KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University senior quarterback Zach Martin has been named the MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week in a release from the conference office on Monday. Martin helped lead the Bearcats to a 63-0 victory over Missouri Southern on Saturday.

The Omaha, Neb., native completed 24-of-31 passes for 326 yards. His six touchdown passes tied a Northwest single game record set by Kyle Zimmerman last year against Pittsburg State. As a team, the Bearcats racked up 651 yards of total offense and 32 first downs, 17 coming through the air.

Northwest takes on Central Missouri this Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team fell to Central Missouri, 6-0, on Sunday at the South Recreation Complex in Warrensburg, Mo.

Northwest falls to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in MIAA play. The No. 4 ranked Jennies improve to 8-0 on the year and 1-0 in conference action.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats recorded seven total shots with four coming on goal.

– Northwest was whistled for five fouls while the Jennies were called for eight infractions.

– Bri Wawiorka had two shots with one coming on goal.

– Madi McKeever, Madie Krueger and Natasha Samudzi each recorded shots on goal.

– Ashley Malloy had seven saves.

Up Next
– Northwest returns home on Friday, Sept. 29, against Southwest Baptist at Bearcat Pitch at 4 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

MARYVILLE, Mo. – A hallmark to Northwest Missouri State’s two decades of excellence on the gridiron is the way someone new steps up when injuries strike.

Sophomore running back Brody McMahon, a Maryville native, sophomore wide receiver Quincy Woods and freshman running back Jordan Thompson stepped into that role in impressive fashion against Missouri Southern Saturday afternoon.

In front of a Family Weekend crowd of 8,479 at Bearcat Stadium, the youngsters ignited an offense that scored 42 points in the first half on the way to a 63-0 victory. Ranked No. 1 in the AFCA top 25, Northwest recorded its third shutout of the season. The Bearcats improved to 4-0 and increased its winning streak to 34.

“If we can get a shutout that is the best thing for us,” said Northwest junior linebacker Ben Althoff said. “A saying on defense that we like to use is if they don’t score, they don’t win.”

It was total domination by the Bearcats, who compiled 651 yards of total offense while limiting Missouri Southern to 69 yards. The Lions never got inside of Northwest’s 40.

“It is a great feeling knowing that all the guys around us have been going hard in practice,” Althoff said. “We focused on stopping the run this week. We kept playing hard no matter who was in the game. We kept doing our 1/11 and stayed focused on the task at hand. It has worked out so far.”

The start by McMahon and Woods was almost enough to overshadow the sterling defensive effort, and the six touchdown passes by senior quarterback Zach Martin, who tied a single-game school record. The only other time this occurred was last season by Kyle Zimmerman.

Still, what McMahon and Woods accomplished early in the game was significant. They showed Northwest has depth at both positions.

Because senior running back Cameron Wilcox was out with an injury, McMahon was going to get more touches. In fact, the loss of several running backs forced Northwest to lift the redshirt off of Thompson, who gained seven yards on his first carry early in the first quarter. Thompson scored two, fourth-quarter touchdowns and finished with a game-high 128 yards rushing in 17 carriers.

In the last few weeks of practice, Thompson demonstrated why he was ready to play as a true freshman, and then he proved it.

“It was important,” Northwest coach Rich Wright said of the play of McMahon, Woods, and Thompson. “I said to the team on Friday that some guys have never done a lot in this program are going to make plays, and I am excited to watch it.”

McMahon gave Northwest a 7-0 lead. On first and goal at the 10, he took a handoff from Martin and weaved his way through holes created by the offensive line for a 10-yard touchdown run.

“I hate to see those guys go down,” said McMahon, who finished with 58 yards on 11 carries. “They helped me out a lot through the years.

McMahon grew up so close to Northwest that from his bedroom he could see the lights of the stadium.

“It is a lot more fun getting out here instead of standing on the sideline and getting tight,” McMahon said. “It has been a dream of mine to score a touchdown for the Bearcats. All my teammates gave me hugs.”

After scoring only 13 points last week at Nebraska-Kearney, the Bearcats needed only 2 minutes, 8 seconds at the start of the game to score seven points.

Six minutes later, Northwest topped 13 points when Martin tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Woods, giving the Bearcats a 14-0 with 6:03 left in the first quarter.

“I thought Quincy came out ready to go,” said Northwest wide receivers coach Joel Osborn. “You can see he has some speed, some play-making ability. He has been waiting for this moment. He excelled when his number was called.”

Northwest took complete command of the game early in the second quarter when Martin hit Woods with a 4-yard touchdown pass, giving Northwest a 21-0 lead with 11:53 left in the second quarter.

“It was my first time in three years,” Woods said about his first touchdown. “Coach told me before the game to seize the moment. I have been practicing well and doing things well. It hadn’t happened in a game.

“For it to happen today with my little brother here, my mom, my grandmother and my auntie, it was unbelievable, just a blessing.”

For the rest of the second quarter, Martin was unstoppable. Two minutes after his touchdown to Woods, Martin tossed a 43-yard touchdown to junior Shawn Bane.

Five minutes later, the Bearcats threw some razzle dazzle at Missouri Southern when Martin handed the ball off to McMahon who flipped it back to Martin. Martin threw a long strike to senior Jordan Bishop for a 67-yard touchdown pass.

“They are all special,” said Martin, who completed 24 of 31 passes for 326 yards. “Running the ball helps with the passing game. I like trick plays so if I had to pick one, it was that one. It was a great call on the trick play. I had to get one to my boy Jordan Bishop.”

The Bearcats weren’t done scoring in the second quarter. Northwest added the final piece to its first-half masterpiece when Martin hit Bane on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 9 seconds left until halftime. The Bearcats trotted into the locker room with a 42-0 lead.

“One of the things we talked about all week was playing a complete game in all three phases,” Northwest head coach Rich Wright said. “We challenged our offensive kids not be different from what they did, but just play like they are not afraid to make a mistake. I think you saw the result of that today. They were relaxed and attacked and made plays. It was fun to watch.”

Before Martin took a seat for the rest of the game, he threw one more touchdown, hitting Bane for 22 yards with 6:24 left in the third quarter for a 49-0 lead.

“Two things that stuck out to me watching our offense play was the extra-effort plays,” Wright said. “Jordan Grove was tackled, and he made two guys miss and battled to get the first down. Shane Williams gets hurt trying to drive to the goal line.

“The kids finished today. It was the extra effort. It was Bearcat football. It was fun to watch as a head football coach. Our offensive line played their tails off today. When we can run the football, our offense becomes difficult to defend because of the play-action passing game. I was really proud of their effort today.”

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team got a goal from Mollie Holtman in the 108th minute to defeat Lindenwood, 2-1, on Friday at Harlen C. Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.

– The win moves the Bearcats to an even 3-3 on the year while Lindenwood falls to 3-4. The match was a non-MIAA contest.

– Taylor Wolfe scored Northwest’s first goal in the 33rd minute as she lifted a shot from 22 yards out into the top left corner off a pass from Madi McKeever.

– Izzy Romano found Mollie Holtman in the second overtime session down the left side and she beat the keeper to the far post to end the match.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats outshot the Lions, 15-8, and had nine shots on goal to Lindenwood’s three.

– Northwest was called for seven fouls while the Lions were whistled for five.

– Madie Krueger and Brianna Hersom each had three shots in the match with two coming on goal.

– Ashley Malloy made two saves to pick up her third win of the year.

– Mollie Holtman and Taylor Wolfe each scored against Sioux Falls in the season opener on Sept. 3. It was the second goal of the year for both players.

Up Next
– The Bearcats will begin MIAA play on Sunday at Central Missouri. The 1 p.m. match will be played in Warrensburg, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team fell to Central Missouri, 3-0, on Friday at the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg, Mo.

– The Bearcats fall to 6-7 on the year and 0-1 in conference play. The No. 15 ranked Jennies improve to 10-3 overall and 1-0 in MIAA action.

– Mady Bruder had a team-high 10 kills with 13 digs and three blocks.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Central Missouri took all three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-18 and 25-18.
– Darcy Sunderman had nine kills with eight digs.
– Sarah Dannettell had 19 assists with five kills.
– Olivia Nowakowski had 22 digs and three assists.
– Gaby da Silva had nine digs and three assists.
– Alexis Williams had five kills and three blocks.

Up Next
– It’s a quick turnaround for the Bearcats. Northwest heads to Lindenwood on Saturday for a 2 p.m. MIAA match against the Lions in St. Charles, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team picked up a 1-0 overtime victory over William Jewell on Tuesday evening at Greene Stadium in Liberty, Mo.

– The Bearcats improve to 2-3 on the year with the win while the Cardinals fall to 4-2.

– Maddie Kreuger sent a cross in to Danielle Wolfe who headed in the game winner in the 96th minute to break the 0-0 tie.

– Ashley Malloy made five saves to pick up her first shutout of the season.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest outshot William Jewell, 15-10.

– The Bearcats had six corner kicks to the Cardinals’ four.

– William Jewell was whistled for eight fouls while Northwest was called for four.

– Danielle Wolfe had two shots, both on goal. Her overtime strike was her second goal of the year.

– Emily Madden had three shots, two coming on goal.

– Izzy Romano had four shots on goal.

– Bri Wawiorka had two shots, both on goal.

Up Next
– The Bearcats head to Lindenwood for a 7:30 p.m. non-MIAA matchup in St. Charles, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team fell to Central Missouri, 4-0, on Sunday at Bearcat Pitch in Maryville, Mo.

Northwest falls to 1-3 on the year while No. 4 ranked UCM improves to 6-0.

Northwest Key Statistics
– UCM had 18 shots to Northwest’s 17. The Bearcats and the Jennies each had nine shots in the second half.

– Each team was whistled for 15 fouls.

– Izzy Romano had four shots with two coming on frame.

– Alex Mausbach had three shots, all on goal.

– Danielle Wolfe had four shots.

– Ashley Malloy had four saves in goal. Brooke McCluskey made two saves after entering the game in the 58th minute

Up Next
– The Bearcats will face William Jewell on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in Liberty, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —

By David Boyce – Northwest Athletics

KEARNEY, Neb. – Stellar defense by Northwest Missouri State played a starring role in the Bearcats’ 33rd straight victory on a brisk, windy Saturday afternoon at Cope Stadium.

Led by the play of junior linebacker Nick Hess and senior defensive tackle Ben Spaeth, Northwest, ranked No. 1 in the AFCA top 25, beat Nebraska-Kearney 13-0 and improved to 3-0. Nebraska-Kearney dropped to 1-2.

“Right now, I think we are playing pretty well defensively,” said Northwest coach Rich Wright. “I think that is something we can take away from this. Moving forward, we can be pretty good on defense.”

It was the second straight grind-it-out win for the Bearcats. Hess played a key role in the second half to keep Nebraska-Kearney off the scoreboard.

“It is unique right now how young we are,” Hess said. “It is a different team than in the past. We have to figure out how to play close games and how to take advantage of opportunities we get. All of this is a good learning experience for us. Gritty games are what we needed.”

Midway through the third quarter with Northwest ahead 13-0, Nebraska-Kearney moved to near midfield thanks to a couple of penalties that gave the Lopers two first downs. But Nebraska-Kearney never crossed midfield because of a sack by Hess that went for minus 11 yards, which pushed the ball back to the 36.

After an incomplete pass, the Lopers were forced to punt. Hess made his presence felt once again early in the fourth quarter when he had a sack for a minus 13 yards that put the Lopers at their 7.

“As a defense, we are a unit,” Hess said. “Our defensive line got a great push. Our coaches got us ready for that. It was a cumulation of great practices and preparation for this game. It was fun to see it come to fruition.”

Once again, Nebraska-Kearney had to punt, but on this occasion, the Lopers had the wind at their backs. Still, Northwest got good field position. The Bearcats used a methodical offense and stingy defense to put the game away. It was the second shutout of the season.

But Northwest managed only one Brett Garner field goal in the second half. The Bearcats didn’t score in the second and fourth quarters when they had the wind in their face.

The best part about Saturday’s game was Northwest with many first-year starters on both sides of the ball on a windy day found a way to win.

The only negative was the three missed field goals, two coming in the second half that could have made it a three-score lead for the Bearcats. Wright, though, felt the special teams played well, improving from last week.

“Our special teams all the way around improved dramatically,” he said. “The field goals we have to make in that area. You have to be able to convert those.”

Defensively, Northwest played well in all areas. Spaeth, who missed last week because of an injury, recovered a fumble in the first half. Senior safety Edward Richey intercepted a pass in the first half. The defensive line stopped the run and the secondary prevented long passes.

Spaeth also had a sack with under three minutes left in the game that ended the Lopers last scoring opportunity.

“It was pretty big,” Spaeth said. “They forgot to block me I guess, and I got in there.

“It felt great to be back out there. It is always hard to be on the sideline, missing a game, but you get to see your teammates go out there and you know they are going to give a good effort.”

The offense didn’t have the same kind of success, scoring just one touchdown. It was an afternoon when the defense had the offense’s back. The defense knows there will be a game when the reverse is true.

Senior wide receiver Shane Williams, who caught the only touchdown in the game, refused to use the wind as an excuse.

“We are used to it a lot,” Williams said. “We play with it a lot in Maryville. We can always adjust to whatever comes at us.”

In the first half, Northwest held its opponent scoreless for the third straight week, and that allowed the Bearcats take a 10-0 lead into halftime.

“As a defense, we are still trying to find our identity, but through these first three games we are starting to click, and when that happens it is scary when our defense comes together,” Hess said.

Nebraska-Kearney’s only scoring opportunity came with 4 seconds left in the second quarter after senior Zach Martin tossed his first interception of the season and it was returned to the Northwest 24. The Lopers only had time for a 41-yard field goal, and it hit off the left crossbar.

Throughout the first half, Northwest defense completely dominated, limiting the Lopers to two first downs. The first one came on a pass interference call in the first quarter and the second one was on a 23-yard pass play in the second quarter.

With the wind at their backs in the first quarter, the Bearcats played nearly the entire 15 minutes on Nebraska-Kearney’s side of the field. The great field position allowed Northwest to score on its second drive of the game. A 46-yard field goal by junior Brett Garner gave the Bearcats a 3-0 lead with 10:30 left in the opening quarter.

Northwest stopped the Lopers on their next two drives. After a punt, Northwest got the ball at Nebraska-Kearney 46. Six plays later, Northwest was in the end zone on a 6-yard pass from Martin to Williams. The extra point increased Northwest’s lead to 10-0 with 2:36 left in the first quarter.

“We were glad we could punch it in,” Williams said. “We got close a lot. Zach did a great job of making a play. I was glad I came up with it.”

The Bearcats missed a golden opportunity to extend its lead early in the second quarter when Spaeth recovered a fumble at Nebraska-Kearney 19 with 10:54 left until halftime.

“The defense up front caused the ball to come loose, and I saw the ball on the ground and ran for it and grabbed it,” Spaeth said.

Northwest was unable to get a first down and settled for a 28-yard field goal attempt that missed. A gusty, swirling wind in the face of Garner made it a difficult field goal.

The loss of senior running back Cameron Wilcox to an injury in the first quarter hurt Northwest offense in the second quarter.

“We were behind the chains too much,” Wright said. “We are in second down and long way too much. We are not there yet as an offense to get behind like that and still come out successful. We have to convert more.”

Despite the struggles on offense, Northwest still won the statistical battle in the first half, gaining 169 total yards compared to 53 for the Lopers.

“They were great again,” Williams said of Northwest defense. “The way Kearney runs the offense, we had to be disciplined. Our offense is proud how the defense played for us.”

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team fell twice on Friday at the Carr Racop Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas Fort Smith.

– Libero Olivia Nowakowski was credited with 47 digs, setting a Northwest single-match record against Arkansas Fort Smith. The previous high was 46 by Paige Spangenberg against Fort Hays State on Oct. 24, 2008.

– The Bearcats opened the day with a loss to West Florida and then dropped a hard fought five-set match to host Arkansas Fort Smith in the evening session.

– Northwest is now 5-6 on the season.

– The match was played at the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith, Ark.

Match One Key Statistics (West Florida 3, Northwest 1)
– The Bearcats fell in the first set, 25-21, but rebounded to take the second set, 27-15. West Florida took a critical extra-point third set, 28-26, and went on to close out the match with a 25-15 fourth set win.

– Maddy Bruder had 13 kills against the Argonauts with 11 digs and two blocks.

– Sarah Dannettell had 21 assists with 13 digs, three kills and a pair of service aces.

– Maddy Ahrens added 15 assists with four digs.

– Nowakowski had 20 digs with two service aces.

– Gaby da Silva added 14 digs with a service aces.

Match One Key Sequence
– In the second set, Northwest tailed held a 24-23 lead but a pair of West Florida points gave the Argonauts an opportunity to go up two sets. After a Bearcat timeout, Northwest got back-to-back kills from Dannettell and Bruder to take a 26-25 lead. On the next point, a West Florida attacking error gave the Bearcats the second set win and evened the match at one set a piece.
Match Two Key Statistics (Arkansas Fort Smith 3, Northwest 2)

– Northwest dropped the first two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-21. But the Bearcats responded to win set three (25-21) and set four (28-26). UAFS won the fifth set, 15-8.

– In Northwest’s third and fourth set wins, the team hit .312 and .357, respectively.

– Bruder had 17 kills to lead Northwest. She added 11 digs and a service ace.

– Darcy Sunderman had 14 kills with 15 digs and a pair of blocks.

– Morgan Lewis had 11 kills with five blocks and a dig.

– Sofia Schleppenbach had 10 kills with three digs, three blocks and an assist.

– Dannettell added 31 assists with 13 digs, three service aces and a pair of kills.

– Ahrens had 23 assists with four digs.

– Along with her school record 47 digs, Nowakowski also added three assists.

Match Two Key Sequences
– In the third set, Northwest got a kill from Lewis and the Lions committed an attacking error to give the Bearcats set point at 24-18. But three-straight UAFS points forced a Northwest timeout at 24-21. Out of the break, Schleppenbach put away the winning point to give the Bearcats the third set.

– Northwest evened the match at two sets a piece with a win in the fourth. Trailing 24-23, the Bearcats got back-to-back blocks to take set point. But UAFS would come back to tie the match. The two teams would trade points until a Bruder kill gave Northwest a 27-26 lead. On the next point, Sunderman put away a kill of an assist from Dannettell to give the Bearcat the 28-26 set.

Up Next
– The Bearcats will conclude play at the Carr Racop Invitational on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. match against Henderson State.

— Northwest Athletics —

The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team defeated the Newman Jets, 3-1, on Thursday at the Carr Racop Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas Fort Smith.

– The Bearcats move to 5-4 on the year with the win while Newman University falls to 4-6.

– The match was played at the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith, Ark.

– Maddy Bruder had a match-high 18 kills, hitting a team-best .226. She added 22 digs, three blocks, three assists and a service ace.

Key Northwest Statistics
– Northwest won the first two sets by scores of 25-23 and 25-22. Newman bounced back to win the third, 26-24, but the Bearcats closed out the match with a 25-18 fourth set win.

– The Bearcats held the Jets to a .000 attack percentage in the fourth set.

– Morgan Lewis had 12 kills and hit .222 in four sets.

– Darcy Sunderman added 10 kills with 17 digs and two blocks.

– Sarah Dannettell had 48 assists with 14 digs, three kills and a service ace.

– Defensively, Olivia Nowakowski had a match-best 28 digs, adding three assists.

– Alexis Williams had six blocks with eight kills and four digs.

Key Northwest Sequences
– Late in the first set, Northwest found itself down, 23-22, after a Jet kill. Sunderman would come up with back-to-back kills off assists from Dannettell to tie and then take the lead, 24-23. After a Newman timeout, the Bearcats put the set away with a kill from Lewis, 25-23.

– Northwest closed out the fourth set in convincing fashion for the win. Leading by just a point, 18-17, the Bearcats closed out the set and the match by winning seven of the next eight points. Sunderman had three kills in the sequence. Bruder added a service ace and Dannettell added a kill. On match point, Gaby da Silva notched a kill off a Dannettell assist.

Up Next
– The Bearcats will face West Florida on Friday at 11:30 a.m., followed by a match against host Arkansas Fort Smith at 7 p.m.

— Northwest Athletics —