Friends University football off to best start in 14 years

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - When Friends University head coach Terry Harrison returned back to Wichita at the end of last season, he had one goal: Turn friends football into the competitor that it should be.

“Thirteen years of that was not our fault but it was the problem that we were dealt when we got here,” Harrison said.

Fast forward to a few weeks into the 2023 season and it’s looking like that competitor may have already arrived. The Falcons are 3-0 for the first time since 2008, outscoring their opponents 167-60.

“When you have this sort of success, our kids are confident - as they should be,” Harrison said. “It’s cool for for Friends University as a whole just to see what it could be here.”

The players on the field welcome all the success, regardless of how new it is to the university.

“For it to happen here and to bring success to this program. . . If it’s new success, I’m here for it. You know, if it’s ongoing success I’m here for it,” said senior running back Elias Pino.

The third win of the Falcons came with a bit more attention than the rest as they topped the number 18 team in the country, Avila, by 34 points last weekend.

“Our future goal here is to compete for a national championship and there’s some markers along the way,” Harrison said. “One of them is beating a top 20 opponent. It was our first opportunity to do that, so it was very fun after the game. Like any program it’s on to the next and trying to keep chasing more milestones down.”

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