The Northwest Missourian by Northwest Missourian

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MISSOURIAN

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2021

MARYVILLE, MISSOURI

NWMISSOURINEWS.COM

VOL. 110, NO. 15

@THEMISSOURIAN

BYE-SONS

JON WALKER | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest football senior wide receivers Imoni Donadelle (left) and Kaden Davis (right) wave toward Harding’s sideline after Davis scored a game-sealing touchdown during the No. 3 Bearcats’ 28-9 win over No. 7 Harding Nov. 27 at First Security Stadium in Searcy, Arkansas. Davis finished with four catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns, marking his third multiscore game this year.

’Cats rout Harding to reach quarterfinals JON WALKER Sports Editor | @ByJonWalker

EARCY, Ark. — As Braden Wright trotted onto the field with 2 minutes and 32 seconds left in the first half, he was hoping to put an end to the dry spell that plagued the Northwest football’s offense for nearly every moment prior to that one. The junior quarterback was tasked with leading the Bearcats down the field in an attempt to put points on the board to flip the script on Harding’s 9-7 lead. And if Wright and company found a way to muster as much as a field goal, history would’ve sided with Northwest, a program that entered the contest 37-0 when leading at halftime under fifth-year coach Rich Wright. Braden Wright provided more than a field goal try, eventually connecting with senior wideout Kaden Davis for a 13-yard touchdown with six seconds left before both programs headed toward the locker room. History repeated itself, too, and the

No. 3 Bearcats punched their ticket to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals with a 28-9 win over the No. 7 Bisons Nov. 27 at First Security Stadium. “We always talk about landmarks,” Rich Wright said in the aftermath of the 19-point triumph. “Last week was Thanksgiving — that was our landmark — and the next one was to play into December, so we have the opportunity to do that now.” That 11-play, 80-yard drive to end the first 30 minutes of action never seemed likely, at least not based on the Bearcats’ struggles up to that point. They were held to a meager 31 yards of offense before they took the field for their final drive of the first half. That was in part due to Harding’s stifling defense, which prevented Braden Wright — who was starting his first game since Northwest’s Week 1 win over Fort Hays after undergoing emergency surgery in Week 2 — from ever finding a rhythm in his own offense. The Bisons (11-2) sacked him four times through-

UP NEXT Northwest @ Ferris State 1 p.m. EST Dec. 4 Big Rapids, Michigan

out the game — a trio of them in the ﬁrst half, including one during the scoring drive to give the Bearcats (11-1) a 14-9 lead into the break. “Their front seven did a good job. I was uneasy,” said Braden Wright, who was 10-for-16 with 231 yards passing and three touchdowns. “I pride myself on being evasive in the pocket, and they were getting home to me. A lot of that was my fault; I was being indecisive with the ball. Really, it was just settling in. Naturally, that happens throughout the course of a game. … This was my ﬁrst start since Sept. 2. I never want to make an excuse, but I just let that get to my head.”

SEE BISONS | A4

No. 3 Northwest preps for Michigan-bound trip, rematch against top-seeded Ferris State JON WALKER Sports Editor | @ByJonWalker

The Northwest football program has been here before. The Bearcats met with Ferris State in November 2018, defeating Grand Valley State in the ﬁrst round before making the 10-hour trek and returning to Maryville with a 27-21, season-ending loss courtesy of the Bulldogs. They did it in December 2019, too, beating Harding in the ﬁrst round and Lindenwood in the second before making the 10-hour trek and returning to Maryville with a 25-3, season-ending loss courtesy of the Bulldogs. And after capturing a second-round victory over Harding Nov. 27 in Searcy, Arkansas, one that followed a 50-21 beatdown of Central Washington Nov. 20 in Bearcat Stadium, the Bearcats are packing their bags for a trip on the road to redemption. “Two years ago, when we went up to Ferris and got beat, I was OK with it, because — I wasn’t OK with it, but I was in the sense that they were a better football team than we were,” Northwest football coach Rich Wright said Jan. 16,

2020, roughly five weeks removed from the program’s most recent loss to Ferris. “Walking away from that game this year, I didn’t feel like they were a better football team than we were. That doesn’t sleep well with me.” Despite Wright’s latest trip to Top Taggart Field leaving unwelcomed afterthoughts, he and the No. 3 Bearcats will have a chance to avenge their losses when they, once again, make the 10-hour trek to play the No. 1 Bulldogs in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals Dec. 4 in Big Rapids, Michigan. “Really don’t look at it in terms of what happened in 2019, other than the fact that everything’s a learning experience,” Wright said Tuesday afternoon at the Northwest Athletics Media Luncheon. “Changing the narrative is gonna be to get more than six first downs in the football game. … I feel like we’re a much different team this year going into this game, but, ultimately, you’ve gotta go up there and prove it.”

SEE REMATCH | A4

JON WALKER | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest football seniors linebacker Brody Buck (50), defensive lineman Sam Roberts (98) and linebacker Sam Phillips (43) record a tackle during the 28-9 win over Harding Nov. 27.

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Dec. 2, 2021 @TheMissourian

New COVID-19 variant looms, death toll rises

NEWS

TRACKING COVID-19: NEW DAILY CASES IN COUNTY UP TO NOV. 29 200

New cases

150

100

NATHAN ENGLISH Managing Editor | @nathan_3nglish

trator Tom Patterson said on Wednesday, with tests and the positivity rate increasing dramatThe Nodaway County Health ically over the past few weeks. Department announced the “We’re in a tough spot; we’ve deaths of two residents from CO- got a lot of cases. I don’t know VID-19 Nov. 25 and 28, bringing what’s around the corner,” Patthe death toll from the virus to 36 terson said with a sigh. at the time of publication. The 14-day positivity rate for The cautious optimism lo- the county was 24.6%, the ﬁfthcal health oﬃcials were holding highest for any county in the onto a little over a month ago in state during that span. regards to COVID-19 has all but Northwest did not have disappeared. an active case November count below was one of the 10 for the enworst months tire month, for virus casthe first such es in Nodaway month since County since November the pandem2020. Amandeaths from COVID-19 ic began. The da Cullin, in Nodaway County ninth day of member of the month was the Crisis Rethe last time sponse Team active cases 2, described were below 100 locally. There her and the team’s feelings on are 183 active cases of the virus in COVID-19 locally, frequently the county, according to the latest using one word: “concerned.” data available upon publication. “We’re concerned about supNCHD has been “swamped” ply chains. We’re concerned the past few weeks, Adminis- about access. And we’re even

0 16

GRAPHIC BY GAVYN SCHOTT DESIGNER

concerned about the ability to, oh, be safe,” Cullin said. As has been the case throughout the past 21 months, an upward trend in COVID-19 cases has correlated with a rise in hospitalizations. Nate Blackford, president of Mosaic - Maryville, said the hospital had seven patients admitted with COVID-19, up from the two to four range it’s been hovering at throughout the fall. Vaccines are helping stem the tide. Blackford said, despite the high number of cases, the cases to hospitalization ratio is down signiﬁcantly from what it was a year prior. In addition to the county’s

recent struggles with the virus, a new threat looms as another COVID-19 variant, the omicron variant, is discovered. “We didn’t want any more of these (variants), but we should expect them,” Patterson said. The variant, named after the 15th letter in the Greek alphabet, was ﬁrst detected in South Africa Nov. 24 before it was determined that it was likely in Europe prior to that. Oﬃcials announced the first confirmed U.S case of the variant Wednesday in California. Due to the recent detection of the variant, much is unknown about it, including how transmissible it is, its severity and the vaccine’s effectiveness

against it. Once again, officials are encouraging people to continue to follow proper precautions like getting booster shots, which are now available to all vaccinated individuals 18 or older. “I do think it’s important to understand that this is a population health issue. For those struggling to make the decision for, you know, medical reasons or religious reasons or whatever those may be, I trust them to make the decisions that are best for them,” Blackford said. “But I think, and in the context of population health, the more people who have the vaccine, the better chance we’ll all have of moving past this stage.”

Senate passes new event form for all student organizations SIDNEY LOWRY News Editor | @sidney_lowry

In their last meeting of the fall semester, Student Senate passed the implementation of an event registration form and left unfinished business about interpreting election results. In it’s Nov. 16 meeting, Senate went back and forth with feedback on a new event registration form that would be required for every student organization to ﬁll out before holding an event. Student Affairs Assistant Vice President Kori

Hoffmann presented changes to the form based on the feedback. The first thing debated on was a paragraph outlining the responsibility of the organization for its members. This part of the proposal said every member or officer has to discourage activity that would break organizational policy, the law or University policy, and organizations would be held accountable for the actions of a member who breaks any of those rules. The Office of Student Involvement’s response to the concern was to cut it completely. Hoffmann said

Unique s Find

this was implied in the other paragraphs outlining the policy. “Ultimately, Student Senate is the one who recognizes our student organizations on campus. They’re the ones who can take away recognition. Really, all that power comes from you guys as Student Senate,” Hoﬀmann said. The registration form is currently only adopted by Greek Life organizations, but after a unanimous vote from Student Senate, it will be introduced in the spring and fully enforced in fall 2022. Senate also circled back to

another point of business from their previous meeting: interpreting election results. In their last meeting, Senate debated three options on how they wanted to fill the elected positions, the first being to only allow one person to run for one position. In opposition to this possibility, it was argued that allowing people to hold more than one position would help combat low attendance that was seen at the beginning of the semester. The second option was that class officers would be filled first, then all

others would be filled. A third option was made to help fill the most positions. Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Josh Fyffe said that if someone ran for two positions and won both, they would assume the role that did not have enough candidates to fill otherwise. At the Nov. 16 meeting, Senate voted to come up with the written bylaw for the third option of filling the most spots possible. Fyffe and co-chair Devan Rohn outlined the language of the bylaw, which will be voted on at the first meeting of next semester Jan. 18.

SHOP LOCAL

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

NEWS

Dec. 2, 2021 @TheMissourian

Ministry Center prepares clothing, food for holidays SIDNEY LOWRY News Editor | @sidney_lowry

During Thanksgiving and Christmas, Atkins said, the food pantry hands out close to $10,000 worth of food, in addition to donations it gets from Second Harvest Community Food Bank in St. Joseph, Missouri. Not only does the Ministry Center oﬀer food to families in need, it has a clothing room full of every garment people could possibly need for the winter. Rachel Golightly is a volunteer who runs the clothing room for the Ministry Center. She said that on the clothing side, she has already seen people coming in looking for Christmas gifts and warm clothing for the winter. Last year, the Ministry Center expected an increase in people who were going to need assistance because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Golightly said they experienced the complete opposite. “Strangely, before COVID-19 hit, we had a pretty good size of people that came in regularly for food and clothes. And then after the pandemic, our numbers just dropped completely,” Golightly said. “We would probably have, like, 30 people a day coming in before. And then afterwards, like, we’d be lucky to get three.” One of the reasons for this

The Ministry Center Food Pantry and Clothing Room is one of the main resources in town where Nodaway County residents in need can find assistance. Though it offers clothing and food year-round, there are some extra things done during the holidays. Director Merlin Atkins has worked at the Ministry Center since its opening 23 years ago. He said during the holidays, the food pantry gives away over $100 more than normal in food to each family it sees, with food such as extra bags of potatoes, cans of corn and green beans. “My theory is, whatever we got in the freezer and on the shelf is not doing anybody a damn bit of good sitting in there. The whole idea of this is to get it in here and get it moved out,” Atkins said. Atkins said the Ministry Center changes the types of food it hands out every month. During the holiday months, the food pantry has classic food for holiday meals. Residents can get turkeys and hams, along with ingredients for side dishes.

DECEMBER ACTIVITY CALENDER 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.: Cocoa, Coffee and Cookies before parade @ Meyer Auto, the Library or First United Methodist Church 6 p.m.: Downtown Lighted Parade, Winter Wonderland at Franklin Park

8 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Craft Fair @ the Senior Center 9 a.m.: Shop Hop 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.: Santa’s Workshop @ Meyer Auto 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Movie in the Pocket Park

4 11

8:30 a.m.: Breakfast in Whoville 9 a.m.-1 p.m.: Holiday Bakesale and Homes Tour Nodaway Historical Society 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.: Santa’s Workshop @ Meyer Auto 1:30 p.m.: Free Sunday Matinee at the Hangar 2 p.m.: Nodaway Chorale Holiday Concert

GRAPHIC BY MAKAYLA POLAK DESIGN EDITOR

ADDALYNN BRADBURY | NW MISSOURIAN

Volunteer Marilee Weese stocks shelves in the Ministry Center’s food pantry. The Ministry Center Food Pantry and Clothing Room is one of the main resources in town where Nodaway County residents in need can find assistance.

may have been because an increased number of people qualified for more government assistance. Those who were already receiving food stamps could be eligible for more funding, and those who were not already receiving assistance before the pandemic would likely now qualify. Despite a dip in the amount of people who were coming through the doors of the Min-

istry Center, she said there has been a steady flow of people coming back. Whether it be because of the holidays or something else, Golightly said, the Ministry Center is glad to see more people coming back in. “On the clothing side, we’ve seen a huge increase of people coming in in the last month. So I’m not sure what that’s about. It could be the holidays, or it could just be new people moving,” Go-

lightly said. “We’ve got ﬁve new families each month that come into the clothing room.” Though the Ministry Center is doing extra for families during the holidays, it’s open yearround to help people in need in Nodaway County. “Part of my life is taking care of others, and that’s what we all need to learn,” Atkins said.

Local businesses set for holiday activities JAKE PRATER Missourian Reporter | @TheMissourian

Make it Maryville, a partnership of local businesses founded in 2017, has launched its December series of events called “A Very Maryville Christmas.” It includes free 1:30 p.m. matinees of Christmas movies every Sunday at The Hangar, a Christmas light show that began on Wednesday the first, and a parade with downtown decorations. Along with the dozens of homes decorated for the city’s Tour of Lights event, downtown Maryville will be lit up and decorated to bring in the holiday spirit. Make it Maryville didn’t plan this alone; it has partnered with the city of Maryville, Nodaway Economic Development, the Maryville Chamber of Commerce and downtown businesses. Make it Maryville lead organizer Holly Cronk said the idea for A Very Maryville Christmas started with last year’s Tour of Lights, where homeowners signed up to join a Christmas light competition. The tour was a holiday festivity for Maryville residents to enjoy

during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We had over 100 homes signed up for this,” Cronk said. “And that’s not even counting all the homes that weren’t signed up but also decorated.” Despite the success of last year’s event, Cronk noticed a stark contrast between the vibrant displays of lights in the neighborhoods and the bleakness of downtown Maryville, which was mostly undecorated. “Everybody was lit up around town, but downtown was just like a black hole,” Cronk said. “There wasn’t anything there.” Over several Make it Maryville meetings, Cronk sought to find a solution. Make it Maryville decided it would need more people to decorate downtown. After working with the Maryville Chamber of Commerce, downtown businesses and county commissioners, Make it Maryville was able to create the biggest Christmas celebration the town has ever seen. “The city really stepped up; they have been instrumental,” she said. “They have donated their workers and their

equipment to getting the lights put up on the buildings. It’s been a huge and awesome collaboration.” Events this month vary by location, as numerous businesses and organizations are pitching in and working together. Make it Maryville has been helping with advertising and promoting the events, with Cronk herself promoting the free Sunday matinees at The Hangar. The Nodaway County Economic Development Corporation and the Maryville Chamber of Commerce are both working on Uniquely Nodaway, a Nodaway County collection of local businesses participating in promoting shopping locally. Downtown Maryville has been working with the city to get it decorated for the holiday season. County commissioners approved putting a wreath on the courthouse, and Meyer Auto Center has a Santa shop. “Not one organization has been more important than the other,” Cronk said. “It was a big group effort of our volunteers, community volunteers and all our organizations.”

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Dec. 2, 2021 @TheMissourian

CRIME LOG for the week of Dec. 2 Northwest Missouri State University Police Department

Nov. 28 There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation in Franken Hall. Nov. 19 There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation in Franken Hall. There was an accident between Grace M. Chaney and Kayla D. Walser in Parking Lot 38. Nov. 18 There is a closed investigation for a liquor law violation in Hudson Hall. Nov. 17 There is an open investigation for harassment. There is an open investigation for property damage at Hawthorne Apartments.

Maryville Police Department Nov. 30 A summons was issued to Benjamin Ahmic, 21, for possession of a fake drivers license and improper display of license plates on the 300 block of North Ray Avenue. Nov. 28 There is an ongoing investigation for identity theft on the 1700 block of East Thompson Street.

JUMPS

There was an accident between Fredrick K. Kypyego, 24, Brooke M. Wenzara, 31, and Venkateswara R. Gadde, 28, on the 600 block of North Main Street. Gadde was issued a citation for careless and imprudent driving. Nov. 26 There is an ongoing investigation for assault on the 1700 block of East First Street. Nov. 23 There is an ongoing investigation for property damage on the 1600 block of South Main Street. There is an ongoing investigation for burglary on the 1500 block of East South Avenue. Nov. 22 There is an ongoing investigation for property damage on the 700 block of East Third Street. A summons was issued to Emma G. Cherry, 19, for possession of marijuana on the 600 block of North Main Street. Nov. 21 There is an ongoing investigation for burglary on the 300 block of East Thompson Street. Nov. 19 There is an ongoing investigation for a stolen motor vehicle on the 200 block of East Halsey Street. Nov. 17 A summons was issued to Kaden T. Anderson, 18, for an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle and speeding on the 2900 block of South Main Street.

JON WALKER | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest football senior wide receiver Alec Tatum evades a defender on the sideline during a 63-yard in during the Bearcats’ 28- win over Harding Nov. 27 in Searcy, Arkansas. Tatum had five catches for 124 yards.

REMATCH

CONTINUED FROM A1 The ’Cats (11-1) will enter the matchup with the Bulldogs (11-0) on the heels of a 28-9 triumph over the Bisons, a win that didn’t seem likely throughout the first 28 minutes of action, at least not based on the offense’s performance. When the Bearcats took the field with 2 minutes and 32 seconds left in the first half, they had mustered a meager 31 yards of total offense, an outing that, prior to that point, mirrored their 2019 meeting with Ferris. That’s when junior quarterback Braden Wright, who was 2-of-5 for 29 yards with a touchdown and interception up to that point, engineered an 11play, 80-yard drive that took up 2 minutes and 26 seconds to give Northwest a 14-9 lead at halftime. It was a drive that gave the Bearcats momentum for the rest of the game, using the first drive of the second half to score in three plays en route to a 21-9 advantage, and it was a drive that gave the Bearcats momentum that they’re hoping carries over into their meeting with Ferris. “I think a freshman or sophomore Braden Wright might’ve stayed in the funk that he was in during the first half, but he didn’t do that,” Rich Wright said of the three-year starter. “Credit to the offensive coaches and Coach (Todd) Sturdy for flipping the script. The run game

JON WALKER | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest football senior running back Al McKeller — one of eight finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy, an award given to Division II’s most valuable player — runs through the defense during a 28-9 win over Harding Nov. 27.

BISONS

CONTINUED FROM A1 Northwest’s defense was able to keep the Bearcats in the game despite the offense’s early mishaps, forcing Harding’s offense into back-to-back fumbles during the Bisons’ first two possessions. The Bearcats’ offense didn’t find any success on its first drive, a direct result of the first fumble recovery, running three plays for 2 yards before settling for a field goal try from the right foot of kicker Cole Lammel. The freshman entered the matchup with Harding a mere 4-of-8 on field goals, and that percentage worsened when his 42-yard attempt sailed wide left. Northwest capitalized on the second fumble, as Braden Wright threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Imoni Donadelle to give the Bearcats a 7-0 lead with roughly 12 minutes to go in the first quarter. “When you’re playing against a defense like they have, you just can’t afford to give the football to ’em,” Bisons coach Paul Simmons said after his season-ending loss. “Really, really tough way to start the football game.” Simmons’ heavily run-based team rallied despite the early turnovers, not shying away from Northwest’s nation-best defense that allowed opposing offenses to an average of 40.4 yards rushing per game throughout its first 11 games of this season. The Bisons — led by an offensive attack that Rich Wright loathed scheming for all week, noting that he was going to be miserable until the game was over — used the ensuing drive to go 75 yards in 12 plays, a possession that was capped off with a 22-yard touchdown run courtesy of junior running back Omar Sinclair. That was the last touchdown Harding scored, though, and Northwest’s defense prevented the Bisons from finding the end zone for the final three quarters despite reaching the red zone

wasn’t working, so we went to something else. … I think that’s where we’re different from years prior.” Braden Wright was the starter during the two aforementioned losses to Ferris, going 34-of-59 for 323 yards passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions throughout both games while the Bearcats put up an average of 229 yards of offense against the Bulldogs. They’re planning to change that, though, building on a unit that’s averaged 464.1 yards per contest, a mark that’s the 10th-best in Division II. And while Northwest figures out who will start between him and sophomore quarterback Mike Hohensee, who exited the Bearcats’ first-round matchup in the second quarter with a non-contact injury and missed all of the win over Harding despite being dressed out, the Bulldogs are the ones with a predicament at the helm of their offense. Ferris’ starting quarterback, senior Jared Bernhardt, was injured and never returned during the second quarter of the Bulldogs’ 54-20 win over rival Grand Valley State in the second round. It’s, oddly enough, not an unfamiliar situation for Rich Wright to see amid preparation for Ferris. The Bulldogs have been without their starting quarterback in each of the last two matchups. This time will be different, though, because this isn’t the first time Bernhardt has sat out this season. “One advantage to it this time is that

three more times. “The thing we did a good job of, defensively, today is as the field started to constrict, we didn’t give up points,” Rich Wright said. “To me, that really was the difference.” The Bearcats, who set a goal to limit their opponent to less than 50 yards rushing per game, knew completely stymieing the run would be unlikely against a Harding offense that averaged a Division II-best 402.2 yards rushing throughout its first 12 games of the season. Northwest’s defense, which held the Bisons to a season-worst 274 yards of total offense, did its fair share toward the win. That, Rich Wright said, is what matters. “They were running an inside trap scheme that took us a little while to figure out,” Rich Wright said. “Once we slowed our inside people down, we were able to neutralize that. We also made a series of changes as the game went along. We had different calls that we hadn’t even practiced all week. … That’s how you have to do it when you play that offense, because you’re not quite sure what you’re gonna get, and so you have to have the flexibility to be able to change.” The game, of course, wasn’t over with the ’Cats clinging to a 5-point lead at halftime. Braden Wright’s scores to Donadelle and Davis weren’t necessarily the straws that broke the Bisons’ backs. That straw presented itself on the second half’s first play from scrimmage, when Braden Wright rolled to his right before finding senior receiver Alec Tatum for a 63-yard connection. Northwest finished that drive two plays later, when senior running back Al McKeller bulldozed his way into the end zone from a yard out to give Northwest a 21-9 lead. “That was huge to start the second half that way,” Braden Wright said. “We’ve had problems with that a majority of the season, with starting the second half fast. That was kind of a point of emphasis going into the

(Bernhardt) has missed some games this season,” Rich Wright said. “We have a pretty good look at their other two guys on film; we know what they can do. … Both No. 0 and No. 2 are good football players. They do some different things. The game plan going into them will be slightly different but not drastically. The offense still is what it is.” The No. 0 Rich Wright was referring to is Bulldogs sophomore Mylik Mitchell, who transferred to Ferris’ program after spending a season at Kent State University. Mitchell has played in 11 games this season, going 65-of-110 (64.4%) for 993 yards passing with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. The No. 2 is junior Evan Cummings, who has played in nine games this season and thrown for 389 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception while completing 53.7% of his passes (29-of-54). He’s versatile, too, adding six rushing touchdowns. The lack of familiarity doesn’t stop there — not just for Ferris, but for Northwest as well. Rich Wright isn’t too caught up in what happened the last two seasons, and that’s mostly because the teams are so vastly different than they were then. For the Bearcats, that includes senior Dedrick Strambler, who came to Maryville for his last collegiate season, and who missed Northwest’s matchup with Central Washington before returning during the meeting with Harding.

playoffs, just being able to go out there quick. We were able to do that today, and that, obviously, helped shift the momentum.” Braden Wright’s third and final touchdown pass of the game, the one that served as the dagger in a game that was seemingly already over, happened when he, again, found Davis, who scampered down the sideline in front of Harding’s team for a 58-yard touchdown with 4 minutes and 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Davis finished with four catches for 82 yards and two scores. Northwest’s defense buckled down in the second half, blocking a field goal attempt before forcing a turnover on downs and eventually snagging an interception on the Bisons’ final drive of the game. All of that — Braden Wright finally settling in en route to a big day, the defense holding the Bisons to a total of 118 yards in the second half, the Bearcats snapping Harding’s nationbest 14-game home win streak — leads Northwest to a meeting with No. 1 Ferris State in the national quarterfinals Dec. 4 in Big Rapids, Michigan. The Bulldogs have ended each of the Bearcats’ last two seasons, including a 25-3 win in 2019. Northwest is hoping to turn the tide this time around, though. If the ’Cats can, it’ll propel them to the program’s first appearance in the semifinals since the title-winning season in 2016 and the first of the Rich Wright era. “We’re excited to play whoever we’ve gotta play,” Rich Wright said. “I’m just fired up about what our kids are gonna do at the complex this week. We know they’re a very good football team. They’re undefeated. They’re gonna be a formidable opponent. … We’re gonna have our hands full, but I like this group. … We’re looking forward to the opportunity to take a flight up to Michigan and see what we can do.”

The starting safety who transferred to Northwest from Hardin-Simmons University has never played Ferris before, but he said he became a Bearcat to play in games exactly like this one. The one thing he’s sure about the Bulldogs is what his firstyear teammates have told him. “They said it’s gonna be a good game. They have good players, but so do we,” Strambler said Tuesday afternoon. “They said (the Bulldogs) like to talk a lot. I mean, talking only gets you so far until you get in between the white lines, so we’ll see what happens between those.” It won’t matter that the Bearcats haven’t beaten the Bulldogs since Dec. 10, 2016. It won’t matter that Northwest has the opportunity to be the first team to defeat Ferris since West Florida, the eventual champions, did in the semifinals Dec. 14, 2019. Strambler is exactly right about what happens between each team’s sideline, because that’ll be the only thing that matters when the two programs meet with the offseason looming for either the Bearcats or the Bulldogs. Eight teams will enter their weekend with title hopes intact. Four teams will live to see another week. The other four will start preparing for next season as early as Saturday night. With all of that hanging in the balance, including the winner of the latest meeting between Northwest and Ferris hosting a home game in the semifinals, Rich Wright and

OPINION

Dec. 2, 2021 @TheMissourian

ALEXANDRIA MESZ | NW MISSOURIAN

OUR VIEW:

The Editorial Staff’s favorite holiday songs The Missourian decided to do something different for this week’s edition of the Our View. Many of us on the Editorial Staff are excited that it’s finally Christmastime, and we want to share some of our Christmas cheer with readers. KENDRICK CALFEE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Thurl Ravenscroft

SIDNEY LOWRY, NEWS EDITOR “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Bandaid

MAKAYLA POLAK, DESIGN EDITOR “Four Christmases” by Seth Gordon

OK, most people would disagree with this pick. But they’re wrong. There are probably better songs on this list that encapsulate the Christmas spirit and the cheerful bliss of this holiday, but that’s exactly why this is my favorite. For a fun two minutes and 56 seconds, you get to hear some of the most creative insults ever made. If one day you have a bad breakup, please steal the “your heart is full of unwashed socks” line. It’s great. Or, better yet, slap them with the “garlic in your soul” line. That just stings. I’m fully convinced the Grinch broke more than just children’s hearts after hearing this song. And it’s a nice change of pace from Mariah Carey’s impressively annoying vocals.

Don’t ask me to play Christmas music unless you’re willing to sit through a YouTube ad to listen to undoubtedly the best Christmas song of all time. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” has been recorded four times — in 1984, 1989, 2004 and 2014 — and what’s there not to like? They make one song that features the most popular artists of the time, then put them all together to make an absolute banger. On top of having a bunch of artists in one song, proceeds from the song’s sales go to charities to beneﬁt people struggling in West African countries. This song is deﬁnitely my favorite because it embodies what the holidays mean for most people: being surrounded by others and giving back.

We came up with the idea to write about our favorite Christmas song, but, on brand, here I am not doing that. Anyway, “Four Christmases” is a really good movie. It embodies what Christmas is truly like. I, too, had a childhood like “The Shawshank Redemption,” and I am always trying to go to Fiji for the holidays. There is no other Christmas movie that can make me laugh like this one does. “Four Christmases” gives me 88 minutes of enjoying the holidays. After that, it is just back to December for me.

NATHAN ENGLISH, MANAGING EDITOR “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra could have sung the warning label on a bottle of shampoo and it would’ve sounded sublime, so, of course, he made the best rendition of this classic Christmas song. This particular track transports me to my parents’ kitchen, sitting around laughing with my family as my mother attempts to bake pumpkin cookies faster than my brother eats them. It’s a song I associate with my favorite part of the holiday season. For that reason, it’s my favorite Christmas song. NOAH CROWE, SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR “Mistletoe “ by Justin Bieber

When it comes to Christmas music, “Mistletoe,” along with Justin Bieber’s entire Christmas album, is unmatched. Although many are opposed to this Christmas album, and Justin Bieber all together, I believe you can’t have Christmas music without it. This is the type of song that you could play year round and no one would question it; well, maybe just a little. Some honorable mentions would be “St. Brick Intro” by Gucci Mane or “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande, but JB ultimately takes the cake.

JON WALKER, SPORTS EDITOR “White Christmas” by The Drifters

Not that I’ve ever been home alone while my family is on vacation, but something about Kevin McCallister singing this song to himself in the mirror is just relatable. There aren’t too many things better than dreaming of the typical, yet ideal, Christmas Day where you can wake up and make plans to sled with your friends on snow-covered hills. I think I remember someone telling me there’s a rumor ﬂoating around Maryville that I can hit both the high and low parts of the song, so that’s pretty cool if it’s true.

CORBIN SMITH, OPINION EDITOR “Last Christmas” by Wham!

I don’t want to say that I’m a sucker for nostalgia, but I deﬁnitely am. This gem of a song came on each year when I was a child in the back seat of my mother’s minivan as we rode to the Christmas service. There’s something about staring out of a window and thinking about how your crush shared goldﬁsh with another boy in class as you sing about somebody else’s actual heartbreak. So, this year, I’ll realize what a fool I was and continue to belt out these heart-wrenching lyrics during such a heartwarming time of the year. MARY GRACE RICE, COPY EDITOR “Carol of the Bells” by Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych

ADDALYNN BRADBURY, PHOTO EDITOR All I Want for Christmas is You” “by Mariah Carey

Now, anyone who doesn’t listen to “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on repeat the day after Thanksgiving isn’t celebrating Christmas right. It’s a true classic. There’s nothing like hearing the ﬁrst melody of the bells tinking and drumming along, or driving around to look at Christmas lights and being serenaded by Mariah Carey in your car with everyone attempting to hit that high note. But no one truly can like Mariah. The absolute bop has broken Spotify’s record twice, for good reason, for the most played song on Christmas in 2019. As they say, the devil works hard, but “All I Want for Christmas Is You” works harder.

My favorite Christmas song is one that wasn’t even intended to be used to celebrate Christmas. Interestingly, “Carol of the Bells” was originally a Ukrainian folk song written to express winter good wishes. In contrast to the cheery spirit and bright notes expressed by most Christmas songs, “Carol of the Bells” sounds ominous — much more my style. It makes me feel like I’m being haunted by the spirit of Christmas, which sneaks up slowly until revealing itself at the song’s crescendo. The whole song is mesmerizing. Nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit more than listening to this hauntingly beautiful song and picturing Santa wreaking havoc on unsuspecting, happy families.

THE STROLLER:

Your Bearcat loves ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ There are a lot of Christmas songs, and an innumerable amount of them are bad. Some are just terrible pop renditions of classic songs sung by people who couldn’t find a tune if it hit them on the back of the head. Others are just creepy. However, there is one truly terrible, gut-wrenching, ear-piercing, cavalcade of horrors Christ-

mas song that sits atop the pantheon of bad yuletide music — “Wonderful Christmastime’’ by Paul McCartney. McCartney, a famed member of one of the only enjoyable British exports in existence, attempted to make a pleasant, breezy song about how all you need is a nice night and people you care about. Instead, he decided to

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“I’d like the worst sounds you’ve got.” Oh, remember those lyrics I was talking about? Yeah, they are also super repetitive. The song drones on for over four minutes and says approximately 11 diﬀerent words. Clearly his songwriting prowess on “Blackbird” emigrated back to the land of tea and beans for breakfast when he

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produce a synth-pop nightmare with lyrics so bad Limp Bizkit wouldn’t touch them. The primary issue with the song is the music, an important part of songs. The song utilized weird synth tones before the programs that make those sounds actually sound good were created. It was as though McCartney walked into the synth store and said,

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was writing this monstrosity. I’m absolutely not saying this song led to the eventual death of John Lennon. What I am saying is that they happen almost too close together in the grand scheme of history to be ignored. The Stroller has been a tradition since 1918 and does not reflect the views of The Northwest Missourian.

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Dec. 2, 2021 @TheMissourian

CONTINUED FROM A8 It was a 3-point barrage spearheaded by sophomore forward Wes Dreamer, who went 10-for18 from deep en route to scoring a career-high 32 points. Dreamer made as many triples against Briar Cliff than he had during the three games leading up to that one. “We read the offense. We read it appropriately,” McCollum said. “Ultimately, (Dreamer) just made the shots. When you make a couple of shots, then you kind of get your feel-good going. Then the ball seems to find you, and it found him a lot. Obviously, he was on.”

I think we’re starting to go three-by-one, though — three steps forward, one step back.” -BEN MCCOLLUM NORTHWEST MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

That was an outing that paled in comparison to the Bearcats’ first couple of weekends, when they had to engineer two comebacks before picking up wins over then-No. 15 Northern State Nov. 6 and then-No. 21 Seattle Pacific Nov. 7. Those come-from-behind wins were followed with an 83-77 loss courtesy of Sioux Falls Nov. 13 in the Central Region Challenge at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. But since then, the ’Cats have rattled off four straight victories, including an 86-76 triumph over then-No. 2 Truman State Nov. 23 in their Bearcat Arena debut. “We’re still trying to find our-

selves,” McCollum said. “I just told somebody that it’s like you take two steps forward and one step back. As long as you’re not going two forward, two back, you’re moving in the right direction. I think that’s gonna be a little bit the case for just a little while. I think we’re starting to go threeby-one, though — three steps forward, one step back.” McCollum and company are aiming to make that five straight wins when Northeastern comes to Bearcat Arena Thursday evening. The RiverHawks (5-1) played a pair of Division II teams during their early-season nonconference schedule, losing one and winning the other. McCollum, the 12th-year coach who has never lost in his 11 meetings with Northeastern, is expecting a tough matchup to start conference play, even though he’s not too sure what the RiverHawks are going to bring to the table. “Usually, they’re pretty good offensively. They play pretty hard,” McCollum said of Northeastern. “They’ve got a really good big guy. But how good they are? I don’t think anybody really knows how good anyone is right now.” Regardless of how the Bearcats fare this weekend, McCollum isn’t too concerned either way. He’s not going to hang his head too low should they lose, and he won’t hold his head too high should they win. It’s a formula that’s led the program to three national titles since 2017, and it’s a formula that McCollum is riding on the path toward a potential 22nd conference crown. But before he gets there, he knows there are stops along the way, and the first one presents itself in the Bearcats’ conference debut. “Every time you get into a game, you get exposed in something new, and then you get better and better as you go,” McCollum said. “That’s kind of the way we do things anyways. We’re a little bit different in that a lot of people wanna be ready and be good the first game. Yeah, we wanna be good the first game, but I’d rather be good at Game 25.”

ROSCOE FLINT | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest junior Jacob Nkamasiai runs in the Bearcat Open in his first meet of the season in the men’s 7K with Jake Norris and Fedrick Kipyego. The women’s team edged St. Mary 27-29 while the nationally-ranked men’s team had a narrow win over St. Mary 27-28.

CONTINUED FROM A8 Now that cross country is over, the indoor track and field season is starting with the Mel Tjeerdsma Classic Dec. 4 in the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse. Many of the cross country runners, including Nkamasiai, also compete in the indoor track and field season. With the team’s short rest time between cross country and indoor track and field, Cunningham wants to see the team transition well. “I think a challenge this time of year is just that transition to track,” Cunningham said. “It’s easy to try to get back into

HUNT

CONTINUED FROM A8 “I think we’ve got a little chip on our shoulder. This is kind of a revenge game, and it’s always fun opening conference at home,” Green said. Meyer said the ‘Hawks have a lot of players getting significant minutes for the first time this year. He said Northwest will definitely need all week to prepare for them so that they’re ready for anything. While he doesn’t want to focus on past results, Meyer said he uses the information he has

things and get going quick again. We’re having that balance of needing some rest before we get into the difficult stuff.” Nkamasiai said he is feeling good heading into the indoor season, and he will run the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter events. The Mel Tjeerdsma Classic allows the Maryville community to come see the track and field competitors in action, and Nkamasiai is excited to have the home crowd behind him for the first time since spectators were allowed during the 2019-20 season. “I’m excited to run here because the crowd is good,” Nkamasiai said. “Everyone is cheering at you, so it is amazing, like, you have the unity of the team. It will be good.” ence like the MIAA. “It’s huge, just because when you get into a game setting, you hope everyone plays well,” Meyer said. “But if somebody is having an off night, we can go to someone else. Or if someone is in foul trouble, we can go to someone else. If there’s an injury … we knew going in that depth was going to be a good thing as long as everyone buys in.” After Northwest’s game with Northeastern State Dec. 2, the Bearcats won’t have to wait long to be matched up with another MIAA opponent, as they’ll play Rogers State Dec. 4. Both games will be at Bearcat Arena as the team aims to continue its win streak. Meyer and Green know that’s easier said than done against conference opponents. “Our league is so good, and there’s really no team you can just not show up for,” Meyer said. “Everyone knows that the MIAA is the best Division II conference in the country,” Green said. “You never know what to expect on any given night.”

from the year prior to learn tendencies. He focuses on narrowing down what’s important to relay to his players, he said, so they can focus on key aspects of the game and keep the game simple. One of the keys for Northwest heading into MIAA play will be getting the bench involved. Through the first five games, the bench has scored an average of 19 of the Bearcats’ 61.4 total points per game. While the bench’s contributions go further than points, Meyer said having a bench be able to go into the game at any time and make a difference is crucial, especially in a confer-

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Dec. 2, 2021 @NWMSports

McKeller named Harlon Hill finalist JON WALKER Sports Editor | @ByJonWalker

After being one of the 36 student-athletes nominated for the Harlon Hill Trophy, Northwest football senior running back Al McKeller has been named one of the eight finalists for the award given to Division II’s most valuable player. McKeller transferred to Northwest roughly a month prior to the 2021-22 season after spending three seasons at the University of Indianapolis. There, he was nominated for the trophy twice, making this the third straight year he’s been a candidate. “I would’ve been really disappointed if he wasn’t nominated for it,” Northwest football coach Rich Wright said Tuesday afternoon, a day prior to the finalists being announced. “I’ll be equally disappointed if he’s not one of the finalists.” Throughout the No. 3 Bearcats first 12 games this fall, McKeller has carried the ball 268 times for 1,547 yards and 18 touchdowns. The senior has averaged a bruising 5.7 yards per carry this year en route to being the country’s third-best active rusher, regardless of level, with a career total of 5,085. McKeller is second among all Division II rushers in total touchdowns (60), first in all-purpose yards (5,500) and has rushed at least 100 yards in eight of Northwest’s 12 games (66.7%). “I think his body of work speaks for itself,” Wright said. “Probably the biggest gift of all is what kind of great human being he is, what a phenomenal teammate he’s been. He’s exceeded all of my expectations. … He’s just a special kid, special player, and I hope he wins the darn thing.” The finalists will now be voted on by the 181 sports information directors across the country to determine which student-athlete will be the recipient of the 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy.

JON WALKER | NW MISSOURIAN

Maryville boys soccer sophomore midfielder Kason Teale scores a goal during the Spoofhounds’ 9-0, mercy-rule win against conference foe Cameron Aug. 30 at Bearcat Pitch. Teale had a five-goal outing against the Dragons, and he was one of the team’s leading scorers throughout its historic season.

’Hounds soccer wraps up historic season GAGE KAHLER Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports

After a long, hard-fought three months, the 2021 Maryville boys soccer season has come to a close. The Spoofhounds used this fall to compile a record of 16-6-1 before being handed a title run-halting loss by eventual Class 1 champion Lutheran St. Charles. After losing to Lutheran in the semifinals, Maryville went on to face Fairgrove (15-10) Nov. 20 for the third-place game. The ‘Hounds may have not left Fenton, Missouri, with that coveted first-place plaque, but they proudly came home to Maryville with a 5-0 win in hand, a triumph that earned a third-place plaque. “This season was great,” senior forward Jacob Ferris said. “I love being able to win. Winning by five goals made it even

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better, just showing people we were good and that we had a great season.” Despite a third place award — falling short of the ultimate goal that the team had its sights set on — this year’s edition of Maryville boys soccer made history throughout the season: winning its first district title in 20 years and advancing the furthest the program had ever been in the state playoffs. Throughout this season, the Spoofhounds were plagued with injuries, but even without some of their key pieces for some games — Ferris and senior defender Teagan Haer — they pushed through adversity. While making history, the ‘Hounds also placed four players on the all-state ballot. Ferris and sophomore midfielder Kason Teale were announced on the first team. Throughout the 2021 post-

season, Maryville surrendered a meager three goals through ﬁve games, allowing players such as sophomore goalkeeper Jaxson Staples to make second-team all-state and junior midﬁelder Quinn Pettlon to make honorable mention.

Maryville boy soccer won its first district title in 20 years this season To add on to the Spoofhounds’ historic season, Ferris was voted Offensive Player of the Year in Class 1, marking the ﬁrst time in the program’s history any player has won the award.

After the successful season, and mostly maintaining their current roster for next year, the sky’s the limit for this young Spoofhound team. This year’s senior class hopes this season’s successes help provide momentum to the underclassmen to lead them even further next year. “I want the underclassmen to know that they are good. They can do great things by trusting in each other and believing that they can achieve anything,” Ferris said. “I want them to want to be the best and try their best to be the best they can.” After graduating in May, Ferris will look to continue his soccer career in college while pursuing a degree in business with a minor in criminology. “I really think this year taught me how to be a better leader,” Ferris said. “It showed me how to work together as a team and to put my trust in others.”

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SPORTS

History halted MHS soccer ﬁnished historic title run with third-place ﬁnish. see A7

Road to redemption For coverage of NW football’s meeting with Ferris State, see nwmissourinews.com

Dec. 2, 2021

Men to start defense of MIAA crown

Nkamasiai represents Northwest XC at D2 title meet KESTON OLTMAN Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports

As Northwest junior cross country runner Jacob Nkamasiai crossed the finish line at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships Nov. 20, he completed one of the dreams he came to Maryville with, which was to compete in nationals. Nkamasiai was selected for an at-large bid to nationals and represented the Bearcat cross country team as the only member to make it to the championship race. The race took place in St. Leo, Florida, where the temperatures climbed to the mid-70s, and the humidity hovered around 70% for the day. The course featured many hills, including long hills that runners had to navigate. “The course was hard,” Nkamasiai said. “What was worse for us was the humidity; it was humid, but the course was really hard.” Despite the challenges, Nkamasiai finished the 10,000-meter course with a time of 32 minutes and 40 seconds. The time was good enough to earn Nkamasiai 110th place out of 245 qualified runners. Coach Wick Cunningham said some runners dropped out of the race, and he was proud of Nkamasiai for pushing through and finishing. “It was a solid performance for the day; it was just tough,” Cunningham said. “To go out there and lace up and just compete and finish that race strong, that was huge.”

JON WALKER Sports Editor | @ByJonWalker

orthwest men’s basketball — roughly 10 months removed from winning the program’s 21st MIAA regular season title and roughly two months removed from being tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the MIAA by the league’s coaches and media — will start its conference schedule on the heels of perhaps its best performance of the season. The No. 2 Bearcats (6-1) got a 98-66 win over Briar Cliﬀ in their last nonconference game before starting MIAA play with matchups against Northeastern State Dec. 2 and Rogers State Dec. 4, both games that will be played in Bearcat Arena. “I’m looking forward to just competing,” Northwest coach Ben McCollum said. “Nothing earth-shattering, just continuing to try to improve and try to be challenged. This weekend will be very challenging in both games.” Northwest will enter conference play on the heels of a triumph that was in part due to a seasonhigh shooting performance from Northwest, one in which the ’Cats shot 35-of-66 (53% from the ﬁeld and 22-of-41 (53.7%) from beyond the arc. The Bearcats broke the program’s record for most 3-pointers made in a single game with their 22 triples, upending the previous program-high total of 20 from a win over Manhattan Christian Nov. 19, 2004.

110

UP NEXT NW vs. Northeastern State 07:30 p.m. Dec. 2 Bearcat Arena

Jacob Nkamasiai placed 110th a the Division II Championships. Even though he had already made it to nationals, the competitive nature inside Nkamasiai didn’t like the way the race went. “I’m not really happy,” Nkamasiai said. “But I’m glad that I participated, like, I ran the race, but it was not the race I wanted. But I’m happy I finished.” The race may have not gone the way Nkamasiai wanted, but he said he enjoyed his first nationals experience. The competition took Nkamasiai back to Florida, where he attended two different universities before coming to Northwest. He attended Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2017. After Keiser University, Nkamasiai attended Florida A&M in 2018 in Tallahassee, Florida, before ending up in Maryville in 2019. Nkamasiai said he was excited to go back to Florida, and in his experience at those Florida schools, he had already run the course he ran for nationals, even though he didn’t think it helped him much. “It was amazing,” Nkamasiai said about returning to Florida. “My first cross country race was at the same course. So I know the course well, but it just didn’t work for me. But it was so amazing; it was good.”

SEE XC | A6

MAKAYLA POLAK | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest men’s basketball junior guard Diego Bernard hits a fadeaway jump shot during the then-No. 3 Bearcats’ 86-76 win over then-No. 2 Truman State Nov. 23 in Bearcat Arena. Bernard did it all for Northwest, scoring a career-high 25 points to go along with 12 rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block.

SEE DEFENSE | A6

Women aim to improve in search of MIAA title WESLEY MILLER Sports Reporter | @wesleymiller360

After being on the wrong side of a 21-point comeback in the season opener, the Northwest women’s basketball team rattled off four straight wins prior to starting its 2020-21 conference schedule. The Bearcats (4-1), who were slated to finish ninth in an MIAA preseason coaches and media poll, have tried their best to put the collapse in their first game of the season behind them, and they’ve done just that four games afterward. “It’s been a good start,” coach Austin Meyer said. “We didn’t play any lowerlevel school, so hopefully it’ll prepare us for a league we know is good. Saturday (Nov. 27 against Winona State) I thought we had our best offensive half that we’ve ever had during my time here as coach.” In the first half against Winona, Northwest scored 41 points while shooting 62.5% from the field. Despite the Bearcats’ best

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start since they went 5-0 through the first five games of the 2017-18 season, Meyer said there’s still plenty of room to improve, specifically in finishing games. The Bearcats held a 41-28 lead over the Warriors (4-1) but only won by 3 points (65-62). “We still have to be more consistent in being able to close out games when we build leads,” Meyer said. Sophomore forward Jayna Green said she and her teammates are using the hot start to the season as a confidence boost. “It’s not like we’re playing bad teams; like, we’re playing really good teams,” Green said. “I think everyone’s really excited going into conference with those wins under our belt.” Northwest will start conference play against MIAA foe Northeastern State, which was slated to finish 10th in the MIAA in a preseason coaches and media poll. The RiverHawks’ (2-4) start to the season has gone much differently than the Bearcats’. North-

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MAKAYLA POLAK | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest women’s basketball senior guard Mallory McConkey readies to drive by a defender during the Bearcats’ 68-48 win over Missouri S&T Nov. 22 in Bearcat Arena. McConkey had 4 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

eastern will enter the matchup on a three-game losing skid, most recently falling to Texas A&M-Commerce (6-0). However, the Bearcats will be looking to avoid a result similar to their game against the RiverHawks a season ago when they lost 64-56. This time, though, the ‘Cats will play at home in the Bearcat Arena.

UP NEXT NW vs. Northeastern State 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2 Bearcat Arena NW vs. Rogers State 1:30 p.m. Dec. 4 Bearcat Arena

SEE HUNT | A6

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