WINFIELD, Kan. – McPherson High School Football scored a season high in points, defeating Winfield 46-27 on the road to move to 2-0 in AVCTL-III play.
McPherson finished with a total of 451 yards of total offense (293 passing, 158 rushing). Ashton Malm led all Bullpup receivers with his second 200+ receiving yard game in a row, catching eight passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Malm added a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to end the first half, giving him three total touchdowns and 313 all-purpose yards.
Izyck Puhalla caught two passes for 36 yards and a touchdown. Bo Barkley caught a pair of passes as well, finishing with 12 yards. Nolan Pearcy caught one pass for 14 yards, Paxton Ingels caught one pass for eight yards, and Colt Chapman added a catch for seven yards.
Quarterback Carter Bengtson added 14 rushing yards to his career-high 293 passing yards mark, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another. Dane Becker led all rushers with 114 yards on 14 carries. Brody Milleson had 43 yards and two touchdowns in eight carries.
The Bullpups scored a touchdown on all three possessions in the first half. The first of which ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Milleson, making the score 6-0. McPherson’s next possession saw the Bullpups in the end zone again with a 73-yard touchdown pass from Bengtson to Malm. Winfield got on the board early in the second quarter, but McPherson bounced back with a 28-yard pass from Bengtson to Puhalla to extend the lead 20-6.
Winfield turned it around with a lengthy drive, scoring with 15 seconds left in the first half on a touchdown pass from Kellen Gibson to Rafael Ecot, making the score 20-12. Malm responded immediately in the ensuing kickoff, returning it for 97 yards to the end zone putting McPherson up 26-12 at halftime.
What a way to end the half by @Ashtonmalm12. McPherson gives up a TD with 15 seconds left, but Flashton Malm takes it 97 yards to the house.
McPherson up 26-12 over Winfield at the half.@MHSBullpups @McPhersonHSFB pic.twitter.com/1tJ6hTxqQL
— Lane Gillespie (@LaneGillPxP) September 27, 2025
McPherson started the second half the same way as they did in the first half, ending the opening drive of the half with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Bengtson to Malm. The Bullpups stopped the Vikings offense, moving the ball in their next drive to score on a two-yard run by Bengtson.
The Vikings scored on just one play in their next drive, but both defenses slowed down the other team until late in the fourth quarter. McPherson added another touchdown with a Milleson 6-yard TD run, marking that the seventh and final touchdown of the game.
Winfield had a strong offensive turnout as well, finishing with 343 passing yards. Evan Hutto caught eight passes for 268 yards and a touchdown, leading the Vikings.
McPherson moves to 3-1 on the season, starting AVCTL-III play at 2-0. The Bullpups will return home to host Rose Hill Friday, Oct. 3.
SCORING SUMMARY
McPherson: 13 13 14 6
Winfield: 0 12 8 7
- 6:55 1Q – McPherson: 3-Yard TD Run by Milleson (Hoover PAT Blocked) (6-0 McPherson)
- 3:09 1Q – McPherson: 73-Yard TD Pass by Bengtson to Malm (Hoover PAT Good) (13-0 McPherson)
- 11:06 2Q – Winfield: 4-Yard TD Pass by Gibson to Ecot (McPherson PAT Blocked) (13-6 McPherson)
- 6:30 2Q – McPherson: 28-Yard TD Pass by Bengtson to Puhalla (Hoover PAT Good) (20-6 McPherson)
- 0:15 2Q – Winfield: 1-Yard TD Run by Gibson (2-Pt Converson Missed) (20-12 McPherson)
- 0:00 2Q – McPherson: 97-Yard Kickoff Return TD by Malm (Hoover PAT Missed) (26-12 McPherson)
- 8:15 3Q – McPherson: 31-Yard TD Pass by Bengtson to Malm (Hoover PAT Good) (33-12 McPherson)
- 3:50 3Q – McPherson: 2-Yard TD Run by Bengtson (Hoover PAT Good) (40-12 McPherson)
- 3:27 3Q – Winfield: 73-Yard TD Pass Gibson to Hutto (2-Pt Conversion Good) (40-20 McPherson)
- 5:42 4Q – McPherson: 6-Yard TD Run by Milleson (Hoover PAT Blocked) (46-20 McPherson)
- 1:33 4Q – Winfield: 4-Yard TD Run by Dane Chattam (McPherson PAT Good) (46-27 McPherson)
