CHICAGO – For the second consecutive season No. 12 Saint Xavier University football (9-2, 7-0 MSFA Midwest) defeated No. 19 University of St. Francis (Ill.) with the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Midwest League Championship on the line. The Cougars outlasted the Fighting Saints, 24-21, Saturday afternoon at Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field in Chicago, Ill. A season ago, SXU won 26-20 over USF in overtime in Joliet. The win gives Saint Xavier its ninth MSFA Midwest League crown and fifth in the last six seasons. It's the 12th MSFA title overall for the Cougars, having also won three MSFA Mideast Championships in 2009, 2010 & 2012.

Before the game Saint Xavier honored it's 15 seniors (14 players and a student-coach): defensive lineman Juabarey Anderson (Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest), linebacker Finn Brandon (Dixon, Ill./Dixon), defensive lineman Payton Campbell (Round Lake Beach, Ill./Grayslake North), defensive back Jacob Denney (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli), defensive lineman Jaleel Holloway (University Park, Ill./Crete-Monee), linebacker Joey Markasovic (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic), student-coach Steven Meyer (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic), linebacker Peyton Nigro (Mokena, Ill./Concordia-St. Paul/Lincoln-Way Central), quarterback John O'Sullivan (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South), wide receiver Justin Pringle (Romeoville, Ill./Plainfield East), wide receiver Nick Sakkos (Chicago, Ill./Mather), offensive lineman Mitch Sharer (Mundelein, Ill./Northern State/Mundelein), running back Amari Venerable (University Park, Ill./Crete-Monee), offensive lineman Jeremy Widmayer (Genoa, Ill./Genoa-Kingston) and wide receiver Mario Young (Mounds, Ill./Meridian).

At halftime, three seniors from the Saint Xavier University cheerleading team were recognized: Jessica Boger (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest), Hannah Cracco (Lisle, Ill./Lisle) and Lindsey Dunning (Tinley Park, Ill./Tinley Park).

Four seniors from the Saint Xavier University Dance Team were also honored: co-captian Genevieve Garbacz (Evergreen Park, Ill./Evergreen Park), Cathriona Heneghan (Oak Lawn, Ill./Oak Lawn Community), co-captain Gracy O'Rahilly (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) and Alexis Rodriguez (Chicago, Ill./Morton East).

• Pringle caught eight passes for 133 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown reception. He rushed three times for 17 yards and kicked two punts that averaged 39.0 yards per kick.
• Junior quarterback Stuart Ross (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) completed 13 of his 20 passes for 192 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
• Junior wide receiver Kyle Quinn (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) caught one pass for 19 yards and threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Mason Gray (Chicago Heights, Ill./Tiffin/Bremen), who finished the day with two catches for 58 yards.
• Venerable rushed 15 times for 76 yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
• Junior kicker Peyton Benes (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) was 3-for-3 on extra point attempts and kicked a 28-yard field goal.
• Markasovic posted a game-high 11 tackles (four solos), along with a tackle for loss for two yards and a pass breakup. Campbell and Nigro each added seven tackles for the Cougars.
• Junior defensive lineman Ayobami Arokoyo (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) posted four tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while junior defensive back Ron Carroll (University Park, Ill./Crete-Monee) also had four tackles and 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup.
• St. Francis took advantage of an interception of Ross on SXU's opening drive and went 47 yards in just four plays before scoring on a 20-yard touchdown pass at the 9:58 mark of the first quarter.
• Saint Xavier tied the game by using a 10-play 86-yard drive on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Ross with 1:40 left in the opening period.
• Quinn connected with Gray for the second time this season on a 27-yard strike, one play after a punt and a 15-yard penalty set the Cougars deep in USF territory, with 2:22 remaining in the second quarter.
• SXU forced another Fighting Saints punt before the end of the half and tossed up a 'Hail Mary' pass as the clock expired that was broken up in the endzone.
• Midway through the third period Ross connected with Pringle for a 54-yard catch and run to go up 21-7.
• Benes extended the lead to 24-7 on the next possession with 4:21 left in the quarter.
• St. Francis was pinned deep in its own territory after the kickoff from Benes, but used a 35-yard pass and an additional 15 yards after a roughing the passer call to move to the Saint Xavier 33-yardline. Five plays later they found the endzone with a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:34 to go in the third frame.
• USF forced a punt on the next possession and went 80 yards on 15 plays, taking 7:34 off the clock, and also converted four 3^rd downs, including two long runs on 3^rd and 10 and 3^rd and nine, before a two-yard quarterback keeper cut the deficit to 24-21 with 5:45 left in regulation.
• The Cougars started the next drive on the wrong foot, committing back-to-back penalties that backed them up to their own nine-yard line and faced a rare 1^st and 30. Venerable rushed for seven yards and Pringle caught a seven-yard pass forcing a timeout. On 3^rd and 16, Ross stepped up in the pocket and found Quinn for a 19-yard catch and a 1^st down. The Fighting Saints used two more timeouts and stalled the SXU drive with 2:37 left.
• Junior wide receiver/punter Joe Polselli (Evergreen Park, Ill./St. Rita) booted a 51-yard punt that was downed at the St. Francis eight-yard line. USF was able to convert two first downs, however, the SXU defense forced two incomplete passes setting up fourth down where Carroll broke up the final attempt allowing Saint Xavier to kneel down for the win.

No. 12 Saint Xavier (9-2/7-0 MSFA) qualifies for the NAIA Football Championship Series Playoffs with the win and will find out who the play when the pairings are announced on Sunday, November 13, at 6:00 pm.