SALEM, Va. – The NCAA Division III football National Championship game is back in Salem for what could be the final time. The game is heading elsewhere after a 25-year run in Virginia's championship city. The matchup pits last year's champ, Mary Hardin-Baylor versus perennial power Mount Union.
The Crusaders are the defending champs making their third trip to Salem. They lead all of D-3 football in scoring defense allowing just 7 points per game. Despite a loss of key players from a year ago, they have had strong leadership to return them to the big game.
On the other side of the field stands Mount Union. They return to the final after losing to the Crusaders in the 2016 semifinals. This is their 20th trip to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, as they lead D-3 in scoring offense. Discipline has been a common theme for the Purple Raiders, and they know that'll be a difference come Friday night.
"You go back and look at that game and then what did we do well and you know what hurt us. You know what we would need to improve. And I know you learned so much more from the losses than wins. In a lot of those things we already had a big emphasis on those issues going into the off-season, Mount Union coach Vince Kehres says.
"We have to be perfect on all sides from film to practice to like just being focused being on time to everything. I think that kind of goes along with this one aspect that we have to be perfect and disciplined in every aspect of the game, every aspect in the preparation if we want to win this game," Mount Union offensive lineman Cole Parrish says.
"We relied a lot on our defense is the thing that's really good. The dynamics of that defense have grown and meshed and it's that kind of fed off of each other and I think the secondary obviously is really playing well, " UMHB coach Pete Fredenburg says.
"Just our leadership, man. We lost a lot last year in our leadership but the guys like myself, you know, playing a leadership roll this year I think we did a great job all year leading those guys and getting young guys going and just doing our job,man," Crusaders wide receiver Bryce Wilkerson says.
The Stagg Bowl is set to kick at 7 p.m. Friday night.
The game moves to Texas for two years, then Canton, Ohio, for two more. The future is undecided from there.