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Football Tigers Still Searching for First Win After Losses to Blue Jays, Warriors

The Tigers seemed to vanish into a sea of green, swallowed up by the Warriors’ defense. Photo by Tim Harlan, Harlan’s ESHS Activity Shots.

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo., Sept. 26, 2025 – The Football Tigers (0-5) may have added two more losses over the past couple of weeks, but they still gave fans a jolt of excitement: their first lead of the season and a breakout 69-yard touchdown run from a freshman.

On Sept. 19, the Tigers held their first lead of the season against the Raytown Blue Jays, but were not able to hold onto it for long, ending the night in a 35-13 loss. The Tigers threw for 69 yards and rushed for 91, but were unable to stop the Raytown offense most of the evening. The Blue Jays finished with 363 yards of offense, with 185 through the air and 178 on the ground.

Sophomore quarterback Landon Marcum connected with sophomore Marques Shouse on a 48-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers the early lead. The Blue Jays answered on a four-yard run to tie the game in the first quarter and extended their advantage to 21-7 in the second quarter on touchdown runs of 60 yards and one yard. A 9-yard pass in the third quarter pushed the lead to 28-7 before a 77-yard touchdown pass in the fourth sealed the win.

Senior Gaige Carr found the end zone for the Tigers in the fourth quarter on a 6-yard run to close the scoring. Marcum completed 5 of 13 passes for 69 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Shouse led the team in rushing and receiving with 70 yards on 19 carries and the 48-yard touchdown catch. Junior Owen O’Dell led the defense with six tackles, and Carr added four.

The Tigers fell to 0-4 with the loss and traveled to face Class 4 No. 6-ranked Smithville Warriors the following week.

The Sept. 26 matchup with Smithville ended in a 56-6 loss. The Tiger offense was limited to 65 total yards on 30 plays, with freshman Nick Mubanga providing the highlight, a 69-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Mubanga finished with 69 yards rushing, while Marcum threw for 19 yards.

The Warriors struck first with a 67-yard fumble return in the opening quarter, then piled on four more scores in the second to take a 35-0 halftime lead on their Homecoming night. They added a 13-yard touchdown pass in the third and two more rushing touchdowns in the fourth before Mubanga broke free for his long run. Smithville finished with 376 yards on 49 plays against the Tiger defense.

Excelsior Springs is now 0-5 on the season and will host fellow winless Raytown South (0-5) this Friday at Vic Bonuchi Field at Tiger Stadium.

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