Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC)-(NAIA)
Overview: Two teams dominated their respective divisions of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) in 2022, with Grand View winning the North Division championship, while Benedictine (Kan.) captured the South Division crown. Both teams finished at 5-0 in HAAC action en route to compiling final regular season records of 10-0 and 10-1 respectively.
In the NAIA playoffs, Grand View won two close games to advance to the national semifinals, only to be ousted by eventual national runner-up Keiser, 38-21, on December 3. The Vikings finished their 2022 season at 13-1 overall following the upset loss to the Seahawks.
As for Benedictine, the Ravens rolled past Southwestern (Kan.) 35-7 in the first round, before losing to Indiana Wesleyan to finish 2022 at 11-2. Their lone regular season loss came on September 3. That was when they fell to Grand View, 44-42, on a field goal as time ran out.
With the 2023 season just around the corner, expect Grand View and Benedictine to win their respective divisions yet again. That's according to the HAAC coaches preseason poll. Unfortunately, neither team will play each other during the regular season. That means the only way both teams could play against each other would be in the NAIA playoffs, which expands to 20 teams for the first time this fall.
The HAAC will see several new schools join its' football fold, as Missouri Baptist (4-7 overall in 2022) makes the move from the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) this fall, while St. Ambrose University from Des Moines, Iowa will join MBU in leaving the MSFA for the HAAC in 2024. Also, William Woods University from Fulton, Missouri will field a football program for the first time next season. The addition of all three schools gives the HAAC 14 squads for football by then, with seven squads each in both the North and South Divisions.
One team, however, that has moved on from the HAAC is Evangel University (7-3 overall, 4-1 in the HAAC in 2022), with the Valor joining the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) in time for this season.
2023 Schedules (Teams listed in alphabetical order, click the links below to access to find the schedules)
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2023 season. The link (s) will appear in each blog post when the team's schedule is submitted. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for schedules, schedule updates, preseason previews, and more.
North Division
Clarke
Culver-Stockton
Graceland
Grand View
Peru State
William Penn
South Division
Baker
Benedictine (Kan.)
Central Methodist
MidAmerica Nazarene
Missouri Baptist
Missouri Valley
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Missouri Valley
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