Northwest made a statement last Saturday, strangling UCM’s national leading offense for a 45-23 victory. The win made co-champions of the MIAA rivals. But the story focuses squarely on three brothers named Bolles, all quarterbacks of these two MIAA teams.
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The Bolles brothers – Blake, Brady and Brook – were standout athletes at North Star High School in Lincoln, NE. All three continued athletic success on the NCAA Division II level. Blake Bolles led Northwest Missouri State to a national championship in 2009; Brady Bolles did likewise for the Bearcats in 2015. Now the youngest of the trio, Brook, has a chance to match his brothers playing for the UCM Mules.
Statistically, the eldest brother stacked up the highest numbers — so far. All three brothers eclipsed 7,000 passing yards. Blake finished his career with 8,668 passing yards. Brady passed for 7,728 yards, but the youngest, Brook, eclipsed his mark with 364 passing yards against Northwest. Brook now has 7,734 yards with the playoffs looming ahead.
Brook Boles hardly ever missed a football game at Northwest for a total of 10 years while his older brothers played for the Bearcats. Some probably just assumed Brook would wear Bearcat green to continue the family tradition. But only a walk-on spot was available when Brook visited Northwest.
The Mules recruited Brady but lost the recruiting war to Northwest. Brady led the Bearcats to win the 2015 national championship. But, oddly enough, it was a Northwest grad who paved the path for Brook to become a Mule. Josh Lamberson, who saw Brooke at one of his basketball games, paved the way.
Brook played sparingly during his first two years at UCM. But in his first year as a starter, he burst onto the scene to eventually become a Harlan Hill finalist — the DII equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. As a junior, Brook threw for 3,766 yards and 23 touchdowns leading the Mules to a 9-3 record.
Expectations were naturally high for last Saturday’s showdown. UCM was undefeated and ranked #9 nationally. The Mules had a chance for their first outright MIAA championship since 1986. All they had to do was travel to Maryville and defeat the 9-1 Bearcats, ranked #12 nationally.
Brook was the centerpiece of most pre-game hype. In addition to the comparisons to his brothers, Brook was a seasoned 6-year veteran in his own right. The 2018 season was cut short with a torn ulnar collateral ligament — and the season for the Mules tailspun into the first losing season under Mules Head Coach Svoboda.
Thus, a storybook ending seemed within grasp for Brook during his senior year. A victory not only would clinch an undefeated MIAA championship but, quite likely, knock kingpin Northwest Missouri State from playoff contention.
The Mules never solved Northwest’s defense during the 45-23 loss. Brook Bolles was sacked eight times and Northwest forced UCM into six turnovers. The Bearcat victory marks the 30th MIAA football championship for the university at Maryville.
There is a chance for a rematch between co-MIAA champions UCM and Northwest. If both teams win their first two playoff games, Northwest would face UCM on Saturday, Dec. 7, in the DII quarterfinals. Central has the harder path to a rematch. The Mules host the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds this Saturday. Uindy is 9-1, losing only to Lindenwood while defeating teams like SW Baptist, William Jewell, Missouri S&T, and Truman State.
A Mule victory over Uindy pushes UCM to face top regional seed Ferris State (Arkansas) on Nov. 30. As the top seed, Ferris State earns a first round bye. Ferris State made a run to the championship game with many of the same pieces last year and can do it again. The Bulldogs are led by stellar QB Jayru Campbell, fully rested after being held out in Week 10 and a bye in Week 11.
Northwest holds a #3 seed behind two undefeated teams in Super Region III. The Bearcats will host Harding (Arkansas) Buffaloes (10-1). Harding’s lone loss was a 16-14 decision against Ouachita Baptist in the first game of the season, which made them finish 2nd in the Great American Conference. This will be Harding’s fourth straight trip to DII playoffs. The winner of the Harding-Northwest game takes on the winner of Ouachita Baptist-Lindenwood game.
What are the Bearcats’ chances?
The Bearcats seem to be peaking at the right time. Northwest’s regular season finale victory marks another double-digit win season — their 14th in the last 15 years. The six-time NCAA Division II champions will face Harding this Saturday in the first round of the playoffs. Kickoff is 1 p.m.
Harding University is the largest private Christian university in that state (7,155 enrollment), located in northeast Arkansas at Searcy.
During the past three weeks the Bearcats played like a team possessed — focused on avenging the only blemish on the season, a 24-17 upset loss to Nebraska-Kearney. The Bearcats secured the program’s 24th NCAA Division II playoff bid with a berth into the 2019 field. It is the 16th straight season that Northwest will compete in the playoffs for a shot at the Division II national championship. Northwest ranks No. 1 all-time in Division II in playoff appearances with 24.
Northwest and Harding have met on two previous occasions and both occurred in the NCAA Division II playoffs with Northwest winning both games.
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats romped through DII football from 2015 well into the 2017 season, when they reeled off back-to-back 15-0 seasons. Despite winning 38 games in a row, Northwest Missouri State still fell just short of Grand Valley State’s all-time DII record at 40 (2005-07) — falling to Northwest Missouri State in the semifinals of the DII football tournament.
Simply put, the Bearcats are the DII football powerhouse. A perennial threat to both the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the national title, their coaches, teams, and trophies are the stuff legends are made of. The Bearcats history really begins when legendary DII coach Mel Tjeersdma led Northwest Missouri State to back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999. The 1998 squad was the first DII football program to go 15-0 in a season, but they would do it again, most memorably in back-to-back seasons between 2015 and 2016.
Ten years later, Tjeersdma became just the second DII football coach to tally three titles, the most all-time (fellow Bearcats head coach Adam Dorrell would shortly join him as the third). In between the 1999 and 2009 championships, Northwest Missouri State was still in the hunt, losing four straight national championship games between 2005-08.
All said, the Bearcats have appeared in 50% of the national championship games during the past two decades. That is utter dominance.
Super Region III Top Seeded Teams:
#1 Ferris State (Michigan) Bulldogs (10-0) – 6th consecutive playoff berth (national runner-up champion in 2018, losing to Voldasta State), Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC)
#2 Ouachita Baptist (Arkansas) Tigers (11-0) — Great American Conference. Alums formerly in the NFL include Cliff Harris (DB Dallas Cowboys), Ed Neal (OL Green Bay Packers), Julius Pruitt (WR Miami Dolphins), Chris Rycraw (RB Green Bay Packers), and Ausustine Ume-Ezeoke (DB New York Jets)
#3 Northwest (Missouri) Bearcats (10-1) – 30 conference championships since 1925 (20 outright), Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Alums formerly in the NFL include Baron Corbin (OL Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals), Brandon Dixon (DB Pittsburgh Steelers), Brian Dixon (DB Arizona Cardinals), Matt Longacre (DE Los Angeles Rams), Xavier Omon (RB Buffalo Bills), Jamaica Rector (WR), Dave Tollefson (DE), Seth Wand (OL), Jamaica Rector (WR), current free agent Josh Baker (TE) and Chad Kilgore (LB); others who played in the CFL or in Europe include Tommy Frevert (K), Chris Greisen (QB), Tony Miles (WR), and Michael Peterson (TE)
#4 Central (Missouri) Mules (10-1) – 9 conference championships (2 outright), Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Alums formerly in the NFL include Jeff Wright (DT Buffalo Bills), Colston Weatherington (DE Dallas Cowboys), Toby Korrodi (QB Arizona Cardinals free agent), Roderick Green (OLB Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers), Delanie Walker (TE Denver Broncos), and Dennis Gile (QB)
Editor’s note: This presentation includes information written by Randy Speer, sports editor of the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal, and various sources online mostly affiliated with the participating schools, conferences, or official NCAA websites.