OSG NAIA: Saint X Takes Out Carroll

((HT: KFBB-TV Helena))

Caoch Mike Feminis was on the platform accepting the NAIA Football Championship trophy in his 24-20 win over Carroll College Saturday night and he finished with the catch phrase of the year:

"One goal... Achieved!"

And it was... first time there, and a win...

Now, what does he do for an encore...??? That's the question...

His offense, led by QB and MVP Jimmy Coy, seemed to give the Saints defense fits early. There was no in-between for the zone read draw of Coy combined with the dink-and-dunk way of keeping the other guy off the field. Changing from a three to a four-man front slowed their offense down by the mid-point of the second quarter.

The defense looked like they were going to have Dane Broadhead beat them in the air as they sold out to the run and wouldn't let NAIA player of the year, RB Chance Demarais, run all day.

In a game that moved faster than the 10-7 Carroll win last year, it took a red-zone stand by Saint X to get it that far...

Here's the recap from our friends up north...


And from our friends at KXLH-TV in Helena...


When you're on the sidelines, as the HQ was, you run into folks...

We ran into the father of Carroll WR Matt Ritter... and it was funny and somewhat excruiating a the same time... to talk to him during that last Carroll drive as they moved right in front of him. Ritter has been a pain in the butt for a lot of NAIA schools over his four years. He had one TD catch earlier in the game, but you also see the father's anguish when the ball goes through his hands in the corner of the endzone on that last set of four downs trying to score late in the game.

Oh, the two pass interference calls on the last drive...???

The HQ knew close to half of the TV crew so we asked...

First down...??? Good defense...
Fourth down...??? Well, it was fourth down in a title game...

Another good crowd for year four- bring on year five...

OSG NAIA: Carroll and St. Xavier T-Minus 1

It's another year for Carroll ((MT)) College head coach Mike Van Diest to go ahead and chase the record for NAIA titles...

If he gets past St. Xavier ((IL)), as the Fighting Saints did last year in the playoffs, 27-5, it'll be another title for the kid raised in Helena...

He was, understandably, calm two days out... and, as most head coaches are in press conference situations, complimentary about his opponent. Saint X head coach Mike Feminis was the same way...

But the one thing you take away from the NAIA and their title games- they genuinely mean it. The whole hook for the national governing body is showcasing the schools and their "Champions of Character." There are kids who do blood drives, raise funds and materials for the less-fortunate, all those items that you think are cliches everywhere else...???

They're legit here...whether they're talking about their own kids... or someone else's...

Van Diest: "It's like our first time here. We have 25 players that weren't with us last year. They're a fun group to be around."

Feminis: "We try to emulate what they (Carroll) do. Don't get me wrong. We're going to try and beat their brains in Saturday, but there's no one we respect more."

Saint X has never made it to the final game- having lost three times in the semis. A lot of them (whoever the "them" actually is) thought the Cougars would be a little down this season, but Feminis admitted he felt in his heart that his team could make it this far. It took some freshmen stepping up and some second-stringers last year moving up to make it happen- that and getting a revenge win over Marion ((IN)) to get there.

What was it like for the Saints to get here...???
Check out the charter flights, thanks to our friends at KXLH-TV in Helena...

It's about kids like Saint X linebacker Michael Prosser...

Prosser is the only kid Coach Fem can recall that turned down a D1 scholarship to play at SXU. He's SGA president and looks like he could run a big busines flush out of college at 6-3, 235...

Saint X QB Jimmy Coy is at his third school after tours at Valdosta State and El Camino Junior. Has he found a home...?

The night before the title game was the Banquet of Champions at the Forum. It's where the two sides exchange gifts, pleasantries, and compliments one more time... and see Chance Demarais of Carroll get the Player of the Year award over Faulkner QB Josh Hollingsworth...

We all know Chance is taking his linemen out for a meal to celebrate this one...

The Carroll brigade gave matching pictures of Montana and an autographed book from the Governor to the president, AD, and head coach. The Saint X staff gave a really cool crystal skyline to the Carroll president, a Bears pullover for the Caroll AD, and a Jonathan Toews Blackhawks sweater and hat.

How cool is that...???

But the lines of the day...???

Apparently, Dr. Paula McNutt (the interim president at Carroll), had only two days on the job before she found out she was going to a title game. Robert Tenczar, SXU VP of Alumni Relations, subbing for university president Chris Wiseman relayed the quote that gave folks pause...

After finding out the Cougs were heading to a title game, she told Tenczar: "Maybe the Provost can handle graduation..."

Which is game day...

One last thing before tomorrow...

CEO of the NAIA Jim Carr isn't worried about any kind of social media policy on the sidelines. He knows his guys won't channel their inner Ocho-Cinco, but Coach Van took it one step further:

"My players can't do anything I don't do, and I just learned how to text."

But he did get emotional on the dais when thinking about his players that are taking the field Saturday... there are some that could play somewhere at the next level, but for most of the Fighting Saints it's over after tomorrow save the football banquet...

More after the game...

OSG NAIA: Another Title Game For Carroll

((HT: KFBB-TV Helena))

Mid-South Conference East Division winner Georgetown College (KY) lost to Carroll College and their Fighting Saints 35-3. The defending national champs will defend their title against St. Xavier ((IL)), who beat Marian ((IN)), in two weeks at Historic Barron Stadium in Rome Georgia.

TE Anthony Hogan said about the win: "We just stuck together as a team, and corrected our mistakes we made last week. We really hurt ourselves and this week we wanted to change that. We made the right corrections and we're just working as a team all the way down and putting up points."

Here's how Carroll got there...

OSG NAIA: Down To The Final 4

((HT: KFBB-TV Helena))

Carroll College is turning into a regular tenant of Rome, Georgia for the NAIA National title game. They might be there again this year with their win over Azusa Pacific...

Here's how that happened...


Carroll hosts Georgetown (KY) who won 26-14 against St. Francis
The highlights are at the end of the sportscast...
((HT: WKYT-TV Lexington))


Top-ranked Marian ((IN)), a five-year-old program in Indianapolis, gets St. Xavier-Chicago in a rematch from earlier this season in the other semi.