BATESVILLE, Ark. — Hendrix scored the game's first 24 points en route to a 44-24 win over Lyon College on Saturday afternoon at Bad Boy Mowers Stadium. The Warriors had possession of the ball for nearly two-thirds of the contest, ran for 302 rushing yards and 293 passing yards, and converted 9 of 15 third downs. The defense limited Lyon to 171 total yards and 11 first downs, with three sacks and two interceptions.
Jake Blice completed 16 of 25 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns and added 67 rushing yards.
Westin Bruce caught six passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns to mark his seventh 100+ yard receiving game and take him to 10 touchdowns on the year.
Demarkus Crain rushed 26 times for 119 yards and a touchdown for his second 100+ yard game.
Dylan Doudt recorded two interceptions and five tackles in the win
With Saturday's victory, Hendrix clinches its first SCAC Championship Game appearance, setting up a rematch with Texas Lutheran next Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
In the first quarter, the Warriors outscored Lyon 10-0, getting a 33-yard field goal from
Clay Brandenburg and a 5-yard touchdown run from
Kobey Wall. The Warriors produced 10 first downs, ran for 128 yards and completed all four pass attempts for 47 yards, while Lyon finished the quarter with no first downs, four rushing yards and five passing yards.
The Warriors scored 21 points in the second quarter and carried a 31-17 lead into halftime, getting touchdown passes of 42 yards from Blice to Wall and 11 yards to Bruce plus a 19-yard Crain run. The Warriors went 5-for-6 passing for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the quarter, while Lyon answered with 17 points, including 10 red-zone points and a late touchdown on a blocked field goal return.
The Warriors controlled much of the third-quarter production with seven first downs, 72 passing yards and 40 rushing yards, while Lyon was held to three first downs, 27 passing yards and eight rushing yards. The quarter remained scoreless, though Lyon intercepted two Warriors passes, and the Warriors carried a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors outscored Lyon 13-7 to finish a 44-24 win, converting 4 of 6 third downs while Lyon went 0-for-1 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth down. The Warriors' defense held Lyon to one rushing yard and forced two interceptions by Doudt, while
Jake Blice's 60-yard touchdown pass to Bruce and
Clay Brandenburg's PAT and two field goals adding onto Hendrix's advantage in the final frame.
The Warriors scored on their first two possessions and held Lyon without a first down in the first quarter, building a 10-0 lead. Brandenburg finished the opening 10-play, 77-yard drive with a 33-yard field goal, and Wall capped a 10-play, 60-yard march with a 5-yard touchdown run before Brandenburg's PAT. The Warriors rushed for 128 yards and had the ball at the Lyon 42 when the quarter ended.
The Warriors added three touchdowns in the second quarter, opening the quarter with
Jake Blice's 42-yard scoring pass to Wall and later getting a 19-yard touchdown run from Crain. After Lyon's field goal, the Warriors answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that included Blice's fourth-down conversion and ended with his 11-yard touchdown pass to Bruce for a 31-3 lead. Lyon scored the final 14 points of the quarter, including a blocked field goal return, as the Warriors entered the break ahead 31-17.
The Warriors held Lyon scoreless in the third quarter, with
Tristian Johnson making a tackle for loss and then sacking Grayson Johnson for a 9-yard loss to force a punt on Lyon's opening drive. Blice hit
Amare Foreman for 29 yards and Bruce for 28 on a 69-yard Warriors possession, but the drive ended with an interception at the Lyon 5. The Warriors put together another sustained drive to the Lyon 23 before a second interception on the final play kept the quarter scoreless and left the Warriors ahead 31-17.
The Warriors used two Doudt fourth-quarter interceptions to add points, with Brandenburg hitting a 28-yard field goal after the first takeaway and Blice finding Bruce for a 60-yard touchdown after the second. Brandenburg added a 30-yard field goal after
Jacob Moody's fourth-down sack gave the Warriors the ball at the Lyon 13, while Lyon later answered with a touchdown pass, but the score proved to be academic in the end as Hendrix secured the 20-point win over their in-state foes.
