Wildcats Roar Back to Stun No. 22 MNU with 34 Unanswered in Maple Leaf Win

BALDWIN CITY – Baker football delivered a Maple Leaf weekend statement win under the lights on Saturday, storming back from an early deficit to defeat No. 22 MidAmerica Nazarene, 34-14, at Liston Stadium.

The Wildcats erased a 14-0 first-quarter hole by reeling off 34 unanswered points, securing their third straight victory and remaining unbeaten in Heart South play at 3-0.

Defensively, the Wildcats turned in one of their strongest outings of the year, forcing a season-high four turnovers with three interceptions and a fumble. Linebacker Zac Kramer led the way with a team-high 11 tackles to go along with an interception. Caden Donovan and Alex Gunderson added the other two picks, while Zion Wayne pounced on the loose ball forced by Donovan in the third quarter.

Offensively, quarterback Truman Juelsgaard turned in a five-touchdown performance, finishing with 147 yards and three touchdowns through the air while also rushing for 33 yards and two more scores. Receiver Adrion Seals did all of his damage in the first half, hauling in five receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. Dom Spears finished with two catches—both touchdowns—and running back Gabe Martin added 75 rushing yards to help Baker control the clock late.

MidAmerica Nazarene struck quickly, scoring touchdowns on each of its first two possessions to build a 14-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game before things turned sour on the visitors. 

Baker settled in and answered before the end of the first quarter when Juelsgaard found Seals on a 29-yard touchdown strike in the back of the end zone to cut the deficit in half. The Wildcats tied the game midway through the second quarter on a quarterback keeper by Juelsgaard at the goal line, capping a 10-play, 68-yard drive.

Momentum fully swung in Baker's favor minutes later after Gunderson picked off the first pass of the night that set up the Wildcats deep in Pioneer territory. Facing a third-and-long shortly after that, Juelsgaard hit Spears on a slant route and the freshman wide receiver was able to muscle his way into the end zone for a 10-yard score, giving Baker its first lead of the night, 21-14, heading into halftime.

The Wildcats continued to capitalize on defensive takeaways in the second half. Early in the third quarter, an MNU receiver was stripped on a run after the catch, and Wayne came up with the fumble recovery at the Pioneer 41-yard line.

Led by a heavy dose of runs by Martin, Baker worked its way down towards the goal line, where Juelsgaard tacked on a second rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 27-14.

With 1:48 remaining in the third, Juelsgaard and Spears connected for their second touchdown of the night, this time from 13 yards out, pushing the lead to 34-14. The Baker defense handled the rest, forcing one final turnover courtesy of Donovan's interception and holding the Pioneers to a mere 55 yards of offense in the second half.

It was a dominant performance by the Wildcats' defense going up against an MNU offense that entered the matchup averaging 40.3 points per game, second-most in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, but was held to a season-low 14 points. They also limited MNU to 201 passing yards, a season low, and just 82 rushing yards on 25 attempts.

After going without a single takeaway through the first two weeks of the season, the Wildcats have now forced 11 turnovers in their last four games. They have also added five sacks during that time with Jaden Smith earning the latest one tonight.

Saturday's matchup featured two teams that have shared a piece of the Heart South title each of the last two seasons. The win marks Baker's third straight against its rival from Olathe - and ninth in the last ten meetings - after handing the Pioneers their lone conference loss in 2023 and 2024.

The Wildcats improve to 3-3 overall while keeping their perfect conference record (3-0) intact with back-to-back victories over Heart South opponents at home.

Baker will head out on the road for its next two games, starting with a matchup at Central Methodist on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. in Fayette, Mo.

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