KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [FCS Schedule] The NAIA Football Championship Series kicked off on Saturday, November 23rd at four campus sites across the country, hosted by Baker (Kan.), Dickinson State (N.D.), Southwestern (Kan.), and Friends (Kan.).

The 69th Annual NAIA Football National Championship will culminate on December 21st at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C. For more information on the 2024 NAIA Football National Championship, click here.

#20 Pikeville (Ky.) def. #13 Baker (Kan.), 42-35

• UPike rode a first half lead to pull off the only upset of the First Round, their first in program history 
• Lee Kirland led the Bears with 310 yards passing, Amon Williams added 152 yard and two scores on the ground
• In the loss, Sam Heggemann tossed three TD's and three picks, mostly to Adrion Seals who caught four balls for 137 yards
• Canon Karn led the Wildcats in tackles with eight solo and six assisted

#14 Dickinson State (N.D.) def. #19 Kansas Wesleyan, 27-20

• Dickinson State saw Braden Zuroff and Caleb Rist run for over 160 yards combined; Will Madler added two rushing touchdowns from the quarterback position
• The Blue Hawks held Kansas Wesleyan to only 12 first downs and 6.5 yards per play 
• In the loss, Luke Armstrong ran the ball 22 times for 156 yards and two scores
• Josh King-Bradley netted 2.5 sacks for 16 total yards for the Coyotes

#15 Southwestern (Kan.) def. #18 Saint Francis (Ind.), 31-24

• Braden Howell threw for 200 yards and four touchdowns for a 157.1 rating
• Southwestern averaged 5.6 yards per play and 14.3 yards per completion
• USF ran 15 more plays than SC (83-68) despite the Moundbuilders holding a six minute edge in time of possesion
• The Couagrs were 4-4 in the red zone and scored 21 points in the loss

#16 Friends (Kan.) def. #17 OUAZ (Ariz.), 47-35

• The Falcons earned their first ever FCS victory, losing their first four trips in program history
• Friends nearly broke the single game postseason record for rushing yards in a game, as they fell five yards short
• Elias Pino (115) and K'Vonte Baker (179) led the ground attack for the Falcons, scoring a combined three touchdowns
• Luke Giron threw for 396 yards with four scores for OUAZ and found Jalien Hammer for 120 yards and one touchdown