Rochester, Mn-
In Week 4 of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference football season, several squads were able to even their Divisional records at 1-1, keeping on track for a playoff spot in October. And, in the case of one MCAC team, an offense came to life at just the right time to put an unbeaten Conference streak into elite territory. Strong individual performances were the fuel for some terrific team play in Week 4 and the best of those have been tabbed as Players-of-the-Week for this weekly edition of MCAC honors in 2017.
Offensive Player-of-the-Week, Eastern Division:
Fans of Mesabi Range College saw their rushing offense come to life on Saturday, in their 31-9 victory over Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College. Running back Tenaj Robinson-Bowens was a big part of the breakout performance, carrying 17 times for 143 yards. Robinson-Bowens, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, scored two of MRC's touchdowns and averaged more than 15 yards per catch in the key Eastern Division Contest. The Norsemen stretched their Conference winning streak to 2 games and Robinson-Bowens picks up Offensive Player-of-the-Week for his solid rushing output. Mesabi Range will take their swing at Central Lakes next Saturday, when they travel to Brainerd for a 1:30pm Eastern Conference showdown.
Defensive Player-of-the-Week, Eastern Division:
The Vermilion Community College defense was lead by linebacker Anthony Miranda in their 18-14 loss to Itasca Community College. Miranda worked alone and worked often in the low-scoring affair; he had 11 solo tackles and assisted on two others for VCC. He also tallied an interception from his defensive role. For his all-around effort, Miranda is the Eastern Division Defensive Player-of-the-Week. The Ironmen, in search of their first Divisional win of 2017, will host RCTC at home in Ely on Saturday. The contest is slated for a 1:30pm kickoff.
Special Teams Player-of-the-Week, Eastern Division:
Tielu Mamea of Central Lakes College has claimed the Special Teams Player of the Week with a crushing performance on kick coverage for the Raiders. The Halawa, Hawaii native registered three solo tackles on special team coverage; the freshman also had a clutch interception in the waning moments of the Raiders Eastern Division contest against Rochester Community & Technical College. Mamea and his CLC teammates extended their Minnesota-best Conference winning streak to 15 games and are set to take on 3-1 Mesabi Range next Saturday in Brainerd. Kickoff is set for 1:30pm.
Other Notable Performances in the Eastern Division:
Central Lakes defensive lineman Brendon Loch was a part of seven tackles against the RCTC Yellowjackets on Saturday.
RCTC punter Dylan DuMarce punted 8 times for a total of 248 yards on Saturday against Central Lakes College. His efforts included a 48 yard longest kick and a 31 yard average boot. Teammate Brandon Perce was in on 15 tackles (6 solo, 9 assists) while kick returner Traveen Prater broke two kickoff returns for good yardage, including a 47 yard return and had a punt return of almost 30 yards as well.
The Vermilion Community College secondary was busy on Saturday; three Ironmen picked off Itasca passes. Dondre White, Dawayne Heard and Anthony Miranda all tallied interceptions on the day, with White returning his 30 yards after the pick.
Itasca student-athlete Devonta Pier had 1.5 sacks among his 6 tackles against Vermilion, while teammate Raekwon Archer returned an interception 55 yards for the Vikings.
Cover photo courtesy of Post-Bulletin & RCTC Athletics
For more information on the 2017 Minnesota College Athletic Conference football season, be sure to bookmark these links:
MCAC Football Schedule/Results
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference website main page is: http://www.mcacsports.org/landing/index
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This release sponsored in part by Gopher Sport.
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About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.