Thomas Parsons

Zykeelan ‘Ziggy’ Hadnot celebrates after scoring the first offensive touchdown on the day.

The Texas Wesleyan Rams football lost to the highly ranked Ottawa University Spirit (AZ) [42 – 35] in Sooner Athletic Conference play on Nov. 8 at Crowley ISD Multipurpose Stadium.  

The game between the Rams and the Spirit held playoff implications, which could either make or break the teams’ 2025 season. The Spirit got revenge on the Rams, winners of the last two matchups. 

“We had our opportunities to close it out, and we didn’t,” Bradley Sherrod, Rams head football coach, said. “I thought we played hard and made some plays… It[The loss] just hurts because of how hard we played.” 

The first half was nothing short of a back-and-forth offensive showdown. Rams running backs, Zykeelan ‘Ziggy’ Hadnot and Tony Roberson carried the ball downfield and helped the Rams secure the lead going into halftime [28 – 21]. Roberson left the game early due to an apparent shoulder injury.  

“We’ll get back tomorrow and figure out where he is and in the process of things right now,” Sherrod said.

The Rams remained consistent in the third quarter when another Rams tailback, Chris Thomas, found his way into the endzone for six [35 – 28]. Ronnie Schneider, junior wide receiver, led the team in receiving with 43 yards.  

“I feel good getting yards, helping my team with the win,” Schneider said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win today.” 

In the fourth quarter, the Spirit secured the victory as they rattled off 14 unanswered points. With the loss against the Spirit, the Rams dropped to No. 31 in NAIA and No. 2 in SAC standings. The Rams have a chance to make the playoffs with one more game against the Wayland Baptist University Pioneers at home.  

“We still have an opportunity to make the playoffs next week, but we need to take care of business,” Sherrod said.