Greenville, IL – The Polars clinched sole possession of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) title on Saturday with a 38-20 road win over Greenville University. This marks the first UMAC championship in program history.
Greenville received the opening kickoff, and Tel Frisinger jumped on an unforced fumble just a few plays later. Crown seemed headed for a three-and-out on the ensuing drive until Jamarrius Courtney connected on a 42-yard touchdown pass to Carteyae Gordon, who made a spectacular play on the ball in double coverage. The Panthers struggled again on the next kickoff, unable to control a squib from Devin Williams, and Jakalyn Roy recovered the loose ball for another unforced turnover. Crown fully capitalized, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run from Courtney to take a 14-0 lead just seven minutes into the game. Greenville tried to respond with a promising drive, though it ended with another unforced fumble that David Hernandez recovered. Crown carried the next possession into the second quarter and moved the ball well before missing a 40-yard field goal attempt. The Polars' defense forced a punt on the next series, and Courtney added his second 1-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0. The defense delivered again when Jaylen Gray made a spectacular play to intercept a pass in the end zone. After a Crown punt, the Polars forced their fifth turnover of the half when Rudy Criner jumped a route for a 63-yard pick-six, pushing the halftime lead to 28-0.
Nathan Tomlinson opened the second half with an 83-yard kickoff return to Greenville's 7-yard line, setting up Courtney for his third rushing touchdown of the day and stretching the lead to 35-0 less than 30 seconds into the third quarter. Greenville broke through with its first touchdown of the game to make it 35-7. Reichen Hoekstra drilled a 26-yard field goal on the next drive to extend the margin to 38-7. The Panthers mounted a late push, scoring on back-to-back drives and recovering a well-placed kickoff that was popped into the air. They added another touchdown—though the two-point attempt failed—to cut the deficit to 38-20. Greenville tried to create one more scoring opportunity in the final moments, but Maguire Keller secured an interception in the end zone as time expired.
Courtney led the offense once again, rushing for 137 yards and three touchdowns while adding 50 passing yards and a touchdown through the air. Gordon hauled in the lone passing touchdown on his 42-yard reception. Tomlinson paced the defense with nine tackles. Jakalyn Roy and TJ Nelson each recorded half a sack, with Roy adding a tackle for loss. The Polars picked off three passes on the day—Criner returned his 63 yards for a touchdown, while Gray and Keller collected the others. On special teams, Tomlinson's 83-yard kickoff return sparked the second half, and Hoekstra connected on a 26-yard field goal.
With this win, the Polars close out their regular season atop the UMAC, securing the program's first conference championship under fifth-year Head Coach Anthony Franz. Quarterback Jamarrius Courtney led the conference in rushing all season, averaging over 160 rushing yards per game and breaking the UMAC single-season rushing record. Crown also fielded the top defense in the conference, allowing the fewest total yards and rushing yards per game and the fewest total touchdowns over the course of the season. The Polars will learn their first-round opponent for the Division III Football Playoffs on Sunday.
