The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee • 18

6BTkt.tacfcmSui NAIA Sunday. December 16, 2001 'He's a good player' Eviston carries Georgetown to national title, again A Eviston said he saw Sioux Falls with one safety shaded to the other side. Bingo. He zipped a 30-yard pass to Jason Tenkman on a post pattern that took the Tigers to the 12 and set up their next score. Then came the jump ball to Brandon Midkiff.

A 35-yard jump ball A backbreaker for Sioux Falls and a 28-13 halftime lead for Georgetown. "He's my first read on that" Eviston said. "I tried to look underneath and thought it would get a field goal, but there was nothing there. So I went back to him." When Eviston left Savannah on Saturday night he did so ranking third all-time in the NAIA with 12,703 total offensive yards and going 41-1 as a starting quarterback. The only loss in that stretch came in the 1999 NAIA championship game, a Northwestern Oklahoma victory.

It was some show. "Ever since that back in 99," Eviston said, "I never wanted to lose again. All of these seniors, we wanted to gout out at 41-1." on Friday night He threaded passes through double coverage. He made the short screen passes. When the Tigers could have settled for a field goal right before halftime, Eviston made sure, they got to the end zone instead.

Whop. Bam. Boom. The good ones know when to throw the knockout punch. When he woke up Saturday morning, Eviston said "I was just glad it wasn't pouring down rain." He was talking about last year when his three touchdown passes helped Georgetown make it past defending champion Northwestern Oklahoma.

This time, he was as good as advertised. For instance, he overcame a shaky opening series with two 12-yard passes that set up the Tigers' first score. Later on, his 20-yard pass to Derrick White, who was running a curl route, hit White in the belly just as he turned to set up. After the Tigers used a fake punt to covert on fourth-and-1 at the Cougars 41 in the first half, Ir-nrmniiMMiiiMii imiirr ititi in-nrTnnirn -1 mmit piiihmiiim iw KIMILY TAYLOR; The Jackson Sun Georgetown College quarterback Eddie Eviston scramble for yardage as he is being pursued by Sioux Falls' Mike Hockett on Saturday at the NAIA national championship game in Savannah. Eviston was named Most Valuable Player for the game.

good nucleus to build around for next year i 44 'J Eviston is the NAIA player of the year, it was announced Friday night. He is the only player to win the award three times. He also becomes only the second player in all divisions of college football to win a national player of the year award three times. The other was Ronnie Bailey, who played for NCAA Division II Texas in the late 1980s. Cash sings national anthem Kelly Cash, a former Miss Tennessee, sang the national anthem in front of the color guard and a flag that stretch 30 yards in length.

Honorary captains Two members of the New York City fire department, John Mooney and Joe Kadillak, were the honorary captains. Mooney works for ladder company No. 154 and Kadil-lack is on engine No. 209. They were in Savannah since Wednesday and spent part of the week talking to grade-schoolers.

"The NAIA was just great to us," Mooney said. "All the people in the city were great." Attendance record Saturday's game drew an announced crowd of 6,789, an NAIA record. Third-quarter TO Sioux Falls' third-quarter touchdown, when Nick Kortan scored on a 1-yard run at the 9:44 mark, was only the third TD given up in the third quarter by Georgetown. Hoppe's day Georgetown freshman Cole Hoppe, who played at Briar Crest and is from Eads, had one run for minus-3 yards in the second half. Hoppe tried to run a reverse but to no avail.

Furman, Montana advance to finals The Associated Press STATESBORO, Ga. Fur-man coach Bobby Johnson fig-. ured his team needed some help. He just never expected it to come from Georgia Southern, The Eagles, seeking their third straight national title, turned the ball over three times, paving the way for Furman to rally for a 24-17 win in the Division I-AA semifinals Saturday. Eric Emerson's 1-yard touchdown run with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter gave Furman the lead and the Paladins' defense did the rest against the two-time defending champions.

"We came out in the second half and probably played about as good as you can play," the coach said. "And that's what you've got to do to win here at Georgia Southern." The loss snapped a 39-game home winning streak for Georgia Southern (12-2), a Division I-AA record. It also was the Eagles' first postseason loss ever in 28 playoff games at Paulson Stadium. The mood was further dampened by the fact that it was the last time on the sidelines for Georgia Southern coach Paul Johnson. He was announced Monday as the new coach at Navy.

Furman (12-2) advanced to the championship game Friday in Chattanooga against Montana. Georgia Southern, seeking its seventh national title since returning to football in 1982, had a 17-7 halftime lead. But two fumbles by the Eagles to open the second half let Furman back in. Justin Wright, a reserve center, fumbled the second-half kick-off and Furman recovered at the Georgia Southern 18, setting up a 19-yard field goal by Danny Marshall. On the first play of the Eagles' next possession, Zzream Walden lost a fumble at the Furman 21.

Billy Napier tied it 17-17 with a TD pass to Bear Rinehart on the first play after the turnover. The Paladins took 13 plays to go 56 yards during the winning drive, running 6:13 off the clock. Hindley Brigham ran eight times for 37 yards to set up Emerson's score. Brigham led Furman 58 yards on 17 carries. The Paladins' defense held Georgia Southern to 279 yards, and just 55 in the second half.

Adrian Peterson, who was held to 68 yards on 18 carries, failed to rush for 100 yards for just the third time in his career. Napier was 4-of-4 for 66 yards on Furman's first touchdown drive, which Toreico O'Neal finished with a 7-yard run around right end. That gave the Paladins a 7-3 lead with 5:44 left in the half, but Georgia Southern's triple-option offense suddenly broke loose for two TDs in a 3:02 span. The Eagles needed just five plays to go 75 yards as Mark Myers scored on a 51-yard TD dash that put Georgia Southern up 10-7 with 3:22 left in the half. On their next possession, it looked like J.R.

Revere's sideline pass to Derrick Owens might be intercepted. Instead, Owens caught the ball, turned and sprinted 51 yards up the Furman sideline before being bumped out at the Paladins 11. Revere ran up the middle on the next play for a 10-point lead. Scott Marshall kicked a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter for Georgia Southern. The Paladins are seeking their second Division I-AA title.

They won the 1988 national championship, defeating Georgia Southern 17-12 in Pocatello, Idaho. Montana 38, Northern Iowa 0 At Missoula, Mont, Yohance Humphery ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns as Montana advanced to its second straight title game. Quarterback John Edwards added 111 yards rushing and two more scores for the Grizzlies (14-1). Edwards, who passed for 270 yards in the first half of Montana's 49-24 quarterfinal victory over Sam Houston State, ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter. Montana led 31-0 at halftime after a 14-yard scoring run by T.J.

Oelkers and an 8-yard run by Humphery. Northern Iowa finished the season 11-3. By KARY BOOKER kbooherjacksonsun.com SAVANNAH Sioux Falls, S.D., junior defensive tackle Darin Martyna shook his head when he talked about Georgetown, senior quarterback Eddie Eviston. "He's a good ball player. He knew went to get out He'd stiff-arm you," Martyna said.

Then Martyna added this: "He would just pick us apart sometimes." Martyna and the Sioux Falls Cougars defense became Eviston's latest victims Saturday when Eviston led the Georgetown Tigers to the NAIA national championship and a 49-27 victory. No, Eviston didn't have the gaudy numbers he usually does. Sioux Falls quarterback Dax Michelena, in fact, threw for more yards, 232 to 188. Michelena also had more touchdowns, throwing for two and running for another. But Eviston showed why he was named the NAIA player of the year for the third consecutive year Young has By KARY BOOHER kbooherjacksonsun.com SAVANNAH Sioux FaUs, S.D., head coach Bob Young sat back in his chair during the post-game interview and told the scribes before him what an honor it was just to reach the NAIA national championship game.

"You always want to do better when you get here," Young said. He hardly needed to offer much else. Young brought his 1996 team to the first NAIA championship in Savannah and walked away with the trophy. In fact, his family loved it so much that one of his granddaughters born a few months later was named Savannah. Who knows if Sioux Falls will become a regular in the NAIA championship game.

It loses quarterback Dax Michelena and wide receiver Zach Rutten. Expected to return is junior defensive tackle Darin Martyna, the team's leading tackier this season. "There's some good nucleus to build around," Young said. Call it a comeback Georgetown became the ninth team in NAIA history to win back-to-back national championships. The most recent one came in 1989 when Carson-Newman won the Division I title and Westminster, won the Division II title.

Tigers' scoring Georgetown's 49 points is the highest point total in a championship games since 1993. That year, Pacific Lutheran beat Westminster, 49-20. Players of the game Georgetown swept the postgame awards. Senior quarterback Eddie Eviston was named the offensive player of the game while the defensive award went to B.J. Mattingly.

Mattingly made 11 tackles, includ- NAIA Continued from cover first possession of the game. From there, the teams played cat and mouse. Sioux Falls answered with a 10-play, 66-yard drive. Cougars quarterback Dax Michelena hit Zach Rutten on a 20-yard pass play on one-on-one coverage with Mark Walker. "He's kind of a smaller guy," Rutten said of Walker, who was picked on twice.

"At that point, we were right about where we wanted to be." Yet Sioux Falls' next drive may haunt it throughout the winter. It reached the Georgetown 29 and included a 31-yard run by Michelena, but two penalties and a bad snap had the Cougars facing a third-and-40 situation from their 36. They ended up punting. As Young put it, "That really took the wind out of our sails. We had the ball and maybe an opportunity to put some points on the board." It was a costly no-scoring drive because Georgetown's Nate Green returned the punt 37 yards to the Cougars 38, then the Tigers scored eight plays later on Payne's 2-yard run.

That gave Georgetown a 14-7 lead, and it forced the Cougars to play catch-up. They scored about three minutes later on a 7-play, 80-yard drive. Michelena capped it with a 1-yard run just two plays after he threw a 49-yard pass to KIMILY TAYLORThe Jackson Sun Sioux Falls quarterback Dax Michelena recovers possession after loosing the ball at the line of scrimmage as Georgetown's Shan Housekeeper (33) and Mike Mulhall during the NAIA national championship game on Saturday at Kim Carroll Stadium in Savannah. Curran of Hinedale, line judge Barry Hall of Rockton, field judge Larry Orrico of Hoffman Estates, side judge John Nash of Channahon, and back judge Tony Cannella of Rockford, DL Eviston is again NAIA Player Of The Year For the third consecutive year, Georgetown quarterback Eddie fund was established in 1985 by Rusty Staub. The fund gives grieving families, regardless of financial need, a $10,000 check immediately after their loved one dies.

Officiating crew The NAIA officiating crew this year consisted of referee Jim Ryan of Darien, 111., umpire Tony Smith of Lynwood, head linesman Jeff faked a punt on fourth-and-1 at the Cougar 41. Sioux Falls didn't answer, and Georgetown found one more scoring drive, that with Midkiff TD catch. Sioux Falls scored twice after halftime. Nick Kortan's 1-yard run put the Cougars within 42-20 with 9:44 left in the third, but their next drive died on downs at the Tigers' 39. It wasn't until Michelena found Kortan on a 37-yard pass, with 7:55 left, when Sioux Falls scored again.

"It's amazing," Eviston said of defending the title. "Last we we kind of had a destiny since we were in it in '99. This year, our motto was, Why Georgetown 49, Sioux Falls 27 Sioux Falls 7 6 7 7 -27 Georgetown, Ky. 7 21 14 7 -49 First Quarter Geo Payne 13 run (Davis kick), 8:57. Sio Rutten 20 pass from Michelena (Kuiper kick), 4:56.

Second Quarter Geo-Payne 3 run (Davis kick), Sio Michelena 1 run (kick failed), 9:01. Geo-Tenkman 1 run (kick failed). 3:15. Geo Midkiff 35 pass from Eviston (Eviston run), :24. Third Quarter Geo-White 51 run (Davis kick), 13:29.

Sio Kortan 1 run (Kuiper kick), 9:44. Geo-Ayers 1 run (Davis kick), 5:49. Fourth Quarter Geo-Caba 18 pass from Eviston (Davis kick). 10:39. Sio Kortan 37 pass from Michelen (Kuiper kick), 7:55.

Sio Geo First downs 22 23 Rushes-yards 44-139 50-227 Passing 232 188 Comp-Att-Int 16-40-1 16-28-1 Return Yards 12 49 Punts-Avg. 6-32 3-51 Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-1 Penalties-Yards 9-62 7-60 Time of Possession 30:54 29:06 NAIA notebook ing one for a loss. Money going to New York The New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund is to receive $2 from every advanced ticket sold from the NAIA championship game. The NAIA National Champions 956 Montana St. Joseph tie 0-0 957 Pittsburg St.

dcf. Hillsdale 27-26 958 NE def. No. Arizona 19-13 959 Texas def. Lenior-Rhyne 20-7 960 Lenoir-Rhyne def.

Humboldt St 15-14 961 Pittsburg St. def. 12-7 962 Central St. def. Lenior-Rhyne 28-13 963 St.

John's, def. Pr. View 33-27 964 Concordia, Sam Houston St. tie 7-7 965 St. John's.

def. Linfield 33-0 966 Wayynesburg def. wis. -Whitewater 42-21 967 Fairmont St. def.

E. Washington 28-21 968 Troy St. def. Texas 43-35 969 Texas def. Concordia 32-7 970 Texas def.

Wofford 48-7 971 Livingston def. Arkansas St 14-12 972 E. Texas St. def. Carson-Newman 21-18 973 Abilene Christian def.

Elon 42-14 974 Texas def. Henderson Ark. 34-23 .975 Texas def. Salem 37-0 .976 Texas def. Central Arkansas 26-0 977 Abilene Christian def.

SW Okla. 24-7 978 Angelo St. def. Elon 2414 979 Texas def. Central St.

20-14 980 Elon def. Northeastern Okla. 17-10 981 Elon def. Pittsburg St. 3-0 982 Central St.

def. Mesa 14-11 983 Carson-Newman def. Mesa 36-28 .984 Carson-Newman, Cent Arkansas tiel 9-19 985 Hillsdale, Cent. Arkansas tie 10-10 986 Carson-Newman def. Cameron 17-0 987 Cameron def.

Carson-Newman 30-2 988 Cameron def. Adams St 56-21 989 Carson-Newman def. Emporia St 34-20 990 Central St. def. Mesa St.

38-16 991 Central Arkansas def. Central St 19-16 992 Central St def. Gardner-Webb 19-16 993 East Central def. Clenwille St. 49-35 994 NE St, def.

Bluff 13-12 995 Central St def. NE Okla. 37-7 996 SW Okla. def. Montana Tech 33-31 997 Findlay def.

Williamette 14-7 998 Azusa Pacific def. Olivet Nazarene 1714 999 NW Okla. St def. Georgetown 34-26 000 Georgetown def. NW Okla.

St 20-0 001 Georgetown def. Sioux Falls, 49-27 Rutten that took Sioux Falls to the 4. The extra point kick was wide left, leaving Sioux Falls behind 14-13. And yet Georgetown responded. It went 78 yards in 13 plays, with Jason Tenkman's 1-yard run finishing it.

Tenkman caught a 30-yard pass just six plays earlier, and that came after Georgetown successfully vl I KIMILY TAYLORThe Jackson Sun Sioux Falls' Zach Rutten (4) can't find the handle on the ball as Georgetown's Nate Green looks on during the NAIA National Championship at Jim Carroll Stadium in Savannah on Saturday..