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By David Boyce

MARYVILLE, Mo. - It is not a stretch to call Northwest Missouri State's regular-season finale Saturday afternoon the first Snow Bowl of the new millennium at Bearcat Stadium.
 
Before the 1 p.m. kickoff, Mel Tjeerdsma Field was as white as Washburn's road uniforms.
 
The slippery conditions slowed but did not prevent the Bearcats from beating Washburn 31-14. The win earned Northwest a share of the MIAA title with Pittsburg State. The Bearcats are 10-1. They will play next week in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
 
There is nothing new about those facts. This was Northwest's 26^th MIAA title, and it will be the 11^th straight year the Bearcats will be in postseason.
 
"I'm proud of our 21 seniors," Northwest coach Adam Dorrel said. "The fact you can go 20-1in this league in a two-year period says a lot about their character and toughness.
 
"We shared it, but I don't really care. It is still a championship to me."
 
What was unusual Saturday was the amount of snow the Bearcats played in for a game in Maryville.
 
According to Rod Barr, chairman in the Northwest agriculture department, this was the most snow for a home football game since the 1993 Homecoming game.
 
The grounds crew got the biggest workout early on. They plowed and blew snow off the field so the players could see a few of the yard markings.
 
Of course the players enjoyed the snow. They are not too far removed from when they were kids hoping for a snow day so they could play around in it.
 
"I did enjoy playing in the snow today," Northwest linebacker Eric Reimer said. "It is the first time I have played when there was actual snow on the field. I think for a lot of the guys it was a new playing situation.
 
"I think we embraced it. All week we were in cold weather. It added another element to it. We went out there and played the game we know."
 
Fortunately, the heaviest of the snow left the area right at kickoff. But the treacherous field conditions made it nearly impossible for either team to put together a sustained drive in the opening minutes.
 
Northwest finally struck late in the first quarter on perfectly placed 34-yard pass from Brady Bolles that Quanzee Johnson caught in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
 
"I thought that was a huge play," Dorrel said. "I think it was Quanzee's first collegiate touchdown. We were very happy for him."
 
The Bearcats played solid defense throughout the first half, even when Washburn started one drive at Northwest's 14.
 
"We always talk about that. It doesn't matter where they start," Reimer said. "We needed to make a play. It was fun that we were able to do that and keep the momentum on our side. If they scored, it is a tied ball game. You never know what is going to happen from there."
 
Northwest sputtered around on offense in the first 9 minutes of the second quarter and then exploded. The Bearcats needed only 34 seconds to go 74 yards to score their second touchdown of the game.
 
The lightning-quick drive started with a 59 yard run by Phil Jackson followed by a 15-yard run on a reverse by Johnson.
 
"I was trying to help my teammates out," said Jackson, who finished with 101 yards in nine carries. "I want to give it up for the o-line. Without those guys, we can't do what we do."
 
Northwest took a 14-0 lead into halftime and was in total control as only a few snow flakes fluttered around.
 
At the start of the third quarter, half of the snow was gone from the field thanks to the ground crew.
 
The clearer field helped Simon Mathiesen nail a 32-year field goal early in the third quarter, giving the Bearcats a 17-0 lead.
 
Midway through the third quarter, Northwest gave the Ichabods a bit of hope. An interception put Washburn on Northwest's 30. This time Washburn turned a Northwest miscue into points.
 
With 1:10 left in the third quarter, Washburn scored its first points of the game on a 22-yard pass from Zeke Palmer to Adam Luthi, making it 17-7.
 
Northwest free safety Bryce Enyard dashed any chance of Washburn pulling off the upset of the year in the MIAA when he intercepted a pass and waltzed into the end zone early in the fourth quarter.
 
Almost 3 minutes later, Northwest scored again on a 16-yard run by Bolles. The score gave the Bearcats a 31-7 lead with 7:24 left in the game.