Northwest football returns with joint football practice

Micaela Dea, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·3 min read

Apr. 10—MARYVILLE, Mo. — For the first time since November of 2019, Northwest Missouri State football returns to the gridiron.

The Bearcats will host University of Sioux Falls for a joint football practice on Saturday.

"I'm very excited. It's been a long time coming. We've been waiting for this for us to have an opponent for a long time. It's finally here. So, we're all hyped up to play and it's gonna be a good one," Northwest senior defensive end Sam Roberts said.

The last time Northwest faced an opponent was on the road against Ferris State in the 2019 NCAA Division II quarterfinals on Dec. 7, 2019.

Before then on Nov. 30, 2019, Northwest hosted Lindenwood in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs at Bearcat Stadium.

Although it's not a spring game, the Bearcats look forward to hitting the field.

"It's a long time coming, and even though it's just a joint practice, you know, it's something, this is a chance for us to go out and show what we've been working on," Northwest junior quarterback Braden Wright said.

The Cougars enter the practice with success in recent years, as they were a playoff team in 2019 and have won four NAIA national titles in 1996, 2006, 2008 and 2009.

Practicing against each other every day has prepared the Bearcats to face a playoff-caliber team like Sioux Falls, Wright said.

"The defense brings the intensity for us every day. So you know, we're going to have a challenge every day, going back and forth. It's just been fun and that's what I've been impressed with, they're able to keep the energy all the way this late into the spring and keep pushing forward and keep trying to get better," Wright said.

Under new offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy, the offense has some new looks, and Wright is excited to showcase them.

Wright said, "Especially as an offensive guy with a new coordinator, there's going to be a lot of changes from the last time we were out in the field against another team. So we're just excited to get to go show that."

After a canceled season and over a year of putting in work, the Bearcats are as ready as they'll ever be.

"It's been a lot of ups and downs, highs and lows, trying to like combat COVID and then trying to stay in shape to play and us not being able to be together a lot, you know, so a lot of individual growth and having to keep building individually," Roberts said. "Now we're back together and building together, so it's getting better now."

All fans are welcome to attend the practice which runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Stadium.

"I'm just ready to see these these fans in the stands again, I missed that that energy," Roberts said. "Everyone's screaming and everything. I just missed that run down the tunnel. So it's a long time coming. I'm excited."

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Micaela Dea can be reached at micaela.dea@newspressnow.com.

Follow her on Twitter: @NPNowDea