A nearly flawless first half propelled No.7 Ravens Football past the No. 13 Concordia Cardinals Saturday afternoon at Larry Wilcox Stadium. The Ravens led 37-0 at halftime and won 54-38 in the Quarterfinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series.
The opening drive of the game set the scene for the offensive firepower the Ravens would showcase throughout the game. The Ravens drove 76 yards on 13 plays, ending with a 3-yard Marquis Stewart touchdown run to go up 7-0. After the Ravens forced a Cardinals punt, the offense put together another long touchdown drive. On the 12th play of the drive, Shaefer Schuetz connected with Logan Harris for a 12-yard touchdown, increasing the Ravens lead to 14-0.
The Ravens took complete control in the second quarter. Jacob Young's 36-yard field goal pushed the score to 17-0, then the defense got in on the action.
Roger Engle's backwards pass skipped on the turf and was scooped up by Jalen James, who raced 20 yards for the touchdown, making it 24-0.
On the ensuing Cardinals drive, the defense stood strong and stuffed a fourth-and-one attempt. Three plays later, Charlie Nihart took a handoff and ran 14 yards for the touchdown, giving the Ravens a 30-0 lead.
Again the defense set up the offense with great field position when Brett Shepardson intercepted Engle and returned it to the Cardinals 7-yard line. On the first offensive play, Schuetz found Alex Blake for the touchdown, giving the Ravens a 37-0 lead at halftime.
The offensive explosion didn't end at halftime. Schuetz opened up the second half with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Jackson. Later in the third quarter, Young made a 23-yard field goal and Nihart scored on a 1-yard rush early in the fourth quarter to give the Ravens a 54-14 lead. The Cardinals closed the game with three touchdowns, but the Ravens remained comfortably ahead.
Jackson was named Offensive Player of the Game with five receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. James was named the Defensive Player of the Game after recording seven tackles and the scoop-and-score.
Schuetz connected on 13-of-15 pass attempts for 273 yards and three touchdowns. The rushing attack was led by Nihart's 87 yards and 53 yards from Stewart.
Matt McCullough had six tackles and an interception while Demaria Walters had five tackles.
The Ravens finished the game with 499 yards of offense and was plus-three in turnover margin.
The Ravens will play in the Football Championship semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 1. Check Raven Athletics social media for semifinals pairings and game locations which will be available Saturday night.
