Here We Go Again!!

In case any of you have been living in a closet I wanted to inform everyone that Carroll has defeated their semifinal opponents and are moving on to the finals--again! This is what the Helena Independent Record had to say about the semifinal game.

Saints Advance to NAIA Championship Game in a nail biter

Saints 38, Lindenwood 37

Following a goal line stand with just over four minutes to play. Lindenwood put together one final scoring drive covering the length of the field and bringing the Lions with in one point of the Saints 38-37. Going for the two-point conversion and the win, the Saints defense stepped up and made one final stop to hold on for the victory, as well as earning their sixth trip in the past seven years to the NAIA National Championship game.

It is our tradition in Montana to gather with other Saints fans and alumni to watch the game and cheer on our Saints. Sadly, I will just be listening to the game online this year, but I know my friends at home will be carrying on the tradition. We always sing "When the Saints Go Marching In" after every touchdown. One of our fearless leaders has the song on an old cassette tape. He pushes play and holds the tape player over his head while we all sing out at the top of our lungs and clap and cheer--cheesy, yes, but we love it--and so would any good Saint's fan! This year we will have a rematch with our opponents from last year. The Sioux Falls team will be looking forward to an opportunity to get their revenge after their loss last year. I will just say that it doesn't pay to bet against the Saints. They almost always come out on top! I remember the game last year. It was a muddy, mucky day, and Sports Illustrated published a photo on their cover of some of our Saints celebrating in the mud immediately after the game. I remember that the Sioux Falls players had painted their faces with black paint--they looked pretty evil. I wonder what their fashion choices will be this year.

More from the IR:

Carroll’s dynasty continues.
Winners of five of the last six national championships, the top-ranked Saints carry a perfect 13-0 season record and 28-game win streak into Rome, Ga., for the title game on Dec. 20.
Waiting for them will be an old foe: Sioux Falls.
The No. 2 Cougars (13-0) seek revenge for their 17-9 loss last year during a muddy trench war in Savannah, Tenn.
The two Goliaths will meet again, this time in a new town with new teams.

So--the game is December 20. Be sure check it out. We are certainly going to be in for some great football and hopefully, number six!!

By the way, Some of you may have noticed that I get a little frustrated with our local sportscasters who seem much more focused on UM and MSU than Carroll who does better than both of those teams. My sister called to inform me last week that the local coverage was at least as lengthy as the coverage of UM's trip to the quarterfinals. She wanted me to know that the blog is clearly having some effect as the sportscasters seem to be reforming!! In fairness I need to give a little cheer to the UM team who is headed into the semis. Go Griz!