KCAC

[Football] Football Gameday Preview: Falcons Back at Home Tomorrow vs. Sterling

The Lowdown: Sterling College at Friends UniversityLocation: Adair-Austin Stadium, Wichita, Kan.Kickoff: Oct. 10, 1:30 pmLive Broadcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/friends/Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons are coming off a pair of losses by a combined five points at home to the Avila University Eagles and last Saturday (Oct. 3) at the McPherson College Bulldogs. The Falcons now stand 1-3 both overall and within the KCAC.  Quarterback Dan Dawdy (SR/Haysville, Kan.) has completed 86-of-154 passes and is third in the KCAC with 216.5 passing yards per game and tops in the league with 866 passing yards overall. The Falcons are also getting similar production on the ground, as running back Juan Salazar (SR/Vernon, Texas) is third in the conference in rushing yards per game (93.8) while ranking first in overall rushing yards (375). Cade Nagy (SO/Broken Arrow, Okla. ) anchors the Falcon receiving corps with a league-high 23 receptions on the season and is third in the KCAC with 236 total receiving yards.On the defensive side, David Akao (JR/Wichita, Kan.) leads the Falcons and is tied for third in the league with 11 tackles per game, with Jagger Blubaugh (SO/Wichita, Kan. ) second on the team and tied for sixth in the conference with 10 stops per game. Christian Ryan (SR/Grapevine, Texas) has two interceptions on the season for the Falcons, which is tied for first in the league.Bobby Schmidt (JR/Sapulpa, Okla. ) is also first in the NAIA with five successful field goals this season.Scouting the Warriors: The Sterling College Warriors have dropped both of their contests thus far this season, losing 58-40 at home to McPherson College and then 51-21 to Bethel College.The Warriors have used three different quarterbacks in the two outings, with Alexander Harbour serving as the team's leading rusher (132 yards) and T.C. Smith recording a team-best 12 catches for 116 yards.Deven Lopez leads Sterling and ranks second in the KCAC with 12 tackles per game.Quoting Head Coach Dion Meneley:"We are excited to get Sterling on our home field for the first time since I've been at Friends. They are a well-coached team that plays extremely hard and we are going to have to produce a little bit more in each phase of the game in order to get back on the winning track. This group knows how to compete, but it's time for us to make a few more plays early in the game and stop spending all of our energy catching up. This first afternoon game should be a fun one for our home fans."The Series: Sterling College makes its first trip to Wichita since the 2016 season.  That meeting saw the Falcons emerge victorious 42-38 over the No. 18-ranked Warriors in a game that was delayed one day due to severe weather. Since then, the Falcons have dropped three straight on the road in the series and are 5-5 overall in the last 10 meetings.Ticket Information: Tickets for Saturday afternoon's home game vs. Sterling College is available at the following link and must be purchased online.  Face coverings will also be required for entrance into the stadium. https://www.friendsathletics.com/ticketingMammoth Sports Construction: We are proud to have Mammoth Sports Construction as an official sponsor of Friends University Football this season! For more info on their services, click HERE to visit their official website.Falcons by the Numbers:When scoring:0-6 points: 0-07-13 points: 0-014-20 points: 1-221-27 points: 0-028 points+: 0-1When allowing:0-6 points: 0-07-13 points: 1-014-20 points: 0-121-27 points: 0-028 points+: 0-2When leading at halftime: 1-0When trailing at halftime: 0-3When tied at halftime: 0-0When winning the turnover battle: 0-1When losing the turnover battle: 1-2The Coaches:Dion Meneley is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Friends University football program after a brief stint as the Falcon's defensive coordinator when he was originally hired by the university in 2017.For the second straight season, Meneley's Falcons finished the year strong, winning their final two games after beginning the 2019 campaign with seven losses in their first eight games.Meneley coached 10 All-KCAC performers last season, including unanimous first-team senior defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms, who notched a single-season record 14.5 sacks. Pharms also earned first-team AFCA-NAIA and Associated Press NAIA All-America honors last season.Off the field, Meneley's junior defensive lineman, Kevin McKenzie (SR/Keota, Okla.), received the prestigious KCAC Male Student-Athlete Champion of Character award.After starting last season 0-6 in 2018, Meneley helped the Falcons finish strong with three wins in their last five outings.In his first season at the helm, Meneley oversaw a Falcons' defensive unit that featured the KCAC Defensive Player of the Year, Tim Hamilton in his debut season.Overall, the Falcons led the KCAC in sacks (26.5), yards allowed per game (300.9) campaign, (112.5) and opponent first downs (181) in the 2017 campaign.  The Falcons were also a close second in the league in points allowed per game (22.8 ppg).Meneley helped establish a prowess in the classroom, as 11 Falcons earned KCAC Scholar Athlete honors, eight were on the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society list and five received NAIA Scholar Athlete recognition. The Falcons' Hampshire Honor Society honorees ranked second among NAIA schools, behind only Peru State's nine recipients.Prior to coming to Friends, Meneley was in his fifth season at Hutchinson Community College as the assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In his first four seasons at Hutchinson, Meneley's defenses produced six NJCAA All-Americans and 31 all-Jayhawk Conference performers. In 2012, the Blue Dragons led the Jayhawk conference in pass defense scoring, they were second in total defense and second in rush defense.In 2014, Meneley's defense was one of the best in the Jayhawk Conference. The 2014 Blue Dragons captured the program's first conference title and had its highest final national ranking of No. 4 after a record 11-1 season.A native of Topeka, Meneley came to Hutchinson with experience at the NAIA and NCAA Division ll levels. Before Hutchinson, Meneley was an assistant coach at Fort Hays State University where he was the defensive coordinator for the Tigers in 2011. He also coached the defensive line. Before that, he spent four seasons as the defensive coordinator at Southwestern College in Winfield.Meneley was a two-time All-MIAA selection at outside linebacker and one-time All-MIAA selection at defensive end for Pittsburg State. During his playing career, he was a part of three MIAA championships and the 1995 team that finished as the NCAA Division ll runner-up. He was a team captain for the Gorillas in 1999.He received his bachelor's degree in general studies from Pittsburg State University and his master's degree in leadership from Southwestern College.Meneley and his wife Misti have been married for six years and currently reside in Derby, Kan.Chase Hansen is in his third season as head coach of the Sterling College Warriors.  It's his ninth season overall with the program, having served as the team's offensive coordinator for the past six years. Prior to arriving at Sterling, Hansen served four years at Bethel College as a graduate assistant coach and then an offensive coordinator.     Up Next: The Falcons will play at Bethel College next Saturday (Oct. 17) starting at 1 pm in North Newton, Kan.