Northwest Missouri football wins playoff opener

The Northwest Missouri Bearcats are moving on in the Division-II football playoffs.

The Bearcats rushed for 356 yards Saturday and beat Grand Valley State 42-17 in Allendale, Mich., in a first-round game.

Isaiah Strayhorn rushed for 171 yards with two touchdown, and Josh Caldwell ran for 147 yards with two TDs.

Northwest Missouri, 10-2, will play at Ferris State (Big Rapids, Mich.) next Saturday.

Fort Hays State, meanwhile, lost at the University of Indianapolis 38-27.

NAIA: Benedictine and Baker each needed overtime but advanced in the first round of the NAIA playoffs: Benedictine beat Cumberlands (Ky.) 48-41 in two OTs in Atchison, Kan., while Baker won at Bethel (Tenn.) 44-41 in one OT.

Other playoff action:

Soccer: The Fort Hays State men advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA D-II tournament with a 2-0 home win over Ohio Valley on Saturday. Fort Hays State has won 14 straight matches. The national semifinals start Nov. 29 in Pittsburgh.

Central Missouri will play Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich., Sunday at noon in the quarterfinals of the NCAA D-II women’s soccer tourney.

Benedictine knocked off Ottawa 3-0 in Atchison, Kan., on Saturday in the opening round of the NAIA women’s soccer tournament.

Volleyball: The Rockhurst women lost to Lewis (Ill.) in four sets (23-25, 25-15, 26-24, 25-18) in Springfield, Mo., on Saturday in the final of the NCAA D-II Midwest Regional. Lewis also knocked out Drury, on Friday in four sets: 25-17, 25-16, 22-25, 25-18.

Johnson County volleyball’s run at the NJCAA Division-II women’s tournament ended Friday with a straight-sets (25-15, 25-16, 25-11) loss to Parkland (Ill.) in the semifinals in Charleston, W. Va. Coffeyville (Kan.) knocked off Parkland in straight sets to take the championship on Saturday.