By MATT PIKE
Last season, the Northwest Missouri State Bearcat football team walked off the field at Sporting Park losing to Pittsburg State 27-14 and sharing a split of the regular season MIAA title, something that head coach John McMenamin admits left a bit of a bad taste in his mouth.
This season, the bad taste is gone for McMenamin and the Bearcats, as Northwest on Saturday afternoon celebrated at Sporting Park,hoisting an outright MIAA title after beating Pittsburg State 45-7 and finishing the regular season 9-1 overall and 8-1 in conference play, winning the regular season title outright for the first time since 2021. For McMenamin, not only the head coach but a former player with the Bearcats, snapping a four game losing streak against the Gorillas and lifting an outright title with a convincing win is a huge moment.
"I say I'm vested, playing here the couple years I played here, Pitt State, Northwest are the top two teams in the conference and we battle year in and year out, 2002 was the first year we played in Kansas City in a great game, so its in my blood," McMenamin tells reporters after the game. "I respect the heck out of Pitt State, but we recruit against them, they're going to challenge for the conference every year, and last year they beat us, and I'm a sore loser, I'm not a good loser, and so that just sits with us all year."
"It's fitting that it was Pitt again, that's there and they'll be back again, but our kids have just gone through the gamut and they deserved it, we told them you've earned the right to be a conference champ now you've got to take it and be the solo champ, and so that's what we did at the end, you earned it go take it."
The game started with back-to-back punts from Pittsburg State and Northwest, however on the Bearcats punt Gorillas punt returner Spencer Ward coughed up the ball and David Jacquez recovered the fumble for the Bearcats, setting up a five play touchdown drive capped by a eight yard touchdown pass from Zechariah Owens to Trevor Spady, putting Northwest up 7-0, a lead the Bearcats held until the end of the first quarter.
The lead was held through the opening quarter again thanks to the defense as Pittsburg State threatened to score, on 3rd and 3 at the Northwest six yard line, but linebacker Eli Bertz intercepted Bobby Bacon in the endzone. Starting the second quarter with the ball at their own 45 yard line, in the midst of a 10 play drive, the Bearcats would extend the lead as Owens scrambled around like Lamar Jackson, buying time before diving into the endzone for a two yard rushing score.
"Probably not my most mature decision, I got back to the sideline and everybody they were telling me how they were like oh throw it away, throw it away, throw it away, oh touchdown," Owens says. "I'm very proud of my ability to run the ball and being able to make plays like that, its definitely a great feeling especially when I'm flying over the goaline into the endzone, just happy my O line kept blocking, I probably would have got smacked sitting back there that long."
The Gorillas finally answered with their lone touchdown, cutting the lead to a one score game as TJ Starks rushed in for a one yard score, but Northwest closed out the half with 17 unanswered points, starting with a 29 yard field goal by Mo Alwaely. After a three and out by Pittsburg State, the Bearcats scored again through the air with Owens finding Te'Shaun Porter for a 17 yard touchdown pass, and on the ensuing drive Bertz grabbed his second interception of the game, going 42 yards for the pick six, and pushing the lead to 31-7.
"The second interception I really don't know what happened, I kind of blacked out, " Bertz explains describing his interceptions. "I saw him step out and then I saw the back out and then he just for some reason tossed the ball in the air and I caught it, saw some green grass so I just kept running."
The 31-7 lead held at the halftime break and the Bearcats started with the ball in the second half, scoring to start the third quarter on the ground with Quincy Torry capping a five play drive with an eight yard touchdown rush. Alwaely missed a field goal attempt in the third quarter, the ball clanging off the uprights. Late in the fourth quarter Owens scored the final touchdown, running in from five yards out to go up 45-7. Now, Northwest prepares for a run in the NCAA Tournament, and will host a playoff game, something both Owens and Bertz are ready to experience.
"I remember coming in on my visit and they showed me like a video of the playoff atmosphere and tearing down the goalposts and all that," Owens says. "I'm very excited, playing at home always feels great, I feel like we play better at home."
"Since I've been little, I've known about the Bearcats, my uncle played here and its been instilled in me and I remember watching Bearcat games when I was little, and just seeing how good they were and kind of experiencing it now is pretty surreal honestly and I can't wait to step on the field Saturday," Bertz adds.
Owens was 16-of-23 for 227 yards with two touchdowns and added 17 rushes for 137 yards and two more scores. Torry ran 11 times for 60 yards and a touchdown. Spady had five catches for 47 yards and a score while Erwin Nash had one catch for 42 yards. Porter added two catches for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Northwest will learn their fate in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday during the NCAA Division II Playoff selection show which is set for Sunday at 5pm on NCAA.com.
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