All kinds of ingredients go into the making of a championship team. Talent is a factor, experience, leadership - all these things have their part in the formation of a team that isn't just good, but great. Anyone who's ever been involved in a close, physical football game also knows that heart is one ingredient that can supercede all others.

In their march to a 5-0 start this season, head coach Patrick Ross' first Lions team has shown all those other ingredients in abundance. On Saturday night against Missouri Valley, his team also showed they have the heart of ... well, a Lion.

Junior tailback Derron Parquet led a stirring fourth-quarter comeback, rushing for 164 yards on 31 carries, including three big TD’s in the final 12 minutes, as the Lions rallied from a 20-6 deficit to win, 26-20.

Lindenwood scored first, on a 40-yard pass from senior quarterback Emiliano Salazar to sophomore split end George Mumphard in the second quarter. Valley answered with a 4th-down QB sneak by Jason Shoulders with 2:32 left before halftime, making it 6-6 – each team blocking the other’s PAT attempt in the first half.

The Vikings surged ahead in the third quarter, thanks to some sterling play from their special teams. Junior Miguel Moore’s 55-yd. kickoff return to start the second half set up Shoulders’ second short TD run, making it 13-6 in favor of Valley with 11:38 left in the third. After LU’s ensuing possession stalled, senior free safety Brian Bell blocked a Zac Atterberry punt and recovered for a TD, pushing the lead to 20-6.

The score would stay there until early in the fourth quarter, when LU junior Evan Brinker recovered a Viking fumble at the Valley 18-yd. line. Parquet took over from that point, scoring the first of his 20 unanswered, fourth-quarter points to make it 20-12. The Lions missed the PAT kick again, and LU kicked the ball back to Valley.

The fired-up Lion defense, which surrendered only 165 yards in total offense for the game, answered the bell and forced a punt and set up the LU offense again at midfield. It took only six plays – all runs by Parquet – for the Lions to punch it on his 27-yard run with 7:30 remaining. A two-point conversion pass failed, and the Lions still trailed, 20-18.

Another three-and-out by the Viking offense resulted in a punt, and the Lions took over at their own 36-yard line. Perhaps the game’s biggest play was then turned in by Mumphard – the sophomore from East St. Louis started to the left on a reverse, stopped and brought it back to the right … and romped 53 yards down the home sideline, giving the Lions a first down at the Valley 11-yard line.

It took Parquet two plays to score the winning TD, punching it in from three yards out to make it 24-20 with 4:18 left in the game. Parquet took it over again for the two-point conversion, moving the score to a final of 26-20.

The LU offense struggled at times against the aggressive Valley defense, but still posted 376 yards in total offense. Salazar threw for 175 yards, with Mumphard grabbing four aerials for 95 yards to lead the way.

Junior outside linebacker Dino Morales turned in his second straight big game, with two QB sacks and another TFL. Senior defensive end Cleo Burnett also enjoyed his biggest game of the season, posting nine tackles and 4.5 TFL’s.

The Lions, now 5-0 overall and in the HAAC, travel to Olathe, Kan., next week for a big showdown with 12th-ranked MidAmerica Nazarene, which stands at 4-1 in the conference.