The regionals are done, and two #1 seeds manage to survive to the semifinals. Scores, SID recaps, updated standings, and this week’s schedule after the jump.
CENTRAL:
#1 WINSTON-SALEM STATE 27, #2 New Haven 7
The Rams continued their unbeaten season with a relatively worry-free win over New Haven. As the last unbeaten, they’ll get to host Wayne State in the semifinals.
PIONEER BOWL: JOHNSON C. SMITH 35, Miles 33
The Golden Bulls led 28-13, but had to hold off a furious Miles comeback and recover an onside kick in order to secure their Pioneer Bowl win.
GREAT AMERICAN:
Season complete.
GREAT LAKES IAC:
#6 WAYNE STATE (MI) 31, #4 Minnesota-Duluth 25
Wayne State got out in front 14-3 shortly after halftime, and clung to the lead the rest of the way. The Warriors will now travel to Winston-Salem for the semifinals on Saturday.
GREAT LAKES FOOTBALL:
Season complete.
GREAT NORTHWEST:
Season complete.
GULF SOUTH:
#1 DELTA STATE 28, #3 North Greenville 23
Rebounding from a 17-14 halftime deficit, Delta State scored two second-half touchdowns and managed to kill the final 6:42 after North Greenville got back within five. The Statesmen will now travel to Pittsburg State for a semifinal on Saturday.
LONE STAR:
Season complete.
MID-AMERICA:
#2 PITTSBURG STATE 41, #5 NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE 16
(Northwest Missouri State SID recap)
Zac Dickey passed for 266 yards, ran for 147, and hit John Brown for three second-half touchdowns as the Gorillas, who trailed 10-0 with just 27 seconds to go in the first half, routed their archrivals. This ends a streak of seven straight regional titles for the Bearcats. Pittsburg State will host Delta State Saturday night in the semifinals.
MINERAL WATER BOWL: Minnesota State-Mankato 28, NORTHEASTERN STATE 14
Northeastern State was held to only 58 yards on the ground and barely over twice that in the air, as Mankato simply ground the clock to dust. The Riverhawks, who will officially become members of the MIAA next year, were granted the league’s bid to the bowl game because the only MIAA team to miss the playoffs with a winning record, Central Missouri, opted for last week’s Kanza Bowl.
NORTHEAST TEN:
#1 Winston-Salem State 27, #2 NEW HAVEN 7
New Haven just never got moving, and Winston-Salem simply chewed them up on the ground. With the end of the Chargers’ run, the Northeast Ten season officially comes to a close.
NORTHERN SUN:
#6 Wayne State (MI) 31, #4 MINNESOTA-DULUTH 25
The Bulldogs made a heroic effort to once again come from behind and steal a victory, but miscues and a stubborn Wayne State defense doomed the effort. Sadly, the day after the game, legendary former UMD coach Jim Malosky passed away of respiratory failure at the age of 82. Malosky led the Bulldogs for over forty years before retiring in 1997 with a record of 225-125-13. Condolences to the Malosky family and the Bulldogs.
MINERAL WATER BOWL: MINNESOTA STATE-MANKATO 28, Northeastern State 14
Mankato held Northeastern to only 58 yards rushing and under 200 yards of total offense, while maintaining possession for almost 44 minutes. No surprise, then, that they claimed the Mineral Water Bowl championship.
That concludes the season for the Northern Sun.
PENNSYLVANIA:
Season complete.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN:
Season complete.
SOUTH ATLANTIC:
Season complete.
SOUTHERN IAC:
PIONEER BOWL: Johnson C. Smith 35, MILES 33
Trailing 28-13, Miles mounted a furious comeback, but a failed two-point conversion on the final play of the game which would have sent it into overtime failed. That concludes business in the SIAC for 2011.
WEST VIRGINIA:
Season complete.
INDEPENDENTS:
#1 Delta State 28, #3 NORTH GREENVILLE 23
The Crusaders led at the half, and the semifinals were tantalizingly near, but Delta State scored two second-half touchdowns to move in front. Although North Greenville got one of them back, Delta State killed the final 6:42 to prevent the Crusaders from having another shot. With the loss, the final independent team is done for the year, but it will be a season to remember for North Greenville.