By Chaz Maddi / Sports Contributor

Tomele Staples threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns as Missouri Valley beat Central Methodist 28-13 in Valley’s Homecoming game. The senior was 23-of-29 passing and won the Ted Chittwood Award for the Most Outstanding Senior in the Homecoming Game.

Staples’ three touchdowns went to three different receivers and, overall, 10 different receivers caught at least one pass. On the season, Staples has completed more than 76 percent of his passes and now has eight touchdown passes against one interception.

Viking running back Christian Womack caught the first of those touchdown passes on a screen play that went 48 yards for the score. Womack also scored on a four-yard run.

Other touchdown receptions went to Khalil Witherspoon (25 yards) and Tyrone Jones (35 yards). DJ Holly also caught a 44-yard pass.

Central Methodist was playing without two of its defensive starters who were part of a group of six suspended players for the Eagles resulting from last week’s arrests.

Defensively, Missouri Valley limited CMU’s dual-threat quarterback Jordan Rowe to 12-of-25 passing for 157 yards and 13 carries for 62 yards. Valley’s Nick Carlisle intercepted Rowe once, and Rowe’s passing touchdown came on an untimed down after a defensive penalty as time expired.

Rayshaun Dallas had four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the defensive effort for Valley.

Missouri Valley won its first Homecoming game since 2023 and is 2-0 in the Heart’s South Division for the first time since 2016. The Vikings are 4-2 overall.

Nicole McDonald’s first goal as a Viking was the game winner in the Missouri Valley women’s soccer team’s 3-2 win against Mount Mercy to open Homecoming weekend. Jacqueline Koki and Meredith Rosas also scored for MVU. Lola Martinez Benitez made two saves in the win. The Vikings are in seventh place in the Heart standings with the Homecoming win and their 5-0 win against Missouri Baptist on Tuesday.

Four different Vikings scored goals for the Missouri Valley men’s soccer team, and the Vikings shut out the Mount Mercy Mustangs 4-0. Oliver Baladi and Tomeu Trias scored ten minutes apart in the first half, and Felipe Delcorco and Gaeton Ducatillon scored two minutes apart late in the second for the Vikings. It was Ducatillon’s team-leading ninth goal of the season. Benjamin McMeekin made three saves. Missouri Valley’s 0-0 draw on Tuesday against Missouri Baptist dropped the Vikings into fourth place in the Heart, but just two points behind the three-way tie atop the standings.

The Missouri Valley women’s volleyball team split its Homecoming weekend games, beating

William Penn 3-2, but getting swept by Grand View. Against the Statesmen, Olivia Randolph had 13 kills to lead the team. Julia Brazil and Rylee Mills each had 12. A 3-0 loss to Baker on Tuesday dropped the team to 15-15 overall and 5-10 in the Heart.