ALLIANCE, Ohio – The no. 2 nationally ranked Mount Union Purple Raiders opened their 2025 season with a 37-29 win over No. 17 Wheaton for their remarkable 38th straight season-opening win.
Mount Union (1-0) led 37-7 with 7:35 remaining in the third quarter. Wheaton (0-1) tried to rally with 22 unanswered points.
Freshman quarterback
Mikey Maloney (Township, OH/Painesville Riverside) shined in his starting debut with 307 yards through the air and five touchdowns. Maloney took a medical redshirt last season.
Senior transfers
Jacob Cockrell (Stockbridge, GA/Dutchtown) and
Kosta Thrasivoulou (North Ridgeville, OH/North Ridgeville) both had impressive Mount Union debuts.
Cockrell had three receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and Thrasivoulou led the Raiders with eight tackles. Additionally, junior transfer
Davion Grant (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast) had three catches for 42 yards.
Senior
Nick Turner (Dallas, TX/Strongsville) had a team- and career-high eight catches for 89 yards, including a clutch 23-yarder to help seal the game in the fourth.
Three Raiders had over 40 yards rushing, led by graduate running back
Darnell Williams (Cleveland, OH/John Adams) with 63. Maloney added 44 yards rushing, while senior
Shaun Thomas (Lima, OH/Lima Central Catholic) had 41 yards on the ground to go along with 56 yards receiving and a touchdown reception.
Senior
Keenan Cruz (Lutz, FL/George M. Steinbrenner) had his first career interception. Senior
Weston Arthur (Homerville, OH/Northwestern) added seven tackles. Senior
Kaleb Brown (La Plata, MD/La Plata) was among three Raiders with a sack and is now tied for ninth in program history with 22.5 career sacks with Joe Millings (2005-09).
Mount Union will play a nationally ranked opponent for the second straight week with a road trip at No. 23 Grove City next Saturday, Sept. 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
