ALLENDALE, Mich. (AP) -Brad Iciek ran for four touchdowns and passed for two others, leading Grand Valley State over Central Washington 41-21 on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
The Lakers (12-0), two-time defending national champions, extended their division record for consecutive wins to 40. Blake Smolen led their rushing attack with 200 yards.
Grand Valley State will play Northwest Missouri State in the semifinals, a rematch of last year’s national championship game.
Iciek ran for three touchdowns and passed for one in the first half for a 27-0 lead. Grand Valley had 175 yards rushing and held Central Washington (10-3) to 13, and had a 306-46 advantage in total yards in the half.
Mike Reilly finished with 27 completions for 275 yards for the Wildcats, who hurt themselves with three turnovers in the first 7 minutes of the game.
Reilly passed to Brandon Stout for a 9-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter for the Wildcats. Iciek scored his fourth rushing touchdown from 5 yards for Grand Valley’s final score.
Northwest Missouri St. 26, Chadron St. 13
CHADRON, Neb. (AP) – Xavier Omon ran for a school-record 309 yards and three touchdowns, leading Northwest Missouri State past turnover-plagued Chadron State.
It was the second straight year the Bearcats (11-1) beat the Eagles in the quarterfinals.
Northwest Missouri State advances to a semifinal against two-time defending champion Grand Valley State, which defeated the Bearcats in last year’s national title game.
Northwest Missouri scored on its second play from scrimmage when Omon broke a 34-yard TD run. The Bearcats added a safety, then Omon ran in from 4 yards to make it 16-0.
Omon upstaged Chadron’s Danny Woodhead for the second straight year. Omon, whose previous best rushing performance was 274 yards against Pittsburg State in October, piled up his 309 yards on 37 carries against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s top rushing defense.
Woodhead, who earlier this season broke R.J. Bowers’ all-division career rushing record, ran 21 times for 91 yards but lost two fumbles for Chadron State (12-1).
California, Pa. 58, Shepherd 38
CALIFORNIA, Pa. (AP) – Windell Brown ran for three touchdowns and Daine Williams added two more on the ground, leading California University of Pennsylvania over Shepherd.
California (13-0) amassed 535 yards in total offense, including 311 on the ground, while holding the Rams to only 34 yards rushing.
Williams finished with for 179 yards rushing, while Brown ran for 115.
Brown’s first two touchdowns came on runs of 39 and 11 yards, and he added the third on a 36-yard run to help put the game out of reach.
Shepherd (10-2) scored first when Dervon Wallace ran back the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown. But that was the only time the Rams would have the lead.
California made it 7-7 a couple minutes later when Williams ran in from 1 yard out. The Vulcans took the lead about 3 minutes later when Joe Slappy caught a 14-yard pass from Joe Ruggiero, who finished 18-of-26 for 224 yards with two touchdowns.
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