Pittsburg St. back in title game

The Gorillas will play Valdosta State next Saturday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Neal Philpot passed for three touchdowns as Pittsburg State beat North Dakota 31-19 on Saturday in the NCAA Division II semifinals.
Pittsburg State (14-0) returns to the Division II title game for the first time since 1995.
Germaine Race, who led all rushers with 158 yards, gave Pittsburg State a 14-10 lead on a 3-yard scoring run with 6:38 left in the first half to cap a 65-yard drive.
North Dakota (11-3) took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 12-yard run by Adam Roland. It was only the third time all season that the Gorillas had trailed. Roland finished with 71 yards and two TDs.
Pittsburg State came right back with Philpot connecting with wide receiver Jermaine Carpenter on an 8-yard pass to tie the score. Philpot passed for 99 yards and rushed for 122 yards.
North Dakota took the second-half kickoff from its own 20 and drove to the Pittsburg State 5 before the drive stalled. The Sioux settled for a 32-yard field goal from Jeff Glas to cut the lead to 14-13.
The Gorilla offense then took over, controlling the line scrimmage and moving 80 yards in nine plays. Philpot hit Carpenter for a 19-yard TD pass and a 21-13 lead.
Chris Belmore led North Dakota with 264 yards passing and Caleb Johnson had 10 catches for 129 yards. Pittsburg State, which came in to the game averaging 59 points and 629 yards a game, finished with 422 yards in total offense.
Valdosta State 45, West Chester 21
VALDOSTA, Ga. -- Fabian Walker passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead Valdosta State over West Chester on Saturday and to its second NCAA Division II championship game appearance in three years.
Walker completed 24 of 28 passes for 212 yards and did not throw an interception, and Vincent Brown rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns for Valdosta State (12-1).
Valdosta State led 31-7 at halftime, as Brown scored on two 8-yard runs.
West Chester (11-4) pulled to 31-21 in the third quarter, but Valdosta State pulled away as Walker scored on a 19-yard run less than a minute into the final quarter and Tyran Robinson added a 3-yard touchdown run.
Findora completed 13 of 25 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw three interceptions.
Valdosta State will play Pittsburg State (14-0) in Florence, Ala., next Saturday for the Division II championship.