Northwest Missouri State running back LaRon Council ran for 172 yards and Jake Soy caught a 26-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to lead the Bearcats to a 30-23 win against Grand Valley State in the Division II national championship game Saturday at Braly Municipal Stadium.

It’s the third championship for Northwest (14-1) and first since 1999. It also ends a string of four national runner-up finishes. The Bearcats are the only team to play in five straight championship games.

Bearcat coach Mel Tjeerdsma tied former North Alabama coach Bobby Wallace by winning his third national title. Tjeerdsma’s 29 postseason victories are a Division II record.

Council had 136 yards in the first half to help stake Northwest to a 21-0 halftime lead. Grand Valley State cut the deficit to 23-20 early in the fourth quarter, but Soy’s touchdown grab on 4th-and-4 with 10 minutes left helped seal the deal. The Lakers (13-2) had a final drive end near midfield in the final minute.

Soy caught nine passes for 118 yards and broke Ronnie West’s MIAA single-season record for receiving yards. It was the third championship game in which one team had a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver. Soy’s 27 touchdowns and 1,559 yards receiving both led the nation.

Northwest quarterback Blake Bolles broke Chris Greisen’s MIAA record for passing yards in a season. Bolles completed 15-of-23 passes for 198 yards. He threw 42 touchdowns this season and finished with 4,145 yards passing – both are MIAA records.

It was a Bolles pass to Council that set up the final score. Bolles scrambled out of the pocket on 3rd-and-22 before finding Council, who broke several tackles to net 18 yards. The play gave Tjeerdsma an easier decision to go for it on fourth down. Bolles laid a fade pass into Soy’s hands at the 5-yard line and Soy carried his defender into the end zone for the score.

The touchdown ended a 20-2 run by the Lakers to open the second half after Grand Valley netted 127 yards of total offense in the first. The Lakers finished with 91 yards rushing after entering the game with an average of 237.

The game was almost a blowout. The Bearcats had 1st-and-goal from the 2-yard line with the 21-0 lead near the end of the first half. Previn Perry, the fullback, carried to within inches of the goal line before James Wojciehowski stole the ball away. It was the first of three turnovers by the Bearcats.

Northwest had two Myles Burnsides’ interceptions negated by penalties. One erased a 70-yard return for a score by Burnsides, which would have made it 28-0 early in the third quarter.

Grand Valley capitalized on a Blake Bolles interception and scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Brad Iciek to Greg Gay on the Lakers’ first possession of the second half. Kyle Sunderman blocked the ensuing extra point and Ryan Jones scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a defensive two-point conversion that made it 23-6.

Iciek threw two touchdown passes and finished with 290 yards on 28-of-49 passing. He was also intercepted by Jones late in the first half – just his third pick thrown on the year. Ryan Bass caught eight passes for 111 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter, to lead Grand Valley State.

The Lakers faced 3rd-and-1 from the Bearcat 3 trailing 30-20 with five minutes left. Iciek was dropped for a loss by Sunderman and Willie Horn on third down and Grand Valley State settled for a Jay Jandasek field goal.

Northwest recovered the ensuing onside kick, but punted the ball back to the Lakers with three minutes left. Grand Valley State started from its 20 and drove to its own 44 before seeing a 4th-and-15 pass fall incomplete. A 14-yard run by Council and a knee from Bolles began the celebration.

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–Courtesy NWMSU Athletics