Late turnover haunts Pioneers in loss to Bacone

Box Score A potential game-winning drive for the Wayland Baptist Pioneers turned disastrous when Bacone intercepted a pass and turned it into the winning points as the Warriors stole a 37-30 victory on Saturday afternoon at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium.
 
With under a minute left in the Central States Football League game, Wayland's third interception of the day was returned by Bacone's Gilbert Moses 37 yards to the Wayland 3-yard line. The Warriors scored on the next play.
 
The Pioneers had one final chance and almost made the most of it. After getting the ball near midfield on the kickoff, Wayland pushed it nine yards up the field to the Bacone 37 before a pair of dropped passes left time for only one play. Quarterback Payson Bain completed a long pass to Preston Woodard, but he was swallowed by a host of Warrior defenders at the Bacone 4-yard line as time expired.
 
Wayland (3-5, 1-3 CSFL) had to fight and claw its way back in the game to have a shot at pulling out the win.
 
The Pioneers struck first, finding the end zone on their second possession of the day. A halfback pass to the quarterback – from Brenner Barnett back to Bain – went for 38 yards and set up Wayland at the Bacone 22. Bain pushed it across on a one-yard sneak and the Pioneers led, 7-0.
 
The Warriors put up the next 24 points, scoring on their next four possessions. The final TD was an especially deflating 25-yard fumble return.
 
The Pioneers got back on track after that, scoring the next 16 points on a 6-yard touchdown run by V.J. Gamez, a 26-yard field goal by Daniel Martinez, and a 7-yard TD toss from Bain to Chris Acosta with exactly 10 minutes left in the game. But the PAT kick after the final score missed, leaving the Pioneers behind, 24-23.
 
Bacone added six points to its lead on a pair of field goals, including an impressive 55-yarder, from Blake Pearce that made it 30-23 with just 2:40 left.
 
It took Wayland less than a minute to tie it up.
 
After a nice kickoff return by Leslie Scarlett boosted the Pioneers, Bain connected with Woodard on pass across the middle that that the sophomore turned into a 64-yard touchdown. Woodward was tackled just as he stretched the football across the goal line. Martinez added the PAT and with 1:46 to go it was 30-all.
 
The Pioneer defense forced a three-and-out, giving the ball back to the offense with 1:22 left. After one first down, Bacone's Moses picked off the pass that won it for the Warriors.

Wayland linebacker Alden Mann turned in another exceptional game, recorded 18 tackles (3 solo, 15 assists) for the second time this season and barely missing his own school-record of 19 set last season. Mann also had two tackles for loss and half of a sack in addition to a touchdown-saving interception.
 
Fellow linebacker Ernesto Monreal also had a monster game with 16 stops (2 solo, 14 assists), including a tackle for loss and half of a sack.
 
Wayland plays its final home game at 2 p.m. Nov. 7 against Langston, Okla., (5-3, 3-1), which has won its last three of Southwestern Assemblies of God (23-20), Bacone (49-7), and on Saturday over Lyon College (48-14).