Tyler Herl's 12 completions for 213 yards and 4 touchdowns led a balanced Pioneer attack at #12 Baker on Saturday. After a scoreless, turnover and penalty filled first quarter, MNU took control of the game with a 28-point second quarter. A short goal line pass to
Brandon Smith gave the Pioneers the first lead of the game, and a 90-yard punt return by
William Griffin put MNU up 14-0. Two more touchdown passes to
Jared Elmore and
Juan Redmon completed the 2nd-quarter explosion, and a last minute Baker field goal saw MNU enter the locker room with a 28-3 lead.
"The first quarter was ugly," said Coach Quinn. "Neither team played well, but I'm proud of the way we hung in there and made the proper adjustments in the second."
The third quarter saw the Pioneers extend the lead. Running back
Ashford Johnson shook off a rough first half to pick up a tough 2-yard touchdown run to start the second-half scoring. Any hope of Baker comeback was crushed with a beautiful 78-yard touchdown pass from Herl to
Tim Richmond to put the Pioneers up 42-3.
Eric Hronek capped off the 17-point third quarter with a 32-yard field goal. Baker added 10 points in garbage time and MNU won the game 45-13.
Herl was 12-20 for 213 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also ran twice for 30 yards.
Ashford Johnson rushed 14 times for 51 yards and a touchdown.
Tim Richmond caught 4 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown,
Jared Elmore caught 2 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown, and
Juan Redmon caught 2 passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.
Dantren Anderson led the defense with 9 tackles, and
Luke Gregory had a big game with 6 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss (10 yds), a 12-yard interception, and a forced fumble.
The Pioneers are 2-0. The next game is Saturday the 19th at home vs. Culver-Stockton (0-2). Live stats and
live video streaming are available.
