Rochester, Mn-
In Week 8 of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference football season, all squads wrapped up their non-Divisional schedules with a final cross-Division contest. After completion of the games on Saturday, eight teams prepared for the MCAC Playoffs, which begin on Sunday, October 29th. Strong individual performances were found in several contests as the fall seasons begins to wind down; the best of those who were nominated have been tabbed as Players-of-the-Week in the eighth weekly edition of MCAC Football.
MCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Week, Western Division:
Western Division top-seed Dakota College-Bottineau served up another strong offensive output in their last regular season contest of 2017. Dakota College running back Elijah Todd rushed his way to 172 yards rushing on just 20 attempts, clocking in at an average of over eight yards per carry. Todd, a sophomore from Springfield, Ohio, accounted for two touchdowns and a two-point conversion for the Jacks against Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College in a 34-0 win. With his dominant rushing performance, Todd, remains in the NJCAA top 5 nationally in yards-per-game and rushing touchdowns. The Jacks remain at 5-0 in the Division and rise to 7-1 overall on the MCAC season. In the MCAC quarterfinal playoff round, Dakota College will host Ridgewater College on Sunday, 10/29. The contest will kickoff at Noon in Bottineau.
MCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week, Western Division:
The Northland Pioneer offense has been putting up some impressive statistics this fall MCAC play; however, in Week 8, Northland defensive back Damian Francis put up a host of strong numbers of his own in NCTC's 39-12 win over Itasca CC this past Saturday. Francis, a sophomore from New Iberia, Louisiana, had 8 total tackles for the Northland defense, including five solo stops. Two of his tackles were behind the line of scrimmage, accounting for 16 yards, to go along with a fumble recovery and an interception that was returned 47 yards. Francis and Northland will face North Dakota State College of Science next week, hosting a first round playoff game in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, for a 1:30pm contest against the Wildcats.
MCAC Special Teams Player-of-the-Week, Western Division:
M State kicking specialist Jordan Foss performed well across a range of duties on Saturday in the Spartans 37-22 loss against Central Lakes College. Foss was 2-of-3 in the PAT category and he connected from 28 yards in his only field goal attempt. Foss also kicked off five times for over 150 yards and a touchback. Lining up as a punter, Foss hit four punts for 144 yards, with a long of 52 and two kicks were downed inside the opponents twenty-yard line. M State concludes it's season with a 1-4 Divisional mark and a 1-7 overall record for 2017.
Quarterfinal Contests & Kickoff Times for MCAC Football on Sunday, October 29th, 2017:
Ridgewater College at Dakota College-Bottineau, Bottineau, ND. Kickoff at Noon.
Vermilion Community College at Central Lakes College, Brainerd, Mn. Kickoff at 1:30pm
Mesabi Range College at Rochester Community & Technical College, Rochester, Mn. Kickoff at 1:30pm
North Dakota State College of Science at Northland Community & Technical College, Thief River Falls, Mn. Kick-off at 1:30pm
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.