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By David Boyce  |  Northwest Missouri vs. Emporia State  |  Saturday, Dec. 5, 1 p.m.  |  Bearcat Stadium  |  1 p.m.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - When Northwest Missouri State's football team takes on Emporia State at 1 p.m. Saturday in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals at Bearcat Stadium, junior defensive lineman Cass Weitl and junior running back Phil Jackson II understand the result from Nov. 7 is irrelevant.
 
And that, is the challenge for the Bearcats as they head into the game with a sparkling 12-0 record and the No. 1 seed in Super Regional Three. They already proved they are the best in the MIAA, by beating Emporia State 44-10 in Maryville a month ago.
 
"It is always a challenge playing a team twice in a season," Weitl said. "It is a different type of challenge every time you do that. We can always play better. There is always room for improvement."
 
Based on what Emporia State, 11-2, has accomplished in the three games since the loss to Northwest, the Bearcats know they are taking on a Hornets team with a little more sting.
 
Beating Minnesota State-Mankato 51-49 at Mankato in the first round of the playoffs was certainly an eye-opener, Northwest coach Adam Dorrel said. Mankato was the No. 2 seed in the region. The Mavericks have had plenty of postseason success over the last several years. They lost in the Division II championship game last season.
 
Emporia State followed that win with another impressive road victory, knocking off the No. 3 seed Henderson State 29-3 last week.
 
"Obviously, they have played better," Jackson said. "We have played better. We are going to take the last three games they have played and see what they are doing and go from there."
 
Dorrel also brought up a little of Northwest postseason history to let the players know about the dangers of playing a team a second time.
 
In 2010, Northwest beat Missouri Western 42-0 on Oct. 2 in Maryville. The Bearcats had a much more difficult time with the Griffons when they met again on Nov. 20 in the first round of the playoffs.
 
"We were down 17-0 at halftime in the playoff game," Dorrel said. "That was another one that grabbed their attention. I feel they bought into it."
 
Northwest went on to beat the Griffons 28-24 in that playoff game and advanced all the way to the semifinals before losing.
 
Another example occurred the following year. In 2011, Northwest lost to Western 31-28 in St. Joseph on Nov. 5. Two weeks later, in the first round of the playoffs, Northwest went back to St. Joseph. The Bearcats trailed 22-7 halftime. All indications pointed to Western winning again. Northwest scored 20 points in the third quarter and went on to win 35-29.
 
"It is challenging," Dorrel said of playing a team twice in one season. "There is good and bad. Obviously, they know a little bit about you and you know a little bit about them. The tough thing is you can't get caught in the trap of the results from the first time and think they are going to be the results of the second time."
 
The good thing about the 2015 Bearcats is they know how to take time to celebrate and savor a victory with each other and then when Sunday evening hits, their focus shifts 100 percent to the next opponent.
 
"It is great," Weitl said. "We celebrate with the offense. The offense celebrates with the defense when we come off the field. It is so much fun playing out there, especially with our crowd and how rowdy they get."
 
During the week, it is all business. It started, Jackson said, during winter weight lifting and continued through the summer.
 
"I think this summer we really upped our level," Jackson said. "What is doing extra? I think it has shown all year that we put in extra work, extra film study. I think it shows in our game planning now. I think that is why we have been doing so well."
 
One thing Northwest will guard against is turnovers. Last week Emporia State caused Henderson State to turn the ball over six times.
 
"Our kids have a lot of respect for them," Dorrel said. "They have a good system. They are a disciplined group. They play hard."
 
The Bearcats believe in their system and the schemes their coaches come up with for games. They expect to play hard each game.
 
"We learned from last year," Jackson said. "Last year was good. But we upped it this year."
 
Like many Bearcats before them, Weitl, Jackson and the rest of their teammates relish this opportunity to play a quarterfinal game with a chance to advance to the semifinals.
 
"It is part of the Northwest culture to play in big games," Weitl said.
 
Jackson elaborated even more.
 
"It is going to be fun," Jackson said. "I know the students are going to come out. It is always fun when you have a big crowd involved and people are cheering and yelling."
 
With temperatures expected to approach 50 under sunny skies on Saturday, the atmosphere should be incredible. Emporia State is in uncharted territory, making its first appearance in the Division II quarterfinals.
 
Saturday will also be a celebration of the MIAA. Of the four regions, the MIAA is the only conference that has two teams in the regional finals.
 
"We saw some stuff where people said the MIAA was down," Jackson said. "It proves MIAA conference is always good. What people don't understand is Pitt State might not seem as good this year, but our conference is so competitive this year. Everybody is good."
 
The Bearcats want to make sure they continue to rule their home, the MIAA and the region. They are thrilled they are playing this game at home.
 
"We are trying to get as many fans as we can," Dorrel said. "It is going to be huge to have a big crowd and have them loud."