The Western Colorado University football team took care of business on the final day of the regular season.
The Mountaineers won 37-7 in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matchup over host Colorado Mesa University (CMU). The victory moved Western to a No. 10 national ranking, and No. 5 in Super Region Four.
The NCAA on Sunday revealed the 28-team NCAA Division II tournament brackets, labeling the 10th-ranked Mountaineers the No. 2 seed from Super Region Four. The placement gives Western a home playoff game in the first round on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Western will take on No. 19 Central Washington University — a rematch of last season's first-round game, won by the Wildcats, 16-13, in overtime.
Against CMU, the Mountaineers' Ricky Freymond set the program record for career sacks with 22.5.
It didn't take long for the Mountaineers to get rolling. The Crimson and Slate scored on a 64-yard, Drew Nash to Josiah Ayon connection on their fourth play of the opening drive. With the clock winding down in the first quarter, the Mountaineers again capitalized with a 62-yard touchdown pass from Nash to Victory David.
After a missed Mavericks field goal, the Mountaineers marched downfield on a 15-play drive that ended with a field goal by Adam Tasei at the horn. The kick moved Western to a 17-0 lead into the halftime break.
Jace Perez forced a fumble from Mesa's JaCari Williams on the opening kickoff of the third quarter. Easton Peterson recovered the loose ball at the CMU 24-yard line. Three Royce Pao rushes later, and the Mountaineers were in the end zone again. Pao finished the short drive with a 1-yard burst into the end zone, taking a 24-0 lead.
The Mavericks earned a shortened field on the next kickoff, returning the kick 77 yards to the Western 21-yard line. The Mavericks cobbled together a short drive to finally get on the scoreboard with a 13-yard scamper from running back Aiden Taylor.
After a Western punt, the Mountaineer defense held the Mavericks to 6 yards in three downs, forcing a punt by Sullivan Moon from his own end zone. Blake Kramer blocked Moon's kick and Kylan Wilson picked up the ball and stepped into the end zone for the 1-yard return.
Linebacker Cy Shope intercepted Mesa's next offensive play, gifting the offense another short field. The 28-yard drive concluded with Mason Claunch's 2-yard rush up the middle for the game's final score.
After Claunch's run put Western up 37-7, Freymond set the sack record on a 2nd and 16 for the Mavericks, dropping Mesa quarterback Liu Aumavae for a 6-yard loss in the quarter's final minute.
(Gregg Petcoff is the assistant athletics director for communications at Western Colorado University and can be reached at gpetcoff@western.edu.)
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