Pioneers Dominate ABC 45-6 Before Game Gets Called Due to Weather

Plainview – On a day filled with rain, delays, and no second half of play, the Wayland Baptist Pioneer football team steamrolled Arkansas Baptist for a 45-6 victory on Senior Day after the second half was called before starting due to inclement weather. With the win, the Pioneers move into fourth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with two massive games to go.
 
The Wayland Baptist (4-4, 4-3 SAC) offense had to wait just a bit for this one to start, but they wasted no time making their presence felt after junior running back Damon Ford took a 71-yard rush to the house on the second play of the game to give the Pioneers an early 7-0 lead.
 
After the Pioneer defense forced a Buffalo punt, junior running back Keamodre Horace wanted a piece of the action as he ran a 39-yard rush to the endzone for another Pioneer touchdown, making the score 14-0 in just over five minutes of game clock. The Buffaloes were forced to punt, which they then proceeded to try a fake which the Pioneers swallowed up immediately to get the football back on the ABC 44-yard line.
 
On the first play of the next drive for the Pioneers, senior quarterback Davian Guajardo threw a beautiful pass up the seam to Ford who took it 44-yards for a touchdown to push the Pioneer lead up to 21-0 with just over six minutes still remaining in the opening quarter.
 
The Buffalo offense was able to put a solid drive together on their next possession, and scored a touchdown to make it 21-6, and a failed two-point conversion try kept the score at that.
 
On the first play of the next drive for the Pioneers, Guajardo dropped back and threw a pass into double coverage deep down the Buffalo sideline that was snagged over two defenders with one hand by junior wide receiver Jasiah Barron, which he then took the house for one of the most spectacular touchdowns of the season for the Pioneers. The grab and score made it 28-6, WBU.
 
The Buffaloes started their next possession on their own 12-yard line, and on the second play of the possession, the Buffalo quarterback lofted a pass in the middle of the field that senior safety Harper Terry picked off and returned to the house for a touchdown, highlighting a great moment for Terry in his final home game as a Pioneer. The Terry pick-6 gave the Pioneers a 35-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
Arkansas Baptist was pushing the ball down the field on their first possession of the second quarter, but the drive was stalled after Wayland Baptist sophomore safety, Donovan Henry, intercepted the Buffaloes inside the Pioneer 5-yard line to give the football back to WBU.
 
The Pioneer offense followed the Henry interception by executing a 14 play, 65-yard scoring drive that ended with senior kicker Leo Marini drilling a 47-yard field goal, which was one of the more impressive feats on the day considering the circumstances and weather elements that were factored in. The Marini field goal pushed the Pioneer lead up to 38-6 with just over six and a half minutes until halftime.
 
The Pioneer defense forced another three-and-out after sophomore linebacker Jaxon Lawdermilk began the defensive stand by sacking the Buffalo quarterback for an 8-yard loss. This was Lawdermilk's second sack of the half.
 
The WBU offense would strike one last time before the halftime break as senior quarterback, Bryan Ponder, ran in a 1-yard score to make it 45-6. The Pioneers took their 45-6 lead into the halftime break, which would end up being the final minute played in this game as the decision was made to call the rest of the game due to inclement weather. This gives the Pioneers the 45-6 victory over Arkansas Baptist to conclude their 2024 home schedule.
 
Senior quarterback, Davian Guajardo, was on point this afternoon, completing 7 of 9 pass attempts for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Ford finished with eight carries for 124 yards and a touchdown, while also bringing in two receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. Barron led the Pioneer receiving core, hauling in four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Horace added four carries for 62 yards and a touchdown as well.
 
Defensively, Lawdermilk was flying around – finishing with five total tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Sophomore Marcus Wright added three tackles, and a pass break up. Junior Isaiah Brooks finished with three tackles including 0.5 tackle for loss, and a pass break up.
 
Next up for the Pioneers is a road trip to Tyler, Texas where they will take on the Steers of Texas College in a big Sooner Athletic Conference game. Kick-off is set for Saturday, November 9^th at 2:00 PM.