Newberry 24-West Florida 17
The #3 seed and #16 ranked Newberry College Wolves (11-1) made history by winning their ninth consecutive game and advanced to the NCAA Division 2 regional final with a 24-17 road victory at #2 regional seed and #9 nationally ranked West Florida in the second round of the NCAA Division 2 playoffs in Pensacola, Fla. Wolves quarterback Reed Charpia completed 27 of 44 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns including an 83-yard touchdown pass to Quez Spells on the first play from scrimmage to give the Wolves a 7-0 lead and a 22-yard scoring pass to Keith Desaussure with 4:55 remaining to give Newberry the victory. The Wolves’ defense stopped West Florida on fourth down at the Newberry 28-yard line with 45 seconds remaining to seal the victory. The win improved the Wolves’ record in one-score games to 7-0. The 11 wins are tied for the most wins in school history with the 2006 team that went 11-2. The Wolves play at Albany State on Saturday at 1:00 PM.
Albany State 14-Benedict 12
Benedict College’s historic playoff run came to an end on Saturday, as Albany State beat the Tigers for the third time this season, 14-12, in the NCAA Division 2 Football Championship. Benedict ends its season at 10-3, with all three losses coming at the hands of the Golden Rams. In a championship-caliber defensive battle, the Tigers were held to eight first downs and 186 yards of total offense. Benedict gave up 336 yards of total offense, but limited the Golden Rams to 3-of-13 on third downs, and kept the Golden Rams pinned deep with some stellar punting by Kolten Ford. Albany State capped off an 89-yard drive in the fourth quarter with quarterback Isaiah Knowles scoring on a one-yard run to make it 14-6 with 7:41 left in the game. The Tigers responded with a 70-yard drive, with David Smith finishing things off with a nine-yard touchdown run. Benedict attempted a two-point conversion, but Jackson Jensen’s pass in the end zone was incomplete. Benedict had one last chance to stop the Golden Rams and force a punt, but they completed a 21-yard pass on third-and-10 and then were able to run out the clock.