Mustangs clinch GPAC championship in overtime thriller

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Zack Chevalier just wanted to give Drew Sellon one more chance to catch a ball only he could catch. In overtime on Saturday, the Morningside quarterback did just that.

Chevalier lofted a fade toward Sellon in the end zone — to a spot only his receiver could reach — and Sellon hauled it in as he fell backward, landing both knee and hip in the maroon paint. That catch sealed No. 9 Morningside's 34-28 overtime win over No. 6 Dordt and clinched the Great Plains Athletic Conference championship.

"I had to let No. 9 touch it, and he did the rest," Chevalier said with a sigh of relief. "I knew he had a chance. If you don't know that (Sellon) is the best player in the nation, you should probably get familiar."

Morningside (9-2, 9-1 GPAC) had the ball second in the overtime period, and held Dordt scoreless in its possession. The big play came on a third-and-seven, at the Dordt 9-yard line. Chevalier had just completed his 28th attempt, looking for No. 29 to be the deal-sealer.

Before center Mason Scott snapped the ball, Chevalier checked over to the sideline to make sure the play didn't need any audibles. Once he saw the thumbs-up from head coach Steve Ryan, the senior quarterback grinned behind his facemask.

Sellon ran a deep out route about halfway deep in the end zone, and Chevalier threw it right in Sellon's chest as the wide receiver fell backwards. Both his knee and backside touched maroon paint, and started the celebration of the 15th GPAC title in program history. It was Sellon's third TD catch of the game. 

"I just knew I had to go make a play on it," Sellon said. "To win that big of a game, to win the conference title, it's definitely the best catch I've made."

Sellon led the Mustangs receiving corps with 126 yards on seven carries, while Lennx Brown had a team-high 10 grabs for 120 yards. Chevalier threw for 441 total yards.

While the overtime heroics will go down in Mustang history, several earlier plays made them possible.

With their backs literally to the goal line, Dordt looked poised to extend its lead in the third quarter after reaching the Morningside 5-yard line. But as the Defenders ran a rush up the left side,Jack Kratz stripped the ball near the 1-yard line. Cade Harriman dove on it in the end zone to stop the drive cold.

"Really our message all week was to focus on the next play," Ryan said. "We literally knew the game was going to come down to the final play, so you just had to play the next play. When that next play comes up, you have to be ready.

Ryan credited the defense's growth this season. Early struggles prompted midseason adjustments in scheme and personnel, and the payoff showed. After giving up 37 and 31 points to Midland and Hastings in late September, Morningside hadn't allowed more than 21 in any game until Saturday's title bout.

On Saturday, three Mustangs hit double digits in tackles — Harriman with 14, Kratz with 13, and Cole Reilly with 10, including half a tackle for loss. Jack Brickhouse added two tackles for loss totaling 11 yards.

"The defense struggled early in the year, and here they are where they are now," Ryan said. "They've just been outstanding."

Even after Dordt scored to go up eight later in the third quarter, the Mustangs stayed calm. Resiliency had been the week's mantra, and they delivered.

Morningside answered with 73 yards on 14 plays to score an eight-point possession. Kyle Sisler caught two Chevalier passes of 14 and 15 yards — the latter on third down — for the two longest plays of the drive.

The scoring play came on a Jaylen Burch 1-yard TD run, then the Mustangs had to go for the two-point conversion to tie the game. Chevalier connected with Sisler again, and tied the game at 28-28 with 43 seconds left in the third quarter.

Neither team scored in the fourth, though Morningside was the only one to cross midfield.

Morningside won the coin toss before the OT period, and of course because of college overtime rules, the Mustangs elected to play defense first.

The Mustangs held the Defenders to seven net yards on their drive, then they lined up to kick a 36-yard field goal attempt. The kick was low enough for Austin Jensen to block, denying the Defenders to put points on the board before Chevalier found Sellon for the game winner.

"A lot of excitement and I'm just so proud of our guys," Ryan said. "They competed and finished through the whole day. Winning the conference title doesn't get old."

With the win, the Mustangs earned the GPAC's automatic bid into the Football Championship Series. The Mustangs will learn their playoff fate during the NAIA Selection Show at 6 p.m. Sunday.