A few news items, semifinal recaps, and much deja vu after the jump.
Semifinals:
at #1 Sioux Falls 38, #4 MidAmerica Nazarene 0
The Cougars (13-0) tied the NAIA record held by Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) of 42 consecutive wins in a convincing obliteration of the Pioneers, who suffered their first shutout in 14 years. They only have one more NAIA game to play before moving on to D-II, and it’s for all the marbles. MANU only managed 151 yards of offense, much of which was effectively wiped out by four turnovers. MidAmerica Nazarene ends their season 12-1.
at #2 Carroll (MT) 27, #3 St. Xavier 5
Carroll (13-0) ground out the win behind a pair of 100-yard rushers, as Jon Camino gained 128 yards and Chance Demarais 119. The Cougars never got their offense untracked, managing only 36 yards on the ground to go along with 195 in the air. St. Xavier concludes the year 13-1.
NAIA CHAMPIONSHIP, December 18, Barron Stadium, Rome GA
#1 Sioux Falls vs #2 Carroll (MT)
The last time one of these two teams did not win the title was in 2001, when Georgetown beat Sioux Falls 49-27. That was the first time either team reached the championship game; they’ve since made 11 appearances between them, twice against each other (splitting those games in 2007 and 2008). Carroll has won five titles since 2002. It’s the Cougars’ fourth consecutive appearance in the title game; they’ve won three of them, losing only to Carroll in 2007. This should be a heck of a game, and I’ll have a detailed preview next week.
Stuff and Things:
Wayland Baptist:
Last spring, Wayland Baptist University announced their intention to reintroduce football for the first time since the outbreak of World War II. On Wednesday, the school introduced Jeff Lynn as the man who’ll take on the task of building the program from scratch. Lynn has been the head coach at JUCO New Mexico Military Institute since 2005. He was a player there before finishing his college career at Mayville State, then served as an assistant at Eastern New Mexico for five years.
Pikeville:
Pikeville announced Dudley Hilton as their new head coach on Wednesday. Hilton is the winningest high school coach in Kentucky history, racking up 345 wins and three state titles in 36 years at Bell County High and then Bourbon County High.
NAIA:
The NAIA, Shorter University, and Rome-Floyd County announced on Thursday that the parties had agreed on a five-year extension of their current contract, ensuring that Rome will remain the site of the NAIA Football National Championship game through 2015.