ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central on the final day of the regular season, using Jack Flaherty’s arm and Matt Carpenter’s bat Sunday to win their first division title since 2015 with a 9-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs lost on Joe Maddon’s day as their manager. It was announced before the game that he won’t return next year.

Flaherty tossed seven impressive innings and Carpenter led a three-homer attack with a three-run drive to help St. Louis advanced to the NL Division Series, starting Thursday at Atlanta. Manager Mike Shildt and the Cardinals began the day with a one-game lead over Milwaukee. The second-place Brewers will play at Washington in the NL wild-card game Tuesday night, with the winner going on to play Los Angeles in the NLDS.

Paul Goldschmidt and Dexter Fowler also homered for St. Louis, which is back in the postseason after a three-year absence. The Cardinals have won or shared 12 division titles since the current format was developed in 1995. St. Louis (91-71) finished three games better than last season (88-74).

The Cubs had a four-year postseason run snapped this season. Maddon compiled a 471-339 record in five seasons and guided the Cubs to the World Series championship in 2016, ending a 108-year drought. Flaherty (11-8) allowed two hits in an efficient seven-inning 69-pitch stint. He struck out six and walked one. Flaherty has allowed just seven earned runs over his last 12 starts.

St. Louis scored twice in each of the first of two innings against Chicago starter Derek Holland (2-5).  Goldschmidt, who had three hits, singled after Holland walked the first two batters. Fowler added a two-run homer in the second for a 4-0 lead. He has a career-high 19 home runs. Carpenter’s drive in the third off Duane Underwood Jr. pumped the lead to 8-0. Goldschmidt added his team-high 34th homer in the fourth.
Chicago finished 84-78 after a 95-68 mark in 2018.

A sellout crowd of 47,212 watched the contest pushing the Cardinals attendance to 3,480,393, an average of 42,968 per game. It marked the 22nd sellout of the season. St. Louis averaged 42,020 last season.
Chicago infielder Ben Zobrist pitched a scoreless eighth for the Cubs, striking a swinging Yadier Molina to end the inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: INF Kolten Wong is still not at 100 percent. He remains listed as day-to-to with a left hamstring strain although he is not able to run at full speed, according to St. Louis manager Mike Shildt.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: Will face the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS beginning Thursday in Atlanta.

DETROIT (AP) — Darrel Williams ran for a go-ahead, 1-yard touchdown with 23 seconds left for his second score in the fourth quarter, lifting the Kansas City Chiefs to a 34-30 win over the Detroit Lions. Detroit drove to the Kanas City 44 on the final drive and Matthew Stafford heaved two passes toward the end zone that were incomplete, ending the game. The Chiefs (4-0) went ahead for the first time Sunday early in the third quarter when Bashaud Breeland recovered Kerryon Johnson’s fumble and returned it 100 yards, taking advantage of everyone on the field appearing to stop momentarily and the officials not blowing a whistle. The pivotal play stood after review. The Lions (2-1-1) scored the first 10 points and, after Kansas City pulled into two ties, went back ahead late in the second, third and fourth quarters.

Stafford threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay with 2:26 left to give Detroit a 30-27 lead. The call on the field stood after a review, which showed Golladay got both feet in the end zone. Golladay had a touchdown overturned by review early in the third because he appeared to lose control of the football as he hit the turf. Kansas City started the winning drive on its 21. Mahomes converted a fourth-and-8 from his 34 with a 15-yard run to help him finish with a career-high 56 yards rushing and he completed just enough passes to set up Williams for a short run to take the lead for good.

Mahomes was 24 of 42 for 315 yards. The reigning MVP had thrown at least two touchdown passes in 14 straight games, one short of the NFL record set by Peyton Manning. Stafford was 21 of 34 for 291 yards with three touchdowns, including two to Golladay and one to T.J. Hockenson. Stafford’s second touchdown pass of the game — and first to Golladay — put Detroit up 23-20 and followed a fifth fumble in the third quarter. Johnson had 125 yards rushing on 26 carries.
INJURIES
Chiefs: DE Alex Okafor (hip) and LB Damien Wilson (concussion) left in the fourth quarter.
Lions: Hockenson (concussion) was carted off the field in the third quarter and S Quandre Diggs (hamstring) left in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Chiefs: Host the Indianapolis Colts.
Lions: Bye week.

The Nodaway Valley Cross Country teams competed at the Steve Johnson High School Cross Country Invitational on Saturday at Wartburg College.

The girls finished in 15th place. Sophia Broers was the top finisher for the Wolverines in 19th place overall, Reagan Weinheimer was 65th. Sioux City North won the team title and Kora Malecek of Onalaska was the individual winner.

The Nodaway Valley boys team finished 8th in the team race. Josh Baudler led the way with a 9th place finish. Toby Bower came in 39th. Sioux City North won the team title and had the individual winner in Jaysen Bouwers.

Full results HERE.