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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The 32-team NCAA Division III Football Championship gets underway Saturday afternoon, and for the first time since 2014 the Captains of Christopher Newport University have reached the tournament. Paul Crowley's squad will travel to Ashland, Va., to take on the eighth-ranked Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon College. Kickoff at Day Field is set for 12:00 p.m.

The Captains, Champions of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, are 7-3 overall and were 5-1 in league play. CNU wrapped up its first NJAC title last Friday thanks to a 27-21 victory at the College of New Jersey. Randolph-Macon, Champions of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, is 10-0, and the Yellow Jackets have scored at least 35 points in each of their ten victories this season.

"They have a great program obviously and it will be a terrific test for us," Head Coach Paul Crowley said. "We've had a good week of practice and I think we have the right mentality coming into the game. It's great to be back in the NCAA Tournament, but we want to play well and compete at a high level, and our seniors have shown great leadership as we've prepared for this game."   

Crowley is no stranger to the tournament, having played in NCAA games as a CNU offensive lineman and coached as an assistant to Matt Kelchner. This marks the 11th all-time trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Captains. CNU advanced to the second round the last time they played in the postseason in 2014, winning at Delaware Valley before falling at Widener in the second round. CNU is 3-10 all-time in NCAA play.

The game Saturday will mark the first time the schools have met since 2002. Christopher Newport and Randolph-Macon split two games played in 2001 and 2002, with each squad winning at home. The games came in the first two seasons of CNU football history.

Tickets for Saturday's battle are on sale, and can be purchased in advance by using the link at the top of this story.

All Christopher Newport games are broadcast live on the Christopher Newport/Pepsi Radio Network (Xtra 99.1 FM) with the pre-game show beginning at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The CNU radio broadcast can be heard by clicking the CNU Radio Broadcast link above. Francis Tommasino will be joined by former CNU Head Coach Matt Kelchner on the broadcast. Kelchner guided the Captains to their first ten NCAA appearances, including trips in the first four seasons of the program and five of their first six.

The game's video will be streamed live by Randolph-Macon and can be seen by clicking the link at the top of this story. Live stats can also be accessed by clicking the link above, and you can also access the complete CNU game notes package by clicking the appropriate link at the top of this story.