MCAC Football Final Regular Season Weekend Awaits

Posted: Oct 18, 2019

Winona, MN-

With the final round of football contests in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, one game will showcase two of the top teams in NJCAA Football, while several teams will battle for post-season positioning.

Mesabi Range College (7-0 Overall / 5-0 East) and North Dakota State College of Science (6-1 Overall / 4-0 West) are both the #1 seeds in their Divisions and have the top seeds wrapped up, regardless of their result tomorrow.

However, their 1:30pm showdown in Wahpeton could prove to be one of the top NJCAA games of the year, as both squads bring tough defense and explosive offenses to the table. Mesabi Range scored 64 points in their Week Seven win, the highest Norsemen output of the year. For the Wildcats, their defensive corps has proven to be a strength this fall, posting a shutout over M State and holding both Minnesota West and Dakota College-Bottineau to six points in Wildcat wins. With top seeds and home field advantage already established for next week, nationally-ranked NDSCS and Mesabi Range will be able to focus on closing out the 2019 MCAC regular season in a top 20 showdown.

In the Eastern Division, Itasca Community College (6-2 Overall / 3-2 East) and Rochester Community & Technical College (5-2 Overall / 3-2 East) are the #2 and #3 seeds respectively, and cannot move,regardless of RCTC's result tomorrow. Itasca - who has a bye this week - holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Rochester based on a come-from-behind 32-28 win over RCTC in Week Seven. However, RCTC will be looking to pick up some momentum and close out their 2019 regular season with a win on the road at M State-Fergus Falls on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:30pm in Fergus Falls for the Spartans - Yellowjackets matchup.

Recently, the NJCAA announced that MCAC members Central Lakes College and Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College were required to forfeit contests from earlier this season, due to the use of an ineligible players in those games. With the forfeit wins and losses factored in, both Central Lakes and Vermilion Community College now have the opportunity to earn the #4 spot in the East.

Vermilion holds the tiebreaker with a 2-0 forfeit win over Central Lakes. If both CLC and VCC lose, or both win, Vermilion is the #4. Additionally, if Vermilion wins and Central Lakes loses, Vermilion is the #4. If Vermilion loses and Central Lakes wins, Central Lakes will advance to the fourth and final playoff spot. Vermilion will host Dakota-Bottineau in Ely this Saturday with a 1:30pm kickoff time; Central Lakes will host Northland in Brainerd on Saturday. The play-off bound Pioneers and Raiders will kick off at 1:30pm.

Minnesota West and Northland Community & Technical College will be in the #2 and #3 spots in the West and will play each other in post-season.

However, final seeds and game site are up for grabs this Saturday. Should MnWest win at Fond du Lac tomorrow, the Blue Jays will finish 5-3 Overall and 2-2 in the West, earning the #2 seed and hosting rights, regardless of the Northland result. If MnWest were to fall to the Thunder, and Northland wins over Central Lakes, both programs would at finish at 4-4 overall, 2-2 in the Division. The Pioneers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with a 27-26 win over MnWest in Week Five. The MnWest-FDLTCC game is scheduled for a 2:30pm kickoff; CLC and Northland will start at 1:30pm.

The final post-season participant is Dakota-Bottineau, who is the #4 in the West and cannot move up or down, regardless of their result on Saturday. The 'Jacks had Mother Nature intervene in their schedule last week, as a blizzard in North Dakota canceled the DCB - M State contest; the Dakota-Bottineau will be looking to re-capture the form that led them to their 38-7 win over Northland in Week Four. They will take on Vermilion in Ely with a 1:30pm kickoff time on Saturday.

FDLTCC and M State cannot qualify for the post-season, regardless of their result tomorrow. Both the Thunder and the Spartans will be looking to play the role of spoilers and with an eye on next year, as they host MnWest and RCTC, respectively.

For all things Football in the MCAC, please visit: https://www.mcacsports.org/sports/fball/index

The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system, as well as select member colleges in North Dakota and Wisconsin. 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.

For more information, visit www.mcacsports.org

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