Box Score MUSKOGEE, Okla. –
Travis White intercepted a pass in Wayland Baptist's end zone with seconds left in the game to preserve a 26-20 win over Bacone College in the Pioneers' Central States Football League opener here Saturday afternoon.
"Big plays, big night," Wayland coach
Butch Henderson said.
The win was Wayland's third in a row, the longest streak since the Pioneers (4-1, 1-0 CSFL) restarted the program five years ago. Wayland's four wins matches last year's school record, and the Pioneers have five regular-season games remaining.
"To do what these kids want to do, you've got to play well every week and continue to raise uour game to a higher level, and that's what they're doing," Henderson said. "The way the conference is shaping up, we're hanging really well."
Against Bacone (2-4, 2-1), Wayland opened a comfortable 26-0 first-half lead – getting touchdown runs from
Jerrell Peterson and
De'Sean Johnson, a TD pass from
Mitchell Parsley to
Trey Rowe, a field goal by
Renato Dos Anjos and a safety – before the Warriors came storming from behind.
Bacone cut the deficit to six points early in the fourth quarter and was primed to win it on its final possession after intercepting a pass as Wayland appeared ready to put the game on ice. The Warriors drove from their own 9-yard line all the way to the Wayland 4 where on third-and-goal with seven seconds left White – a redshirt-junior defensive back from Krum, Texas – came up with his second interception of the game and third in two games.
It was Bacone's 21
st play of the drive.
Parsley was responsible for 320 yards of offense, getting 208 in the air and another 112 on the ground on just seven carries as the Pioneer quarterback ripped off several long runs. Johnson ended the game with 94 yards on 13 totes while Peterson added 73 steps on 21 attempts.
Wayland ended with 488 yards of offense and 23 first downs. Bacone produced 426 yards and 25 firsts.
Preston Woodard led Wayland's receivers with six catches for 76 yards. Johnson had three grabs for 53 yards, Peterson five for 48 and Rowe two for 30, including a 23-yard touchdown that capped Wayland's first possession of the game.
The Pioneers made it 14-0 when Peterson scored on a short run late in the first period then upped it to 16-zip following a safety early in the second. That also led to former WBU soccer player Dos Anjos booting his first career field goal, a 25-yarder, to make it 19-0.
"We came out strong. The offensive line took control of the line of scrimmage and our running backs found holes, and that opened up the passing game," Henderson said.
White's first interception, also in the Pioneer end zone, followed, and the Pioneers quickly marched 80 yards with Johnson taking it in from the 1-yard line.
The rout was officially on…or so it seemed.
Bacone roared from behind and appeared to be ready to steal away the win, but White came up huge with his second pick of the day, this one a diving grab.
Henderson said White made a great play.
"It's not like it was a bad throw," the coach said. "It was a matter of great coverage and making a big play."
Henderson said White turned in an excellent game.
"Besides the two interceptions, he had three or four other big plays. He had a couple of knockdowns when we had to go one-on-one in the secondary. He played well.
"Our entire defense played well overall. They did a good job tackling. (Bacone) made some big plays, but they're really talented and have a lot of speed. Our defense compensated for that very well."
Henderson credited the Pioneers for not doubting themselves.
"They hung in there and believed they were going to win. That's been the biggest thing we've overcome. We played well through the first half then made things happen when we had to make them."
Wayland returns home to host Southwestern Assemblies of God University at 2 p.m. Oct. 15. The Lions (2-4, 0-2) have dropped both of their CSFL games – on the road against Lyon College, 48-42 in overtime, and at home to Arizona Christian, 29-22. Wayland opened its season with a 37-14 non-conference road victory against Lyon.
After beating SAGU in its inaugural season back on the gridiron, Wayland has lost its last three outings to the Lions, including 40-14 last year in Waxahachie.
