Pioneers Battle for Three Quarters, Ultimately Fall Short in 2024 Opener at OPSU

Goodwell- The Wayland Baptist Pioneer Football team kicked off the 2024 season with a 31-13 defeat on the road against Sooner Athletic Conference foe Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
 
The Pioneers opened the game with the football, but they were ultimately forced to punt after a quick three and out gave the ball to the Aggies. OPSU answered with a 27-yard touchdown pass in their opening possession to take an early 7-0 lead. In the Pioneer's second possession, junior running back Damon Ford broke off a 20-yard carry into Aggie territory to give the Pioneers a first down and some momentum. Senior Quarterback Davian Guajardo completed a 9-yard pass to Tight End Davian Perkins to put the Pioneers on the Aggie's nine-yard line, but the Pioneer drive would stall and a turnover on downs would give the ball to OPSU with just under five minutes left in the first quarter.
 
After the Wayland Baptist defense stood strong to force an OPSU punt, the Pioneer offense found their rhythm. At the start of the second quarter, the Pioneers had possession of the football on the Aggie 30-yard line. After another solid run by Ford, this one for 15 yards, the Pioneers capitalized in the red zone when Guajardo threw a 3-yard dime to junior wide receiver Marques Hall in the end zone for the first Pioneer touchdown of the season. The Reed touchdown and Brayden Welch extra point tied the game up at 7.
 
The Aggies responded quickly on their next possession, opening their drive with four straight rushes including a 35-yard burst in their final attempt. OPSU capped off a five play, 75-yard drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to re-take the lead, 14-7, with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half.
 
The second half was a different story for the Pioneers as turnovers, missed assignments, and penalties led to Wayland Baptist falling behind 24-7 entering the fourth quarter. OPSU scored another touchdown on their opening fourth quarter drive to make it 31-7, but the Pioneers continued to fight after Guajardo threw an over-the-top pass to Jasiah Barron for the touchdown, his second touchdown pass of the night, making it a 31-13 score after the Pioneers failed to convert the two-point conversion. OPSU drained the final 4:44 on the clock in their final possession and claimed a 31-13 victory over Wayland Baptist in the 2024 season opener.
 
Head Coach Marcos Hinojos talked about the key factors in Saturday night's defeat at OPSU, saying, "We faced a much-improved OPSU team and for 3 quarters, we were neck and neck with them. In the end, the effect that our mistakes made in assignments, penalties, and turnovers came at crucial moments in the game and prevented us from overtaking them. We have to give them credit for minimizing the effect their mistakes and penalties had on their outcome."
 
Wayland Baptist only mustered 270 total yards of offense compared to the Aggies 411 yards, but it was the chunk yardage plays that hurt WBU. OPSU capitalized on their big play opportunities, and WBU fell short in that category despite a few big gains from Ford.
 
Coach Hinojos went on to discuss how his team needs to capitalize on splash play opportunities when they present itself, saying, "I thought our offense and defense showed flashes of how great they can be, and our special teams had some good plays, but it just wasn't enough tonight. We have to make the splash plays when the opportunity presents itself."
 
Guajardo finished the opener completing 21 of 34 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 12 yards on seven attempts. Ford compiled 94 rushing yards on 14 attempts with his longest rush being 33-yards. Jasiah Barron led the Pioneers with 6 receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Dequan Green had four catches for 44-yards. Jaylen Reed had one catch for 14-yards. Freshman Brenden Strickland also tallied four receptions for 23-yards in his WBU debut.
 
On the defensive side, sophomore Donovan Henry led the Pioneers with seven total tackles including two solo tackles. Junior Isaiah Brooks also had six tackles including three solo tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore Chamarion Bush led the Pioneer defensive backs with four total tackles and two solo tackles. Linebacker Maison Dickinson added four tackles and two solo tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Defensive lineman Kaleb Brooks added two tackles and a tackle for loss.
 
The Pioneers will look to bounce back next Saturday when they travel to Stafford, Texas to take on North American University at 7:00 p.m. at the Stafford Municipal School District Stadium.