NW Missouri St. wins fourth D-II football title

December 22, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

FLORENCE, Ala.

Trevor Adams passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns to lead Northwest Missouri State to a 43-28 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday in the Division II championship game.

The Bearcats (15-0) won their fourth national title to match Grand Valley State for second-most behind North Dakota State’s five. They’re the fifth team to go 15-0, managing that feat for a second time. Lenoir-Rhyne (13-2) fell short in only the onetime NAIA champion’s second appearance in the Division II playoffs.

Adams completed 15 of 25 of passes with touchdowns of 29 and 30 yards to Reuben Thomas. The pair hooked up for their first score on fourth and 7 on the opening drive and the Bearcats were up 17-0 after 10 minutes.

Grand View wins NAIA football title

ROME, Ga.

Derek Fulton threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score to help Grand View win the NAIA championship in the Iowa school’s sixth year of football, 35-23 over the University of the Cumberlands on Saturday.

Fulton, a sophomore, completed 19 of 39 passes for 300 yards and ran 13 times for 74 yards as second-ranked Grand View completed a 14-0 season at the expense of No. 1 Cumberlands (13-1). Fulton was selected the most outstanding offensive player, and Grand View senior linebacker Jason Gladfelder, who was in on 15 tackles, took defensive honors.

Cumberlands rushed for 309 yards, with D’Angelo Jordan gaining 128 yards on 17 carries, and Adam Craig getting 94 yards on 30 attempts. But the Kentucky school had only 60 yards passing, as Craig went 5 for 11 with an interception.

OHSAA looking for new officials

CANFIELD

The OHSAA is taking application for new Track and Field and Cross Country officials now through Jan. 15. Anyone interested in becoming an official should go to GYTOA.com for a detailed list of instructions on how to apply and test. There’s also a full list of mandatory rules meetings on the website.

Anyone with questions should contact BJ Duckworth at GYTOA@yahoo.com.

Registration underway for OHSAA umpires

AUSTINTOWN

Registration for anyone wanting to become a OHSAA high school softball or baseball umpire this spring has begun. Classes will be held at Austintown Fitch High School starting Jan. 16.

For more information contact John Mang at 330-502-6665 or mangtheref1965@gmail.com.

Nets’ Lopez out with broken right foot

NEW YORK

Nets center Brook Lopez has broken a bone in his right foot again, leaving the struggling team without its leading scorer.

The team says Saturday that Lopez was hurt during Friday’s loss at Philadelphia. The Nets say they will issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors.

Lopez had the same injury, a fractured fifth metatarsal, when he was limited to five games in the 2011-12 season. Lopez is averaging 20.7 points.

Cutting sports a trend at major colleges

College athletic departments across the country are re-evaluating their mission due to rising costs, with some schools cutting smaller programs to help make ends meet.

Temple University and Robert Morris University both announced they were cutting several sports at the end of the 2013-14 academic year, joining a list that includes Rutgers and the University of Maryland. Robert Morris athletic director Craig Coleman says the estimated $1.3 million the school will save by cutting seven sports will be diverted into buffering the infrastructure for the 16 sports that remain.

Temple athletic director Kevin Clark plans to do the same with the Owls, saying the school simply doesn’t have enough money to support 24 programs.

Associated Press/Staff Report