Four Games Get NAIA Football Championship Series Underway Saturday
Nov 21, 2025
2025 NAIA Football Championship Series - First Round Game Notes (PDF)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The 2025 NAIA Football Championship Series kicks off Saturday, Nov. 22, on four campus sites - two in the Eastern Time Zone, one in the Central Time Zone, and one in the Mountain Time Zone. Saturday’s games feature seeds 13 through 20 in the NAIA postseason, and the four winners will join seeds 1 through 12 in next week’s Second Round.
Three games will air on the Urban Edge Network, with links to apps, URLs, and smart TV information available at www.naia.org/watch. One game will air on a pay-per-view basis on The Sun Conference Network.
Evangel enters the postseason with one of the NAIA’s most reliable red-zone offenses, scoring on 87% of its trips and producing 41 touchdowns inside the 20. Defensively, the Valor have forced 18 turnovers, including 14 interceptions, ranking 20th nationally. Eric Williams II anchors the offense and is approaching 1,000 rushing yards on 201 carries. This marks Evangel’s 10th appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Series. Saint Francis returns to the postseason for the 21st time, highlighted by back-to-back national titles in 2016 and 2017 and three straight championship-game runs from 2004–06. The 2025 Cougars bring one of the top passing attacks in the NAIA, averaging 292.7 yards per game. Quarterback Joshua Kulka ranks eighth nationally in both yards per game (275.7) and passing touchdowns (28).
William Penn makes its first NAIA postseason appearance since 2012 and its debut as a Heart of America Athletic Conference North representative. The Statesmen rely on one of the best rushing attacks in the NAIA. Destynd Loring ranks second nationally in rushing yards per game (143.8) and rushing touchdowns (25), and is the NAIA’s only 1,500-yard rusher through the regular season with 1,582 yards. He was the NAIA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15. Texas Wesleyan counters with a defense that has generated 24 takeaways, including nine fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns. Special teams have also been a bright spot, as kicker Freddy Joya—twice named NAIA Special Teams Player of the Week—has contributed 85 points on 15 field goals and 40 PATs. Offensively, the SAC champions produce 148.1 rushing yards per game.
Reinhardt secured its postseason berth with a 62-point performance in the regular-season finale, clinching the AAC title. The Eagles rank 13th nationally in scoring at 41.4 points per game and own the NAIA’s third-best rushing average at 300.7 yards per game—one of only three teams to surpass 3,000 team rushing yards this season. Jah Colbert leads the ground game with 107.7 yards per contest and nine touchdowns. Southeastern hosts its sixth home game of the season at Victory Field, where the Fire have lost only once. Like Reinhardt, Southeastern leans on the run, paced by Curtis Kimmons’ 738 rushing yards. The Fire average nearly 200 yards on the ground and are strong finishers in the red zone, scoring on 45 of 50 trips with 37 touchdowns. Ball security has been a strength as well, with only four fumbles and one lost all season.
St. Thomas makes the longest trip of the first round, heading west to face Carroll. The Bobcats feature one of the NAIA’s top scoring offenses at 41.2 points per game and rank among the top 25 nationally in scoring defense (20.1). Quarterback Keely Watson leads the aerial attack, averaging 244 yards per game with 25 touchdowns while completing 57.7% of his passes. Carroll counters with a balanced but explosive offense, led by Kaden Huot’s 251.5 passing yards per game and 28 touchdowns on 65.6% accuracy. Defensively, the Saints have been one of the toughest units in the NAIA, allowing just 17.2 points per game and fewer than 100 rushing yards per contest. The Saints are making their 25th all-time appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Series and enter the postseason seeking their 43rd playoff victory and seventh national championship. Carroll has appeared in eight title games, winning six Red Banners.
