There’s a new sheriff in town in the CIAA North.

It wears Maroon and Steel and has its GPS set for Salem, Va., (site of the CIAA championship game) ... and beyond.

Virginia Union is snug in the driver’s seat following its overtime 27-24 heart-pounding win at Bowie State, but there is still much traffic to be negotiated en route.

Off to its best start since 1990, Coach Alvin Parker’s (aka “Dr. Coach”) Panthers are 7-0 and feeling their friskiest in decades.

The Northsiders were ranked 11th in last week’s NCAA Division II poll and, barring a serious misstep, on track for its first trip to Salem and a long-overdue invitation to the NCAA playoffs.

Story lines aplenty:

Bye-bye Bowie: The Bulldogs had defeated VUU in each of Coach Parker’s first three seasons, and were clearly the class of CIAA (advancing to 2021 NCAA quarterfinals), until now.

Bowie had not lost at home since 2016, and had not lost on home turf against a CIAA opponent since 2014.

Maybe it’s time to turn the page.

Record pace: With 277 rushing yards at Bowie, ball carrier extraordinaire Jada Byers now has a CIAA and NCAA-best 1,373 yards on the season.

With at least three games left, Byers is likely to catch Andre Braxton as the Panthers’ all-time leader. Braxton gained 1,660 in in 2000.

Clearing the way: Known as “The Movin’ Van,” VUU’s interior blockers deserve much of the credit for Byers’ continued brilliance.

Byers lovingly calls them “the best front five in the nation.” They are Brian Gibson, Justin Meade, Mark Lawton, Larry Jones and Darian Bryant. The quintet also provides ample protection for VUU quarterback Jahkari Grant. That means time to spiral the ball to game-breaking receiver John Jiles, who has 22 catches averaging 15 yards and good for five TDs.

Hold your breath: VUU doesn’t have Tom Brady on its roster, so Brady Myers will have to do.

The freshman from Orlando kicked the game winning 42-yard field goal as time expired in OT. Neither Myers, snapper Miles Solomon nor Marvin Holmes ever flinched with the game – and possibly season – at stake.

And they had to do it twice. Bowie called timeout an instant before Myers made it the first time. The second kick was an instant replay of the first.

Myers, the fourth-ranked high school kicker in the nation according to NKR (National Kicking Rankings), missed a 43-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

As the team headed for the locker room, many of the Panthers consoled Myers with taps on his helmet and shoulder pads, and kind words of support.

Myers, among the few white players to ever have a prominent role at VUU, was their teammate and friend, and they knew they would need him later.

And did they ever?

Big numbers, big men: VUU’s No. 99 (Ronald Johnson, 6-foot-4, 290) and No. 97 (Isaac Anderson, 6-foot-3, 270) are impressive run stoppers and quarterback pursuers smack dab in the middle of the defensive line.

Set your dial: It was second straight week that VUU was televised live on BCSBN (Black College Sports Broadcast Network). That’s a rare opportunity for Division II schools and the Panthers weren’t blinded by the lights.

Now what? Panthers will be heavily favored this Saturday at Lincoln. Then comes a home date with Chowan (still with a chance to win the Northern Division) and at Virginia State, which would love to drop a thunderstorm on VUU’s parade. The CIAA championship is Nov. 13 at Salem Stadium.

Finishing kick: After Myers split the uprights with the game winner, he took off running toward the middle of the field, zigzagging, ducking behind a bench, doing his best Jada Byers’ get-away impersonation.

His jubilant teammates chased and chased before finally running him down, lifting him off his feet, and carrying him on their shoulders.