coach Jerry Partridge loves the physical skills that Gilmore brings to the table.

“His physical test numbers were ridiculous,” said Partridge. “He is ready to play.”

Signing Gilmore is a sign that Western is starting to close the area borders as more local players are deciding to come to Western. The last two recruiting classes have featured area players.

Gilmore wasn’t really interested when Western started recruiting him. The presence of other area players may be what changed his mind.

“I loved my official visit,” said Gilmore. “It was fun seeing everyone I know.”

The talent at area high schools has caught the eye of Partridge. Gilmore’s teammate at Benton, Demetrius Davis, has committed to Nebraska.

“There has really been at upshoot of talent at Benton,” said Partridge. “I was able to see Andy live and he just embarrasses people.”

The success of the Western football team has helped them on the recruiting front. Some potential recruits are excited by the opportunity to win a national championship.

Gilmore is eager to help the Griffons repeat last season’s success.

A solid work ethic is one thing that separates Gilmore from other players. He is willing to work harder than anyone else. This is one reason for his extraordinary physical skills.

Signing Gilmore was a must for Western after losing so many starters from last year’s defense. Western will have to use Gilmore and some junior college transfers to fill the holes at defensive line. The future of western looks bright after the last two recruiting classes.

“We will play well and our kids will work hard,” said Partridge.