It has been just eight years, but the wait for Northwest Missouri State has been interminable. The Bearcats lost their third straight Division II Football Championship game December 15, falling to Valdosta State, 25-20.

Michael Terry found the end zone on a 1-yard run with 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to propel Valdosta State to its second national championship. The Blazers won their first title in 2004.

After a first-quarter field goal by Valdosta State kicker Zac Williams, it was all Northwest Missouri State, as the Bearcats jumped out to a 14-3 lead with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter.

Northwest Missouri State's Aldwin Foster-Rettig picked off a pass from Willie Copeland and returned it 31 yards to put the Bearcats on the board with 13:28 remaining in the second quarter. It was the fourth interception return for a touchdown in championship game history. Toward the end of the period, quarterback Joel Osborn found Mike Peterson on a 3-yard route to stake the Bearcats to a 14-3 lead at the break.

Valdosta State answered in the early part of the third quarter, as Copeland hooked up with Clay Callaway on a 7-yard touchdown pass to cut the Bearcat lead to 14-10.

In the fourth, the Blazers went to the bag of tricks and went ahead on a pass from tailback Ronnye Nelson to Zach Parker. The former quarterback found Parker for 14 yards and a 17-14 lead.

Less than one minute later, Northwest Missouri State answered behind Xavier Omon, the nation's leading rusher. Omon, who scored four touchdowns in a semifinal victory over Grand Valley State, scored on a 2-yard run to put Northwest Missouri State ahead, 20-17. A blocked extra-point attempt translated into good fortune for the Blazers, as Roger King scooped up the live ball and ran it back for a safety. The defensive extra-point score was the first in championship game history.

The score remained 20-19 until the last minute of the game, when Terry scooted into the end zone to give Valdosta State a 25-20 lead and the national title.

Valdosta State won four games to bring home the championship, beating Catawba, North Alabama and California (Pennsylvania) before knocking off the Bearcats.

"Obviously, I am very proud of our kids. We had a four-game playoff run and in every game we played, we were either behind at the half or tied at the half," said Valdosta State head coach David Dean. "Our kids never panicked -- you never felt like they were out of the game."

Valdosta State becomes the eighth team to win more than one Division II football championship, while Northwest Missouri State is the first program to lose three consecutive championship games.

Championship game
Northwest Mo. St.     0    14    0     6 -- 20
Valdosta St.              3     0     7     15 -- 25
First quarter
VS -- Zac Williams 35 field goal, 2:10
Second quarter
NWMS -- Aldwin Foster-Rettig 31 interception return (Tommy Frevert kick), 13:28.
NWMS -- Mike Peterson 3 pass from Joel Osborn (Frevert kick), 0:21.
Third quarter
VS -- Clay Callaway 7 pass from Willie Copeland (Williams kick), 11:46.
Fourth quarter
VS -- Zach Parker 14 pass from Ronnye Nelson (Williams kick), 13:21.
NWMS -- Xavier Omon 2 run (kick failed), 12:33.
VS -- Roger King PAT return, 12:33.
VS -- Michael Terry 1 run, (run failed), 0:22.
Attendance: 7,532

Rushing: Northwest Mo. St. -- Omon 27-71; Kendall Wright 2-15; Osborn 2-9; Valdosta St. -- Terry 12-36; Nelson 4-12; Rashawn Robinson 2-9; Team 1-0.
Passing: Northwest Mo. St. -- Osborn 18-28-2-148; Valdosta St. -- Copeland 29-44-1-257; Nelson 1-1-0-14.
Receiving: Northwest Mo. St. -- Peterson 5-57; Omon 4-6; Wright 3-21; Caleb Obert 2-53; Josh Gannan 2-5; Brant Gregg 1-4; Abe Qaoud 1-2; Valdosta St. -- Cedric Jones 10-95; Nelson 6-40; Callaway 5-61; Parker 5-36; Cedric Evans 2-22; Robinson 1-9; Scott Palmer 1-8.