Arizona Daily Sun from Flagstaff, Arizona • 13

BEST AVAILABLE COW ARIZONA DAILY SUN SlMMRTO SUNDAY December 7, 2003 CONTACT US: Chns Lang, sports editor phone: 556-2259 e-mail: clangazdailysun.com SECTION SIDELine National Hockey League Division I AA Quarterfinals Florida Atlantic 48, NAU 25 'isgS NAU QUARTERBACK JASON MURRIETTA watches as Honda Atlantic comerback Willie Hughley recovers a fumble Saturday night at the Skydome. Hughley returned the fumble 24 yards to set up a touchdown that put FAU up 41-3 in the third quarter. To order this photo, go to http photos azdailysun com FAUs speed, big-play prowess too much for NAU to handle in playoff loss riATj CHRIS LANG Birds Eye View Golden opportunity slips away It had been seven years since Northern Arizonas football team hosted a Division I-AA playoff game. And still, the mere mention of the word Furman gives NAU fans the chills, much like that brutal bit of the flu that seems to be floating around town these days. Furman may rhyme with Sherman, but in NAU football lore, the word is synonymous with a completely different sounding word choke.

The Lumberjacks led Furman by 10 points with four minutes left in 1996 yet managed to lose the game. So seven years later, it couldnt happen again, could it? Well, not really. There was nothing really choked away Saturday night against Florida Atlantic, as this one was never even close enough for the Lumberjacks to grasp. Ive heard all week about Florida Atlantics Division I-A dreams and the Owls superior athletic ability. It was on display at the Skydome as the Owls ran away with a 48-25 victory to eliminate the Lumberjacks and quell their national-championship hopes.

When the Owls needed to convert on third down, they did. When the Owls needed a big play, they got it. When the Owls wanted to dictate the pace of the game which pretty much happened from the opening gun they did. Its somewhat fitting in this setting that NAUs only points when the game was actually in question came courtesy of a freak play a beautifully designed fake punt on which safety Brent Daniels took a direct snap and raced 38 yards up the field. But FAU took a deep breath and began to dictate again, forcing the Lumberjacks into a Paul Emster field goal.

The domination was that severe, that thorough. And though NAU made a bit of a comeback in the fourth quarter, the Owls owned the Lumberjacks for most of the night. They took talented NAU receivers Clarence Moore and Johnny Marshall out of the game. We thought they would See LANG, B6 Erika Schultz Arizona Dally Sun Philadelphia 1, Boston 1 Tampa Bay 3, Buffalo 1 Toronto 5, Detroit 2 I Montreal 3, Carolina 1 New Jersey 2, Ottawa 1 N.Y. Islanders 5, Chicago 2 Atlanta 4, Honda 3 St Louis 4, Nashville 1 Colorado 5, Columbus 1 Edmonton 4, Pittsburgh 3 Minnesota 1, Vancouver 1 Los Angeles 7, Washington 3 San Jose 2, Dallas 1 5 National Basketball Assoc.

New Jersey 99, SUNS 88 San Antonio 86, Miami TO Cleveland 95, Atlanta 85 S3 Washington 114, Milwaukee 109 New Orleans 97, Chicago 91 C.3 Dallas 110, Orlando 97. 3 1 Houston 86, Detroit 80 OyiUC' L. fS Golden State 104, New Yoik 92 College Football DIVISION l-AA QUARTERFINALS Honda Atlantic 48, NAU 25 3. Colgate 28, Western Illinois 27 Delaware 37, Northern Iowa 7 Wofford 34, Western Kentucky 17 a AP TOP 25 (13) Kansas State 35, (1) Oklahoma 7 (2) Southern Cal 52, Oregon State 29 (3) LSU 34, (5) Georgia 13 S' (18) Boise State at Hawaii (late) 5 College Basketball STATEBIG SKYMEN Cal State Fullerton 82, NAU 67 FT (7) ARIZONA 68, Saint Louis 67 3 San Francisco 72, Montana 71 Santa Clara 74, Montana State 56 I Portland 60, Portland State 53 i Cal Poly 76, Sacramento State 60 Iowa State 73, Idaho State 47 I HL-Chicago 67, E. Washington 52 SW Missoun State 79, Weber State 74 APTOP25 MEN (21) Stanford 64, (1) Kansas 58 I (2) florida 74, Stetson 61 (3) Connecbcut 74, Aimy 46 (4) Missouri 63, Indiana 58 (14) Oklahoma 80, (5) Michigan St 77 (OT) (6) Duke 79, St John's 58 I (9) Kentucky 52, UCLA 50 (11) Illinois 84, Arkansas 61 (12) Saint Joseph's 67, Pennsylvania 59 (13) Georgia Tech 94, Tennessee State 43 (15) Wisconsin 68, Detroit 42 IVS "tt (17) Gonzaga 82, Maryland 68 I (18) Wake Forest 81, Richmond 66 (20) Purdue 75, Chicago State 57 (22) Pittsburgh 64, Penn State 37 Central Michigan 69, (23) Notre Dame 68' BYU 76, (25) Oklahoma State 71 AP TOP 25 WOMEN (5) Texas Tech 77, Wyoming 26 (11) Georgia 72, North Carolina State 58 (12) Kansas State 94, Saint Louis 54 i (20) Oregon 62, Colorado State 50 (21) TCU 67, Aikansas 62 (22) Rutgers vs, Temple, ppd.

(snow) I (24) Michigan State 55, Kent State 48 Correction A wrestler was incorrectly identified in a photo in Saturdays Daily Sun. The Flagstaff High School wrestler was 112-pounder Chris Mitchell. SPORTSlnside Prep roundup B2 Coconinos girls soccer team grabbed a runner-up finish at a tournament in Kingman. NAU basketball B2 Kelly Golobs 24 points and six 3-pointers werent enough as the Lumberjacks dropped an 82-67 decision at Cal State Fullerton. Cardinals B3 With their playoff hopes nearly crushed and their morale on a season-long wane, the San Francisco 49ers are struggling with the prospect of playing only for pride in December.

Perhaps they can get a few pointers from the Arizona Cardinals, who have been doing it for years. Suns B4 A night after rallying to beat the Celtics in Boston, Phoenix falls to Jason Kidd and the Nets in New Jersey. College Football B5 Is the BCS a mess? Kansas State beat Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game to make things interesting. Greg BryanAnzona Daily Sun Jake Bacon Arizona Daily Sun By ED ODEVEN Sun Sports Staff Big plays have been the trademark of Northern Arizonas defense all season. At the seasons most critical juncture Saturday, it was the number of big plays the Lumberjacks yielded and the limited number of big plays their offense made that proved to be the difference.

Thirteenth-ranked Florida Atlantic jumped out to an early two-touchdown lead and routed No. 16 NAU 48-25 Saturday in the Division I-AA quarterfinals at the Skydome before 9,314. It was the final game for 24 NAU seniors. This loss is definitely tough, NAU junior linebacker Bruce Branch said. Obviously, they watched film on us and obviously they had a good game plan against us.

They executed and we didnt. Bottom line. The Owls (11-2) will face Colgate, which defeated Western Illinois 28-27 in another Saturday quarterfinal, on Dec. 13 in the I-AA semifinals at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Saturdays triumph was the latest in a long line of postseason accomplishments for FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger, who led the University of Miami Hurricanes to the 1983 I-A title.

All told, Schnellenberger is 6-0 in postseason contests. The final score was not indicative of what happened for most of the game, i.e, total domination by the Owls. NAU (9-4) trailed 41-3 late in the third quarter. See OWLS, B6 NAU CORNERBACK Shannon Butler (10) attempts to block a pass to Honda Atlantic wide receiver Matt Prudenti (15) dunng Saturday nights I-AA playoff quarterfinal at the Skydome, To order this photo, go to http photos azdailysun com Mesquite too much for young Panthers at Peaks Mesquite but still performed admirably. "Because of the forfeits we knew the older guys had to go out and win (against Mesquite), said Coconinos Zenthen Hatcher, who won his 152-pound match against Austin White, 7-3.

Coconino coach Jim Popham said his underclassmen-laden team had wrestled so much during the tournament that he didnt want to risk injury, either physical or mental, during the finals. So he sat his heavyweight, 103, 119, 140, and 215 pounders. Its been a grueling tournament for the younger guys, Popham said. I sacrificed (Saturday) for the betterment of the year. Tm sorry for the kids that I had See PEAKS, B8 Despite forfeiting four weight classes, Coconino still wrestles gamely, falling 39-36 to Mesquite in the tournament final.

By STEVE ROM Sun Sports Staff After two days, eight rounds and enough intensity to fill a Marine Corps base, the 13-team Wayde Hendershott Peaks Wrestling Invitational was won by Mesquite High School. Mesquite went a perfect 6-0 during the tournament at Flagstaff High School, including a 39-36 win over Coconino in the final round. Coconino, which won all four of its duels Friday and went 2-1 Saturday, forfeited four weight classes against COCONINOS BRANDON HENSON, left, grapples with Mountain Ridges John Evans during the second day of the Peaks Invitational at Hagstaff High School Saturday. To ordsr this photo, go to http photos azdailysun com.