LEBANON, IL -- The Miners powered past the McKendree Bearcats 29-10 on Saturday afternoon, securing their second GLVC victory of the season. S&T leaned heavily on its ground attack, racking up 292 rushing yards and three touchdowns — including 196 yards and two scores from
Evan Wells (Roxana, IL/Roxana).
The Miners set the tone right away, handing the ball to Kai Martin (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian) on five straight plays early before #0 punched in a 2-yard touchdown run. The defense responded by forcing a quick three-and-out on McKendree's opening drive. S&T's second drive looked promising but ended at the McKendree 23-yard line after a fumble by Wells was recovered by the Bearcats.
Both teams traded empty possessions late in the first quarter, with S&T again pushing into McKendree territory before being stopped on fourth down. The Bearcats then mounted their best drive of the half, reaching the red zone — but on 2nd-and-Goal from the S&T 6-yard line, a botched play-action exchange resulted in a fumble that the Miners recovered. S&T capitalized on the turnover, marching 12 plays downfield to extend the lead to 14-0 on an 11-yard strike from Jake Farrell (Scottsdale, AZ/Notre Dame Prep) to Brennen Taranto (Weston, FL/Western).
The Miners' defense continued to dominate, forcing another three-and-out that set up a 2-yard touchdown run from Wells. The ensuing extra point was blocked, but in a heads-up play, Logan Jacobson (Hillsboro, MO/St. Pius X) scooped the ball and sprinted to the left pylon for a successful two-point conversion. McKendree tried to break through before halftime with a 47-yard field goal attempt, but missed, sending the teams to the locker room with S&T up 22-0.
Coming out of the half, the Miner offense cooled off, managing just 90 yards in the first 25 minutes after piling up 232 before the break. Even so, the defense held firm, allowing only 10 points as McKendree looked to climb back into contention. With just over four minutes to play and the Bearcats threatening inside the red zone, Reid Meekins (Houston, TX/Cypress Falls) stepped in front of a Ty Michael pass for a clutch interception. A block-in-the-back penalty on the return pinned S&T deep at its own 1-yard line — but on the ensuing play, Wells took the handoff straight up the middle and broke free for a 99-yard touchdown run to seal the 29-10 win in Lebanon.
Wells' 196 rushing yards are the most by a Miner in a single game since Deshawn Jones in 2017. Also, Wells' 99-yard touchdown is a new S&T record for longest play from scrimmage. Meekins, Justin Gniedziejko (Chicago, IL/Taft) and Bentley Hart (Brookland, AR/Brookland) contributed defensively, each with a takeaway in the redzone to help the Miners defense record the fewest points allowed to a conference opponent since defeating Upper Iowa 31-6 in 2023.
What's Next
The Miners are back on the road next week with a game in Quincy, Illinois where they are set to take on the Hawks.
Sign up for our email blast at https://minerathletics.com/subscribe.aspx
Follow Miners Football on X and Instagram at @miners_fb.
