Eight touchdown passes, 900+ yards as Mules rout Emporia St. | Area football scoreboard

The first quarter had all the makings of a shootout at Walton Stadium.

But No. 23 Emporia State conked out before halftime and No. 16 Central Missouri kept firing for a 77-27 homecoming victory on Saturday in Warrensburg.

And when we say firing, we mean FIRING.

A game that stood 28-20 in UCM’s favor entering the second period quickly got out of hand. By its conclusion, the Mules (7-1) sat atop 981 yards of offense.

While the Hornets (5-3) scored their final TD in the second quarter, UCM put up some truly wild numbers. Quarterback Zach Zebrowski threw for eight touchdowns, completing 30 of 53 passes for a jaw-dropping 627 yards. He was sacked once but not intercepted.

Zebrowski’s yardage and touchdown totals are UCM and MIAA records. Arkell Smith was the recipient of three of his TD tosses, finishing with five catches for 144 yards. Zach Phipps had two TD receptions and three other Mules hauled in one TD apiece.

Marcellous Hawkins rushed for a career-best 183 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries.

Emporia State finished with more than 450 yards of offense, and most days that might’ve been enough.

In other Saturday games:

Missouri State 28, Murray State 24: MSU quarterback Jordan Pachot threw for four touchdowns as the Bears beat the Racers for their third win of the season on Saturday at Plaster Stadium in Springfield. Terique Owens, Raylen Sharpe, Jmariyae Robinson and Gary Clinton were on the receiving end of Pachot’s scoring passes as Missouri State improved to 3-4. Murray State dropped to 2-5.

Fort Hays State 31, Washburn 28: The Ichabods gave Fort Hays State a scare at Yager Stadium, outscoring their guests 14-0 in the final period. But the Tigers (6-2) had raced to a 14-0 lead to open the game and were able to hold on for a 31-28 victory — their fourth win in a row. De Soto High product Shane Watts finished with 144 yards and two TDs on 21 carries for Fort Hays State. Jack Dawson was 27 of 42 for 291 yards with a pair of TDs and Myles Menges had two sacks for FHSU. Washburn fell to 1-7.

No. 2 Pittsburg State 28, Northwest Missouri State 7: The Gorillas threw water on Northwest’s homecoming game in Maryville Saturday. Reserve Pitt State QB Ty Pennington capped three scoring drives with short TD runs and Noah Hernandez rushed for a fourth TD for the Gorillas (8-0). The Bearcats fell to 4-4.

Missouri Western 20, Nebraska-Kearney 17: The visiting Griffons rallied from a 17-6 fourth-quarter deficit and improved to 6-2. Seth Cromwell ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries for Missouri Western. UNK fell to 2-6.

Missouri Southern 63, Lincoln 5: It was a blowout at Dwight T. Reed Stadium in Jefferson City as the Lions improved to 4-4. MSSU quarterback Luke Sampson was 6 of 9 for 162 yards and three touchdowns, and teammate Ja’Veon Marlow rushed for three Lions TDs. MSSU rolled up 455 yards of offense and recovered six turnovers. Lincoln fell to 0-8.

No. 25 Truman State 31, William Jewell 10: At Kirksville, Truman State’s Nolan Hair passed for three touchdowns in leading the Bulldogs to victory over the Cardinals. Truman State improved to 7-1 while Jewell fell to 2-5.

Avila 35, Tabor 17: The Eagles (2-6) picked up their second win of the season on Saturday afternoon in Hillsboro, Kan. Avila QB Eli Williams passed for four TDs and Jahkese Watkins added 115 yards on 19 carries.

Baker 41, Missouri Baptist 17: The Wildcats improved to 6-1 with a decisive victory against Missouri Baptist in St. Louis. Running back Rashaan Graves rushed for 174 and two touchdowns on 21 carries for Baker (6-1).

Benedictine 31, Missouri Valley 7: The Ravens celebrated pretty much from start to finish on homecoming at Larry Wilcox Stadium in Atchison. Jackson Dooley passed for three TDs for Benedictine (6-2), and Jagger Blubaugh scored the Ravens’ final one on a pick-six.

Ottawa 55, Sterling 17: The Braves got back to .500 in a big way on homecoming at AdventHealth Field in Ottawa. Billy Maples passed for two TDs and Jayden Johnson ran for two more as Ottawa improved to 4-4.

MidAmerica Nazarene 59, Central Methodist 12: It was a happy homecoming for the Pioneers at the Olathe District Activity Center as Adrian Parsons threw four TD passes and Shawn Cherry rushed for 2 TDs and 122 yards on a dozen carries. MNU improved to 6-2 while Central Methodist fell to 1-7.

Kansas Wesleyan 17, St. Mary 14: St. Mary’s Michael Gazzana hauled in eight passes for 102 yards in Salina, including two for touchdowns from quarterback Erick Covington. Covington also threw an interception. He completed 18 of 31 throws for 221 yards. The Spires have lost three straight and stand at 2-6 on the season.