Carroll meets familiar foe in championship

ROME, Ga. – My, this looks familiar.

Top-ranked Sioux Falls and No. 2 Carroll College have combined to win the last eight NAIA football championships, and one of them will be lifting the trophy again today when they meet in the title game.

Not surprisingly, there’s plenty of reverence on both sides.

“They’re a team (very) similar to us,” said Sioux Falls receiver Jon Ryan, recalling the teams’ meeting for the title in 2007 and ’08. “They’ve got a lot of class.”

Sioux Falls’ first-year coach, Jed Stugart, said the history of the rivalry is what makes it special.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for their program,” he said. “Our kids have always said that and they believe that.”

Sioux Falls, from South Dakota, has captured the last two championships and comes in with a 42-game winning streak. The Cougars (13-0) also won the title in 2006.

Carroll College (13-0), located in Helena, won four straight titles from 2002-05, and returned to the top in 2007 with a 17-9 victory over Sioux Falls. The Cougars haven’t lost since.