Pittsburg State, Northwest Missouri State dominate in first round of football playoffs
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association football is once again making its mark on the NCAA Division-II playoffs.
The MIAA’s top two teams in Pittsburg State and Northwestern Missouri State each advanced out of the first round with victories on Saturday.
The Pitt State Gorillas pushed their record to 12-0 with a 35-0 home victory over Indianapolis; Northwest rocked No. 3-ranked and previously unbeaten Ouachita Baptist 47-17 in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Northwest Missouri will face No. 1 Grand Valley in Allendale, Michigan, this coming Saturday. Pittsburg State, ranked No. 3 in the country, earned a showdown with No. 5 ranked Ferris State in Big Rapids, Michigan.
The Gorillas wasted no time in their game against Indianapolis: Kolbe Katsis returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, and the rout was on.
Antoine Nunn, Jr., who is from Belton, book-ended three other Gorilla touchdowns with a 68-yard interception return for a TD that closed out the scoring at 35-0 and pushed Pitt State into the second round.
As for Northwest Missouri State ... well the Bearcats’ defense was of course the thing. Northwest Missouri held Ouchita Baptist to 18 yards rushing, and Ouchita Baptist had been the No. 4-ranked rushing team in Division II.
The Bearcats had 499 yards of total offense to the Tigers’ 258.
Kashan Griffin had five receptions for 109 yards and a TD for the Bearcats, while Zach Howard registered two sacks for the Bearcats, who are ranked No. 8 in the coaches’ poll.
NAIA
Benedictine rolls in NAIA first round: The Ravens, seeded No. 6 in the NAIA playoffs, got things going early and shut down No. 10 seed Southwestern (Kan.) 35-7 in Atchison. Benedictine led 28-0 before the Moundbuilders finally got on the board in the fourth quarter.
It was Southwestern’s lowest point total in a game since 2016, even though the Moundbuilders had 344 yards of total offense to Benedictine’s 339. Benedictine senior quarterback Garrett Kettle connected on 11 of 19 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
With the win, the Ravens move to the quarterfinals, where they will face No. 6 seed Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Indiana, on Saturday. Indiana Wesleyan knocked out Avila.
Avila loses in opening round: The Eagles’ stellar season came to an end with a 14-7 loss in the opening round of the NAIA playoffs to Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Indiana. It was the Avila football program’s first trip to the NAIA playoffs. The Eagles finished the season with a record of 10-2. Malik Nesbitt rushed for 67 yards with a touchdown and pulled in five passes for 48 against Indiana Wesleyan.
