ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Missouri Western football team (3-7, 2-7 MIAA) will wrap up the 2024 season with a non-conference game this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. against the Quincy (Ill.) Hawks (6-3, 5-3 GLVC) on Senior/Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day at Spratt Stadium. The 18 seniors will be honored before the opening kickoff, and the game theme will be a "Grey Out."
 
Pregame coverage starts at 1:00 p.m. on The Varsity Network app and GoGriffons.com/listen. Tommy Rezac will provide play-by-play commentary, and Kyle Schmidt of the St. Joseph News-Press will be the color analyst.
 
WATCH - MIAA NETWORK
All MIAA football, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball, baseball and softball regular season conference games will be streamed live on the MIAA Network. The MIAA Network showcased over 1,500 live broadcasts for its 14 member schools last season. For more information, visit https://www.themiaanetwork.com/.
 
LISTEN - GRIFFON SPORTS NETWORK (Varsity Nework App & GoGriffons.com/listen)
Live streams of Missouri Western athletics are now available on The Varsity Network app! All home and away football and men's and women's basketball games will be available to listen to for FREE on the Varsity Network App and at GoGriffons.com/listen. Available on iPhone and Android, fans can access free audio streams for game days on the Varsity Network App. Fans can also receive push notifications as reminders for upcoming games and broadcasts.
 
Once you download The Varsity Network app, search 'Missouri Western' and select which Griffon teams you want to follow. For more information on The Varsity Network and how to listen to the Griffons, click here. Audio broadcasts can also be found at GoGriffons.com/listen. Audio broadcasts will also be archived at GoGriffons.com/listen in the 'On Demand' section, and on the Griffon Sports Insider Podcast, which is available on Spotify, Apple and wherever you podcast.
 
HONORING THE SENIOR CLASS
Before the Griffons and Hawks kickoff on Saturday afternoon, 18 seniors will be honored. Individuals being honored include: Jaden Brown, Traveon James, Jake Berrey, Cody Watson, Tyler Carey, Kameron Langford, Jonas Bennett, Cameron Powell, Javerius McGuinn, Antonio Taylor, Garrett Watson, Canaan Jackson, Jhalen Turner, James Lucio, Brandon Johnson, Jeremiah Hayes and Ison Robinson.
 
This group has contributed to the Griffons achieving 22 wins over the past four seasons. Notably, in head coach Tyler Fenwick's inaugural season in 2023, the team secured two ranked victories: one against No. 11 Emporia State and another against No. 2 Pittsburg State. These accomplishments helped the program earn its first bowl appearance since 2019.
MIAA STANDINGS
 

School	Conf	CPct.	Overall	Pct.	Streak
Central Oklahoma	7-1	.875	9-1	.900	W2
Pittsburg State	6-2	.750	7-2	.778	L1
Central Missouri	5-3	.625	7-3	.700	W4
Emporia State	5-3	.625	7-3	.700	L2
Fort Hays State	5-3	.625	7-3	.700	W2
Northwest Missouri	5-3	.625	6-4	.600	W2
Nebraska Kearney	3-5	.375	5-5	.500	L1
Missouri Western	2-7	.222	3-7	.300	L3
Washburn	2-7	.222	2-8	.200	L3
Missouri Southern	1-7	.125	2-8	.200	W1

 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST QUINCY
Saturday will mark the third meeting between the Griffons and the Hawks, and the first since 1997. Missouri Western won the inaugural matchup against Quincy in St. Joseph with a score of 42-14, and they also secured victory in the last encounter in Quincy, defeating the Hawks 49-7.
 
ABOUT THE HAWKS
Quincy finished the 2023 season with a record of 6-5 and was predicted to place sixth in the 2024 GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll. This season, the Hawks have surpassed those preseason expectations. They sit just half a game behind second place in the GLVC standings, boasting a conference record of 5-3.
 
The Hawks are heading into the season finale on a three-game winning streak. They concluded conference play on a high note with a 24-20 victory over William Jewell and a 34-25 win against Southwest Baptist last weekend.
 
The key offensive player to watch is senior running back #0 Teon Dollard. The transfer from Akron (Ohio) has rushed for 955 yards, averaging 129.57 yards per game, on 140 carries with 13 touchdowns this season.
 
One player to watch on the defensive side of the ball is #22 Brock Inman. This season, the senior linebacker leads the team with 45.0 tackles (29 solo). He has also forced two fumbles and has hurried the QB twice.
 
On special teams, #26 Kareem Carswell is the player to watch on the kick return. The junior from Hollywood, Florida, has collected 320 yards on the kickoff return game, including a long of 67 yards last week against Southwest Baptist.
 
WINNING THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
The Griffons have recorded 25.0 sacks this season, the second-most in the MIAA and 35th-most in the entire country. Junior Grant Finley leads the team and ranks seventh in the league with 5.0 this season, while Watson has collected 4.5.

On the opposite side of the line, Western has excelled offensively. They lead the conference with only 15 sacks allowed for a total of 81 yards this season.
 
FLYING TO THE FOOTBALL
MWSU defenders have been consistently active in the backfield this season, leading the MIAA and ranking 30th in the nation with a total of 73 tackles for loss (TFL). Kienen Gaskin, Brown and Finley have each recorded a team-high of 9.5 TFLs this season. Furthermore, Gaskin's 77 tackles rank as the fourth-most in the MIAA.
 
NO FLY ZONE
The Griffons have been a headache for the opposing passing games this season, ranking fourth in the MIAA with 12 interceptions. Junior Desmond Green is currently tied for second in the conference, having recorded three interceptions this season. Logan Clark, Taylor and C.Powell have each contributed two interceptions.
 
BALL OUT BERWALD
Since taking over the starting position, dual-threat quarterback Branden Berwald has performed well for the Griffons. The native of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, has completed 105 of his 109 pass attempts for 1,325 yards, throwing 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Additionally, he has performed well on the ground, accumulating 380 yards on 75 rushing attempts, including one touchdown against Central Oklahoma.
 
Bennett leads the team with 68 catches (3rd-MIAA) for 889 yards (5th-MIAA) and two touchdown receptions. Another standout, Carey, has eight touchdown receptions, ranking fourth in the league.
 
A STRONG RETURN TEAM
McGuinn is second in the MIAA with 30.3 yards a return in the kick return game. He notched a 100+ yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Missouri Southern on Sept. 14. Freshman James Noel resides sixth in the league with 20.0 yards a return.
 
Bennett is leading the MIAA with an average of 14.0 yards per punt return, having recorded 11 attempts for 154 yards, including a long return of 56 yards against Emporia State.
 
A MEMORABLE SEASON FOR WATSON
Watson has successfully converted nine of his 10 field goal attempts. The Oklahoma native achieved a career-long field goal of 53 yards last week against Northwest Missouri State. He has as successfully made five field goals from over 40 yards and two from 50+.
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST NWMSU
Missouri Western football grabbed a 13-9 second quarter lead against Northwest Missouri State, but the Bearcats scored 21 unanswered points and ultimately held off the Griffons in a 33-23 result at Spratt Stadium on Saturday in St. Joseph.
 
Missouri Western (3-7, 2-7 MIAA) battled hard early on, trailing only 16-13 at halftime. The Griffons got the ball to start the second half, but Western was held to a punt on each of their first four drives to begin the third quarter.
 
Northwest (6-4, 5-3 MIAA), meanwhile, scored touchdowns on each of their first two series of the second half to go up 30-13 with 4:20 to go in the third quarter. After the Bearcats blocked a punt late in the third quarter and took over deep on the Griffons' side, it appeared the Bearcats were in position to possibly put the game away.
 
However, Noah Guastella missed a 36-yard field goal attempt off the right upright, giving Missouri Western a chance to cut into its deficit. The Griffons did, as Watson connected on a 37-yard field goal, his third of the day, to cut the deficit to 30-16 with 11:55 to play.
 
Missouri Western's defense then came up with some key stops, as Northwest punted on four straight possessions in the fourth quarter. The Griffons got it to within a touchdown when Berwald connected with Berrey for a 41-yard touchdown, making it 30-23 with 5:57 to go.
 
The Griffons, after a Northwest three-and-out, set up shop at their own 46-yard line, down 30-23 with still 3:40 play and all three timeouts. On the second play of the drive, however, Berwald threw a pass toward the sideline intended for Tyler Carey, which was picked off and returned 28 yards by Austin McKinney.
 
Thanks to a holding call, Northwest settled for a 22-yard field goal to go up 33-23 with 1:26 to go. The Griffons had one last possession, but ran out of time, as they were operating without timeouts at that point.
 
Berwald completed 26-of-51 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Berwald was sacked five times in the game. Bennett turned in his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season, hauling in 11 passes for 113 yards. James had a 16-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter - his first TD catch of the season.
 
Defensively, Gaskin and TreVon Holmes each had eight total tackles to lead MWSU. Desmond Green had his fourth interception of the season in the first half. Watson had a great day, connecting on all three field goal attempts, including a career-best of 53 yards in the first quarter.
 
Watson becomes the first kicker since Greg Zuerlein in 2011 to hit multiple 50+ yard field goals in the same season. Watson also tied Dustin Strickler for most field goals made in a Griffon career with now 41 total.
 
Northwest limited MWSU to just 22 total rush yards on 21 carries. On the offensive end, Northwest's Tank Young had a big day, running the ball 20 times for 135 yards and two scores. He also hauled in six passes for 92 yards, giving him 227 all-purpose yards. Chris Ruhnke, Northwest's signal caller, completed 20-of-32 passes for 225 yards, a touchdown and an interception.