Eight touchdown passes, 900+ yards as Mules rout Emporia St. | Area football scoreboard

Kansas City Star
·3 min read

The first quarter had all the makings of a shootout at Walton Stadium.

But No. 23 Emporia State conked out before halftime and No. 17 Central Missouri kept firing for a 77-27 homecoming victory on Saturday in Warrensburg.

And when we say firing, we mean FIRING.

A game that stood 28-20 in UCM’s favor entering the second period quickly got out of hand. By its conclusion, the Mules (7-1) sat atop 981 yards of offense.

While the Hornets (5-3) scored their final TD in the second quarter, UCM put up some truly wild numbers. Quarterback Zach Zebrowski threw for eight touchdowns, completing 30 of 53 passes for a jaw-dropping 627 yards. He was sacked once but not intercepted.

Arkell Smith was the recipient of three of Zebrowski’s TD tosses, finishing with five catches for 144 yards. Zach Phipps had two TD receptions and three other Mules hauled in one apiece.

Marcellous Hawkins rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries.

Emporia State finished with more than 450 yards of offense, and most days that might’ve been enough.

In other Saturday games:

Fort Hays State 31, Washburn 28: The Ichabods gave Fort Hays State a scare at Yager Stadium in Topeka on Saturday, outscoring their guests 14-0 in the final period. But the Tigers (6-2) had raced to a 14-0 lead to open the game and were able to hold on for a 31-28 victory — their fourth win in a row.

De Soto High product Shane Watts finished with 144 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries for Fort Hays State. Teammate Jack Dawson was 27 of 42 for 291 yards with a pair of TDs and one interception. Myles Menges had two sacks for FHSU. Washburn fell to 1-7.

Missouri Western 20, Nebraska-Kearney 17: The visiting Griffons rallied from a 17-6 fourth-quarter deficit and improved to 6-2. Seth Cromwell ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries for Missouri Western. UNK fell to 2-6.

Avila 35, Tabor 17: The Eagles (2-6) picked up their second win of the season on Saturday afternoon in Hillsboro, Kan. Avila QB Eli Williams passed for four TDs and Jahkese Watkins added 115 yards on 19 carries.

Baker 41, Missouri Baptist 17: The Wildcats improved to 6-1 with a decisive victory against Missouri Baptist in St. Louis. Running back Rashaan Graves rushed for 174 and two touchdowns on 21 carries for Baker (6-1).

Benedictine 31, Missouri Valley 7: The Ravens celebrated pretty much from start to finish on homecoming at Larry Wilcox Stadium in Atchison. Jackson Dooley passed for three TDs for Benedictine (6-2), and Jagger Blubaugh scored the Ravens’ final one on a pick-six.

Ottawa 55, Sterling 17: The Braves got back to .500 in a big way on homecoming at AdventHealth Field in Ottawa. Billy Maples passed for two TDs and Jayden Johnson ran for two more as Ottawa improved to 4-4.