Benedictine loses in NAIA football semifinals for second straight season

It was a battle of two NAIA football juggernauts in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday.

And there was plenty on the line.

In the end, the Benedictine Ravens fell to top seed and No. 1-ranked Grand View (Iowa) 17-10 in the semifinals of the NAIA playoffs.

It was the second straight year that Benedictine lost in the semis. Last season, Benedictine fell to Keiser (Florida) in the semis in a heartbreaker.

It is also the second year in a row that Grand View will play Keiser for the NAIA national championship. Grand View topped Keiser 35-7 for the title last season.

After rolling through competition all year, Benedictine finished its season with a record of 12-2. The Ravens’ only other loss was to, you guessed it, Grand View, 27-24, in an early-season showdown in Des Moines.

Benedictine, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA poll and seeded No. 5 for the tournament, took a 7-0 lead on Saturday. The Ravens’ Xavier Ugorji socred on a 4-yard run that capped a seven-play, 82-yard drive.

After a touchdown by Grand View, Christian Klobe’s 30-yard field goal with 3 minutes, 12 seconds left in the first half put the Ravens up 10-7.

But Grand View kicked a field goal of its own before the break that tied it 10-10.

Defense from both sides had its say throughout the second half, and a Grand View touchdown on an 8-yard pass play at the end of the third quarter proved to be the winning score.

In the defensive battle, it was Grand View that won the day. The Ravens were able to muster 3.8 yards per play to 5.6 by the Vikings.

Ugorji totaled 64 yards of rushing for Benedictine. Ravens quarterback Jackson Dooley, a Lawrence High product, finished with 102 yards passing.

Those were small numbers from the Benedictine star players on offense.

Particularly for a Ravens team that outscored opponents in sum 618-237 for the season, a point differential of plus-381.

This story was originally published December 13, 2025 at 4:26 PM.