The Sun Conference is assured to have a representative in the NAIA Flagg Football National Championship Game on Saturday afternoon at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, GA, as conference rivals Thomas (18-2, 9-1 SUN) and Keiser (11-5, 7-3 SUN) will face off in an elimination game.  The winner will advance to take on the top rated Ottawa (KS) Braves in the National Championship Game.  

Whichever team wins the battle at 9:30 AM on Saturday, they will be facing an uphill task, as the winner will have to accumulate a total of three victories on the day to claim the national crown.  There will be no margin for error, as a win will be needed at 9:30 AM and 2:30 PM versus Ottawa, to force a winner-take-all game at 4:30 PM.  Should Ottawa win the 2:30 PM matchup, the Braves will be crowned national champions.

HOW THOMAS GOT HERE

Thomas entered the tournament as the second seed in the original field of twelve teams.  Thomas completed the regular season with a 14-1 record, with the only blemish coming against St. Thomas, on the road, in the regular season.  With a 9-1 conference record, the Night Hawks were the top seed in the Sun Conference Tournament.  Two victories in the tournament gave Thomas the regular season and tourament championship for the Sun Confernce and a 16-1 record as they headed to Atlanta.

In Atlanta, the Night Hawks won their matchups on Thursday, by shutting out both of their opponents.  The Night Hawks beat Warner 28-0 and St. Thomas 19-0.  Neither team was able to test Thomas on the field.  That all changed on Friday.  The Night Hawks were defeated by Ottawa, in the most anticipated flag football match of the year.  

HOW KEISER GOT HERE

Keiser finished the regular season with an 8-3 record overall, 7-3 in conference and tied for second place in the regular season.  The Seahawks were defeated by St. Thomas on a Hail Mary, with no time remaining in the game, during the Sun Conference semi-final.  

Once in Atlanta, the defeated conference rival Webber International 19-12 to open play on Thursday, but were beat by Ottawa 21-12, later on the day.  The Seahawks were victorious against Kansas Wesleyan, 35-14, in the Home Depot Backyard, before coming inside to beat conference rival St. Thomas, 27-26, in a thrilling ball game.

HISTORY

These two opponent have met five times over the past two years.  Thomas has won all five times.  This season, the Night Hawks won in West Palm Beach, FL, 7-0, and at home, 25-6.

STREAMING

All game will be streamed by NFL Flag here.

Follow Thomas Flag Football at https://tunighthawks.com/sports/womens-flag-football for updates on the Night Hawks pursuit of a National Championship.  For complete coverage of Night Hawks Athletics, please visit www.tunighthawks.com to stay updated with the latest news, scores, game previews and recaps.  Follow the Night Hawks on social media at @TU_Night_Hawks (Twitter), @tunighthawks (Instagram), and @thomasuniversityathletics (Facebook).