BIG RAPIDS, MIch. – Jared Bernhardt rushed 21 times for 201 yards and five touchdowns to lead #1/1 Ferris State (13-0) to a 55-7 win over #8/9 Shepherd (13-2) in semifinal action of NCAA II Playoffs at Ferris State on Saturday. \
Ferris State took a 7-0 lead when Bernhardt scored on a five yard-run with 13:25 left in the first quarter.
Shepherd answered back when junior quarterback Tyson Bagent (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) fired a one–yard scoring toss to graduate student wide receiver Josh Gontarek (New Market, Md/Linganore/Shippensburg) with 7:56 left in the first quarter. Senior kicker Hayden August-Scriven (North Potomac, Md./Quince Orchard) added the extra point.
Bernhardt added four touchdown runs (1, 1, 7, and 15 yards) in the first half to give the Bulldogs a 35-7 lead at halftime.
Ferris State added a pair of second half touchdowns from Tyrese Hunt-Thompson (16-yard run and a 15-yard reception from Mylik Mitchell) and Evan Cummins added a seven-yard scoring run.
Bagent completed 22-of-46 passes for 249 yards and a score. Bernhardt completed 7-of-11 passes for 51 yards. Malik Mitchell added a 4-of-4 effort for 51 yards.
Junior running back Ty Hebron (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery) had seven carries for 55 yards to lead the Shepherd ground game.
Gontarek had eight receptions for a game-high 114 yards to lead the Shepherd receivers. C.J. Jefferson had three catches for 24 yards for Ferris State.
Shepherd had 299 yards of total offense and Ferris State totaled 560 with 453 coming on the ground.
Senior defensive back Ponce Deleon (Greenbelt, Md./Montgomery Blair) led the Rams with 14 tackles (nine solos). Senior linebackers Chrys Lane (Baltimore, Md./Dundalk) and Kendall Duckworth (Naples, Fla./Lely/Kansas) each recorded 11 tackles.
The Bulldogs advance to face Valdosta State in the championship game next Saturday in McKinney, Texas.
Notes: Shepherd's 13 wins this season tie the Shepherd single-season mark with the 2015 and 2016 teams … Bagent finished the season with, 5,000 passing yards.
