STERLING, Kan. — Sterling lost to Friends 53-14 on Saturday. Sterling finished with eight first downs, 47 rushing yards and seven interceptions.
Sterling’s opening possession stalled after a third-down sack, and Friends answered with a 70-yard drive that included DJ Dingle’s 36-yard fourth-down completion to DJ Pearson and Jud Cheatham’s 16-yard touchdown run for a 6-0 lead after the missed kick. Sterling went three-and-out on the next series, but the defense kept Friends from adding on after a short punt gave the visitors the ball at the Sterling 31, with Wyatt Newberry recovering Dingle’s fumble at the Sterling 23. Friends got the ball back at the Sterling 48 and drove to another Cheatham touchdown, a 10-yard run at 1:11, with Connor Tillman’s extra point making it 13-0, but Sterling’s next series crossed midfield before an interception gave Friends the ball at its 46. Friends advanced to the Sterling 37 on that possession before Jaquan Lowman intercepted Dingle and returned it 71 yards for a touchdown, and Emmanuel Roman‘s extra point left Friends ahead 13-7 after the first quarter.
Friends opened the second quarter with an 11-play drive from its own 5 to the Sterling 1, but Sean Watson forced Nick Cordova’s fumble at the goal line and Sterling recovered for a touchback at 8:48. Sterling gave it back two plays later when Zamarion Manuel intercepted Steven Werking at the Sterling 30 and returned it for a touchdown at 8:05, and Connor Tillman’s kick made it 20-7. After Sterling’s next possession moved to its own 43 before James Henisey‘s punt, Friends put together a 14-play, 83-yard drive that ended with E’derian Sykes’ 19-yard touchdown run at :18. The two-point conversion rush failed, and Sterling reached its own 45 on Khyaire Hines‘ 30-yard kickoff return before halftime with Friends ahead 26-7.
Friends opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 53-yard drive, scoring on E’derian Sykes’ 22-yard run at 10:55 and adding Connor Tillman’s kick for a 33-7 lead. Sterling moved to its 40 on the next possession after a roughing-the-passer penalty, but Steven Werking‘s fourth-down pass was intercepted by Zamarion Manuel and returned 49 yards for a touchdown, pushing Friends ahead 40-7. Stephenson Kennard‘s 41-yard run helped Sterling cross midfield on the next drive, and Dutton Taylor forced and recovered a fumble at the Friends 26, but Sterling came away without points before DJ Dingle capped a 63-yard Friends drive with a 30-yard touchdown run at 1:24. Khyaire Hines answered with a 54-yard kickoff return to the Friends 36, but Cam Doty returned an interception 66 yards for another touchdown at 1:03, and Sterling’s final possession of the quarter ended with a Chris Scott interception as Friends finished the third quarter ahead 53-7.
After Friends moved from its 24 to the Sterling 46 to open the fourth quarter, Watson stopped Elias Pino for no gain on fourth-and-15 to give Sterling the ball at 10:50. Sterling turned that field position into a scoring drive, with Werking completing passes to Gabriel Corona for 13 and 38 yards before finding Ty Goans for a 2-yard touchdown at 7:16, and Emmanuel Roman added the PAT. Friends picked up a first down on its next series, but Rylan Cass dropped Parker Hutchinson for a 4-yard loss and Keyshawn Miller stopped Nick Cordova for no gain before a punt. Sterling’s final possession ended with Jacob Farley’s interception, and Friends drove to the Sterling 11 before Sterling kept it out of the end zone as the game ended.
Newberry led Sterling with 13 tackles and recovered a fumble. Dutton Taylor finished with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Lowman returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown, added a blocked kick and made three tackles. Corona posted three receptions for a team-high 59 yards.
Up next, the Warriors host McPherson on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. in Sterling, Kan.
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.
