The Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship for the second straight year after defeating Ferris State 35-20 on Saturday at Bearcat Stadium. The five-time national champions from Maryville, Missouri, will look to add another trophy to the case this weekend when they play the University of North Alabama on Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park.
Saturday's championship match will kick off at at 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. Tickets for the match are now available and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-KC-GOAL.
North Alabama advanced to their fifth championship on Saturday with a 23-13 road win over Shepherd. The three-time national champion Lions are 11-1 this year and carry an 11-game winning streak into Saturday’s national championship. This is the penultimate season for North Alabama in Division II as they recently accepted an invite to Division I and will begin a four-year transitional period in the Fall of 2018.
Northwest Missouri is one of the most successful programs in Division II football. Last weekend’s victory extended the Bearcats win streak to 29 straight. During that span, they are averaging 44 points scored and have won only games by fewer than 10 points. The Bearcats defeated Shepherd 34-7 in last year's national championship at Children's Mercy Park in front of 16,181 fans.
The 2016 NCAA Division II Football Championship at Children’s Mercy Park is co-hosted by the Kansas City Sports Commission and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Follow Children’s Mercy Park on Twitter and Facebook for more details throughout the week on ancillary events surrounding Saturday’s championships
