Football Falls to Eagles On Senior Day 48-21

Leavenworth, Kan.- The University of Saint Mary Football team hosted Avila University on Saturday to end the regular season, resulting in a 48-21 loss. Four seniors, Alejandro Martinez-Loera, Christopher Huslig, Nick Holmes, and Tyree Jenkins, were honored before the game for their hard work and dedication to the program over the years. 

The first two drives of the day for Saint Mary ended in punts as the offense struggled to get rolling. Avila scored on their second drive, going 55 yards in four plays to take a 7-0 lead. On the ensuing drive, the Spires got all the way down to the Eagle's 27-yard line but failed to convert a 4th down attempt and gave the ball back to Avila. Untimely turnovers allowed an opportunistic Eagles offense to score 27 unanswered points, heading into halftime with a 34-0 lead over the Spires.

Saint Mary stopped the Avila offense to open the third quarter and gave the back to the USM offense. The Spires went 55 yards on ten plays and got on the board after a touchdown run from Erick Covington to make it a 34-7 ball game. Another stop on fourth down from the Saint Mary defense helped build momentum as Jartavoius Martin scored on the ensuing drive to cut into the Eagles lead. Avila scored to open the fourth quarter to take a 41-14 lead over the Spires. Nick Holmes scored this final touchdown of the day for Saint Mary after Covington found him in the back of the endzone. A late score from Alive made the final 48-21.

The Spires ended the year with an overall record of 3-8 and took fourth place in the Bissel division with a record of 1-4.