Rochester, Mn-
After six full rounds of football in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, a heightened sense of urgency is sure to surround contests this weekend, as the window of opportunity to claim home-field advantage for the playoffs - or just a spot in the post-season - is beginning to close.
Central Lakes College recovered from a Week 5 setback to to return to winning form in Week 6, and with a victory over Itasca Community College, returned to their familiar position atop the Eastern Division. Mesabi Range was outlasted by RCTC in a narrow 13-12 loss in Week 6, sending both squads in a tie for second at identical 3-1 Divisional and 4-2 Overall marks. Itasca Community College and Vermilion Community College are also tied, with 1-3 divisional record and 2-4 overall MCAC mark. Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College is back one spot from the pack, due to a 1-5 overall record in MCAC play. The Thunder are 1-3 in the Division.
Dakota College-Bottineau beat North Dakota State College of Science last week to emerge as the top team in the Western Division; the Jacks return home for their Week 7 matchup with M State. DCB is 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the Division while M State is 1-5 and 1-3 Divisionally. NDSCS (4-2 Overall / 3-1 West) travels to Northland CTC (4-2 Overall / 2-2 West) in a pivotal Divisional contest in Thief River Falls. Minnesota West will look to build on their 4th quarter rally last week when they play at Ridgewater. The BlueJays and Warriors sport identical 2-4 overall and 1-3 Western Division records.
This Saturday, CLC will host Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College at 1:30pm in Brainerd. The Raiders - who are receiving votes in the National Top 20 poll - are seeking to cement home-field advantage while the Thunder are hoping to double their Divisional win mark with an upset.
Mesabi Range College will travel to Ely, Minnesota to take on the Ironmen of Vermilion Community College. The Norsemen will be looking to lock up a final Divisional win and some breathing room for the playoffs, while VCC is coming off of a 22-18 victory in Week 6 over rival FDL and seek to keep that momentum tomorrow.
After two weeks on the road, and two victories, Rochester Community & Technical College will enjoy a home game in their last Divisional opportunity when they host Itasca Community College. Rochester CTC will look to build upon their momentum of last week's 13-12 win at Mesabi Range while the Vikings will hope to regain the form that allowed them to pick up victories against Ridgewater College and Vermilion earlier this fall.
The Western Division saw Dakota College-Bottineau stake out a claim to the top spot after Week 6, as the Jacks defeated North Dakota State College of Science by a 21-19 scoreline in a key showdown. In Week 7, DCB will celebrate Homecoming and host M State, in a noon kickoff contest in Bottineau. At 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the Division, the Jacks appear to be rolling along while the Spartans will look to regroup and regain some offensive success that allowed them to post 38 points on Minnesota West in their Week 3 win, the only 'W' on M State's Divisional ledger (1-5 overall).
Ridgewater College will host Minnesota West at 1:30pm in Wilmar for the final Divisional match-up for both teams. The Bluejays are riding the momentum of a come-from-behind 48-47 defeat of Northland CTC last week, a game in which the two quarterbacks combined for over 950 passing yards. Minnesota West will likely see a similar opponent in Ridgewater, as the Warriors are coming off of their best aerial display in Week 6, in which they threw for 407 total yards in a 20-3 win over M State.
Northland CTC will be looking to right the ship after losing a shoot-out in the final minutes in Week 6, but will have to do so against North Dakota State College of Science, who sit one spot above the Pioneers in the Western standings at 3-1. The Wildcats have held all but one of their 2017 opponents to 21 points or less, while Northland has scored over 35 points a game in their last five outings. Something will have to give in those trends as NDSCS takes on NCTC in Thief River Falls at 1:30pm.
For more information on the 2017 Minnesota College Athletic Conference football season, be sure to bookmark these links:
MCAC Football Individual Statistical Leaders
MCAC Football Schedule/Results
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference website main page is: http://www.mcacsports.org/landing/index
Join our Social Media feeds today! The MCAC is on Facebook and Twitter.
This release sponsored in part by Gopher Sport.
Gopher Sport, based in Owatonna, is an industry leader in Physical Education, sports and fitness equipment. Gopher Sport is dedicated to providing programs and departments with the products to improve fitness, develop skills, create fun and reach a high standard of learning and living. Gopher Sport has diligently served teachers, coaches and athletic directors around the world for over 65 years.
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.