Glenville State downed by Elon in season opener
ELON, N.C. – The Glenville State Football team opened the 2026 season with a 42-7 loss at Division 1 Elon on Thursday (Aug. 27) night inside Rhodes Stadium. Elon allowed the Pioneers to convert on just 14% of third downs and held GSU to 125 yards of total offense in the Phoenix’ season-opening victory over the blue and white.
1st Quarter
Following a quick Pioneer series, Elon opened their offensive playbook with a 10-play, 58-yard drive that took over five minutes and ended with a two-yard scamper by Brady Stober. GSU once again went three-and-out, but Coach Casteel’s defense stood strong to force a Phoenix punt. Both squads traded stops to end the quarter, with Glenville State notching their first, first down of the night.
2nd Quarter
Elon went quickly on their next drive, being stuffed on a 3rd and 9 by Khaliq Johnson. A false start put the Pioneers in negative territory during their succeeding possession, halting any offensive movement. The Phoenix struck again before the 10-minute mark, using a 10-yard run by all-conference running back Jimmyll Williams to make it 14-0. Elon’s defense continued to handle the Pioneer offense, and with that, came another score by the Phoenix’ offense. GSU had their best drive of the first stanza come to an end right before the clock struck triple zeroes.
3rd Quarter
After another strong stand by the Pioneer defense, the offense had great field position at the Elon 30. Two third down conversions eventually led to JD Sherrod finding Kyree Bunny in the back of the endzone as the Martinsburg native leaped over an Elon defender to haul in the touchdown grab. Down 21-7, the Pioneers had made things interesting midway through the third. The Phoenix answered back mightily, storming down the field to go back up by 21 points, 28-7. A late touchdown by Stober extended the Elon advantage.
4th Quarter
A muffed snap turned into a Phoenix turnover, however, the Pioneers were once again forced into a three-and-out. Elon used their 32+ minutes of possession time to their advantage, wearing down the GSU defense and adding onto the lead late with a 24-yard touchdown pass to put finishing touches on Elon’s 42-7 victory over the Pioneers.
Box Score
Elon
The Phoenix totaled 446 yards of offense, with Samford transfer Braday Stober throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns while the ground game combined for 168 yards and three rushing TDs. Eight different Elon receivers finished with a reception, as Benjamin Kirsch led the way with four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Preseason All-American Brodie Carroll headlined the Elon defense, notching six tackles and one TFL. 12 different Phoenix logged at least two tackles in the victory.
Glenville State
Southeast Missouri State transfer JD Sherrod threw for 76 yards and one TD on 12-for-30 passing at the quarterback position while the run game was held to just 51 yards on 19 attempts. UTEP transfer Caden Harris hauled in four receptions for 32 yards, and freshman Kyree Bunny caught three passes for 29 yards. Bunny also had a touchdown on the night.
South Dakota transfer and one-time all-conference linebacker at Glenville State, Jacob Clark, led the defense in his first game back with the Pioneers. Clark had eight tackles and one sack in the defeat. Navy transfer Knowel Smith and Idaho State import Khaliq Johnson both had seven stops while William & Mary transfer Tyson Garrett notched six tackles. Braiden Haught punted 12 times, averaging nearly 40 yards per punt.
Up Next For The Pioneers
The Pioneers will welcome Millersville next Thursday (Sept. 3) for the first-ever game inside the brand-new Ike & Sue Morris Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
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