New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) dominated undefeated Iowa Western to win their first-ever NJCAA Division I Football Championship. The Broncos won 31-13 on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. Iowa Western was the #1 team in the nation heading into the game.
The Broncos were in control of the game right from the start on both sides of the ball. They had a 31-0 lead at the beginning of the 4th quarter.
On offense, Anthony Grant rushed for 192 yards on 34 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. His first touchdown was in the 1st quarter on a 23-yard run and he scored again in the 3rd quarter on a 4-yard catch from Diego Pavia.
Diego Pavia threw 2 touchdown passes and ran in another one. He finished the game completing 13-of-20 passes for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for 55 yards on 8 carries. Terrance Moore had 4 catches for 59 yards and 1 touchdown.
Defensively, Lamario Larry had 4 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 tackles for loss. Tre O’Guinn, William Middleton, and Antoine Williams all had 4 tackles. Jayden Oliver picked off an Iowa Western pass.
Iowa Western didn’t finalize any offensive drives until the 4th quarter. Quarterback Nate Glantz connected on 33 and 37-yard touchdown passes to Ryan Flournoy. Overall, Glantz completed 18-of-31 passes for 310 yards. He threw 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Flournoy led all receivers with 6 catches for 170 yards.
NMMI advanced to the NJCAA Championship game after defeating #3 Northwest Mississippi in one of the semi-final games. In the other semifinal game, #1 Iowa Western knocked off the 2020 National Champions, Snow, in an overtime thriller, 30-29.
The Road to the Championship
| Date | Opponent | Score | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 4 | Papago Pumas | W, 40-9 | |
| September 11 | Maricopa Mustangs | W, 66-0 | |
| September 18 | @ Navarro | W, 39-31 | |
| September 25 | Kilgore | W, 37-26 | |
| October 2 | @ Blinn | W, 28-18 | |
| October 16 | Tyler | W, 49-13 | |
| October 23 | Cisco | L, 38-19 | |
| October 30 | @ Northeastern Oklahoma A&M | W, 17-7 | |
| November 6 | Trinity Valley | W, 58-28 | |
| November 13 | Blinn | W, 48-0 | SWJCFC semifinals |
| November 20 | Tyler | W, 45-10 | SWJCFC Championship |
| December 5 | #3 Northwest Mississippi | W, 49-30 | 2021 NJCAA DI Football Playoff - Semifinal |
| December 17 | #1 Iowa Western | W, 31-13 | 2021 NJCAA DI Football National Championship |
