Rochester, Mn-
For the second consecutive week, a football student-athlete in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference has earned National Player-of-the-Week recognition. And following this pattern, a MCAC perennial powerhouse program continues to rise in the NJCAA Top 20 football poll as well.
Minnesota West CTC wide receiver Reginald Colson III has earned the NJCAA Football Offensive Player-of-the-Week following his display of aerial skills in the Bluejays 38-35 loss to M State on Saturday, September 16th. In the offensive slugfest at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Colson accounted for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns. His per-catch average was 45 yards, putting the 'big' in big play for the 6'2", 200 pound receiver. Nationally, the freshman from Hollywood, Florida is sitting alone on top of not one, but three, NJCAA statistical receiving categories: Yards per Game (166.3), Total Yards (499) and Touchdowns (7). Colson III is also 4th in Yards-per-Catch (23.8) and 7th overall in total receptions (21). Minnesota West plays at home in Worthington this Saturday, when they host NDSCS.
Week 3 was a show of offensive firepower across the MCAC; Northland CTC quarterback Shannon Patrick and his Dakota College-Bottineau counterpart Jackson Argoe, combined for 894 passing yards between the two teams in Dakota's 48-39 win over the Pioneers. Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College running back Lorine Parker was held to "only" 98 yards rushing against Rochester CTC (after posting 150 yards in Week 2 and 198 in Week 1), but he still leads the county in rushing attempts with 89 carries on the year and sits second in total yards at 444. One of Patrick's favorite targets at Northland, Malik Williams, is third nationally at 114.0 yards per game.
In the national Top 20 NJCAA Football Poll, Central Lakes College continues to rise in the rankings, moving to #9 this week, up from #12 previously. The Raiders relied on a tough defense, timely scoring and strong special teams play to hand upstart Vermilion Community College a 10-8 loss at home in Brainerd on Saturday. Central Lakes is 3-0 on the year so far, and now own the longest college football Conference unbeaten string in Minnesota at 14 games. Coach Greg Medeck's squad last lost in MCAC play on Saturday, October 31st, 2015, when North Dakota State College of Science handed them a 39-35 setback in the MCAC Playoffs. CLC travels to Rochester CTC this Saturday for a 1:30pm game that will have MCAC playoff ramifications for both squads. To view the full NJCAA Top 20 poll, click this link.
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.
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.