GREAT AMERICAN CONFERENCE ROUNDUPS

OUACHITA BAPTIST 31, ARKANSAS TECH 24

A 1-yard touchdown run from Kendel Givens with 2:49 left allowed Ouachita Baptist (7-1, 7-1 Great American Conference), ranked No. 14 in NCAA Division II, to avoid an upset at Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia.

Givens’ late score not only capped a 14-point rally for the Tigers, who trailed 24-17 with less than 14 minutes remaining, but it also put the finishing touches on his record-setting day. The junior running back became the school’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns when he scored on a 7-yard run with 9:10 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 24-24.

The winning score was the 51st of his career. The Little Rock native finished the game with 181 yards on 24 carries, including a 31-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that tied the game at 7-7. Riley Harms completed 14 of 20 passes for 131 yards and 1 score as well for OBU, which extended it winning streak over Arkansas Tech (3-5, 3-5) to six games.

Taye Gatewood was 26 of 37 for 290 yards with a touchdown for the Wonder Boys, who took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard scoring run from Jordan Edington with 9:23 to go in the opening quarter. Arkansas Tech was down 17-10 in the third quarter, but Gatewood’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Tannis and another 1-yard score by Edington put it ahead before Givens’ final two touchdowns enabled OBU to surge ahead.

HENDERSON STATE 42, ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO 14

A 21-point second quarter gave Henderson State (6-2, 6-2 Great American Conference) a huge halftime lead as it cruised to victory at Willis Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium in Monticello.

Andrew Edwards was 22-of-27 passing for 295 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Reddies, who led 7-0 before erupting in the second quarter. Edwards, who threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Elijah George in the first quarter, tossed a 74-yard score to Cayden Davis with 13:12 left in the half to push Henderson State to a 14-0 lead. Edwards added a 2-yard touchdown run and found Frederick O’Donald for a 13-yard score later in the quarter to boost the Reddies to a 28-0 advantage.

UAM (2-6, 2-6), which has lost six consecutive games, got on the board with 14:53 left in the game on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Buddy Taylor to Jordan Mansfield, but Henderson State answered on Edwards’ 11-yard scoring pass to Micah Greene midway through the fourth quarter.

Brycen Leblanc ran a fumble back 99 yards for a score for the Boll Weevils, and Korien Burrell, who had 99 yards rushing on 12 carries in the game, added a late 3-yard touchdown for the Reddies.

Taylor was 14 of 32 for 234 yards with 2 interceptions for UAM, but the freshman was sacked nine times, with Henderson State’s Gary Lewis recording three.