Pitt State Gorillas advance with win in first round of D-II football playoffs
There were some high-profile games for KC-area and regional teams on Saturday, as Missouri State squared off against Kennesaw State in a game between Conference USA leaders and the NCAA Division-II playoffs got underway.
Here is what went down:
Kennesaw State 41, Missouri State 34: The Bears’ five-game winning streak came to an end in Kennesaw, Georgia. The game was tied 27-27 in the fourth quarter, but the Owls were able to make the most of things in the fourth, including the winning TD on a pass from Amari Odom to Chase Belcher with 27 seconds left in the game.
Missouri State’s Shomari Lawrence had knotted it up at 34-34 with his 70-yard touchdown run with 5:08 remaining. Lawrence finished with 173 yards rushing, a career high. Bears quarterback Jacob Clark threw for 344 yards with three touchdowns. He passed the 7,000 passing yards mark for his college career.
The Bears are 7-4 overall, 5-2 in CUSA. Kennesaw State improved to 8-2, 6-1.
No. 6 Pitt State 21, No. 22 Chadron State 14: Berry Jackson’s pass to Kuron Parchmon for 28 yards and a touchdown with 7 minutes, 34 seconds left in the game proved to be the winning score for the Gorillas at home in Pittsburg. With the victory, Pittsburg State advanced out of the first round of the NCAA Division-II playoffs.
Pitt State safety Jordan Rogers came up with two interceptions in a game that otherwise was very even. The Gorillas defense also sacked Chadron State quarterback DJ Ralph three times. Jeremy Sharp (Ray-Pec High) and Elijah Morton each had one of those sacks.
The Gorillas will get their shot at No. 2 Harding next Saturday in Searcy, Arkansas. Pitt State improved to 10-2.
No. 2 Harding 38, No. 14 Northwest Missouri State 16: The Bearcats were unable to keep up at Harding in Searcy, Arkansas, in the opening round of the NCAA Division-II playoffs. The Bearcats got a 75-yard rushing TD from Quincy Torry as well as a 66-yard TD run from Te’Shaun Porter. But overall, Harding’s rushing attack was the dominant force in this game: Harding rushed for 427 yards to the Bearcats’ ample 253 yards.
Shane Fredrickson, who played in high school at Lee’s Summit West, was in on a Northwest Missouri State single-game record 31 tackles, including 13 solo. Harding improved to 12-0 on the season. The Bearcats finished the season with a record of 9-3.
Benedictine, Friends on bye this week
Two more area teams are on standby this week, awaiting the winners of first-round NAIA national-tourney games in second-round matchups on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Benedictine and Friends are seeded Nos. 5 and 4, respectively. The top 12 teams hold Round 1 byes in the 20-team field. Games are played at campus sites through the Dec. 13 semis, with the championship final set for Dec. 20 in Fort Worth, Texas.