Maitlen, Mustangs return to NAIA title game

SIOUX CITY — For the second year in a row, Seth Maitlen had to wait until the final seconds of the NAIA playoffs semifinal round to celebrate a trip to the national title game.

Running their winning streak to 28 games, the defending national champion Morningside Mustangs earned a repeat trip to the championship round with a hard-fought 21-16 victory over No. 4-ranked Grand View University Saturday afternoon at Elwood Olson Stadium on the Morningside campus.

Trailing by five points, Grand View threatened to score late in Saturday’s semifinal battle of undefeated teams as quarterback Ben Ferkin connected with All-American receiver Anthony Turner at the Mustang 15-yard line with under 20 seconds to play.

As Turner turned to head upfield with the catch, Morningside defensive back Jamal Jones popped the ball loose. Senior defensive backfield teammate Deion Clayborne jumped on the ball for the lone turnover of the game, and it couldn’t be more timely for the No. 1-ranked Mustangs.

Morningside quarterback Joe Dolincheck took one kneel-down to run out the final seconds and ignite the celebration by the Mustangs and their home fans for a second straight year,

One year earlier on the same field in the same NAIA semifinal round, Morningside’s record-setting senior passing combination of quarterback Trent Solsma and receiver Connor Niles, both of hometown Sioux City Bishop Heelan, connected in overtime for the winning score against Saint Francis.

Last year, Morningside finished an undefeated season with a 35-28 victory over Benedictine (Kansas) for the school’s first national championship in its second trip to the finals.

This year, Marian University of Indiana, the MidStates Football Association Mideast Division champion, will be the Mustangs’ opponent at 6 p.m Saturday, Dec. 21 at Eddie Robinson Stadium on Grambling University’s campus in Ruston, Louisiana.

“It feels great,” said Maitlen, the junior defensive end from Creston. “Last year it came down to overtime and the very last play, too. Grand View is a phenomenal team. We got behind, but we kept fighting for 60 minutes.”

Grand View, bowing out with a 13-1 record, took a 13-7 halftime lead on the strength of a late touchdown catch by Turner after a fourth-down Morningside penalty allowed Grand View to keep a drive alive after deciding to punt on fourth down.

The Mustangs came out strong after the break, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter for a 21-13 lead. All that Grand View managed in the second half was a fourth-quarter field goal.

“Today our offensive line gave our quarterback time against a great defensive front, and our defense played great in the second half,” said Morningside coach Steve Ryan. His 2012 team lost to Marian in the title game at Grambling, so the 2019 rematch is a chance for redemption.

On Saturday, Maitlen was a wounded warrior for the Mustangs but still managed to finish with three solo tackles, including one quarterback sack.

Maitlen, already recovering from a leg injury sustained in the regular season finale against Northwestern, suffered a deep cut above his left eye in the first quarter when his headgear got entangled with the headgear of a Grand View offensive linemen, and in the collision a plastic piece of one of them jammed into his eyebrow.

“When I looked down and I was bleeding on him, I knew something was wrong,” Maitlen said. “They took me back into the dressing room and our team doctor put eight stitches in to sew it up and I went back in.”

Maitlen was able to play without further incident, and now gets to play for a second national championship.

“Seth has had a terrific season for us,” Morningside coach Steve Ryan said. “He made all-conference for us. He got a little dinged up there before the playoffs, but he’s healing and he’s been able to help us.”

The unfamiliar position of trailing at halftime Saturday didn’t leave the Mustangs rattled after averaging 56 points a game in their first 12 games.

“At halftime no one was really panicking,” Maitlen said. “We knew we left some points on the field in the first half and made some mistakes with penalties. We made some adjustments and went with it. We knew our offense was going to come out and score right away in the second half and that’s what they did. Both teams have great defenses, but I thought our offense played great today.”

Colton Bolinger, a junior at Grand View and former Creston/O-M player, met on the field with his former Panther teammate after the game. Bolinger was a tight end for the Vikings before his career ended prior to this season with his fourth knee surgery.

Marian goes into the title game at 12-0 after defeating sixth-ranked Lindsey Wilson College in Saturday’s other semifinal game, 34-24. Marian trailed 10-0 after one quarter and outscored Lindsey Wilson 13-0 in the fourth quarter to rally for the victory.