By Darius Hicks–The No.5 Morningside Mustang football team will host the No.10 Rocky Mountain Battlin Bears in the marquee matchup of the opening round in the 2013 NAIA Football Championship Series.
Saturday’s matchup features two of the most explosive offenses in the nation, both averaging over 400 yards a game. This game also has two of the most prolific quarterbacks in the nation. Ryan Kasdorf of Morningside and Bryce Baker of Rocky Mountain both average over 300 passing yards a game.
If that’s not enough excitement for you, two of the nation’s best wide receivers will be taking the field as well. Morningside’s Kyle Schuck, GPAC Offensive Player Of The Year, and Rocky Mountain’s Andre McCullough have over 1,000 yards receiving and more then ten touchdowns this season.
“They’re a great football team; they have a lot of talented players that can change the pace of the game. I feel we match up well with each other and Saturday should be a good one to watch,” said Coach Steve Ryan.
Both teams are coming off victories in their regular season finales last weekend. Morningside enters the game with a 9-1 record while Rocky Mountain has a record of 8-3. Morningside used an almost perfect second half to defeat Doane College 51-13. The Mustang defense held the tigers to 23 total yards in the second half and also scored a touchdown. The Mustangs will need their defense to step up and play with that same intensity if they look to slow down this Battlin Bears offense.
“We just have to focus and do our jobs, we have a lot of talent on this defense and it shows when we’re all on the same page reading our keys. We understand that Saturday will be a challenge, but I believe were ready,” said first team all-conference senior defensive end Bret Doorenbos.
The Mustangs are making their 10th consecutive appearance in the NAIA Championship series, with an all time record of 10-9. They have also advanced to the quarterfinals in seven of the last nine years.
Kickoff is scheduled for 12 o’clock Saturday at Elwood Olsen Stadium. Broadcasting of the game can be seen on Morningside athletic homepage.
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