QUINCY, Ill. - The Quincy Hawks opened their 2025 campaign in dominant fashion Thursday night at QU Stadium, cruising to a 38–7 victory over the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul.

The Hawks first offensive drive of the game opened with the true freshman quarterback Bradyn Little looking calm and composed under the lights. Little marched the offense 71 yards in seven plays, highlighted by a 49-yard strike to Derrick Miller that put the Hawks in scoring position. Little capped the drive himself with a 5-yard touchdown run for his first career touchdown.

After another stop by the Hawks' defense, Quincy marched down the field once again with 11 plays covering 58 yards. While the Golden Bears stiffened in the red zone, Kiko Moreno drilled a 28-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 10–0 late in the first quarter.

The Hawks added on before halftime with a crisp two-minute drive. Little spread the ball around, finding Troy Crozier and Mykel Linear for key gains, then connected with Aaron Harvey on a 12-yard touchdown strike with just over a minute left in the half. Quincy carried a 17–0 advantage into the locker room after shutting down the Golden Bears' two-minute drill with a pair of sacks to end the half.

Momentum only grew after the break. Troy TW Crozier ignited QU Stadium with a 92-yard kickoff return to open the third quarter, setting the Hawks up deep in CSP territory. Two plays later, it was a freshman-to-freshman connection as Little hit Elijah Genenbacher for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 24–0.

In the fourth, Little once again showed poise on a 13-play, 64-yard drive that drained nearly eight minutes off the clock. He finished it himself with another 5-yard touchdown run, his second of the night. Minutes later, Little delivered his third touchdown pass of the game, finding another freshman in Jackson Burnett for 15 yards to cap Quincy's scoring at 38. Concordia-St. Paul managed a late touchdown, but the Hawks walked off with a statement victory.

Little's final stat line read like a veteran's: 22-of-28 passing for 256 yards, three touchdowns through the air, and two more on the ground. His top targets included Crozier (4 catches, 59 yards, 1 TD), Burnett (3 catches, 45 yards, 1 TD), and Harvey (3 catches, 22 yards, 1 TD), but Little shared the wealth, as 11 different Hawks caught at least one pass from the true freshman. Kamrin Cox anchored the run game with 59 yards on 14 carries, to go along with 32 yards from Aaron Harvey and Collin Parsons out of the backfield.

Defensively, Quincy kept CSP under wraps all evening, holding the Golden Bears to just 39 rushing yards and 177 total yards of offense. Brock Inman led the way with nine tackles, and Jaylin Vaughn was second on the team with six. Julius Barfield also chipped in 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack, and DJ Cross added an interception.

With offense, defense, and special teams all clicking, Quincy (1–0) set the tone for the season in every phase of the game. The Hawks will now turn their attention to game two, as they travel to Arlington Heights, Illinois, for a non-conference matchup against the Roosevelt Lakers on Saturday, September 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM at Morris Field.