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Warhawks Stun Mount Union In D-III Title Game

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The Associated Press

Published: December 16, 2007

SALEM, Va. - Justin Beaver and Wisconsin-Whitewater finally found a way to beat Mount Union in the NCAA Division III championship game.

Beaver, the Gagliardi Trophy winner as the best player in Division III, overcame a costly fumble with his normal reliability on the ground Saturday, leading the Warhawks to a 31-21 victory in the soggy, cold Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

The Warhawks won their first national title after losing 35-28 to Mount Union in the 2005 championship game and 35-16 in the rematch last year.

Wisconsin-Whitewater (14-1) ended Mount Union's 37-game winning streak, and deprived the Purple Raiders of their 10th national title in the past 15 years.

Beaver ran for 249 yards and broke off a backbreaking 66-yard run in the final minutes after the Purple Raiders (14-1) closed to 24-21 with 3:36 remaining. Four plays after the long jaunt, quarterback Danny Jones' sneak finished the upset.
Valdosta State Takes Division II Crown

FLORENCE, Ala. - Michael Terry scored a touchdown with 22 seconds left and Valdosta State beat Northwest Missouri State 25-20 for the Division II championship, the Bearcats' third consecutive title loss.

Terry's 1-yard TD run capped an eight-play, 37-yard drive sparked by Willie Copeland's four straight completions for 27 yards. Valdosta (13-1) overcame a 14-3 halftime in dropping Northwest Missouri to 12-2.

Copeland threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Clay Callaway early in the third quarter, and the Blazers went ahead briefly at the start of the fourth quarter when Zach Parker caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from running back Ronnye Nelson, a former quarterback.

NAIA: At Savannah, Tenn., Gabe Le ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns to help Carroll College beat defending champion Sioux Falls 17-9 for the Montana school's fifth NAIA title in the past six years.

After Sioux Falls (13-1) took a 6-3 lead on Ryan Lowmiller's 1-yard run early in the second half in the game played in steady rain, Carroll (15-0) scored on back-to-back drives.

SWAC: At Birmingham, Ala., Jimmy Oliver threw three touchdown passes to lead Jackson State (8-4) to a 42-31 comeback victory against Grambling State (8-4) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game.

Oliver's 15-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Jones as he was being tackled gave Jackson State the lead for good early in the fourth quarter.

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