Butler strengthened its position in the Pioneer Football League race with a 41-14 victory over fellow contender St. Thomas, while Dayton rallied past Valparaiso to keep pace with the Bulldogs atop the standings at 5-1. The Tommies fell to 4-2, joining Marist, which erased a 13-point deficit against Morehead State behind a defensive touchdown and a 99-yard winning drive. San Diego improved to 4-3 with a win at Drake, and Davidson defeated Stetson for its second league victory.
PFL Scoreboard: Nov. 7
Saturday, November 7
Dayton def. Valparaiso, 31-20
Marist def. Morehead State, 14-13
Davidson def. Stetson, 33-14
San Diego def. Drake, 40-17
Butler def. St. Thomas, 41-14
PFL Recaps
Dayton 31, Valparaiso 20
DAYTON, Ohio — Bryce Schondelmyer threw two touchdown passes in the final four minutes as Dayton rallied past Valparaiso 31-20 Saturday at Welcome Stadium to remain tied atop the Pioneer Football League at 5-1. Gavin Lochow’s 34-yard touchdown catch with 1:38 remaining capped the Flyers’ comeback.
Dayton took the lead on David Maurer’s 31-yard field goal at the end of an 18-play opening drive, then went ahead 17-3 in the second quarter behind Schondelmyer touchdown passes to Donovan Weatherly and LeRoy Lewis IV. Valparaiso gained momentum just before halftime when Nic Lendino returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 17-10.
Valparaiso carried that momentum into the third quarter. Luke Scoma kicked his second field goal, and Rowan Keefe found Colin Hayes for a 5-yard touchdown to put the Beacons ahead 20-17. Dayton regained the lead with 3:18 remaining after converting 4th-and-1 during a 12-play drive that ended with Schondelmyer’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mussari. Jace Schaefer intercepted Keefe on Valparaiso’s next possession and returned the ball 17 yards to the Beacons’ 33, setting up Schondelmyer’s touchdown pass to Lochow.
Schondelmyer passed for 291 yards and four touchdowns, and Ethan Thulin caught six passes for 97 yards. Ansel finished with six tackles. Keefe threw for 179 yards and a touchdown for Valparaiso, while Lendino had two interceptions, including his 68-yard touchdown return. Dayton’s Collin Ansel added three sacks for 30 yards in losses and a forced fumble.
Marist 14, Morehead State 13
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Sonny Mannino finished a 99-yard fourth-quarter drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, completing Marist’s comeback from 13 points down in a 14-13 victory over Morehead State Saturday at Tenney Stadium. The Red Foxes improved to 4-2 in the Pioneer Football League, joining St. Thomas one game behind co-leaders Butler and Dayton.
Morehead State built a 13-0 halftime lead on two Jordan Price field goals and Bryce Patterson’s 53-yard touchdown pass to Keegan Zylstra. Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the Eagles squandered a promising drive when Wayne Adair intercepted Patterson in Marist territory.
Marist’s rally began on the second play of the fourth quarter when Nate Furrow intercepted Patterson on 3rd-and-31 and returned the pass 8 yards for a touchdown. Morehead State drove to the Marist 15 on its next possession, but Chase Hatton intercepted Patterson at the goal line. Starting at its own 1, Marist marched 99 yards in 18 plays, overcoming long-yardage situations before Mannino scored with 5:05 remaining. The Red Foxes then protected the one-point lead with a defensive stop on Morehead State’s final possession.
Mannino rushed for 155 yards and the winning touchdown. Furrow finished with six tackles and a sack in addition to his interception-return touchdown. Patterson passed for 250 yards and a touchdown for Morehead State, with Zylstra catching three passes for 98 yards. Marist held the Eagles to 32 rushing yards.
Davidson 33, Stetson 14
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Casey Bullock passed for 357 yards and three touchdowns as Davidson overcame an early deficit to beat Stetson 33-14 Saturday at Davidson College Stadium. After falling behind 7-0, the Wildcats scored 26 consecutive points on the way to their second Pioneer Football League victory.
Stetson struck first on Thomas von Grote’s 63-yard touchdown pass to Landon Farco. Davidson answered in the second quarter when Christos Tzoumakas kicked a field goal and Bullock connected with Jacary Lightsey for a 44-yard touchdown. Tzoumakas added another field goal as time expired in the half, sending the Wildcats into the break ahead 13-7.
Davidson’s defense created an immediate scoring opportunity after halftime when Michael Leonard intercepted von Grote and returned the ball 23 yards to the Stetson 1. Bullock scored on the ensuing possession, and later finished a 90-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Xavier Vela. Farco’s 54-yard touchdown catch narrowed the margin, but Bullock answered with a 29-yard scoring pass to Tanner Waring early in the fourth quarter.
Bullock passed for 357 yards and three touchdowns, while Lightsey caught eight passes for 116 yards. Von Grote threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns for Stetson; Farco caught four passes for 125 yards and both scores.
San Diego 40, Drake 17
DES MOINES, Iowa — San Diego controlled the ground game with 305 rushing yards and pulled away from Drake for a 40-17 Pioneer Football League victory Saturday at Drake Stadium as the Toreros improved to 4-3 in conference play.
After Drake opened the scoring on Griffin Kollhoff’s 34-yard field goal, San Diego took the lead for good on a 15-play, 75-yard drive capped by Omar Mbakwe’s 4-yard touchdown run. Criter added a 7-yard scoring run later in the second quarter, helping the Toreros build a 17-3 halftime advantage.
Drake cut the margin to 17-10 when Riley Warzynski found Hank Foley for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. San Diego responded with two Emiliano Salazar field goals, then broke the game open in the fourth quarter on CJ Ceron’s 66-yard touchdown pass to Cole Monach and Zamar Reese’s 52-yard scoring run. Kyle Cottee’s late touchdown pass to Jake Scobey accounted for Drake’s final points.
Criter carried 30 times for 172 yards and a touchdown; Reese added 88 yards and a score. Monach caught five passes for 102 yards. Warzynski threw for 98 yards and a touchdown for Drake, which finished with 74 rushing yards.
Butler 41, St. Thomas 14
INDIANAPOLIS — Okemdi Eze spearheaded a Butler defense that helped the Bulldogs defeat fellow Pioneer Football League contender St. Thomas 41-14 Saturday at the Sellick Bowl. Eze recorded nine tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as Butler improved to 5-1 in conference play and dropped the Tommies to 4-2.
St. Thomas took a 7-3 first-quarter lead on Nick Peipert’s 1-yard touchdown run after Evan Windley opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal. Butler answered in the second quarter: Desmin Jackson scored on a 19-yard run, and Michael Dellumo broke free for a 67-yard touchdown. Beck Janki’s field goal sent the Bulldogs into halftime ahead 20-7.
Butler seized control of the second half immediately when Eze intercepted a pass on St. Thomas’ opening possession, setting up Gabe Passini’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Nick Munson on the next play. The score extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 27-7. St. Thomas answered with Anthony Policare’s 9-yard touchdown run, but Passini connected with Michael Nix for a 29-yard score before Dellumo added a 56-yard touchdown run. Butler held the Tommies to 77 rushing yards.
Dellumo gained 143 yards on eight carries, including touchdown runs of 67 and 56 yards. Passini threw for 135 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 54 yards. Eze’s nine tackles included eight solo stops. Policare passed for 152 yards for St. Thomas, and Quentin Cobb-Butler caught six passes for 73 yards.