It wouldn’t be a Saturday of Missouri Western football without a little last-second drama.
True to form, the Griffons’ contest against Fort Hays State wasn’t decided until the final moments, but in a plot twist, Western held on for a tenuous 31-28 victory at Spratt Stadium.

A strong southern wind greeted the Fort Hays State Tigers at Spratt Stadium on Saturday — a touch of the western Kansas plains in St. Joseph.

After a brutal week last week, Saturday’s slate of MIAA games offers at least three no brainers for someone who went 2-3 six days ago — Emporia at Central, Fort Hays at Western and Omaha at Truman.

Two weeks ago, a fellow MIAA scribe told me, “Only UNO can beat UNO.” On Saturday, about 30 minutes before kickoff at Yager Stadium, another fellow beat writer stopped by to chat about the conference — specifically Nebraska-Omaha’s dominance of it. The general consensus seemed to be that the Mavericks were just a few hours away from another statement game.

Without the MIAA’s top receiver, Cedric Houston, last week, Missouri Western quarterback Drew Newhart turned to Zach Sharp.
Now, in a surprising turn of events, Sharp is the conference’s leading receiver after a 12-catch, 120-yard performance against Washburn, finishing one reception shy of the school record.
The senior from Mound City, Mo., entered the season as Western’s No. 4 option — along with Anthony Anderson — behind Houston, Andrew Mead and Ferrell McGhee. But he steadily has emerged as a reliable possession receiver in the slot, and with Houston hurt last Saturday, Sharp filled in nicely.

Some of the defensive tackle mentality remains even if the size that helped Soane Etu play that position in junior college hasn’t.
At 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, Etu has used his speed and agility at defensive end to finish second in the MIAA in sacks last year and leads the conference in that category this season. But the Missouri Western senior still disrupts the middle of the line as well.
Last Saturday in Topeka, Kan., Washburn ran Justin Cooper on second-and-goal from the Western 1-yard line. Etu fought through two blockers and threw Cooper for a 1-yard loss. Two weeks ago, Etu burst through the middle of Pittsburg State’s line twice to block field goals.

I grew up in Colorado and went to college at Mizzou. In short, I’ve never had a horse in the MIAA race nor cared much about the winners either way . My opinions of each school have been shaped by my interactions with its coaches, SID and athletes. And on the whole, covering this conference has been a great experience, dealing with helpful and friendly people on a daily basis.
With that preface out of the way, there are times when your objectivity can’t help but give way to your humanity, and we’re there with this Missouri Western team.

During fall practice, Missouri Western quarterback Drew Newhart said throwing fewer interceptions was one of his goals for his sophomore season.
Last year, Newhart threw for 2,089 yards and 21 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions. With three picks Saturday in Western’s 21-17 loss to Washburn, Newhart already has matched that interception total from last year, and the Griffons still have six games remaining.

TOPEKA, Kan. — Heartbreak has a new mascot: the Griffon.
Mixing elements of its loss to Northwest Missouri State two weeks ago — the prospect of a road upset that ended on an interception in the end zone — with a last-second defeat to Pittsburg State last week — a game that came down to a final play inside the opponent’s 5-yard line — Missouri Western came up just short again Saturday. Washburn’s Zack Watkins intercepted Drew Newhart in the end zone on the final play of the game, preserving the Ichabods’ 21-17 victory at Yager Stadium.

Missouri Western at Washburn