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By David Boyce  |  Northwest Football vs. Fort Hays State  |  Saturday, Nov. 4  |  1:30 p.m.  |  Bearcat Stadium
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - Northwest Missouri senior Myles McIntyre still hangs a jersey in his room from when he played for the U.S. Under 19 National Football Team that won the International Federation of American Football World Championship in the summer of 2014.
 
It was an experience McIntyre, Jordan Harold and Nicholas Turner talked about in late July 2014, just before they prepared for their first season of action on the field after redshirting in 2013.
 
The humorous moment came when Turner explained his nervousness about making his first flight, and it was overseas to Kuwait. Turner turned to McIntyre for reassurance that everything was going to be okay. McIntyre and Turner both grew up in the St. Louis area.
 
Here was their exchange from the 2014 story:
 
"Oh my goodness, it was scary," Turner said.
 
McIntyre laughed as Turner recalled the flight.
 
"He was looking at me right before it took off," McIntyre said.
 
Turner was looking for help.
 
"It was really a different experience from turbulence to ears popping," Turner said. "All of it was just wow."
 
So much has happened since that summer day when three freshmen were looking forward to seeing their first action on the football field for the Bearcats.
 
"Every time I look at the jersey, I think that seems like yesterday when him, me and Jordan went there," McIntyre said. "When coach Adam Dorrel brought it up to go to Kuwait. I didn't know where Kuwait was located. It was a neat deal."
 
Perhaps McIntyre will reflect on that time and many others that have transpired since then when Northwest honors all the seniors on the football team for Senior Day.
 
The 2 p.m. Saturday kickoff at Bearcat Stadium will be packed with emotion for many reasons.
 
"Game day is exciting all year round," McIntyre said. "We have been in these big moments before. We are ready to get after it and show Bearcat Nation what we have been preparing for."
 
Northwest, 8-1, is coming off its first loss since the end of the 2014 season. The Bearcats will take on Fort Hays State, which is 9-0 and alone in first place in the MIAA.
 
"It is almost refreshing because we are going to be the underdog this week," Northwest coach Rich Wright said. "That doesn't happen a lot at this place. We have nothing to lose now. We can hang it out and let's play.
 
"I am going to get the kids excited about that opportunity. They already are. They want to show we are better than what we played last week. We are looking forward to getting back out in front of the home crowd."
 
Before the kickoff, Northwest will once again show the importance of having a family culture. Turner never made it to Senior Day. He passed away in his dorm room on Jan. 31, 2016 from complications of a seizure disorder.
 
Wright, though, is making sure Turner is part of Senior Day. The team will wear special uniforms and helmets to honor Turner. His parents will also be present and will walk with Turner's senior class, holding Turner's No. 52 jersey.
 
"We felt it was a fitting piece of closure," Wright said. "He gets to go out with his class."
 
It is a gesture that means a lot to McIntyre.
 
"I think that is such a neat deal that we still keep him around," McIntyre said. "I have stuff in my room and at home that helps me think about him every day, but I don't let it out to the team. I try to keep it football.
 
"The fact that everybody else remembers him as much as I do makes this a very special place because of things like that. What sets this program apart is things like this. It means a lot that we are still celebrating him and having him with us on Senior Day, which he would have been a part of."
 
The family culture played a prominent role in Northwest winning 38 straight games. It is the second-longest winning streak in Division II history. The Bearcats have also won three of the last four national championships.
 
"The wins come because of all the work we put in throughout the year, the summer and winter," McIntyre said. "The wins have been a treat and a blessing. I feel they are well deserved because we put in so much work outside the actual football season."
 
Now the senior class has to deal with something they hadn't encountered since Nov. 22, 2014, when the Bearcats lost 25-21 to Minnesota-Duluth in the first round of the playoffs. In that season, Northwest only other loss was to Pittsburg State.
 
Well, the Gorillas got the Bearcats again. Pittsburg State snapped Northwest's winning streak with a 20-10 win in Pittsburg last week.
 
"A loss happens," McIntyre said. "Coming off the loss, everybody is eager to get after it and show our fans and our family that the loss didn't affect us.
 
"We are super excited for this game, but at the same time, you can't get too high or get too low. You have to prepare for every game the same."
 
Monday evening Wright said he wanted the team to go out and have three phenomenal days of preparation. In light of last week, it caused the Bearcats to reflect and look at what went wrong.
 
"We are focusing on details and putting in quality work rather than putting in time," Wright said. "There is so much to learn from a loss. It forces you to look at a lot of different things like how you approach your daily routine, the way you go about practice. It also creates a sense of urgency. I think for us that is a good thing."
 
A win puts Northwest in a tie for first in the MIAA with one game remaining. A loss gives the outright title to Fort Hays, which is having its best season ever in the MIAA.
 
Chris Brown, who played football at Pittsburg State, is in his seventh season at Fort Hays and has done a remarkable job of turning the program around.
 
He does things the right way, Wright said. The Tigers are physical and play with good technique.
 
"Coach Brown has been a good friend of mine," Wright said. "He was an assistant at Washburn when I first got back here. We have been friends ever since. I know him pretty well. He is a quality individual who understands how to do things the right way."
 
Northwest is the model football team for doing things the right way. As much as the wins mean to the players, coaches and fans, the education and growth of an individual are ultimately the most important factors for each player who comes through the program.
 
McIntyre will receive his degree in corporate recreation and wellness in May. It will be one of his happiest days at Northwest.
 
"Coming to Northwest was an eye-opener," he said. "I was on my own. Five years have flown by. It will be icing on the cake to get the degree and have it in my hands.
 
"When I think about everything and the memories in my mind, this Senior Day will mean so much more. There is a lot of history to it. You want to play for Northwest. You want to play for Maryville. It has been home to me the last five years."