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Yellowjacket Football News
Former Yellowjacket Odim having success at UMD
http://www.umdbulldogs.com/teams-football.php?id=3922&page=news
Former Lau Named Athlete of the week for the University of Mary
November 3, 2008
Bismarck, ND – An outstanding effort against a nationally ranked opponent and a strong performance in relief of an injured teammate earned Megan Hellrung and Henry Lau the Marauders Student-Athlete of the Week honors for the week ending November 2. Megan Hellrung’s first goal of the season allowed U-Mary to strike first in a 1-1 tie at third-ranked and NSIC regular season champion Winona State. The sophomore defender from Arvada, CO, also cleared a ball off the goal line to prevent a WSU goal. The tie with the Marauders is the only Northern Sun game WSU failed to win this season.
Henry Lau entered Saturday’s football game at Bemidji State on the second series of the game after an injury to the Marauders starting quarterback and proceeded to throw for a season-high 288 yards. A junior from Menomonee, WI, Lau completed 18-of-43 passes for one touchdown. He did not throw an interception in the 31-10 loss.
The Marauders Student-Athlete of the Week award honors outstanding U-Mary performances. Each week, the University of Mary selects a male and female student-athlete for the honor.
ROCHESTER AMATEUR SPORTS COMMISSION NEWS RELEASE
RCTC selected to play in first North Star Bowl
Rochester Community and Technical College's 2008 football season isn't over yet. The Yellowjackets, who were eliminated from the Minnesota Athletic Conference football playoffs last weekend by virtue of a coin flip, have been selected to play in the first North Star Bowl on Nov. 22 at the UCR Regional Stadium on the RCTC campus. The bowl is being hosted by the Rochester Amateur Sports Commission.RCTC, with a 7-2 record, will enter the four-team North Star Bowl as an at-large berth. It's the first school selected to play in the bowl, which was formed for Division III or non-scholarship junior colleges. The other three will be determined when their playoffs are over. The top two teams in the Minnesota Athletic Conference playoffs will automatically advance. Another at-large team from outside Minnesota will be chosen.
In Minnesota, only two teams from the south and two from the north were eligible for the state playoffs. RCTC finished in a tie with Central Lakes and Minnesota West in the south. The tie was broken by coin flips and RCTC was the odd team out.
The Minnesota playoffs will begin Saturday with Central Lakes (7-2) at Vermilion (7-2) and Mesabi Range (4-5) at Minnesota West (7-2). The winners will play for the state title on Nov. 8 and both the winner and loser of that game will advance to the North Star Bowl in Rochester.
Selecting RCTC to play in the bowl was a "no brainer," said Bob Brown, chair of an independent selection committee made up of former and past Rochester sports media people. The Yellowjackets, 20th in the latest national junior college football poll, are the only nationally ranked team in Minnesota after winning their last four games. The four schools that did make the state playoffs aren't ranked. Tradition is also on RCTC's side. The Yellowjackets are the defending state and Division III national champions and had played in the past 12 state title games, winning nine.
RCTC finished the 2007 season with an 11-0 record, but wasn't invited to a bowl game.
The two North Star Bowl games will be played on Nov. 22, the first starting at 10 a.m. and the second at 2:15 p.m. Pairings will be announced when all teams are determined.
NORTH STAR BOWL SELECTION COMMITTEE
Chairman: Bob Brown
Ed Rauen
Pat Lund
Greg Henn
Bob Fox
RCTC Earns Tri-Division Championship but loses coin flip for playoffs
http://www.kttc.com/Global/story.asp?S=9241286&nav=menu1348_4
10-25-08 RCTC WINS #7
The #22 ranked Rochester Yellowjackets took destiny into their own hands today as they beat the #15 Minnesota West Bluejays 38-19 at UCR Regional Stadium. A beautiful, sunny 50 degree fall day fit right in to the Yellowjacket plan of staying in the MCAC playoff hunt. Two different scenarios would enable the Yellowjackets to enter the playoffs. Because of the win, RCTC is now tied with Minnesota West and Central Lakes for first place in the Southern Division. A coin flip will be held at noon on Sunday to determine who the “odd man out” is for the playoffs. Once that is determined, a head to head scenario is used to determine who is the number 1 seed and the number 2 seed in the Southern Division.
RCTC didn’t waste any time getting on the board as for the second week in a row, a no-huddle attack proved too much for the opposing defense to handle. RB Seth Karlsrud got RCTC on the board with 11:15 left in the first quarter with a 15-yard scoring run. Minnesota West answered right back as a blown RCTC coverage enabled Korkow to get behind the defensive backs and QB Lou Garfield hit him in stride for a 48-yard TD pass with 5:32 remaining in the first quarter. RCTC moved the ball well, but the score remained 7-7 until the first play of the second quarter when Karlsrud scored his second TD, this one from 2 yards out to put RCTC up 14-7 with 14:56 left in the 2nd quarter. Not to be outdone, West scored again, but missed the extra point. This TD was a 2-yard run by Maddox. On RCTC’s next drive RB Donte Holland scored from 1 yard out and the extra point by Mike Kusnierz made it 21-13 in favor of RCTC. The Yellowjackets weren’t done yet. An INT gave RCTC good field position and they capitalized. QB Stephen Owens connected with WR Anthony Aker from 4 yards out for a TD with 2:57 remaining in the half to put RCTC up 28-13, a lead they would take into halftime.
RCTC got a big defensive stop to start out the 2nd half of play and the offense turned up the tempo right away. Owens found Aker again, this time from 26-yards out for a 35-13 lead that put the game out of reach. Mike Kusnierz would add a 36-yard field goal on RCTC’s next drive to put the Yellowjackets up 38-13. West’s Garfield capped off the scoring with a 2-yard run with 12:50 remaining in the contest.
For the game, RCTC had 20 first downs, rushed for 248 yards and passed for 185 yards for a total of 433 yards on the day. QB Stephen Owens was 10-16 with 2 TDs and 1 INT. Karlsrud led the ground attack with 23 carries for 138 yards and 2 TD’s. Anthony Aker was Owens’ favorite target on the day as they connected 4 times for 75 yards and 2 TD’s. The RCTC defense gave up 246 yards in the air but only 19 yards on the ground and it was evident on the first two drives that the defensive line and linebacker corps would not be giving up any big gains on the ground for the second week in a row. Clayton Davis, Percy Turner and Trevor Glomski each had an INT in the contest.
With the win, RCTC is now tied with Central Lakes and Minnesota West. A coin flip will be held at noon on Sunday in Austin, MN to determine who the “odd man out” is for the playoffs. Once that is determined, a head to head scenario is used to determine who is the number 1 seed and the number 2 seed in the Southern Division. Vermilion has already locked up the #1 seed in the North Division and Mesabi Range will be the #2 seed in the North Division.
10-18-08 Home Sweet Home for RCTC Again
The RCTC Yellowjackets found HOME to be a great place again as they stayed undefeated at UCR Regional Stadium with a convincing 41-7 win over the Ridgewater Warriors. Both teams came into the contest with 5-2 records and fighting for their playoff lives. This game was geared as one of the better matchups in the nation and had some hype to it as Ridgewater’s RB Alex McLaughlin came in as the leading rusher in the NJCAA in yards per game and the RCTC Defense was ranked #1 against the run in yards per game. Something had to give.
RCTC’s Defense did their part in holding McLaughlin to 38 yards rushing on the night and Ridgewater to a net 54 yards rushing in the contest. This forced Ridgewater to come out of their comfort zone and pass the ball. The Yellowjackets took advantage of it all night as RCTC had 6 different players record INT”s and had constant pressure on QB Justin Koenen from the defensive line and linebacker corps. RCTC’s offense jumped on the Ridgewater defense as they scored a TD on their opening drive. QB Stephen Owens hit WR Anthony Aker for a 21 yard TD strike down the east sideline with 12:27 left in the first quarter. RCTC never looked back. With a 3 and out by the defense, Owens and Aker hooked up again. This time it was a 15 yard scoring play again on the east sideline. A second 3 and out by the defense gave the ball back to RCTC. The offense responded by getting into scoring position. No touchdown this time, but Mr. Consistent Mike Kusnierz buried a 39-yard field goal into the wind with 5:34 left in the first to give RCTC a quick 17-0 nothing lead. RCTC’s defense wasn’t done as on the second play of the next drive they sacked QB Justin Koenen and forced a fumble, giving the offense yet another chance for more points. The offense responded with a nice drive that culminated with RB Seth Karlsrud scoring on a 12-yard run to put RCTC up 24-0 with 3:21 left in the first quarter. The second quarter went scoreless, but it was RCTC that was in complete control. Ridgewater’s offense had given up 2 INT’s, a sack that forced a fumble and 24 unanswered points. Ridgewater’s only scoring threat came after a blocked punt, but a Clayton Davis interception at the 1 yard line negated the Warriors chances.
For the second week in a row, RCTC got points on its opening drive of the 2nd half. Mike Zusnierz hit a 20-yard field goal with 12:12 left in the 3rd quarter. With the nice drive, it put away any doubt that Ridgewater may crawl back into this game as RCTC now led 27-0. More stellar defense by the Yellowjackets and a nice punt return by Seth Karlsrud set up RCTC’s next score. Not only did Karlsrud have a nice punt return but he went right up the middle of the Ridgewater defense on a trap play that went for a 22-yard score to put RCTC up 34-0 with 7:22 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Ridgewater got their lone score of the night when RB Alex McLaughlin scampered into the end zone on a 14 yard TD run. The run was his longest of the night and put the score 34-7 with 4:15 remaining in the 3rd quarter. QB Dominic Pahl sealed the victory and put RCTC’s last points on the board as time expired in the 3rd quarter as he went around right end for a nifty 19 yard TD run.
With the RCTC win, Ridgewater is knocked out of the playoff hunt. It also got RCTC 1 more game closer to the playoffs. RCTC (6-2) needs to beat Minnesota West (7-1) next Saturday at home to get a shot at the MCAC Playoffs. With a win and a Central Lakes loss, RCTC would get the #1 seed and Minnesota West would get the #2 seed from the Southern Division. Should RCTC Win and Central Lakes win, it would put RCTC, Central Lakes and Minnesota West all at 10 points. Since all teams would then have beat each other (CLC over RCTC, RCTC over MW, MW over CLC) it would cause a coin-flip to determine who advances for the Southern Division.
GAME TIME FOR THE MINNESOTA WEST GAME ON OCTOBER 25TH HAS BEEN MOVED TO 2PM.
10-11-08 RCTC Rolls over MSCTC-Fergus Falls
The RCTC Yellowjackets boosted their record to 5-2 today with a win over MSCTC-Fergus Falls 37-3. Defense and special teams stole the show early in this game and the offense came alive in the second have to get RCTC within 2 wins of guaranteeing an MCAC Playoff Berth. Penalties, missed blocks and other missed opportunities by RCTC kept Fergus Falls in the game in the first half when RCTC could have been up 28-0.
RB Seth Karlsrud opened up the scoring for RCTC on a nifty 28 yard run with 1:57 left in the first quarter. After a 3 and out by the stellar RCTC Defense, Mike Kusnierz made his first of 3 FG’s on the day. This one was a 24 yarder with 13:14 remaining in the 2nd quarter to put the Jackets up 10-0. Kusnierz’s 2nd FG of the day was his longest. This one was good from 41 yards out with plenty of leg left put RCTC up 13-0 with 5:03 remaining in the first half. With 1:30 left in the half, Kusnierz hit his 3rd FG this time from 27 yards out. At the half it was RCTC 16-0 and with the way the defense was playing, RCTC clearly had this game in control even with the FG’s instead of TD’s.
The second half proved to be a better half for RCTC’s Offense as they drove the field and scored on their first possession. RB Ben Anderson scored on a 2 yard TD run with 11:30 left in the 3rd quarter. A big play on this drive was a key scramble by QB Stephen Owens down to the 2. After a MSCTC-FF turnover early in the 4th quarter, QB Dominic Pahl threw a 5-yard TD strike to WR Howard Risher with 10:13 remaining in the 4th quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, WR Tyree Boyd stripped the ball from a Spartan kick returner and gave RCTC excellent field position. Two plays later, Pahl hit Boyd down the right sideline on a 25 yard TD reception for RCTC’s finals score of the day with 8:29 remaining in the contest.
The RCTC defense was stellar all day limiting Fergus Falls to 32 yards total offense. It appeared to be a shutout going late into the 4th quarter, but slippery footing on an attempted punt lost 12 yards for Cody Rejda and the punt unit. Following the lost yards was a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct which put Fergus Falls into Field Goal Range and Diaz hit a 42 yarder with 3:56 left in the game without getting a first down on that drive. Fergus Falls only had 2 first downs compared to RCTC’s 18 on the day and RCTC’s Offense racked up 231 yards rushing and 140 through the air for a total of 371 yards of offense.
Special Teams was also dominant on the day as Jauheim Byrd had 2 KO returns for 14 yards, DeAndre Jackson had a KO return for 10 yards and Howard Risher tallied a whopping 114 yards on 5 punt returns. Mike Kusnierz was a perfect 4-4 on PAT’s and was 3-4 for FG’s (24, 41, 27). Mike’s only miss was a 47 yard attempt that hit the left goal post and may have been good from 55 yards out.
RCTC (5-2) now looks forward to hosting 2 home games as they make a run for the playoffs. Saturday, October 18th at 6pm the Jackets will host the Ridgewater Warriors (5-2) at 6pm at the UCR Regional Stadium. As the last 2 weeks of the regular season come to a close, the Southern Division has 4 teams separated by 2 points: Central Lakes 12, Minnesota West 12, Ridgewater 11 and Rochester 10. Rochester can control its own destiny by beating Ridgewater and Minnesota West to get one of the 2 playoff berths from the Southern Division.
10-8-08 RCTC FB Participates in Walk to School Day
For the 4th year, RCTC Football participated in Walk to School Day with Rochester Public Schools. Elton Hills Elementary and Hoover Elementary were the two schools that Yellowjacket players were invited to go to and “walk to school” with the elementary students. Walk to School Day is held every fall to motivate children to walk to school and be active to fight childhood obesity. “Colleen Landherr does a great job of getting RCTC out into the community through our programs here at RCTC, and it’s hard to match her enthusiasm for young men and women,” Coach Brad LaPlante said. “This is a great opportunity for our Football Program to be out in the community and support our youth in town. It’s also a great opportunity for our players to interact and teach the youth about being healthy, getting exercise and being excited about life and the opportunities that are presented to each and every one of us.” A special thank you goes out to Colleen for setting us up with this great event and also to the both staffs at Hoover and Elton Hills Elementary Schools.
10-8-08 Former RCTC Kicker Rhys Lloyd on pace to set an NFL Record
http://www.twincities.com/walters
10-6-08 RCTC FB Visits Ronald McDonald House
Assistant Football Coach Ken Navitsky and players Trevor Glomski, Carey Poarch, Curtis Perry, David Farrey, Eric Walechka and Brandon Beilke visited the Ronald McDonald House today. The Yellowjackets had an opportunity to meet children and their families staying there while they are getting treatment at the Mayo Clinic. Players had a chance to play “Guitar Hero,” Playstation games, sign autographs and interact with these truly wonderful people. This is one of the many activities that the Yellowjacket Football Program does throughout the year to say thanks to the Community and welcome people to Rochester and enjoy time outside of football. Coach Navitsky says “I was so proud of our young men last night at the Ronald McDonald house. This was truly the best that we had to offer. The boys were courteous, kind, and more than uplifting to all of those around them. I feel this is what makes us as a team special, and our boys handled themselves with grace and class. The most pointed moment of the night was when one gentleman who has been in town for months with his son (Tim) battling cancer approached us as we left and said to them how much our involvement with his son has met to him and his battle with this horrible disease. As I watched this very large intimidating man fighting back tears as he spoke to our boys, I realized that we as a team have made a big difference in our community, and that is what it is all about. This is a relationship that we have allowed to grow, and because of this growth, we are truly doing what so many only speak of, really making a difference. Who would have thought something as simple as just letting some families come out to practice, and allowing them entrance to our games would have such a profound effect.” A special thanks to our players and especially to Coach Navitsky for setting up and creating the relationships with these great people at the Ronald McDonald House.
10-4-08 FAMILY DAY BRINGS CROWD AND A VICTORY FOR YELLOWJACKETS
RCTC celebrated Family Day with a 22-7 win over the Mesabi Range Ironmen. A great crowd cheered on the Yellowjackets to their 4th victory of the 2008 season! The win puts RCTC right on track for a playoff run with 3 Southern Division games left (MSCTC Fergus Falls, Ridgewater, Minnesota West) in the regular season. RCTC got the scoring going in the game with 8:50 left in the 1st quarter as QB Stephen Owens hit WR Anthony Aker for a 9 yard TD pass. A bad snap on the ensuing PAT attempt led to a failed run by QB/WR Dominic Pahl. With 0:32 remaining in the first, K Mike Kusnierz hit his first of 3 field goals on the day. His first was from 42 yards out and put RCTC up 9-0. A second field goal, this one from 35 yards out with 8:22 remaining in the 2nd quarter put RCTC up 12-0. The Yellowjackets attempted an on-side kick but it failed giving the Norseman great field position inside of the RCTC 50. Great defensive play, as was evident all day by the Navy/Gold held Mesabi from getting any points. After trading possessions RCTC fumbled an option pitch giving Mesabi Range good field position inside the 25 yard line. With 1:54 left to play in the half, Bounds took in a 5-yard pass from Robinson and with the extra point, Mesabi was only behind 12-7 even though RCTC’s defense had been stellar throughout the whole first half. 12-7 ended up being the half time score with both defenses playing spectacular ball and RCTC’s special teams shining. The first half was highlighted by 2 nice Cody Rejda punts inside the 15 yard line of the Norseman, 2 field goals by Kusnierz and good punt/kickoff coverage by RCTC.
The second half was much of the same as the first as both defenses continued to dominate. The only score of the 3rd quarter was a 42-yard field goal by Kusnierz, his third of the day. In the fourth quarter QB Stephen Owens hit WR Tyler Mckee for a 34 yard TD pass with 14:54 remaining in the game. Turnovers, penalties and stellar defensive play limited scoring by both sides. For the day RCTC had 12 penalties for 118 yards and Mesabi Range tallied 9 penalties for 75 yards. RCTC lost 3 fumbles and recovered 2 while Mesabi Range fumbled 3 and recovered 3 on the day. RCTC had 1 INT thrown and Clayton Davis and Joe Geike both intercepted Mesabi Range passes on the day. RCTC’s Kevin Hughes, Eric Wallechka and Harold Pringled (Defensive Line) along with Trevor Glomski, Matt McCollom and Stephen Barnes (Linebackers) patrolled the middle of the stout Yellowjacket defense that held Mesabi Range to -15 yards rushing on the day and had good pressure on Mesabi Range’s passing game.
For the game, RCTC tallied 16 first downs to Mesabi Range’s 10 and held the advantage on the ground game 102 yards to -15. RCTC also held a slight advantage through the air with 152 yards to 133. QB Stephen Owens completed 13 of his 25 attempts for 152 yards, 2 TD’s and one INT off of a tipped ball. The time of possession was in Rochester’s favor as they controlled over 38:00 of the game.
RCTC 4-2 (4 points) goes on its final road game next week as they face MSCTC-Fergus Falls (1-5) in a Southern Division match up that will be sure to have playoff implication for the Yellowjackets.
- Offensive Summary (PDF)
9-27-08 RCTC Loses to Undefeated Central Lakes College
RCTC (3-1) traveled today to Brainerd, MN to face the Central Lakes College Raiders (4-0) in a MCAC Southern Division match up that was set up to be a great showdown. RCTC played CLC twice in 2007 beating them 31-20 in the last game of the regular season and then a second time in the State Championship Game 39-18 to capture the MCCC State Championship in 2007. This contest had a lot riding on it as CLC was ranked #13 in the Nation, and RCTC was ranked #16. CLC got on the board on their first possession. QB Beehler found WR Novak for a 12 yard scoring strike with 12:15 remaining in the first quarter. RCTC’s first possession found them on the scoreboard too, but only with 3 points as Mike Kusnierz P/K hit a 24 yard field goal. Jauheim Byrd had a long kick return into CLC territory to spark the start of that drive. CLC and RCTC traded possessions until Beehler found Leach this time on a 43-yard pitch and catch with 5:56 left in the 1st quarter. The Yellowjackets next possession ended when QB Stephen Owens found Wr Anthony Aker for a 13 yard scoring completion. A high snap eluded to a blocked extra point leaving the score 14-9 with 2:24 left in the 1st quarter. RCTC’s defense from the late first quarter on played very well against a talented Central Lakes Offense previously ranked #1 in the Southern Division. The only other score that CLC would get in the first half would be an 80 yard return of a blocked field goal. Leading up to the field goal attempt, the Jackets had the ball inside the Raiders 15 yard line but 2 consecutive penalties pushed RCTC’s offense back and forced them to attempt a field goal. A missed block on the left edge enabled the kick to be blocked and Starr rand the kick back for a huge momentum boost for CLC. Had RCTC made the field goal, it would have been 14-12 in favor of CLC but momentum most certainly was going to RCTC At the time. Late in the 2nd quarter RCTC got back into the red zone once again but again didn't find the end zone and settled for a 35 yard field goal by Kusnierz again to round out the first half 20-12.
The second half didn’t bring as much scoring as the first half, but there was never any lack of excitement if you were a fan at this contest! Both teams traded possessions, were stopped inside the opponents 30 yard line, had turnovers and both defenses played very well. The 3rd quarter saw no scoring from either team leaving it 20-12. With 7:29 remaining in the contest Taute had a nice 11 yard run around left end to put CLC up 26-12. The ensuing 2 point conversion try was intercepted in the end zone by DB Fred Ominde. RCTC did have 2 TD’s in the hands of their WR’s in the 4th quarter only to see them drop to the ground. With 2:32 to play QB Stephen Owens hit WR DeAndre Jackson down the right side line for a 35 yard TD off of a fade pattern. That score was set up by LB Matt McCollom’s forced fumble on CLC’s prior offensive possession. With the score, RCTC came to within 7 at 26-19 but never did get the ball back in the offense’s hands again.
With the win CLC’s record jumps to 5-0 and a lead in playoff points (6) in the Southern Division. RCTC will have its hands full the rest of the way as they drop to 3-2 (3 points) and will be in 3rd place after Minnesota West and Ridgewater both posted their 4th wins today as well. Currently RCTC is in 3rd place in the Southern Division and needs to get to at least the 2nd spot to be invited to the MCAC Playoffs which start November 1st. RCTC next plays October 4th (Family Day) at home vs. Mesabi Range (3-2) at 1:30pm.
RCTC Gets 3rd Win vs. Fon Du Lac 9-20-08
RCTC got its 3rd win today 30-28 vs. a Fon Du Lac team that would not quit. The win puts RCTC’s record at 3-1 and in 2nd place in the Southern Division with a big game coming up next Saturday. Fon Du Lac got on the board first afer two big down conversions kept their drive going. A 20 yard FG by Brik with 11:12 put FDL up 3-0. The lead would be short lived as Rochester got a nice KO return by Jauheim Byrd. A nice screen pass from QB Stephen Owens to RB Seth Karlsrud on 3rd and long for a gain of 37 yards got the Jackets’ momentum rolling and the drive was later capped of by RB Vincent Wydemyer with an 11 yard run. The RCTC defense shut out the Thunder for the remainder of the 1st quarter in which the Jackets capitalized with a 3 yard run by RB Will Christopherson with 0:26 remaining in the 1st quarter to put RCTC up 14-3 after 1 quarter.
RCTC would go ahead 17-3 after K Mike Kupsnierz hit a nice 39 yard field goal with 3:56 left in the first half. Two other Jacket drives were nullified by penalties which seemed to be the story of the day for RCTC’s offense and Special Teams Units. The Yellowjackets were penalized 15 times for 133 yards. Fon Du Lac had 9 penalties for 60 yards. Fon Du Lac got a late score in the first half when RCTC had a blown coverage as a 24 yard TD completion from Hall to Lofgren rounded out the scoring for the half to bring the score 17-10 in favor of RCTC.
The 3rd quarter found RCTC and FDL both scoreless as they traded possessions and turnovers. Costly fumbles twice neglected RTC to score inside of FDL territory. Other costly penalties on 2 punt returns negated 2 very short fields for the RCTC Offense. The 4th quarter started out with RCTC jumping ahead again with a 15 yard run by Christopherson, his second of the day and Kusnierz’s second field goal, this one 28 yards. With 11:19 left in the 3rd quarter, the Yellowjackets found themselves up 27-10 and looking much in control of the contest. More penalties and yet another fumble just wouldn’t let RCTC run away with the game. With 8:09 left in the game, Hall completed a 54 yard TD strike to Little to bring FDL within 10 pts at 27-17. A huge sack and caused fumble by Tyler Grapp resulted in a FG for the Jackets as Kusnierz made his 3rd of the day, this time from 22 yards out to put RCTC up 30-17 with 2:19 to play . Again FDL made it interesting as a batted ball by two RCTC defenders ended up in Lofgren’s hands for a 25 yard scoring play with 0:23 remaining in the contest. The on-side kick was recovered by RCTC’s Jauheim Byrd and RCTC was able to run out the clock.
#16 RCTC (3-1) now travels to #13 Central Lakes (4-0) in Brainerd, MN for a huge MCAC Southern Division Matchup. Stats for the MCAC can be found at: http://www.mnwest.edu/mcac/football/ and the NJCAA Stats can be found at:
www.njcaa.org <http://www.njcaa.org> .
- Offensive summary (PDF)
- Defensive summary (PDF)
RCTC Wins Big at Homecoming 9-13-08
The RCTC Yellowjackets won in a huge fashion 60-0 today as there were plenty of fireworks LITERALLY surrounding the Yellowjackets first home game at UCR Regional Stadium. This week was homecoming week and all teams (Soccer, Volleyball, Golf) including football had great weeks with individual and team successes throughout the events being held on campus (disc golf tourney, rock concert, grill out for students and staff). Prior to the game vs. Itasca, there was a stadium dedication which included RCTC Administration, Members of the City Council and the Chancellor of the MNSCU System. The excitement of the pre-game dedication led right into the action of the game as RCTC didn’t take long to get its first score of the day. After a muffed opening kickoff by Itasca and a recovery by RCTC, RB Seth Karlsrud got the Jackets on the board with 11:42 remaining in the first quarter with a 5-yard run around right end. With 8:47 remaining in the first Mike Kusnierz got the Jackets on the board again with a 30 yard field goal, one of his 4 on the day. RCTC’s next score came with 13:14 left in the 2nd quarter when QB Carey Parch connected with Phillip Henderson on a 30 yard pass play. Continued defensive dominance in the 2nd quarter allowed the offense to get many plays in. Vince Wydermyer tapped into the scoring column with a 5 yard run with 3:23 remaining in the half. Itasca tried running out the clock but a stout Jacket defense caused a fumble with 0:04 to play in the half. Kusnierz was money from 42 yards out at time expired in the half leaving RCTC ahead 27-0 at the half.
At halftime, the 2007 Yellowjackets were recognized with a banner for the 2007 NJCAA DIII National Championship and their 12-0 undefeated season!!!!
The 3rd quarter brought more of the same dominance from RCTC as the Jackets outscored Itasca 16-0 on the 3rd. Kusnierz hit his 3rd field goal of the day, this one a 35 yarder with 8:50 left in the 3rd. Next up was Dominick Pahl scoring on a 28 yard pass from QB Stephen Owens with 1:27 left in the 3rd. A Yellowjacket recovery of a botched kickoff led to the final score of the 3rd quarter as RB Will Christopherson scored on a nifty 32 yard run around right end. All-State and home town RB Mario Butler saw his first significan action of 2008 and made the most of it as he scored two TD’s in the 4th quarter. The first was a 1 yard run off left tackle with 14:12 left in the 4th quarter and the second was a shifty 32 yard run with 2:19 remaining in the contest. The only other score of the game was a 40-yard field goal from Kusnierz with 7:06 left in the game.
Overall RCTC led in every statistical cagetory with 26 first downs, 332 yards rushing and 447 total yards while the Vikings were held to 6 first downs, 25 yards rushing and 54 total yards. The #20 NJCAA Ranked Yellowjackets (2-1) will now travel next Saturday to Cloquet for a 2:30pm start vs. Fon Du Lac (0-3).
- Offensive summary (PDF)
- Defensive summary (PDF)
RCTC Falls to Vermilion 9-6-08
Coming off a big win vs. Northland 35-28, RCTC was looking to get a fast start vs. a tough Vermilion Ironmen team. RCTC’s offense struggled to get going in the first quarter getting only 1 first down. RCTC’s only score came on a great play by Freshman LB Johnathan Price (Alvin, TX). Price intercepted an Ironmen pass and got 2 nice blocks along the way to paydirt as he returned the INT for a 90 yard score with 6:59 to play in the first quarter. Vermilion got on the board on their next position as RB Stanley went in from 4 yards out with 4:16 in the first quarter. RCTC did block the extra point to keep the score at 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. An RCTC miscue on a punt snap over the head of the punter led to a safety with 7:36 left in the 2nd quarter. Punter Cody Rejda (Sophomore-Lincoln, NE) kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone to save a possible touchdown for Vermilion. With 1:25 left in the half, Vermilion struck again with a 44 yard pass to WR Johnson from QB Yan Cyr. The extra point was good making the score 15-7 at the half. RCTC’s defense in the first half stopped the Ironmen 4 times inside the 40 yard line and did a great job as Vermilion had 54 plays in the first half to RCTC’s 24.
RCTC’s 3rd quarter proved to be its strongest one of the season as the offense started moving the ball against Vermilion’s blitzing defense. Mike Kusnierz opened the 2nd half scoring with a 23-yard field goal with 6:00 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Even though it was the only score of the quarter, momentum was in RCTC’s favor after a strong defensive showing (0 points given up) and the offense started consistently moving the ball. In the 4th quarter the defensive dominance continued and held time after time to keep RCTC in the game. The lone score that Vermilion got in the 4th quarter was an 11 yard pass from Cyr to Rice with 7:14 remaining in the game. An earlier 4th down inside the 30 proved to be costly as RCTC had stopped Vermilion on 4th and long but had a personal foul that continued the drive and ended up in Rice’s TD. A huge kick return by RB Seth Karlsrud got RCTC back in Ironmen territory all the way to the 28 of Vermilion. On the first play from scrimmage, QB Stephen Owens (Freshman-Alvin, TX) hooked up with WR Howard Risher (Freshman-Houston, TX) for a 28 yard post pattern that resulted in a TD with 7:02 in the game to put the score at 21-16 after RCTC failed on its 2-point attempt. A later drive in the 4th quarter got the Jackets all the way inside the Vermilion 15 yard line, but a second costly personal foul on a QB sneak put RCTC’s offense at 1st and 25 instead of 1st and 10 and they could not rebound to get a first down. With the clock winding down, the Jackets were in field goal range but were forced to go for the first down needing a touchdown to go ahead.
With the loss, RCTC drops to 1-1 and Vermilion’s record goes to 1-1. RCTC’s #10 ranking dropped to #20 with the loss as they look towards homecoming, the UCR Regional Stadium Dedication and a celebration of the 2007 NJCAA DIII National Championship at home next Saturday when they take on the Itasca Vikings at 3pm.
8-30-08
The RCTC Yellowjackets opened the 2008 Season with a 35-28 victory over a tough Northland Pioneer team. This game was projected as a good matchup as RCTC was Pre-Season NJCAA Ranked # 10 and Northland was ranked #26. Rochester didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard as they marched down the field on their opening possession. QB Carey Poarch(Freshman-Houston TX) connected with Pre-Season All-American WR Anthony Aker (Sophomore-Brown Deer, WI) on a fade pattern for a gain of 30 + yards on the first play from scrimmage. With 13:43 left in the 1st quarter RB Seth Karlsrud (Sophomore-Red Wing, MN) scored on a 20 yard pass from Poarch. This was the only score of the quarter and with a Mike Kusnierz (Freshman-Kimberly, WI) extra point kick, it left the Yellowjackets up 7-0 after the first. An RCTC miscue let Northland get on the board as Hicks returned a fumble 21 yards for a score with 7:44 remaining in the first half. After a 3 and out, Northland’s Anderson took a run around left end and broke several tackles for a 64 yards score with 5:30 left in the 2nd quarter. RCTC’s next drive would be an important one to put them up at the half 14-12. Poarch this time connected with WR Tyler McKee (Sophomore-New Brighton, MN) from 10 yards out with 3:59 left to go in the half to put RCTC up.
The second half proved to be just as tight as the first half and was a great contest throughout. Northland scored quickly out of the gates with QB Anderson hooking up with Gleve as he got behind the RCTC defenders for an 85 yard touchdown reception with 14:41 left in the 3rd. Northland also got the 2 point conversion to make the score 20-14. For most of the 3rd quarter, the teams traded punts and possessions until RB Parker Brand (Freshman-Rushford, MN) broke free for an 11-yard TD run with 1:36 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Northland didn’t waste any time getting on the board as their next possession ended with a TD pass from Anderson to Furby with 14:53 left in the 4th quarter. Anderson also ran in the 2 point conversion to make it 28-21 in favor of Northland. RCTC’s next score came with 10:09 left in the 4th as Seth Karlsrud found the end zone on a beautiful 30 yard run. The final 10 minutes looked to be a battle that would head into overtime. RCTC got the ball back with under 3:00 remaining and had a chance at one last drive. Their no-huddle offense plodded down the field and controlled the ball and the clock which enabled Seth Karlsrud to get his 3rd TD of the day with a 12 yard TD run with only 0:55 remaining in the contest to seal the victory.
On the day, Karlsrud ended up with 15 carries for 142 yards and 3 scores (2 rushing, 1 receiving). Anthony Aker led the receiving core with 4 catches for 80 yards, while Carey Poarch threw 2 TD passes for RCTC.
RCTC (1-0) next plays Vermilion (0-1) next Saturday in Ely, MN
RCTC has 3 players in the Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game
Congratulations to Brandone Mueller (Chisago Lakes) for competing with the Metro All-Star Team and Jason Rodriguez-Cruz (Rochester Lourdes) and Mario Butler (Rochester Mayo) for competing with the Outstate All-Star team.
See Article:
http://www.allstarfootball.org/
Football Players on Spring 2008 Dean's List
Stephen Barnes
Caleb Buenger
David Farrey
Tom Hughes
Paul Kalmes
Alex Mountjoy
Isaac Odim
Fred Ominde
Dominic Pahl
Scott Schwartz
Nick Strike
Spring Semester Review 6-23-08
The RCTC Yellowjackets had a great Spring Semester for 2008 as 42 returners finished through the off-season classes, study tables and lifting/running program. That number of 42 is the most during Coach LaPlante's tenure with the program. "It's obvious our student-athletes are buying into our program and what we're trying to accomplish with them here at RCTC. They realize their future is bright with the quality of education that RCTC is providing every day and our football program continues to get better with each quality person that we add to our roster. Not only that, but when you can keep over 40 players involved over spring semester and being hungry for August, you can see success just around the corner."
Some of the best things that Coach LaPlante saw was in the classroom. "We have some student-athletes on our campus that didn't have much success in high school and had gpa's lower than a 2.2 gpa but now are seeing their hard work and determination getting them to a 2.6 gpa and higher." LaPlante also stated that there are individuals on the squad who continue to excel just like they did in high school ranging from a 3.4 all the way up to some getting a 4.0 for their entire freshman year. "Freshman year is the toughest year for college students being away from home, in a new environment and having higher expectations in the classroom." 9 of the RCTC players received Dean's List Honors in Spring Semester 2008.
Not only did the Yellowjackets have success in academics, but the weight room was also a place of success this spring. 27 of the players had a bench press of 250 or better, 10 players had better than 300 and 3 had over a 350 bench. 23 of the players had a back squat of 350 or better (some didn't test because of injuries), 11 players had 400 or better and 4 players had 500 or better. "With us having just freshman and sophomores here, I feel these numbers match up pretty well across the country and it was nice to see some of our players gain 30-50 lbs on their bench and 50-70 lbs. on their squat since our season end in November," said LaPlante. It was evident when testing that there may be plenty of speed on the gridiron for RCTC come August as well. 16 players tested at a hand time of 4.6 or better in the 40-yard dash and overall over 30 players tested under a 5.0 in the 40-yard dash. "With these numbers, even though our whole team didn't test every lift or run because of injuries, I think our guys saw what our potential is as a team. They should have a great summer lifting and running with confidence because we finished and tested so strong this spring," stated LaPlante.
Coach LaPlante cannot wait for the 2008 season as these returners look to join another exciting recruiting class when practice starts Friday, August 8.
2008 Midwest All-Combine Team:
Timothy Shelley By Kevin Lustgarten
Publisher
Posted Jun 2, 2008
The first annual JCFootball.com / JC Grid-Wire Midwest Combine was held on May 10 at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. There was plenty of speed on display despite temperatures hovering in the mid-fifties, and the bench press got a great workout. Having retired (and legendary) Harper coach John Eliasik on the 'staff' was a big-time bonus.
Some quick notes about the testing. Heights and weights were taken without shoes. Because the grass field was damp forties were run on the rubber track Most athletes (not all) wore track spikes which clearly made for some faster times. Short-shuttles were run first on the rubber track surface but we moved to the grass due to slippage. Although not a tight surface it was better than the rubber alternative. Athletes were given the choice of lifting 185 or 225 except linemen, linebackers, and tight ends who had to lift 225.
Now, with the background information out of the way, here is the All-Combine Team.
2008 MIDWEST ALL-COMBINE TEAM
Quarterback
Bryan Mann (Joliet)
6-1.5, 225
Forty: 4.73, Vertical: 34, Bench: 6 reps of 225
Stephen Jackson (Rochester, Minn.)
6-0, 209
Forty: 4.73, Shuttle: 4.64, Vertical: 30.3 Bench: 8 reps of 225
Running Back
W. Xavier Glenn (DuPage)
5-8.5, 182
Forty: 4.21, Shuttle: 4.35, Vertical: 35.7, Bench: 10 reps of 225
Brandon Harris (Yuba, Calif.)
5-9, 194
Forty: 4.52, Vertical: 31.1, Bench: 20 reps of 225
Kyle Thierry (Rock Valley)
5-10, 187
Forty: 4.64, Shuttle: 4.33, Vertical: 33.6, Bench: 16 reps of 225
Wide Receiver / Tight End
Timothy Shelley (DuPage)
5-10.5, 178
Forty: 4.27, Shuttle: 4.14, Vertical: 37.6, Bench: 9 reps of 225
Marquis Harmon (Joliet)
5-11, 191
Forty: 4.25, Shuttle: 4.63, Vertical: 34.8, Bench: 2 reps of 225
Terriun Crump (DuPage)
6-2.5, 214
Forty: 4.57, Shuttle: 4.4, Vertical: 34.9, Bench: 10 reps of 225
Jason Brand (Alfred State, NY)
5-9.5, 194
Forty: 4.48, Shuttle: 4.34, Vertical: 28.9, Bench: 19 reps of 225
Robbie Fagan (Alfred State, NY)
5-8, 171
Forty: 4.35, Shuttle: 4.4, Vertical: 33, Bench: 9 reps of 225
Sirg Albritton (Joliet)
6-4, 220
Forty: 4.58, Shuttle: 4.18, Vertical: 31.4, Bench: 5 reps of 225
Jeffrey Oscar (DuPage)
5-11, NA
Forty: 4.45, Shuttle: 4.26, Vertical: 34.6, Bench: 5 reps of 225
Offensive Linemen
OT Darius Henderson (DuPage)
6-3.5, 281
Forty: 5.19, Shuttle: 4.74, Vertical: 23.6, Bench: 8 reps of 225
OG Cory Wright (Ellsworth, IA)
6-1.5, 324
Forty: 5.57, Shuttle: 5.0, Vertical: 25.6, Bench: 13 reps of 225
OL Daniel Snitker (North Iowa Area)
6-4.5, 278
Forty: 5.59, Shuttle: 5.09, Vertical: 25.8, Bench: 13 reps of 225
OG Kyle Powell (Joliet)
6-2.5, 321
Forty: 5.79, Shuttle: 5.25, Vertical: 22.3, Bench: 12 reps of 225
OG Chris Holmes (Grand Rapids)
6-1.5, 307
Forty: 5.2, Shuttle: 4.84, Vertical: 19.6, Bench: 23 reps of 225
Defensive Linemen
DE P.J. South (Joliet)
6-4, 269
Forty: 4.8, Shuttle: 4.77, Vertical: 28.1, Bench: 26 reps of 225
DE James Stormer (DuPage)
5-10.5, 262
Forty: 5.07, Shuttle: 4.54, Vertical: 23, Bench: 15 reps of 225
DE Luke Reitsma (Joliet)
6-2.5, 268
Forty: 5.1, Shuttle: 4.46, Vertical: 24.8, Bench: 16 reps of 225
DE Joe Forgy (Ellsworth, IA)
6-3.5, 239
Forty: 4.98, Shuttle: 4.44, Vertical: 30.2, Bench: 13 reps of 225
DE Kayode Bawatota (Rock Valley)
6-2, 232
Forty: 4.99, Shuttle: 4.56, Vertical: 32.2, Bench: 14 reps of 225
DT Peter Gardner (Lackawanna, PA)
6-4.5, 314
Forty: 5.45, Shuttle: 4.99, Vertical: 22.6, Bench: 18 reps of 225
DT Kris Cooke (Joliet)
6-1.5, 310
Forty: 5.15, Vertical: 26.8
Linebacker
LB Jordan Sklba (Joliet)
5-11, 214
Forty: 4.35, Vertical: 36.3, Bench: 16 reps of 225
OLB Pierre Chatman (DuPage)
6-1.5, NA
Forty: 4.47, Shuttle: 4.24, Vertical: 34.9, Bench: 15 reps of 225
OLB John Ryan (DuPage)
6-0, 215
Forty: 4.47, Shuttle: 4.24, Vertical: 31.4
MLB MonRai Matthews (Lackawanna, PA)
6-1, 237
Forty: 4.8, Shuttle: 4.53 Vertical: 29.3, Bench: 20 reps of 225
LB Taylor Selby (Rochester, Minn.)
6-0, 227
Forty: 4.8, Shuttle: 4.54, Vertical: 28.4, Bench: 20 reps of 225
LB Anthony Echols (Joliet)
5-11.5, 232
Forty: 4.76, Vertical: 35.1, Bench: 26 reps of 225
LB Fred Bussey (DuPage)
6-0, NA
Forty: 4.68, Shuttle: 4.47, Vertical: 32.4, Bench: 19 reps of 225
Defensive Back
CB Fred Ominde (Rochester, Minn.)
5-11, 168
Forty: 4.44, Shuttle: 4.15, Vertical: 34.9, Bench: 6 reps of 225
DB Michael Wilburn (DuPage)
5-8.5, 170
Forty: 4.45, Shuttle: 4.1, Vertical: 27.4, Bench: 10 reps of 225
DB Branden Lindsey (DuPage)
6-0, 218
Forty: 4.5, Shuttle: 4.36, Vertical: 29.9, Bench: 10 reps of 225
CB Charlmers Oscar (DuPage)
5-11, 180
Forty: 4.52, Shuttle: 4.13, Vertical: 36.2, Bench: 4 reps of 225
S Rod Streater (Alfred State, NY)
6-3, 188
Forty: 4.4, Shuttle: 4.23, Vertical: 38.6, Bench: 11 reps of 225
FS Coleman McDonagh (Joliet)
6-3.5, 205
Forty: 4.49, Shuttle: 4.48, Vertical: 28.1, Bench: 13 reps of 225
JCFootball.com extends a big-time thank you to Harper College and to the staff who worked the combine.
Aker drawing big programs after huge freshman year:
By Scott Eklund
JCFootball.com
Posted Apr 24, 2008
One of the top JC receivers in the country this year is Rochester WR Anthony Aker (6-3, 205). He's moved around a bit, but he eventually found a home with the Yellow Jackets and last year he put up huge numbers while starting only eight games. JCFootball.com caught up with the playmaking wideout and he updated us on recruiting as well as his journey to the top of the JC ranks.
"I'm having a lot of fun here," Aker told JCFootball.com recently. "I went to Bradley Tech in Milwaukee and I signed with Wisconsin, but I didn't take Algebra One and we didn't find out until it was too late so I wasn't able to qualify.
"I decided to go to a D-2 school, Minnesota-Mankato, and I tore my hamstring so I needed to redshirt. Then I decided I wanted to give D-1 a chance again, so I decided to go to Fort Scott down in Kansas because I knew the coach down there and he asked me to come down there and play for him, but I just didn't like it down there. I was homesick and I wanted to get closer to my mom so I came up here to Rochester last summer and I've been really happy up here."
When Aker arrived, the Rochester coaches told him they liked what he had to offer the Yellow Jacket offense, but they let other players start in front of him.
"They were up front with me and told me they wanted to give these other players a chance to play since they had put in the time with them during the offseason," Aker said. "I was ok with it because they were right and I just learned the offense and worked on my game and when I got the chance, that's when I had to take advantage."
And boy did he ever.
Aker put up huge numbers while seeing only marginal playing time in the first four games of the season. In eight full games, Aker managed to post 70 catches for 1,362 yards and 15 touchdowns.
"I had six receptions of over 50 yards and this year we're focused on doubling that," Aker said. "I have good speed, I usually run in the 4.48 or 4.5 range, but I want to get that down so I've really been focused on my speed and agility drills to get faster and I think I'm going to be a lot more explosive this season."
On the recruiting front, Aker is already hearing from a plethora of D-1 programs, including the school he signed with three years ago.
"Wisconsin has been in contact again," Aker said. "I'm really interested in them. I like their program and their staff.
"TCU has been calling and Iowa, Illinois and Indiana have been sending me stuff. Ole Miss, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Minnesota have also been talking to me a little bit."
Aker's mother is finishing up her college degree this spring, so being homesick won't be an issue again for him.
"She's going to hold off on getting a permanent job until I figure out who I'm going to sign with," Aker said. "She'll just move to be closer to where I end up so that won't be a problem.
"I'm open to everyone and I just want to find the right situation where I can compete and maximize my talent. The program, the coaches and the school are what I'm really looking at."
Former RCTC Football player in the news:
2008 RCTC Football Signings
RCTC's Head Football Coach Brad LaPlante announced his list of high school and transfer additions to the Yellowjacket Football Program that plan to continue their academic and football careers at RCTC. 26 high school seniors, 1 transfer and 8 previously graduated student-athletes make up the list of 35 players committing to the Yellowjackets.
LaPlante's initial recruit list includes athletes from 5 different states including Minnesota-19, Wisconsin-7, Florida-6, Texas-2 and Ohio-1. Position breakdowns from signing-day recruiting includes: DL-7, RB-5, DB-10, LB-3, OL-4, WR-5 and QB-1.
"With the players we have coming back from our 2007 National Championship Season, we feel very good about these great people and great football players joining our squad in what hopes to be a great season in 2008. The area high school coaches helped a great deal in getting their players signed as 26 of the 35 are right from our home area and recruiting region (MNWI)."
Congratulations to all Yellowjacket Signees for 2008!
CONGRATULATIONS, Brad and the entire RCTC Football Team!
RCTC's Head Football Coach, Brad LaPlante was involved in two awards presented at the 2008 Rochester Area Sports Banquet. Brad was named Area Coach of the Year, and the RCTC Football Team was named Team of the Year.
RCTC Football Team:
- No. 1 Minnesota Community College Conference ranking for the entire season and finished 11-0.
- Team won its ninth MCCC state title in 12 years.
- Averaged 50 points per game while allowing only 14 points per game.
- 2007 NJCAA Div. III National Champions- Ranked No. 6 overall among all junior college teams.
Brad LaPlante:
- Three-time MCCC state champions and had seven student athletes named as All- Americans.
- Named MCCC Southern Division Coach of the Year and also Region XIII Coach of the Year.
- In his fourth year as head coach with a career record of 38-10.
- Finished 2007 ranked No. 6 in the NJCAA final national poll and crowned NJCAA Division III National Champions.
Fall 2007 Football Players on Dean's List:
Caleb Buenger
Henry Lau
Jason Lennartz
Matt Lindstrom
Alex Mountjoy
Isaac Odim
David Olson
Dominick Pahl
Nick Peterson
Cody Rejda
Travis Steele
Brett Storelee
Nick Strike
Eric Walechka
RCTC Standout, Lau picks Marauders
Henry Lau, a transfer from Rochester (Minn.)Community and Technical College, will provide a capable arm during spring practice and preseason camp for the St. Mary's Marauders. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound junior transferred to U-Mary at the semester break and is pursuing a history education major. Read more...
11-11-07 JACKETS WIN 9TH STATE TITLE IN LAST 12 YEARS!!!!
RCTC emerged victorious at St. Cloud State University with a 39-18 win over Central Lakes College today. The win marked RCTC's 9th MCCC State Championship in the last 12 years. The Jackets have been in the MCCC Title Game every year since 1996. Under the current Coaching Staff, the Jackets are 3-1 in title games and overall are 36-10 in those 4 seasons.
What started off as a defensive battle ended up in an offensive fury by Rochester. The Jackets and Raiders exchanged punts and possessions throughout the first quarter until RB Isaac Odim scored his 27th TD of the season on a 6-yard run with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter. Not long after, QB Henry Lau connected with WR Anthony Aker for one of his eleven catches on the day. This one went for 82 yards and a TD with 13:50 remaining in the half. RCTC moved the ball well throughout the first half, but a key interception inside RCTC's 25-yard line led to a 1-yard run by CLC's Mike Beehler with 4:45 left in the first half for CLC's only score in the first half. Halftime saw RCTC leading 13-6.
Rochester broke the game open in the 3rd quarter with 3 TD's while holding CLC scoreless. Odim scored his 28th TD from 27 yards out with 12:21 left in the 3rd quarter. Lau and Aker connected for a 2nd TD on the day, this one from 10 yards out with 5:28 left in the 3rd quarter. Lau and Aker weren't finished as they connected again with 2:29 left in the 3rd quarter on a 4 yard TD strike. With RCTC's defense doing a great job of controlling CLC's passing and ground attack, RCTC led 31-6 after 3 quarters.
Early in the 4th quarter Lau connected with WR Josh Frye for an 11-yard TD throw and catch. This closed the scoring on the day for Rochester with 13:44 remaining in the 4th quarter with RCTC leading 39-6 at the time. CLC scored two 4th quarter TD's with Beehler connecting with Nate Schoenecker with 11:27 remaining in the contest on a 7 yard TD reception. With 6:30 remaining, LB Chris Holland recovered a yellowjacket fumble and returned it 52 yards for a TD. Rochester had another TD called back on a hands to the face penalty. Rochester controlled the game despite being flagged 10 tims for 92 yards compared to Central Lakes' 2 penalties for 11 yards.
Statistically RCTC dominated the game as they racked up 23 first down to CLC's 14 and amassed 240 rushing yards while holding CLC to -1. RCTC had 537 total yards as 297 were gained through the air to CLC's 180 through the air and 179 total yards on the day. Both teams had trouble holding onto the ball as RCTC had 5 turnovers and CLC had 6 on the day. Give credit to RCTC's defense as they held CLC to 2.5 yards per play while RCTC averaged 6.7 yards per play. RCTC's offenive leaders were RB Isaac Odim who had 29 carries for 203 yds and 2 TD's, QB Henry Lau who completed 18 of 34 passes for 297 yds and 4 TD's (3 INT's) and WR Anthony Aker who had 11 receptions for 200 yds and 3 TD's.
The win sends out a group of sophomores that won 18 games in 2 years and promises to be a heavily recruited class by DII and DI 4-Year Universities.
RCTC is again in MCCC State Championship Game after Semi-Final Win 11-3-07
The Rochester Yellowjackets gained their 12th consecutive berth into the MCCC State Championship Game with a 75 to 26 win over the Rainy River Voyageurs today. A stingy defense, strong special teams and an explosive offense that gained 704 net yards all combined for the lopsided win.
Seth Karlsrud returned the opening kickoff to the 37 yard line and the jackets never looked back. RCTC's first play from scrimmage was a fake pass to RB Isaac Odim, which opened up WR Anthony Aker, and QB Henry Lau didn't miss. With only 19 seconds gone in the opening quarter, the Jackets were up 7-0 and ready to roll. After a 3 and out by the RCTC defense, Aker and Lau again connected, this time from 15 yards out. A nicely executed on-side kick, and this time it was Isaac Odim's turn to change the scoreboard as he scored on a run from 38 yards out with 8:30 remaining in the first quarter. A Rainy River turnover led to the Jackets next score as FS Clayton Davis intercepted his 10th pass of the season. With 6:08 remaining in the first quarter RB Phil Briedall scored from 7 yards out to put RCTC up 28-0. RB Larry Hall got Rainy River on the board on their next possession with a 6 yard run. However, the 2-point conversion failed leaving RCTC ahead 28-6 at the end of the first quarter.
Not to be out done in the 2nd quarter, the Jackets rolled up another 27 pts. to lead 55-12 at the half. Second quarter scoring included an 8 yard Lau to Briedall score, an Odim 39 yard td run, a 30 yard Lau to Odim reception, and an 8 yard strike from Lau to TE David Farrey. The Jackets did miss one of the 4 extra point attempts in the quarter to tally up their 27 points. Rainy River's score in the 2nd quarter came with 0:57 remaining in the half as Andy Devito hooked up with Ethan Graham for a 23 yard td reception. At the half, RCTC already had over 500 yards of total offense in the books.
The second half let the RCTC Coaching Staff rest many of the starters and get some film on some freshman and backups as they continue to get better week by week. RCTC's scoring in the 3rd quarter come from a 45 yard run by RB Seth Karlsrud, a 29-yard field goal by K/P Jason Lennartz, and a 20-yard field goal by Lennartz. Rainy River got two scores of their own in the 3rd quarter as Dominique Griffin and Javier Ford each scored on runs of 3 yards and 1 yard respectively. At the end of 3 quarters it was RCTC leadin 68-26. RCTC got the only score in the 4th quarter as Dominic Pahl had an exciting td run that covered 43 yards at the 10:15 mark.
For the game, RCTC held Rainy under 250 total yards and gained 704 of their own, 383 on the ground and 321 through the air. Leading rushers were Isaac Odim with 12 carries for 133 yards and 2 TD and Seth Karlsrud with 8 carries for 84 yard and 1 score. Henry Lau and Stephen Jackson combined for 13 of 15 passing for 321 yardsand 5 td passes and no interceptions. Lau was 12 for 13 for 312 yards and 5 td's. 5 receivers caught balls for the Jackets: Briedall 1 for 8 yds and a TD, Farrey 1 for 8 yds and a TD, Odim 1 for 30 yds and a TD, Josh Frye 3 for 79 yds and Aker 7 catches for 196 yds and 2 TD's.
Rainy River finishes the season 6-4 and the 10-0 RCTC Yellowjackets will now travel to St. Cloud State University to play the Central Lakes Raiders (7-3) in the MCCC State Championship Game. The game will be held at 1pm Sunday, November 11th.
10-27-07 Jackets Capture MCCC Southern Division Championship
The RCTC Yellowjackets traveled to Brainerd on an absolutely beautiful day for late October and battled their way to a 31 to 20 victory over the Central Lakes Raiders. It was not an easy contest as the Jackets were forced to play 4 quarters of football for the first time since week #3. On the day, the Raiders had a very stingy run defense, there were gusty winds and the Central Lakes offensive line did a nice job of protecting QB Mike Beeler and helping him to make many plays.
RCTC struck first as QB Henry Lau connected with WR Josh Frye for a 4-yard TD pass with 0:40 left in the first quarter. Not wasting any time, the defense held and RB Isaac Odim took in a 6-yard run with 13:07 remaining in the 2nd quarter to put Rochester up 14-0. Central Lakes got on the board with 8:39 left in the first half as QB Mike Beehler connected with WR Nate Schoenecker on a 7-yard TD pass. RCTC would squander 2 red-zone opportunities in the first half as 2 chances to put points on the board slipped away. Late in the first half RCTC would have a nice 2-minute offensive drive and come away with a 20-yard FG by K/P Jason Lennartz with 0:25 remaining in the half to put the Jackets up 17-7 at the half.
The second half proved to be just as close as RCTC would put up 14 points in the 3rd quarter and Central Lakes 13. Odim scored on a 1-yard run with 10:39 remaining in the 3rd quarter to put the Jackets up 24-7 and also to put him 6 points away from tying RCTC's single-season scoring record. Central Lakes quickly drove down the field which ended with Beehler this time hooking up with Demarius Hunter on an 18-yard TD pass. RCTC and Central Lakes then exchanged possessions before Beehler threw a 70-yard TD pass to WR Justin Novak as he got behind coverage and no Yellowjacket defenders could catch him with 3:45 remaining in the 3rd quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, RB Seth Karlsrud took the ball at the 22 yard line and returned it 78 yards for the final points of the game, putting the Jackets on top 31 to 20 with 3:30 left in the 3rd quarter.
Rochester (9-0) is crowned Southern Division Champion and will have a #1 Southern Division Seed in the playoffs. Rochester will host a home MCCC Semi-Final Playoff game next Saturday, November 3rd at Mayo High School at 5pm vs. Rainy River #2 Northern Division Seed (6-3). Rainy River played a tough game in week 2 with Rochester scoring two 4th quarter touchdowns to come out on top 28-6. Central Lakes (6-3) #2 seed will travel to take in Vermilion #1 Northern Division Seed (7-2) in Ely, MN. The winners of these two games will meet on Sunday, November 11th at 1pm at St. Cloud State University to crown the MCCC State Champion. Rochester has been in the State Championship Game every year since 1996, winning the title 9 times during that span.
10-20-07 Yellowjackets now play for Southern Division Title!
RCTC brushed off a 75 yard TD pass on MSCTC-Fergus Fall's first possession and never looked back Saturday on their way to a 50-7 win. The Spartans scored only 21 seconds into the game as QB Brian Schulen connected with Garin Gardner on a play action pass that resulted in a 75 yard TD score on their opening play from scrimmage. RCTC's defense took charge from there on out not letting Fergus Falls reach the end zone for the remainder of the game.
RB Phil Briedall got Rochester on the scoreboard as QB Henry Lau hit him for a 6 yard TD reception with 10:29 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point was blocked, however, leaving the Yellowjackets down 7-6. Rochester's next score would be the first of RB Isaac Odim's 3 TD's on the afternoon. This one was a 15 yard TD Run with 13:38 remaining in the first half. RCTC's next possession would be similar as Odim again scored on a TD run, this one came from 3 yards out with 11:39 remaining in the first half. Kicker Jason Lennartz ended the Jackets scoring in the first half with a 27 yard field goal with 0:46 remaining in the second quarter putting RCTC up 23-7 at the half.
RCTC's ground game took control in the second half and on the day, 8 Jackets touched the ball on the ground with Isaac Odim leading the way with 27 carries for 250 net yards. QB Henry Lau opened up the second half scoring with a 1 yard quarterback sneek with 13:25 left in the 3rd quarter. Isaac Odim followed that score with his third of the day, this one a one yard run with 6:57 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Seth Karlsrud added 2 TD's in the 4th quarter, the first a 3 yard run and the second a 13 yard run. Karlsrud also added 3 punt returns for a total of 52 yards.
Three Yellowjacket defenders had interceptions on the day. FS Clayton Davis recorded his 9th, LB Trevor Glomski recorded his first and CB Duane Francis his first as well. The Jackets also held Fergus Falls to a total of 4 yards rushing on the afternoon.
RCTC moved its record to a perfect 8-0 and will now travel to Central Lakes 6-2 for the Southern Division Championship. Also on the line will be a #1 seed in the playoffs and a first round home game.
10-13-07 RCTC puts up 50+ for the 3rd Straight Game
RCTC keeps rolling and for the 3rd game in a row, scored more than 50 points Saturday. RCTC's offense, defense and special teams all scored vs. Ridgewater. QB Henry Lau and WR Anthony Aker got the Jacket O rolling when they connected with 6:33 remaining in the first quarter for a 34 yard TD strike. RCTC's defense held on a 3 and out which was followed by a huge 66 yard punt return for a TD by RB Seth Karlsrud. RCTC's defense held again and RB Isaac Odim went on a beautiful 60 yards scamper to pay dirt for the Jackets.
In the second quarter, an all out blitz failed and Ridgewater went on a 43 yard scamper down the home field sidelines for their first score of the day making it 21-7 with 14:03 left in the first half. Odim would score 3 more times before the first half ended on runs of 1, 10 and 15 yards. Lau also scored on a 1 yard run before the half ended giving RCTC a commanding 48-7 half time lead.
Ridgewater's first possession ended abruptly as a 3rd down pass was intercepted by FS Clayton Davis and he returned it 46 yards for the Jackets first defensive points of the season. RCTC's first possession of the 2nd half resulted in a TD as RB Phil Briedall scored from 1 yard out with 9:45 remaining in the 3rd quarter. An RCTC turnover resulted in a 5 yard scoring pass for Ridgewater with 3:17 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Karlsrud scored for a second time, this one not on special teams, as he crossed the goal line on a 5 yard run with 12:30 remaining in the contest. QB Dominic Pahl ended the Jackets scoring on the day with a 43 yard off tackle run. He would be the second Pine Island High School graduate to score on the day (Phil Briedall).
RCTC outgained Ridgewater 601 to 218 and the defense held Ridgewater 28 yards passing on only 6 completions. The RCTC defense forced Ridgwater offense into 3 turnovers while the Jackets had 1 on the day. RCTC has not thrown an interception since week 2.
RCTC will host MSCTC-Fergus Falls next week.
Former RCTC Yellowjackets in the news:
- http://www.msumavericks.com/more.php?id=5478
- http://www.msumavericks.com/more.php?id=5474
- http://www.msumavericks.com/more.php?id=5470
Grant Smith (RCTC 2004, 2005) had 4 1/2 sacks for MSU yesterday and is the new record holder for sacks in a game for the Mavericks of Mankato!
FB 0734: King, Smith Earn Spots In Record Book As Minnesota State Downs Minnesota Duluth
10/13/07
Duluth, Minn. --- Minnesota State scored the games final 28 points en route to a 35-14 victory over Minnesota Duluth Saturday afternoon, in front of 2,982 fans in Malosky Stadium on the campus of Minnesota Duluth.
The Mavericks were once again led by senior quarterback Ben King who finished completing 34-of-55 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. His 341 yards of passing vaulted him past former Maverick quarterback John Hebgen (1993-96) for career passing yards. Hebgen threw for 9,433 yards during his career while King now has 9,455 career passing yards. He also holds the school record for career pass completions (802) and career pass attempts (1,409).
King earned the record on a six-yard completion to junior wideout Donte Shackelford to start the fourth quarter.
The Maverick defense also had a field day in the win as they tied the school record for quarterback sacks in a game with seven. Senior defensive end Grant Smith finished the contest with a school-record four-and-a-half sacks in the win. He led the team with nine tackles.
Senior cornerback Thaddeus Gibbs registered eight tackles in the win and two interceptions.
As a unit, the MSU defense finished with seven sacks, a total that tied the school record.
“That was a great win for our football program, “ said head coach Jeff Jamrog. “We really challenged out team at half, and they came out and responded. Now we have to get ready for another big game next week against St. Cloud State.”
Minnesota Duluth opened the game with a 10-play 96-yard scoring drive. MSU responded with an eight-play 31-yard drive culminated by Shackelford’s one-yard touchdown run to tie the score at seven.
After Minnesota Duluth went up 14-7, the Mavericks responded with a 11-play, 65-yard touchdown drive of their own. The drive was capped when King found junior wide out Marcus Hansen in the back of the endzone for the score.
Minnesota State opened the second half as Hansen hauled in another touchdown pass from King – his second of the game – to put the Mavericks up 21-14 with 10:32 remaining in the third quarter. The 31-yard touchdown down reception concluded a six-play, 74-yard drive that used just 68 seconds of time.
The Mavericks scored 1:38 minutes later as King found Shackelford for a 12-yard scoring strike on a slant route in the left side of the endzone.
Minnesota State added a touchdown to open the fourth quarter as King found junior wideout Damian Turner in the back-right corner of the endzone for the score to push their lead to 35-14. The catch marked Turner’s first touchdown reception as a Maverick.
King finished the game as MSU’s leading rusher, carrying the ball 11 times for 55 yards. Turner hauled in a team-high eight catches for 102 yards to round out the Maverick offensive attack.
Minnesota State (4-3. 3-2 NCC) hosts St. Cloud State next weekend in the Battle for the Traveling Training Kit. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m., in Blakeslee Stadium.
NOTES: King and Hansen connected for a touchdown pass for the five times this season…King and Shackelford have connected on touchdown passes six times this season…King has gone over the 20+ completion mark 18 times in his career and three times this season…King has thrown for over 250 yards 19 times in his career and five times this year…King has thrown three or more touchdown passes in four games this year…King has threw for over 300 yards in the win, it marked the eighth time in his career he has done so and the fifth of the season…He has thrown for at least 300 yards in his last three games…Minnesota State also recorded seven sacks against Northern Colorado (Sept. 22, 2001) and New Haven (Sept. 29, 2001)…The previous record for individual sacks in a game was held by Andrew Tippins (Nov. 16, 2002 vs. South Dakota State) and Scott Carlson (Oct. 7, 2000 vs. South Dakota State) each with three.
10-6-07 Huge 1st Half Sparks Yellowjackets
The #1 MCCC Ranked and #9 NJCAA Ranked Rochester Yellowjackets used big plays to open up the 1st half vs. the Minnesota West Bluejays. RCTC opened the scoring on its 2nd drive with Henry Lau completing a 13-yard TD strike to WR Anthony Aker with 10:01 left in the first quarter. RCTC's next possession had them pinned deep at the 11 yard line with a strong south wind in their face, but a hitch-n-go from Lau to Aker went for 89 yards and a 14-0 lead with 4:02 remaining in the first quarter. Great pass protection and a near perfect throw started this exciting play. Throughout the first quarter, RCTC's defense bent but it didn't break and a shutout was held in tact at the end of 1 quarter.
It didn't take long for the Jackets to strike in the 2nd quarter as a fake screen pass led to a 73 yard TD pass from Lau to WR Nick Peterson. The play was set up nicely by the actual screen play the play prior. A quick defensive stop helped get the ball back into RCTC's hands again. This time, one play was all it took as Lau connected again with Aker for an 85 yard td strike. On the play, Aker received the ball behind the line of scrimmage, got a key block from WR Nick Peterson, broke free down the sideline and got a huge block by RB Isaac Odim to spring him for the score. Lau and Aker weren't done yet as RCTC scored with 7:42 to go in the half as they connected for a 10 yard score. RB Isaac Odim got into the scoring mix with a nice 60-yard run with 6:38 remaining in the half to put the Jackets up 48-0 at the half. The Jackets defense had a shutout at the half for the second week in a row, which was tougher this week as the offense had only 23 plays at the half because of the quick scores. RCTC's defense was on the field for 54 plays in the first half and did a great job of keeping the Bluejays out of the end zone.
The second half continued with the Jackets defense dominating yet another half to get its second shutout of the year. Clayton Davis recorded his 6th Interception of the season and the defense held the Bluejays below 40% in completion percentage. On the offensive side of the ball, RB Phil Briedall had a nice 2 yard run with 1:51 remaining in the 3rd quarter to open the second half scoring. Isaac Odim followed up Briedall's run with a 2-yard run of his own with 10:33 remaining in the game for the Jackets last TD. K/P Jason Lennartz kicked a 29 yard field goal from the left hash with 6:41 remaining in the contest to round out RCTC's scoring and make the final 65-0.
RCTC (6-0) next will travel to Willmar (3-3) to take on Ridgewater Saturday, October 13th at 5:00pm.
RCTC FB Players Enjoy "Walk-to-School Day" 10-3-07
Elementary Students in the Rochester School District enjoyed a visit from RCTC FB Players and mascot "sting" for its annual "Walk-to-School Day." RCTC FB has been involved in this for the past 3 years and created many good relationships at Pinewood Elementary and Hoover Elementary (Schools that Players visited this year to interact with students). Players got a chance to meet future RCTC Yellowjackets, walk them to school, learn more about them and of course PLAY FOOTBALL with them.
"So many positive phone calls, E-mails and letters have come through my office about the great day our players had with these young boys and girls," said Coach Brad LaPLante. Judge Jo Anne Judge-Dietz said "I stopped by Churchill school after Walk to School today and heard stories that gave me Goosebumps!" Word had already spread to President Don Supalla shortly after the Yellowjackets players visited to the schools and his reaction was "WOW...It doesn't get any better than this!"
LaPlante was also quoted saying "Our Football Program is more than you see on Saturday evenings, and this is just a small piece of the good that our players get to do for our school, community and football program." A special thanks goes out to Colleen Landherr for helping to Coordinate this event year after year!
9-29-07
#10 NJCAA Ranked RCTC Wins 57-7 to Keep Rolling
The #10 NJCAA ranked Rochester Yellowjackets had a convincing win today 57-7 vs. Fon Du Lac Community and Tribal College. RCTC shook off last week's slow start vs. Itasca and jumped out to a 16-0 lead after one quarter. RCTC got on the board wit ha 25 yard field goal by Jason Lennartz with 11:59 remaining in the first quarter. The drive started in Thunder territory as Isaac Odim had a nice kick return across the 50 to set up RCTC's first points of the day. QB Henry Lau had a 1-yard run with 9:00 remaining in the quarter to put RCTC up 10-0. Odim had a 9-yard run with 1:42 remaining in the first quarter to put RCTC up 16-0 after a failed PAT attempt. RCTC's defense held strong in the first quarter and not letting FDL get any points on the board.
The second quarter would prove to be no different as Henry Lau and Anthony Aker kept things rolling as Lau throw a 10-yard pass to him with 12:28 remaining. Lau and Aker would connect again as Lau hit aker with a second 10-yard touchdown pass with 6:38 remaining in the half. RCTC's defense continued its season-long dominance with 2 nice stands inside of the 35 to prevent FDL any scoring chance. David Olson had an interception and returned it 21 yards to set up one of Aker's scores and to help the Jackets lead 30-0 at the half.
RCTC's enthusiasm and dominance continued in the second half as 2 more scores were put on the board. With 14:06 remaining in the third, Odim scored on a nice 15-yard run for his second score of the day. Then with 1:43 remaining in the third quarter, Odim received nice blocking by the WR's and went 44 yards to put the Jackets up 44-0. FDL got on the board with and 11 yard pass from Plinski to Sanchez to put the score at the end of the third quarter RCTC 44 FDL 7. RCTC had 2 scores in the fourth quarter as RB Seth Karlsrud had a 6 yard run and QB Dominic Pahl had a 6 yard run of his own to put the final touches on RCTC's victory.
Defensively, RCTC continues to hold opponents down as RCTC only gave up 12 first downs (3 on penalties), 66 yards rushing and 87 yards passing for a total of 153 yards on the day. Meanwhile, RCTC's offense was piling up 22 first downs, 314 yards rushing and 127 yards passing. Dave Olson, Paul Kalmes and Clayton Davis all had interceptions on the day for RCTC's defense. Jason Lennartz had yet another good punting day as he had 3 punts that gave him a 40.6 yard average including punts that pinned FDL at the 10 yard line and the 16 yard line.
The win puts RCTC first in the Southern Division with a 4-0 Non-Division (1 point per win) and 1-0 Division Record (2 points per win) for 6 points. RCTC remains the only unbeaten in the MCCC and was ranked #10 in last week's NJCAA poll. (www.njcaa.org) RCTC next takes on rival Minnesota West Saturday, October 6th at 7:30 at home. RCTC has had 2 great home crowds thus far and looks for this crowd to be even better as the Jackets keep their wins coming!
9-25-07 Clayton Davis Named Player of the Week
Clayton Davis was named Southern Division Player of the week for his play vs. Itasca. Davis, a sophomore from Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis, MO had 2 solo tackles and 2 key interceptions as RCTC won 37-0 last Saturday.
9-22-07 RCTC Wins to go to 4-0
The #1 MCCC ranked and #9 NJCAA ranked Rochester Yellowjackets earned a sweet homecoming victory today 37-0 over the Itasca Vikings. RCTC got off to a slow start in the first quarter with a fumble and many penalties hampering offensive drives. The Jackets had the ball inside of Itasca territory 3x but were unable to come away with any points. The second quarter would prove to be different as RCTC got on the board with 13:04 remaining in the quarter as Jason Lennartz kicked a 22 yard field goal to open up RCTC's scoring. RB Isaac Odim scored on a 6-yard run with 1:27 remaining in the half as the offense had an impressive no-huddle drive capped off by his run. The ensuing kickoff gave Itasca the ball on the 50 following a 15-yard personal foul penalty. The Jackets defense held and FS Clayton Davis intercepted a pass that brought the ball to Itasca territory thanks to a huge block by CB Jhrvonte Minnifield with under 10 seconds remaining in the half. QB Henry Lau threw a fade pass in the corner of the end zone to WR Anthony Aker, but pass interference was called on the play giving the Jackets an untimed down from the 16-yard line. Lau then threw the same pass up to WR Josh Frye who out jumped the Viking defender giving the Jackets a huge momentum boost and a 17-0 lead at the half. In the first half, the RCTC Defense was dominant only giving up a total of 2 first downs.
The second half would prove no different as the Jacket Defense only gave up 3 more first down for a total of 5 first downs on the day. Itasca's balanced offense was stymied as they only gained 26 yards rushing and 55 yards passing for 81 yards of total offens on the afternoon. RCTC's defense and special teams may have had one of their hardest hitting days in years as they took control of the game.
Offensively, in the second half, more scoring continued for Rochester as Isaac Odim scored two more TD's in the third quarter on runs of 25 yards (13:21) and 5 yards (5:51). Nick Strike added a 32-yard run with 13:42 remaining in the fourth quarter to round out the scoring for the Jackets. The offense had 3 drives of over 70 yards including a drive that was backed up to the half yard line. A big play in that drive was a first down throw on a rollout pass from Lau to Aker. RCTC's offense racked up 31 first downs on the day, 271 yards rushing, and 294 through the air for a total of 565 yards on the day.
Nationally RCTC was ranked #9 coming into this game and individuals are standing out in the NJCAA Stats as well. After 4 games, Isaac Odim is ranked #4 in the nation with 149 yards per game on the ground. Henry Lau is ranked #4 in passing yards per game at 195 and has also completed 60% of his passes. Anthony Aker is ranked #4 in receptions per game with more than 5 per game. Clayton Davis has 4 INT to put him at #7 in the nation. Jason Lennartz is ranked #22 in punting average. RCTC's offense is ranked #7 in total offense with 424 yards per game and RCTC's defense is #2 in the nation with 135 yards allowed per game.
Next Saturday RCTC is on the road vs. the Fon Du Lac Thunder in Cloquet, MN.
9-8-07 Jackets Defeat Ironmen
The 2-0 #11 Nationally ranked Rochester Yellowjackets took on the 1-1 #20 Nationally ranked Vermilion Ironmen today at Rochester Century Stadium. This was to be a showcase of 2 of the best 3 ranked teams in the Minnesota Community College Conference.
Rochester struck first with 6:41 remaining in the 1st quarter with RB Isaac Odim scoring on a 4 yard TD run. Vermilion would answer fast as RB Zavier Steward scored with 3:20 left in the 1st quarter on a nice 50-yard run off of some nice cut backs and over pursuit by the Yellowjacket defense. RCTC's next play from scrimmage would change some momentum in the contest as QB Henry Lau connected with WR Anthony Aker for a 64 yard TD pass. Lau had 2 WR's open on the play and made an excellent throw to hit Aker for the TD strike. Rochester struck early in the 2nd quarter as Odim again had a 4 yard TD run making the halftim score RCTC 21 Vermilion 7.
The Jackets had another good scoring quarter in the 3rd as Jason Lennartz got RCTC on the board with a 29 yard field goal with 3:19 left in the quarter. Odim struck for the 3rd time as he had an amazing 60 yard scoring run off left side with 0:19 remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Ironment would get a late score as Jerrick Jenkins connected with Brad Martin fora 6 yard pass withe 2:20 remaining in the contest.
RCTC's offense racked up 387 yards, 174 in the air and 213 on the ground. No interceptions were thrown, but many penalties and a lost QB/Center exchange hampered the offensive output. Both teams combined for 30 penalties for 241 yds. The defense held a dangerous Vermilion offense to 183 yards passing and 87 yards rushing on the day. Some 3rd down miscues penalties by RCTC helped to continue some Vermilion drives.
RCTC's Offense and Defense were both ranked #1 in the MCCC coming into the contest. The Defense was ranked #3 in the Nation and the Offense was ranked #14.
9-5-07 Odim Named NJCAA Offensive Player of the week.
Isaac Odim helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a 28-6 win over Rainy River Community College (Minn.) on Sept. 1 by racking up 227 all-purpose yards. The Rochester native had a game-high 203 yards rushing on 18 carries with two touchdowns, including a 93-yard run for six points. Odim also returned a kickoff 21 yards and had a pass reception for 3 yards. In two games this season he has rushed for 301 yards on 38 attempts (7.9 yards per rush / 150.5 yards a game) and three scores, which currently ranks fourth in the NJCAA. http://www.njcaa.org/
Alex Berns, Linebacker from Postville, IA was named MCCC Defensive Player of the week.
Berns recorded 15 tackles and had 1 INT in the Jackets 28-6 win over Rainy River.
9-1-07 Jackets Record Win #2 and #300
RCTC took a long road trip to International Falls this weekend and came away with a victory over an improved Rainy River squad 28-6. The #16 Jackets struggled to move the ball early as man to man coverage by the Voyageurs with 8 defenders stacked in the box made the run and pass game difficult early on. Defensively the Jackets got off to a great start and held the Rainy River scoreless through one quarter. Both teams struck in the 2nd quarter with Rainy River's TD coming first on a 9 yard run from RB Brackins with 13:10 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Rainy River missed the extra point on the ensuing play. RCTC got on the board almost 10:00 later with QB Henry Lau connecting with WR James Hill for a 41 yard TD. Lau scrambled because of a blitzer running through untouched on the play and coverage broke down to enable Hill to get open.
Isaac Odim got the scoring going in the 3rd quarter with a 9 yard run off tackle with 4:13 remaining in the quarter. He also added some excitement early in the 4th quarter with a 93 yard TD run off left side. Odim eluded one defender in the backfield and with excellent blocking by the Jackets TE and 2 WR's off left side, Odim was then untouched for his score. Seth Karlsrud had 3 nice runs late in the game to set up a 3 yard scoring run by Nick Strike late in the game to seal the Jackets 2nd victory.
Defensively, Kevin Hughes and Alex Berns led the charge with both being involved in 15 tackles. Patrick Thomas was in on 11 tackles including 3 tackles for loss and a sack. For the day, the Jackets held the Voyageurs offense in check as they swarmed the ball with many assisted tackles. The Jackets forced 9 hurried passes and recorded 3 sacks along the way.
The Jackets win was also the Football Program's 300th win since 1968 (Statistics are kept since that year). RCTC's overall record since then is now 300-76-3. The Jackets will celebrate their 300th win at their Stadium Kickoff at 11:30am on campus September 8th. RCTC will take on Vermilion at 6pm at Century High School.
8-29-05 Lau Named Player of the Week
Henry Lau from Menomonie Falls, WI was named the MCCC Southern Division Defensive Player of the week. Lau completed 20 of 30 attempts for 224 yards. 3 of Lau's completions went for TD's.
Aug. 8/24/07 St. Cloud State University
RCTC 35 Mesabi Range 18
The #16 Pre-Season Ranked RCTC Yellowjackets got a strong win behind some great defense, strong special teams play and consistent offense. Patrick Thomas, an outside linebacker from Louisiana, led the Defensive charge with 9 tackles (1 for loss) and an INT. The Yellowjackets Defense held the Norsemen in check all day with Mesabi only getting 9 first downs on the day and averaging 1.7 yards on the ground. Tyler Grapp (Wayzata, MN) had a stellar day from his DL position as he tallied 6 tackles, 2 sacks and had 2 quarterback hurries. RCTC's Defense gave up 28 yards passing and 60 yards on the ground to become the MCCC Southern Division's and the state's #1 ranked Defense after week #1. Several other players had strong games on the Defensive side of the ball including: Malcolm Bennett, Alex Berns (Postville, IA), Dave Olson (Rapid City, SD) and Chad Rodriguez (Osakis, MN)
Special Teams play was led by Rochester native Isaac Odim who had a strong day return day for RCTC. Odim's 2 Kick returns for 109 yards sparked the Jackets offense including a long return where he was finally brought down at the Mesabi Range 2 yard line. Seth Karlsrud (Red Wing, MN) took an off tackle run in the very next play after Odim's nice return. Jason Lennartz (Slinger, WI) had a consistent day punting the ball. RCTC punted 5 times with Lennartz averaging 33.4 yards per punt, but 3 of Lennartz's punts went inside the 25 yard line and pinned the Norseman in bad field position. Lennartz was also 5 for 5 on extra point tries.
Offensively, the Jackets got off to an impressive start to the 2007 Season by completing 66% of their passes and sharing the ball with many players. 7 Yellowjackets caught passes from Quarterback Henry Lau (Menomonie Falls, WI) who ws 20-30 for 224 yds and 3 TD passes. Anthony Aker (Brown Deer, WI) led with 7 receptions for 44 yards and 2 TD Receptions. Not far behind was Josh Frye wit h4 catches for 65 yards. James Hill (Richfield, MN) had the other TD reception for Rochester. Others catching passes included: Nick Peterson (Osakis, MN), Phil Briedall (Pine Island, MN), Hassan Yusuf and Isaac Odim. The ground game also saw many Jackets getting work as 4 running backs and wide received Nick Peterson getting carries on the day. Odim led the way with a 4.9 average getting 98 yards on 20 carries and a score including a nifty 44 yard TD run down the west side line at SCSU's Husky Stadium. Briedall had 6 carries on the day for 18 yards, Karlsrud had 3 carries, Peterson had 1 carry (a second carry was negated by a holding call) and Nick Strike (Spring Valley, MN) also got one carry on the day.
Statistics:
First Downs RCTC 16 Mesabi Range 9
Rushing RCTC 106 Mesabi Range 60
Passing RCTC 224 Mesabi Range 28
Total RCTC 330 Mesabi Range 88
RCTC next plays Saturday, September 1st at 12:00pm at Rainy River (1-0).
Rainy River beat MSCTC Fergus Falls 26-13 last weekend.
Aug. 2, 2007
The Rochester Yellowjackets are Pre-Season Ranked #16 in the Nation.
RCTC, with 12 returning starters back from 2006's team that won their last 6 of 7 ballgames, is Pre-Season Ranked at #16 in the NJCAA Polls. The squad's first practice will be Friday, August 10th as they prepare to win the MCCC Southern Division Title and get back to the MCCC State Title Game again in 2007. For more information on the polls go to www.njcaa.org or www.jcfootball.com .
Aug. 1, 2007
Additions to RCTC FB Coaching Staff
Coach Brad LaPLante announced today 3 additions to his staff for the 2007 Season. Dave Adams (Former Head Coach at Wabasha-Kellogg High School) will be working with the Defensive Line. Coach Adams had worked previously at RCTC with the Defensive line and also at MSU-Mankato as Running Backs Coach. Derrick Hintz will be working with the Linebackers. Coach Hintz was with the Jackets from 1995-2000 and again in 2002. Ken Navitsky will be working with the punters and kickers. Coach Navitsky formerly kicked for MSU-Mankato.
June 2007:
2007 Spring Semester Dean's List
Alex Gomez
Seneca Gore
Steven Henry Lau
Bryan Penrod
Nicholas Peterson
Cap Richards
2007 Spring Semester 3.0 or Better GPA
Seth Arends
Alex Berns
Alex Gomez
Seneca Gore
Steven Henry Lau
Felipe Mancera
Bryan Penrod
Nicholas Peterson
Cap Richards
January 24, 2007
RCTC's Football Team held a gathering with Rochester Boy Scouts
Pack 29 (1st graders up to 5th graders) in the UCR Regional Sports
Center before the RCTC Men's Basketball Game vs. Gustavus JV. The Football
players entertained questions about high school and college comparisons,
what classes are like in college, experiences the Yellowjacket players
have had in their time as a student-athlete on RCTC's campus and what
it's like to be a college football player. Many positive experiences were
shared by RCTC's Players, parents and troup leaders and members of Pack
29.
Fall 2006:
12-2006
Former Jacket Players in the News:
USF
linebacker selected to participate in elite all-star game
The
University of Sioux Falls captures NAIA Football Championship
Cougars
place 13 players on all-GPAC football team
Three former Yellowjacket players are part of the University of Sioux Falls NAIA Nat'l Championship Team: Adam Paulson, Tyler Lodermeier and Dan Moe
11-11-06
Jackets Lose in State Title Game
RCTC lost in a disappointing fashion today vs. the Vermilion Ironmen in the MCCC State Championship Game. It was the 11th straight appearance the Jackets had made in the Title Game. 1995 was the last time Rochester was not playing in the Championship Game. 8 out of those 11 years, the Jackets have came out victorious, but it was clear early on that this was not going to be the case.
The Ironmen's first play from scrimmage was a nice fade pattern down the left sideline from Hughes to Cromartie for 30+ yards. Vermilion continued it's drive and eventually scored on a 25 yard pass from Hughes to Cromartie with 13:01 remaining in the first quarter. The XP was missed by Vermilion. The Jackets start on offense was a brutal one with receiver Nate Clements falling down and the result being a Henry Lau interception that gave Vermilion more momentum and the ball inside the 35 yard line of the Yellowjackets. The Jackets did a great job of holding the Ironmen to 3 points, but it was still a 2nd score they had given up and it put the Jackets down 9-0. The Jackets next possession was one that told the story of the whole day for the offense. The ball was moved from the Jackets 40 yard line to inside Vermilion's 30. However, a holding penalty on this drive made it stall out and a field goal attempt by Jered Fohrman sailed wide left only to give the ball back to Vermilion. A short pass from Hughes to Clarke on Vermilion's next possession ended up in disaster as 8 of the 11 defensive players made an attempt to tackle Clark who went 70 yards for a score which was the last play of the 1st quarter. This time Sorenson's XP was good making it a 16-0 ballgame after 1 quarter of play.
From the first quarter on there were similar results for the Yellowjackets as drives when from the 30 to the 30 and stalled because of penalties, missed blocks and turnovers . Meanwhile the Ironmen executed nicely and picked up 2 more scores in the 2nd quarter with Hughes connecting with Paulk for a 4 yard pass with 14:17 remaining in the 2nd quarter (a Yellowjacket fumble on their first drive in the 2nd quarter gave them the ball inside the 10) and Sorenson added on the XP attempt. This score came within a minute of the Ironmen's last score. Later on in the 2nd quarter after Yellowjacket drives stalled out, Hughes hooked up this time with Osborne for a 57 yard pass with 1:29 remaining in the half.
The second half saw no scoring as for both teams the drives stalled out before getting to paydirt. A late drive by the Yellowjackets resulteld in a field goal attempt but the snap was mishandled and that scoring opportunity was lost. On the day, the Jackets moved the ball as they had 12 first downs to Vermilion's 14. They also had less penalties and yardage with it as they had 4 penalties for 35 yards compared to 11 penalties for 100 yards for the Ironmen. Time of possession favored the Jackets with 30:35 to the Ironmen's 29:25. The biggest stat that would haunt the Jackets on this day was turnovers as the Jackets threw 3 INT's and fumbled 4 times losing 1 that led to an immediate Ironmen score. The Jackets were inside of Ironmen territory 7 times but came away with no points.
The Yellowjackets Season started out with a nice win vs. Rainy River 44-27, but quickly went south as they lost 3 straight games to Vermilion, Mesabi and Hibbing. At this point, the Jackets were all but written off from any Division Titles or State Championship Games. From that 1-3 start, the Jackets rattled off 6 wins vs. Itasca, MSCTC Fergus Falls, Ridgewater, Minnesota West, Central Lakes and in the first round of the MCCC Playoffs vs. Northland. This stretch pulled the Jackets to 7-3 and a #20 ranking in the NJCAA Polls. Rochester's loss to Vermilion sealed the fate that there would be no bowl game in 2006-they had been to 10 straight NJCAA Bowl Appearances prior to 2006.
Congratulations to the 2006 Rochester Yellowjackets team for a 7-4 final season record, an MCCC Southern Division Championship, an MCCC State Runner-up and a first-class team that showed a lot of heart for battling back from a 1-3 start. Go Jackets!
11-4-06
ROCHESTER ADVANCES TO MCCC STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
The Rochester Yellowjackets are going to their 11th straight MCCC Championship Game next Saturday at St. Cloud State University (noon game time). Rochester defeated the # 18 ranked Northland Pioneers today 22-14. The last time the Yellowjackets were not in the title game was 1995. The Jackets have been State Champions 9 of the 11 (1996 and 2001 runner-up) times during their run. They will face the Vermilion Ironmen who defeated the Yellowjackets 7-3 earlier this year. Rochester had the ball at the goal line with 2:00 remaining in the game for which would have been the go ahead score, but a Vermilion player took the ball from quarterback Henry Lau as he reached over the goal line on a quarterback sneak. The Vermilion defeat dropped the Jackets to 1-2, which Rochester then dropped to 1-3. Since the 1-3 start, the Jackets have won 6 straight and are 7-3 entering the State Championship Game.
The first quarter was the Jered Fohrman show as the Jackets jumped to a 9-0 nothing lead at the end of the first quarter. Fohrman made field goals of 36, 48 and 40 yards. The Jackets' offense failed to produce touchdowns as receivers got open but they were unable to connect to keep the drives going and the Pioneer defense was stingy vs. the run. The Jackets got on the board in the second quarter with Jake Ellinghuysen benefitting from some defensive line pressure. Northland's quarterback was pressured into throwing an ill-advised pass into the flats where Ellinghuysen was waiting to take a 31-yard interception in for a touchdown. Fohrman's extra point put the Jackets up 16-0 with 12:30 remaining in the first half. With 3:49 left in the half, McKee scored on a 1-yard run to put the score at 16-8 going into halftime.
The Yellowjackets made a long drive in the 3rd quarter aided by a long slant pass from Henry Lau to Derrick Crowder that brought the ball inside the 10 yard line. Three plays later Steve Todd got the Jackets on the board again to make it 22-8. There was no extra point attempt as the snap from center was errant. Northland again got on the board with an 8-yard run by Hoskins with 5:14 remaining in the game to make the score 22-14. The two-point conversion failed. Following an on-side kick that the Jackets recovered, they were unable to put points on the board and were forced to punt. The defense held and on a 4th and long, and a fake punt by the Pioneers was stopped short. After the Jackets were able to get a first down by running back Michael Barnes, they were able to kneel on the ball and run out the clock to put them into the MCCC State Championship Game.
Henry Lau was 6-9 passing for 107 yards to lead the Jackets to their win. Derrick Crowder had 6 catches for 98 yards in the game. The defense was led by many Jackets with big plays including: Ellinghuysen's INT return, DE's Tim Oachs and Jim Breuer working hard vs. the run and linebackers Jamin Ramsay, Billy Quistorff and Alex Berns filling in on the run. RCTC's defense did a great job vs. the pass as Northland completed only 3 of 14 passes. Give credit to the defensive line of Jarred Burt, Tim Oachs, Evan Recio and Jim Breuer for putting pressure on the quarterback, and the secondary of Mike Thelemann, Buddy Dunseth, Cedric Okoi and Paul Kalmes for the coverage.
Game time at St. Cloud is a noon start for the MCCC State Championship Game. RCTC enters with a 7-3 record and Vermilion enters with a 9-1 record.
10-28-06
RCTC WINS SOUTHERN DIVISION TITLE
Today the RCTC Yellowjackets beat a tough Central Lakes squad 14-3. RCTC's Brad LaPlante has had to settle for second place in the MCCC Southern Division his first two years as Head Coach, but this year RCTC has made a fabulous run from a 1-3 start to finish the regular season at 6-3. The Jackets have rattled off five wins in a row, including an undefeated Southern Division Schedule to earn the Southern Division Title.
For the 7th straight week,the RCTC Defense has held opponents below 20 points and 5 of the 7 they have held the opponent under 14 points. The Jackets Defense has been a stronghold for the team all year allowing the Southern Divisions least amount of points at 112 (also good for 3rd in the state). The defense came up big in the first half with a blocked field goal, forcing a missed field goal attempt, and they held Central Lakes to 3 points after a Yellowjacket turnover deep in their own territory. While the defense was playing strong, it was the offense that struggled throughout the first half with under 30 yards total offense and negative yardage on the ground. Central Lakes used a swarming defense with many outside blitzes to force the Jackets into many long yardage situations and banging up starting quarterback Henry Lau.
The 2nd half would prove again to be a different team for the second week in a row. Big plays by Jim Breuer, Jake Ellinghuysen, Jamin Ramsay and Tim Oachs kept the Central Lakes offense on the run all day with sacks, hurries and tackles for losses. A 56 yard run by Shane Lee with 12:12 remaining in the 4th quarter quickly changed the momentum for Rochester. Jered Fohrman tacked on the extra point to put the Jackets up 7-3. Neither offense threatened again in the game. A great punt by Jason Lennartz forced the Raiders to work form deep in their own territory as the ball was downed at the 1 yard line. After digging out from the 1 yard line Tim Oachs came up with a big play as he intercepted a pass from his Defensive End position and raced 23 yards for the final score of the game. With Fohrman's kick, the Jackets put the game away at 14-3.
With the Southern Division Title and win, the Jackets have earned a #1 Southern Division Seed in the playoffs and will play the Northern Division #2 seed Northland. Northland will come into Saturday's 1pm game with a 7-2 record and a #18 NJCAA Ranking.
RCTC Football 10-21-06
YELLOWJACKETS KEEP ROLLING
The RCTC Yellowjackets traveled to Worthington, MN today to take on the Minnesota West Bluejays. The games between RCTC and MN West have been close and highly contested between these 2 football rivals. In 2004, MN West came out on top in the regular season 26-21, but later in the State Championship RCTC won 24-12 to capture the MCCC Title. In 2005 MN West again topped the Jackets 34-27 in the regular season, but for a 2nd straight year RCTC won 26-21 to capture the MCCC Title.
2006's game proved to be no different than the last 4 games that these 2 teams have played. The only difference is that this year both teams started slow and have come on strong as of late. Coming into the game, both teams were tied with a 4-3 record and on a winning streak. Also, both teams had 6 points in the standings to put them in 2nd place in the MCCC Southern Division. A Southern Division 1st or 2nd place was on the line today as also was the possibility of getting into the MCCC Playoffs (only the 1st and 2nd place teams in each division get a playoff spot).
A close game was to be expected as both teams are leading in statistical categories in the Southern Division. MN West was ranked with the #1 defense and RCTC was ranked #2 in Defense and #1 in Offense. Weather conditions of temperatures below 40 degrees and wind gusts in the 20-30 mph ranges made the conditions difficult for both teams. The first quarter ended