Box Score CLEVELAND – Richard Freelon rushed for three touchdowns to lead the No. 8 ranked Delta State Statesmen to a 28-23 win over No. 20 North Greenville to advance to the National Semi-Finals as Super Region 2 Champions.

Freelon rushed for 130 yards on 23 carries, along with the three scores.

The sophomore transfer from Jacksonville State tied for third in Statesmen (11-2) playoff history with the three touchdowns and had the third highest rushing total in Statesmen playoff history.

"He had some awesome runs," said head coach Ron Roberts. "He is a powerful back that came up big for us today. We always look for that player who is going to step up big in these types of games and Richard did a great job."

"The great thing about having a lot of backs is that you can look and see who has the hot hand. Richard established that early on and we went with him in the second half. He showed his speed and power and did a tremendous job going into the whole the offensive line gave him."

On Delta State's first drive of the game, Freelon put the Statesmen up 7-0 with a 4-yard touchdown run that capped off a 76-yard drive.

The drive started with a Micah Davis pass to Erick Clayton that went for 44 yards. Tim Smith then caught an 8-yard pass on third down to set up Freelon's touchdown run on the next play.

The Crusaders (11-3) answered with a touchdown to tie the game, taking advantage of short field position after a Statesmen turnover at the 16-yard line. Willy Korn connected with Taylor Malphrus on a 13-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.

On the ensuing drive, the Statesmen answered with a 80-yard touchdown drive capped off with a 2-yard run by Micah Davis for the score. Freelon started the drive off with a 12-yard run to get the Statesmen offense in motion.

However, turnovers were an issue for the Statesmen in the first half, setting up another North Greenville short touchdown drive. After a fumble gave the Crusaders short field at the Statesmen 22, Korn capitalized, finding Sean Wright for a 22-yard touchdown pass.

The Crusaders added an 18-yard field goal at the end of the first half to take a 17-14 lead into the half.

"We have had a lot of players who have been here before from last year and that showed," said Roberts. "I thought we came out in the second half and executed much better. We got rolling toward the end of the third quarter and it really got the team going."

After a scoreless third quarter, Freelon gave the Statesmen a lead they never relinquished when he scored on a 1-yard run that capped off a 67-yard drive.

The Statesmen defense protected the lead and forced the Crusaders into a three-and-out on the following drive, setting up the offense with good field position.

Freelon and the offense capitalized, scoring the winning touchdown on an 11 play, 52-yard drive. Freelon had six rushes on the drive, including his third touchdown on the afternoon, another 1-yard run.

North Greenville answered with a touchdown to bring the score to 28-23 after a failed two-point conversion attempt, but the Statesmen offense ran off the final 6:42 to clinch the victory.

The Statesmen will play Pittsburgh State in the National Semifinals next Saturday. Location and Time will be announced Sunday.

"I hope the committee looks at our total body of work," said Roberts. "Pittsburg State is a tremendous team with a tremendous atmosphere and is going to be a great game wherever we play."