Columbia, KY - It was a cold and windy day in Kentucky as the 9th-ranked Eagles headed into the first round of the NAIA Playoffs. Reinhardt had been paired with #8 Lindsey Wilson in the first matchup and the game proved to be a closed game with two closely ranked teams.

The first quarter would begin with each team getting several chances at the ball, but all drives ending in punts. Both teams played strong defense against one another as the offenses stayed in conservative modes trying to figure each other out. It was a game of field position as each coach tried to gain momentum by pinning the other one deep.

The game would not see its first score until seven minutes into the second quarter when the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson kicked a 24-yard field goal.  The Eagles did have a shot as Hunter Arters hit Kamonta Stockdale on a 30-yard pass which put the Eagles at the 18-yard line.  This would be the Eagles' best field position of the game so far and seemed that the offense was now waking up. The momentum quickly returned to Lindsey Wilson on the next play when Devyn Collins fumbled to give the ball back to the Blue Raiders.

After a few more drives by each team, the first half would end with Lindsey Willson having the slight 3-0 lead. It was definitely a defensive struggle game and each team's fan base was waiting for their teams to break out.

Lindsey would get the kick-off to start the third quarter and they would use their halftime to get things going.  The first drive for Lindsey Wilson would result in another field goal and a six-point lead. The Blue Raiders definitely had chances to score with decent field position with all their possessions, but the Eagles' defense was holding strong making it tough and causing them to settle for the field goals. 

The Blue Raiders would get one more field goal before the third quarter ended making the score 9-0, but the Eagles still had hope that at any moment the offense would get going and start putting points on the board.  The game at 9-0 was something that could easily be caused by the Eagles, however, the offense had been struggling the entire game trying to move the ball against the talented Blue Raider defense.

The fourth quarter would start with Lindsey Wilson continuing a drive from the third quarter after they held the Eagles inside the 10-yard line. A bad punt resulted in great field position for the Blue Raiders as time ran off the clock in the third quarter.  Three plays into the fourth quarter, Lindsey Wilson would get the first touchdown of the game making the score 16-0 and complete control of the game.

Even though it was 16-0 in the fourth quarter, there was still a feeling that the Eagles could get something going and points on the board. The next drive for the Eagles did give the Eagles some hope as Arters and the offense moved the ball down to the Blue Raiders' 19-yard line. Arters hit Jerdavian Colbert, Louis Morris, and Jakari Clark on pass plays that would get the offense moving. The last pass to Clark resulted in a personal foul being called on Lindsey Wilson as the defender picked up Clark and slammed him to the turf giving the Eagles an extra 15 yards. As things seemed to move in favor of the Eagles, Arters next pass was tipped and picked off by Lindsey Wilson, and returned 95 yards for a Blue Raider touchdown. The score was now 23-0 and the wind had been ripped out of the Eagle Nation's sail.

Arters and the offense did not seem to be phased by the score and just three plays later, Arters hit David Friedberg on a 55-yard bomb and a touchdown. The point after attempt pass from Arters to Javarsia Meadows was on the money bringing the score to 23-8 with about seven minutes left in the game. What seemed to be an easy win for the Blue Raiders quickly changed and the thought of an Eagle comeback started to be taken more seriously. 

The remainder of the game seemed to go in favor of the Eagles as they had their most successes of the day and everything they did went perfectly. They tried an onside kick to get the ball back and the Eagles were able to recover. Arters and the offense were finally rolling and the Eagles' opponent now became the clock. After the onside kick recovery, Arters hit Louis Morris with a pass play that gained 12 yards. Next, he tried another long pass to Navarie Solomon which resulted in a pass interference call against Lindsey Wilson near the end zone. This put the ball at the 13-yard line and striking distance for Arters. On the final play of this drive. Arters hit Sotkcdale for a 7-yard touchdown. Again, the Eagles were able to convert the PAT on a quick run by Meadows putting the Eagles just 7 points behind Lindsey Willson.

Lindsey Wilson would get the ball back, however, they could not move the ball again and they gave the ball back to the Eagles. The Eagles would get the ball back with just over two minutes left in the game on their own 26-yard line.  The offense would get the ball moving quickly with several pass plays to Solomon, Collins, and a couple to Friedberg placing the ball at the Blue Raiders' 41-yard line. Again, Lindsey Wilson would get called for a penalty - but this time it was a defensive holding call on Solomon resulting in the ball being placed at the 11-yard line. On the next play with just 18 seconds left, Arters hit Morris in the endzone bringing the Eagles to just one point of Lindsey Wilson, 23-22.

The next play would decide the Eagles/ outcome in the game and the Eagles' kicker Reid Schratweiser nailed the extra point tieing the game 23 all, but there was a penalty on the play. This moved the ball slightly closer to the goaline and a chance for the Eagles to punch the ball in the endzone and come away with the amazing win. Reinhardt decided to go for it and have Arters run the ball in an attempt to win the game.  Arters pushed his way behind John Cano and the left side of the line and the ball came up just short of the goal line.

As heartbreaking as it is to lose the game in the end, the Eagles never gave up despite having a rough day getting the offense going for about three and a half quarters. They made it exciting and an inch or two more and the Eagles are the team moving onto the next round of the playoffs. Coach Miller and his team have given Eagle Nation an exciting brand of football and a team full of great guys. They have several seniors that will be missed and were not ready to have their season end in the first round, but they have had much success with the Eagles football program in their careers. The last few minutes of this playoff game were very exciting and the "Never Say Die" spirit of the team showed through til the end. Eagles Nation is proud of the job you did and the brand of football that you played this season!

 recap of NAIA First Round Playoffs from the NAIA website:

2022 NAIA Football Championship Series First Round Recap

The NAIA Football Championship Series saw First Round action completed on Saturday as seven of the eight higher seeds were victorious. Six of the eight teams still fighting for the Red Banner reached the Quarterfinal Round in 2021, with Indiana Wesleyan and Benedictine (Kan.) the two new institutions in the mix.

No. 12 Keiser (Fla.) 27, No. 4 Bethel (Tenn.) 17

• The Seahawks completed a furious comeback after trailing 17-7 entering the fourth quarter
• Shea Spencer tossed two TD's and passed for 211 yards; Jaden Meizinger ran for 166 and Jaylen Arnold hauled in the catches for 107
• Joaquin Collazo III had 254 yards in the air for two scores but two costly interceptions; Davius Prather and JD Dixon each had seven catches for north of 100 yards each

No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan 14, No. 13 Avila (Mo.) 7

• The Wildcats opened up a 14-0 lead and all scoring took place in the first half
• Dederrian Williams ran 33 times for 178 yards for IWU who posssessed the ball for 35 minutes
• Running back Malik Nesbitt tallied 67 yards on the ground while QB Eli Williams tacked on 66 for the Eagles

No. 6 Benedictine (Kan.) 35, No. 10 Southwestern (Kan.) 7

• The Ravens led 28-0 before the Moundbuilders scored midway through the final period
• BC was led by JaShawn Todd and Austin Buteaux who both had two catches and a total of 68 yards each
• Southwestern QB Luke Barns threw for 267 yards, one touchdown, and one interception

No. 7 Marian (Ind.) 41, No. 11 Saint Xavier (Ill.) 7

• Zach Bundalo tossed a FCS First Round high of 4 touchdowns, all to Ben Stevens who totaled 157 yards receiving
• The Knights defense picked off SXU four times for a total of 66 yards on the returns
• Amari Venerable had 11 carries and seven catches, both team highs for a total of 69 yards

No. 8 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 23, No. 9 Reinhardt (Ga.) 22

• The Blue Raiders controlled most of the game, leading 23-0 midway through the fourth quarter
• Kobe Belcher did the bulk of the damage on the ground with 33 carries for 137 yards; 69of Ethan Cash's 128 passing yards were caught by Jaleel Warren
• Hunter Arters threw scores and 268 yards with David Freidberg totaling just under 100 on three catches

The full field features 12 automatic qualifiers and four at-large berths. In order to qualify for an automatic bid, teams must win their conference regular-season title. At-large berths were determined by the NAIA Football National Selection Committee. Teams earning an at-large berth must be ranked in the Top 20 of the final NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll.

The 67th Annual NAIA Football National Championship will culminate on December 17th at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, N.C. For more information on the 2022 NAIA Football National Championship, click here.