The varsity football Owls allowed everyone to enjoy Homecoming 2025 last Friday night as they defeated Central, 49-34, to move to 6–2 on the season. The Owls' balanced offense piled up 456 total yards, 345 rushing and 111 passing, while the defense forced two interceptions and made several key stops in the second half to seal the win.
The scoring fest began early as RB Gavin Gatere sprinted 31 yards for the game's first touchdown less than a minute into play to complete the 3-play, 80-yard drive. MUS led, 7-0, after Joshua Wittber's PAT. But Central answered on its first drive, going 80 yards in 10 plays as Kavieon Rucker scored the first of his 4 touchdowns, this one from 4 yards out, to tie the score at 7 with 6:43 left in quarter one.
RB Tommie Reed immediately answered by returning the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, the sixth-longest kickoff return in MUS history, reclaiming the lead for the hosts. Reed continued to make an impact, finishing with 118 rushing yards on 12 carries, two rushing touchdowns, and the historic special-teams score.
The Owls increased their 7-point lead to 21-7 on the first play of the second quarter as RB Jackson Hood finished an 8-play, 54-yard drive that amassed 2:21 with his 2-yard run. But again, Central fought back as Andrus Farmer hauled in a 16-yard scoring pass from Brooks Wright just 1:54 later to close the gap back to 7. And after having forced an MUS punt, the Warriors evened the score as Rucker outraced MUS defenders from 20-yards out for the touchdown to tie the score at 21 with 5:56 left in the half.
The Owls needed only 4 plays to regain the lead for good as Reed broke through the line and scored on a 41-yard run with 4:02 left in the half. But the hosts were not finished. After a Central punt with just 48 seconds left in the half., QB Price Renovich connected with John Painter for 20 yards to get close, and then on the last play of the half, Renovich hit Painter again for a 25-yard touchdown to complete the 5-play, 55-yard drive. Wittber's extra point gave the Owls the 35-21 halftime advantage.
In the second half, Rucker tacked on two third-quarter touchdowns, a 48-yard run and a 10-yard reception. Only a poor snap on the second PAT prevented the Warriors from evening the score with 4:22 left in quarter three as MUS led, 35-34. However, from there, the Owls leaned entirely on their ground game and their defense to take control of the game. Reed added a 3rd touchdown on a 9-yard run, and Hood added his second 2-yard touchdown with 6:44 left in the game as the Owls finished the scoring and held on for the win.
Defensively, the Owls were led by linebacker Austin Spence, who tallied 11 solo tackles and two tackles for loss. Hood and Dallas Keras each contributed interceptions, while lineman Reid McKnett recorded a sack and two tackles for loss. MUS controlled possession for nearly 26 minutes and converted both of its fourth-down attempts, as the Owls slowly took control of the game on the ground against the very skilled and well-coached Warriors team (6-2). In fact, the hosts had 5 players gain at least 40 yards on the ground: Reed (118), Gatere (77), Hood (67), Maddox Giel (44), and Gray Gowen (41).
