carriers. Sterling's three touchdowns, one field goal, and one safety led the final score to a 26–7 victory. #10 Ottawa at No. 23 Kansas Wesleyan The lead swapped four times during the game between two nationally ranked teams Ottawa and Kansas Wesleyan. With less than one minute to go and within a span of fifteen seconds on the clock, Ottawa scored two touchdowns and took the lead back permanently to win the game 29–45. Ottawa managed to put up fewer yards in total offense of 555, compared to KW's 673. However, Ottawa also managed to pull in a defensive touchdown when Fielding Barenner converted a 10-yard interception return for six points. Kansas Wesleyan also committed 14 penalties for a total of 128 yards. The game knocked Kansas Wesleyan completely out of the top 25 rankings the next week while Ottawa stayed put at #10. Week 10 Kansas Wesleyan at No. 25 Friends Kansas Wesleyan upset the nationally ranked Friends Falcons when Doug Webster completed a 1-yard run for a touchdown with under 4 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The lead changed several times during the game but Kansas Wesleyan held it at the conclusion of the game. Wesleyan defensive back Sonny Gallegos completed one interception for the game—but it was the one needed to clinch the victory. His interception of Friends QB Jayme Bristow's pass at the Wesleyan 30-yard line with 6 seconds left ended a last-ditch effort for Friends. The loss for Friends was enough to keep the team from participating in the NAIA national championship playoffs. #10 Ottawa at Bethany Unranked Bethany pulled within two points of the tenth-ranked Ottawa Braves in the third quarter, but Ottawa managed to take control of the game to a final score of 39–33 for the victory. Ottawa's special teams managed to score two touchdowns and the defense produced a touchdown and a safety to count toward the victory and managed to keep hopes for a place in the NAIA national championship playoff. Bethel at No. 6 McPherson Bethel College failed to put up points of any kind in its 47–0 loss to No. 6 McPherson. The Bulldogs put the game out of reach in the first quarter by scoring 26 points. The victory was enough to lock McPherson in as the conference champions for the first time since 1952. The home game for McPherson was "senior day" as 21 seniors