TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (Sept. 20, 2025) – Northeastern State set a modern-day program scoring record and set or tied school records in at least three other statistical categories as the RiverHawks cruised past Westgate Christian (Texas) 70-12 on Saturday afternoon on Gable Field at
Doc Wadley Stadium.
NSU is off to a 2-2 start through four games for the first time since 2021 and just the second time since 2010. The RiverHawks scored 70 points for the first time since 1919 and passed the modern scoring mark set in a 64-7 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Nov. 6, 1999.
NSU scored 10 touchdowns, eight of those on rushing plays, setting and tying single-game school records, respectively. Kicker
Troy Nguyen booted 10 conversion kicks, breaking the former record of nine, set by Larry Dotson at Northwestern Oklahoma State on Oct. 31, 1970. The winning margin of 58 points was the fourth-highest in program history and the RiverHawks' 31 first downs were their third-most ever, and just one off the school record.
NSU's defense also shined, limiting the Ravens to minus-22 yards rushing, the third-best total in program history, and intercepting four passes, tied for the sixth-best total ever by the RiverHawks.
"I was just proud of the way that we played hard the entire game," NSU coach
Darrin Chiaverini said. "We got better today as a football program, as a football team. We did what we were supposed to do against that opponent. We're going to have tougher opponents on our schedule, but I was proud of the way that we played hard.
"We made the simple plays, the routine plays, routine, and we didn't make the simple plays hard today, which we have been doing the last couple weeks. We took care of the football on offense and we took it away on defense, and that's winning football."
Kacie Riley had seven carries for 67 yards and three touchdowns (on runs of 5, 2 and 32 yards) for NSU.
Ramon McKinney Jr. led the RiverHawks in rushing with 99 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while
Ethan Washington had 10 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
Cam Jackson's lone carry, on a reverse play, resulted in a 69-yard touchdown, and
LJ Robins added nine carries for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Quarterback
Donnie Smith completed 8 of 10 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns, one apiece to Jackson and
Cam Woods. Backups
Dereun Dortch and
Brady Norman also took snaps behind center for the RiverHawks.
On defense, 26 players recorded at least one tackle for NSU, led by
Kale Charboneau, who had seven.
Jaxon Woods,
Marvelous Owens,
Jordan Tolbert and
Hagen Foreman each intercepted a pass as the RiverHawks limited Westgate Christian (1-3) to 181 yards of offense.
Westgate Christian stopped NSU on downs inside the 1 on the RiverHawks' first series, but the only thing that kept NSU from scoring on each of its subsequent 12 drives was the end of each half.
A 16-yard scoring run by McKinney and Jackson's 69-yard run put NSU up 14-0 after one quarter. It was 35-0 by halftime and 49-0 before the Ravens scored, on a 6-yard pass from Trey Williams to Dallas Kiram.
Jaxon Woods blocked the conversion attempt for NSU.
Riley's 32-yard touchdown run put NSU up 70-6 with 2:12 left before the Ravens scored with 34 seconds left on a 13-yard pass from Allen Rainey to Christian Ross. Westgate Christian – a second-year program which is not affiliated with either the NCAA or NAIA – suited up only 45 players, the vast majority of them freshmen.
After an open date, NSU will host one of NCAA Division II's elite programs, West Florida, on Oct. 4 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
"We've got a tough match up coming up with West Florida, who's a top-five team nationally," Chiaverini said. "You know, they're one of the top teams in Division II football, and so, we've got to go back to work over the bye week and get better, and then get in the film room with our players, the film room with our coaches, and come up with a good plan, but I'm excited about this opportunity at home in two weeks."
