PLAINVIEW, TX – The Wayland Baptist Football team delivered a commanding performance Saturday afternoon, shutting out Arkansas Baptist College 30-0 at Greg Sherwood Memorial Stadium. The Pioneers controlled the game from the opening possession, building a 24-point halftime advantage before securing the victory in Wayland's first football homecoming game since the university's return to a fall Homecoming celebration.
With the victory, Wayland improves to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in Sooner Athletic Conference play, continuing its strong stretch of performances as the regular season enters its final weeks.
The Pioneers wasted little time establishing control. After the defense forced a turnover on downs on Arkansas Baptist's opening possession, Wayland capitalized with a four-play, 34-yard scoring drive. Topper Sterling capped the possession with a four-yard touchdown run, giving the Pioneers an early 7-0 lead.
Wayland continued its offensive momentum midway through the opening quarter when quarterback Aidan Crawford connected with Ethan Palmer for a 13-yard touchdown pass. The six-play, 35-yard drive extended the advantage to 14-0 with 6:05 remaining in the first quarter.
The Pioneers struck again early in the second quarter following another defensive stop. Crawford found Randall Russ for a 26-yard touchdown reception, pushing the lead to 21-0 just 54 seconds into the period.
Wayland added to its advantage later in the quarter when Trent McLemore converted a 22-yard field goal with 6:51 remaining before halftime, sending the Pioneers into the locker room holding a commanding 24-0 lead.
After a scoreless third quarter, Wayland added its final touchdown early in the fourth. A 31-yard completion from Crawford to Russ helped set up an eight-yard touchdown run by Jaxson Percoats, extending the lead to 30-0 with 14:08 remaining.
Offensively, the Pioneers totaled 383 yards, including 214 through the air and 169 on the ground.
Crawford finished the afternoon completing 19 of 36 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Khalon Davis also contributed through the air, completing his lone pass attempt for 19 yards.
Sterling led the rushing attack with 101 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. Percoats added 54 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
Russ led Wayland's receiving corps with four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown, while Dontevius Williams added three catches for 34 yards. Palmer contributed two receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Wayland turned in one of its most complete performances of the season, holding Arkansas Baptist to just 185 yards of total offense, including 45 rushing yards. The Pioneers limited the Buffaloes to nine first downs and recorded four sacks, eight tackles for loss, and three interceptions.
Tyrone Morgan delivered an outstanding defensive performance, recording all three of Wayland's interceptions while adding six tackles and one tackle for loss.
Brennen Davis led the Pioneers with eight total tackles, while Caleb Harrison, Brayden Hamby, and Sebastian Balderas each finished with seven. Evonjre Donnell contributed six tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
The Pioneers' defense remained disciplined in its execution throughout the contest, keeping Arkansas Baptist off the scoreboard despite several second-half possessions. The Buffaloes were unsuccessful on all six fourth-down conversion attempts.
Wayland Baptist Head Coach Marcos Hinojos praised his team's first-half performance and acknowledged the significance of earning a Homecoming victory.
"I think we played exceptionally well in the first half. I felt we completely dominated in all areas. We had some great individual play from several different players. The second half was a challenge to maintain discipline but we managed to keep them out of the endzone. It is a Win and those are hard to come by. We are happy to have won the first ever Fall homecoming game. The atmosphere today was outstanding. We appreciate everybody that had a hand in putting this homecoming game together. We are on a good path right now and now it is time to turn our attention to Nelson."
The victory marked another important step forward for the Pioneers as they continued their pursuit of a strong finish in conference play. With contributions across all three phases of the game, Wayland secured a memorable Homecoming victory in front of its home crowd.
UP NEXT
Wayland Baptist will travel to Waxahachie, Texas, on Saturday, October 31, to face Nelson University at 2:00 p.m. at Lumpkins Stadium. The Pioneers will look to carry their momentum into another important Sooner Athletic Conference matchup.
