Rochester, Mn-
Action photo courtesy of photographer, Andrew Link and the Rochester Post-Bulletin.
Two games, two snowstorms, two upsets.
Songwriter Robert Earl Keen once said that "the road goes on forever and the party never ends"; for football teams in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, the road was favorable - if not a bit snow covered - to the Mesabi Range College Norsemen and the Northland Community & Technical College Pioneers on Saturday, November 4.
Northland Community and Technical College beat Central Lakes College, 31-21, thanks in part to an interception returned for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal the win for the Pioneers. Over the course of 2017, Northland has made their mark through quarterback Shannon Patrick, who is at or near the top of almost every NJCAA passing metric available. The Pioneers dropped regular season contests to Minnesota West CTC and Dakota College-Bottineau, but found a way to work their way through the playoffs, beating North Dakota State College of Science at home 17-10 before traveling to Brainerd on Saturday. Central Lakes, the 2016 MCAC Champion and Red Grange Bowl participant, lost only one game prior to their setback against NCTC; Mesabi Range beat CLC 14-7 in Week 5. Central Lakes ends their 2017 regular season with a 8-2 record.
Mesabi Range College endured the trek to Bottineau, North Dakota, a heavy overnight snow and a game-start delay while crews cleared the field. However, none of those factors kept the Norsemen from their task and they out-lasted Dakota College 48-43 to earn their trip to the Championship game under first-year head coach Tom Inforzato. Dakota College-Bottineau had cracked the NJCAA Top 20 poll in the previous week and seemed to have a ground game capable of lighting up the scoreboard and grinding out the clock in the semi-finals. However, a contest featuring several lead changes and seemingly non-stop scoring ended with Mesabi Range on top and with their sights set on St. Cloud State University and Husky Stadium, the host of the MCAC State Championship contest. Dakota College-Bottineau concludes the regular season at 8-2.
Full details of the MCAC State Championship game, including live stream links, official kickoff time, ticket prices and more will be available on Monday morning, November 6th at www.mcacsports.org
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Sunday, Nov. 12th Husky Stadium St. Cloud State University St. Cloud, Minnesota |
For more information on the 2017 Minnesota College Athletic Conference football season, please go to 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.
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.