Dec. 4, 2010

Contact: Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Sports Information & Media Services, cwaller@naia.org

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Championship Series Schedule) The top two-ranked teams in the NAIA stayed undefeated after their Football Championship Series Semifinal wins today. No. 1-ranked Sioux Falls (S.D.) dominated No. 4 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 38-0 while No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) had no trouble with No. 3 Saint Xavier (Ill.), 27-5. Both winners will head to the 55^th annual Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship in Rome, Ga., on Dec. 18. Kick-off from Barron Stadium is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EST.

The National Championship is a rematch of the 2007 and 2008 events, when Carroll won the first meeting and Sioux Falls exacted revenge in 2008. Sioux Falls has won the previous two titles and three of the last four. Prior to that, Carroll won four-straight rings from 2002-05. Amazingly, one of these two teams has captured the National Championship since 2002.

Sioux Falls (13-0) extended its nation-long winning streak to 42-straight games, which ties the NAIA all-time mark accomplished by Texas A&I from 1973-77. The Cougars held the MidAmerica Nazarene offense to151 yards of total offense and nine first downs. Moving to 7-4 all-time in the Semifinals, including 6-2 at home, Sioux Falls is heading to its seventh Championship game. Overall, the Cougars are 4-2 in the showdown event winning the title in 1996, 2006, 2008 and 2009.

The Carroll defense was stout today in their victory, holding the high-octane St. Xavier offense to 231 total yards and 14 first downs. The Fight Saints (13-0) moved to 7-5 all-time in the Semifinals, including 6-1 at home. They will be searching for their sixth National Championship since 2002 and all under the direction of head coach Mike Van Diest. Carroll is 5-1 all-time playing in the title contest. The lone loss came in 2008 against Sioux Falls.

The National Championship is hosted by Rome-Floyd County and Shorter (Ga.) College. The event will be televised live on CBS College Sports Television. For ticket information, call 1-800-858-7601.

For complete Championship history and records, click here.

For more information on the 2010 National Championship, click here.

Championship Series Quick Facts:

• Since 2000, the Semifinal hosts move to 19-3 after both home teams won today. This year, the hosts are 11-3.

• Defending national champion Sioux Falls is playing for its fifth National Championship and third consecutive. Only one team has won at least three straight titles, with Carroll (Mont.) winning four in-a-row from 2002-05. Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) holds the most NAIA Championships with seven overall.

• Carroll (11) holds the longest active streak of postseason appearances, followed by Sioux Falls (10) and Morningside (Iowa) (7).

• Sioux Falls boasts the most wins all-time in the Football Championship Series with a 36-11 record. The next team with the most wins is Carroll with a 35-13 mark.

• Six teams made their 10th-plus trip to the Football Championship Series this year.

• Azusa Pacific (Calif.), Georgetown (Ky.), Marian, Northwestern Oklahoma State and Saint Francis (Ind.) all are new compared to the 2009 field.

• Five programs all own at least 10 wins in the Football Championship Series, led by the 36 victories from Sioux Falls.

 • Marian (Ind.) made its first trip to the Football Championship Series.

• Not including newcomer Marian (Ind.), Azusa Pacific is a team that broke the longest playoff drought. The Cougars last played in the 2005 postseason when they hosted Montana Tech, only to lose 24-17.

• Since 2005, four of the past five national champions led the NAIA in total defense. Currently, Sioux Falls (214.0 yapg) is a close second in the country in that category.

• The Mid-States Football Association Mideast League (MSFA – Mideast) boasts the most teams in the 16-team field:  Marian, Saint Francis and Saint Xavier (Ill.). The Great Plains Athletic Conference, Heart of America Athletic Association and Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference each land a pair of teams. Overall, 11 conferences / independents sport at least one team.

• Sioux Falls is riding a nation-high 42-game winning streak heading into the National Championship. Last year, the Cougars were on a 25-game winning streak heading into the playoffs. In 2008, Carroll was on a 26-game winning streak heading into the postseason.

• After securing the Frontier Conference Championship, Carroll now has won 11 straight (outright and shared) conference titles. The Fighting Saints own the nation’s longest active streak of conference championships.

• Five teams entered the Football Championship Series with an undefeated record: Carroll, McPherson, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), St. Xavier (Ill.) and Sioux Falls. In each of the last three seasons, there have now been at least five schools to finish the regular season with an unblemished record. Sioux Falls has gone undefeated in each of the last five seasons, the longest active stretch.