The Briar Cliff football team fell in a GPAC match-up Saturday afternoon. Final score: Midland 35, Briar Cliff 7.
Midland jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter, scoring twice through the air. The Warriors added another touchdown early in the second quarter to take a 21-0 advantage.
The Chargers answered late in the first half when Brock Saya connected with Ezra Heiner for an 18-yard touchdown with 44 seconds remaining. The score capped a 22-yard drive following a Midland interception by Jayden Botterill, who returned the pick 33 yards to the Midland 22-yard line. Briar Cliff entered halftime trailing 21-7.
Midland added a touchdown in the third quarter before extending its lead with a 19-yard rushing touchdown from Brady Singer early in the fourth quarter to make it 35-7.
Saya finished the afternoon 11-of-26 passing for 123 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 42 yards on 10 carries. Chase Thomas led the Charger ground game with 49 yards on 15 carries.
Heiner led Briar Cliff's receiving corps with four catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, including a 29-yard reception earlier in the second quarter.
Defensively, Botterill paced the Chargers with 10 tackles, including seven solo stops, while also recording the team's lone interception. Tegen Hoffman added nine tackles, and Dayton Harrell and Cameron Cayou each finished with five. Michael Casarez recorded Briar Cliff's lone sack.
The Chargers totaled 255 yards of offense, including 132 rushing yards and 123 through the air.
Briar Cliff returns to action next Saturday, September 19, traveling to Mitchell, S.D., to take on the Dakota Wesleyan Tigers. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
This content is sourced from
Briar Cliff University
. It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.
