Rochester, Mn-
In what can only be described as a wild and eventful Week 6 of football in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, a handful of teams pulled off key wins to lay claim to the inside track for playoff participation and home field advantage. Amongst the entertaining games were a collection of great individual performances, the best of which have earned MCAC Football Week 6 Players-of-the-Week honors for the Eastern Division.
Offensive Player-of-the-Week:
The Week 6 match-up of two Northern Minnesota football rivals gave fans and followers a chance to watch two teams battle to keep pace with a surging Mesabi Range College squad while competing against each other under the lights in Grand Rapids. Central Lakes College running back Chidozie Mbah (West St. Paul, Mn) ran for 123 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders 28-13 victory over Itasca Community College. Mbah carried 18 times for Central Lakes, earning 6.8 yards per touch. His longest run of the night was a 57 yard rumble against the Vikings. With the win, Central Lakes moves to 3-1 in Divisional play and 5-1 Overall. With Rochester CTC and Mesabi Range also sporting 3-1 Divisional marks - but 4-2 overall records - Mbah and his CLC teammates head into Week 7 looking to break the logjam at the top of the Division when they take on Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College at home on Saturday, October 14th at 1:30pm in Brainerd.
Defensive Player-of-the-Week:
Vermilion Community College saved one of their best 2017 performances for their local rival Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College, led in large part by linebacker Anthony Miranda. The Ironmen picked up their first Divisional win over the Thunder, 22-18, and Miranda had a significant role in stopping the FDL offense. Miranda had 10 solo tackles and 3 assists, to finish with 13 overall. He also had three tackles-for-loss and picked up a fumble recovery for the 2-4 Vermilion squad. Miranda is tied for fourth in the NJCAA in Solo Tackles. For his outstanding outing in the rivalry game, Anthony Miranda is the Eastern Division Player-of-the-Week.
Special Teams Player-of-the-Week:
Fans around the MCAC recognize Mesabi Range College specialist Connor Cusick as one of the top performing special teams players in the league so far in 2017. However, Cusick was busier than normal against the RCTC Yellowjackets on Saturday in handling placekicking, punting and kickoff duties for MRC. Against Rochester CTC, the freshman from Virginia, Minnesota hit two field goals in the first half and punted eight times overall for the Norsemen. Cusick uncorked a longest punt of 47 yards, and had nearly 200 yards in kickoff yards over four attempts. In a battle decided by one points between two of the best teams in the MCAC Eastern Division, Cusick has earned Special Teams Player-of-the-Week for his Week 6 performance.
Other Notable Performances Around the Eastern Division:
Central Lakes defensive back Nush Harris had three interceptions in the Raiders win over Itasca Community College.
Rochester CTC defensive standouts Brandon Perce and Jamel Smith combined for 31 tackles against Mesabi Range. They are both ranked in the Top 5 nationally in Tackles-Per-Game in the NJCAA.
Josh Herbert, a defensive back at Itasca Community College, had a 44-yard interception return against CLC along with a pair of solo tackles and an assist.
Both Thomas Smith and Eric Grant had interceptions for Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College in their 22-18 loss to Vermilion Community College on Saturday.
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.