OTTAWA, Kan. — Sterling lost to Ottawa 61-20 in a game that began play on Saturday, Sept. 12 and was finished on Sunday, Sept. 13 due to weather delays. Sterling finished with 249 passing yards and three touchdown passes, but the Warriors were sacked eight times and limited to 70 rushing yards.
Wyatt Newberry‘s 33-yard punt return gave Sterling an early short field, and Steven Werking finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ty Goans before Emmanuel Roman‘s kick made it 7-0 at 13:28. The Braves answered immediately when AJ Moore returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, and Ike Prengel’s extra point tied it at 7-7. After the Warriors punted from its own 2 and Marques Zenon later sacked Luke Edwards to help halt a Braves possession in Sterling territory, Sterling went 95 yards from its own 5, capped by Gabriel Corona‘s 86-yard touchdown pass to Khyaire Hines at 2:38. Roman added the extra point for a 14-7 Sterling lead, and Sterling’s final possession of the quarter reached the Braves’ 36 on Werking’s 22-yard completion to Bryance Sanders.
The Warriors started the second quarter in Braves territory, but the drive ended on fourth down at the Braves’ 37 before Luke Edwards found Jayden Johnson for a 51-yard touchdown that tied the game at 14-14. The Braves moved in front on their next possession, using a 44-yard Edwards completion to Johnson to reach the Sterling 10 before Ike Prengel made a 24-yard field goal for a 17-14 lead. Sterling answered with Werking’s 39-yard pass to Hines, but back-to-back sacks stopped the drive, and Malakai Hudson scored on the Braves’ next snap from 58 yards out to make it 24-14. The Warriors later crossed midfield again behind a 27-yard Werking completion to Noah Khokhar, but Ethan Yinger intercepted a pass at the Braves’ 4, and the Braves turned the takeaway into a late 15-yard Edwards touchdown pass to Johnson before a failed conversion left Sterling trailing 30-14 at halftime.
The second half started slow for the Warriors as their opening drive was stopped at the Sterling 39 when Sanders fumbled, and the Braves used the short field to score on Luke Edwards’ 34-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Johnson at 12:23, with the kick making it 37-14. After a Sterling punt, the Braves went three-and-out, and a personal-foul penalty gave Sterling the ball at its 39 for a 10-play, 61-yard drive. Werking kept that possession moving with a 15-yard third-down completion to Corona and a 19-yard fourth-down throw to Hines before, following a penalty and a sack, hitting Nicholas Trepton for a 37-yard touchdown at 4:51; Daniel Fowler‘s rush attempt failed, leaving the score 37-20. The Braves added two quick touchdowns, first when Quinn Conley recovered Amiri Mumba’s fumble and went 52 yards at 4:24 and later on Edwards’ 43-yard pass to Hagan Johnson at 2:57, and Sterling’s final listed drive picked up one first down before being pushed back with the Braves ahead 51-20.
After the Warriors punted to start the fourth quarter, the Braves struck on the next snap from scrimmage with Elijah Ribaudo’s 68-yard touchdown pass to De’Anthony Curtis at 14:34, and Ike Prengel’s kick made it 58-20. Sterling put together a 15-play, 48-yard drive that included fourth-down runs of 20 and 10 yards by Stephenson Kennard, but the possession ended when Kadyn Hodson intercepted Jayden Schemm at the Braves’ 44 and returned it to the Sterling 2. Sterling kept the Braves out of the end zone from there, with Dutton Taylor tackling Kimbriq Minnis on a fumble recovery sequence and Prengel missing a 38-yard field goal wide left after a Braves penalty and incompletion. The Braves later took over at the Sterling 28 after a blocked punt and added Prengel’s 43-yard field goal at 1:53 before Sterling’s final possession ran out the clock in a 61-20 final.
Hines caught four passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. Werking completed 13 of 30 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Corona completed his only pass for an 86-yard touchdown and added a 15-yard reception. Troy Werking Jr. led Sterling with six tackles.
Up next, Sterling (0-3) will host Bethany (1-2) on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m.
Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors’ live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.
