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Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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A rematch of rivals College football Staff Writer It will be No. 1 vs. No. 2.
Or, on the national scale, No. 10 vs. No. 12 when the Rochester Community and Technical College Yellowjackets battle the Central Lakes College Raiders for the Minnesota College Athletic Conference state title.
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Central Lakes College Raiders head coach Greg Medeck spoke to his team during the Raiders' 20-6 victory over Ridgewater Oct. 24 in Brainerd. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
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The rematch of the Week Five 27-6 Rochester win is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at St. Cloud State University.
Both Raiders quarterbacks, Andrew Maskell and Colt Gatzemeyer, missed the Sept. 26 loss with injuries, a fact that has Raiders head coach Greg Medeck optimistic for a better outcome this weekend.
"That's a huge factor for us," Medeck said. "We had two quarterbacks we felt comfortable with and then Andrew went down the first week of the season and Colt stepped in and played well. Then he went down the week before the Rochester game.
Central Lakes vs. Rochester
What: MCAC state championship
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Husky Stadium, St. Cloud State University
Last meeting: Rochester beat the Raiders 27-6 Sept. 26.
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"That was hard for us to overcome on such short notice. We put in a guy that had never taken a snap in a college football game. We have both guys back and we're feeling confident."
The confidence comes from five straight wins, including last week's 36-30 state semifinal win at Vermilion. The five wins haven't been easy, though. CLC closed the regular season with a 20-6 win over Ridgewater, a 26-20 double-overtime win over Vermilion, a 28-12 win over Minnesota West and a 19-13 overtime win over Fergus Falls.
"We're battle-tested," Medeck said. "We haven't blown anyone out and it does seem to come down to the fourth quarter. You can look at it two ways, though. A positive is we found ways to win football games."
That's the goal Sunday. The first priority will be establishing a running game and stopping the run. The Raiders managed just 48 rushing yards against what Medeck called the best run defense in the league the last time these two met. The Yellowjackets rushed for 209 yards and outgained CLC 283-158.
Rochester has only allowed 792 rushing yards while gaining 1,664 this season. Bryan Schroeder leads the team with 634 yards and seven touchdowns. Curtis Perry has 247 yards and four scores and Jerry Brewer Jr. has rushed or 276 yards and two TDs.
The Yellowjackets have allowed 1,083 yards passing, but have thrown for 1,394 yards. That has helped them outscore opponents 273 to 61.
"We have different styles of players," said Rochester head coach Brad LaPlante. "We have a couple of receivers that catch the short pass and then can make people miss. We have others that if you throw it up they can go up and get it. They have great leaping ability to go over the top of defenders. The best part about that is we have a quarterback that understands that and puts the ball where it needs to be."
That quarterback is Carey Poarch. Through 10 games he has thrown for 1,380 yards and 15 touchdowns with just five interceptions.
His main targets are Chris Hicks, who has 29 receptions for 596 yards and 10 touchdowns. Aden Hassan has 17 catches for 141 yards and two scores and Kyle Anderson has 12 catches for 170 yards and a score.
One of the keys will be special teams," said Medeck. "They have an outstanding kicking game. Their kicker is extraordinary. We need to play our best on special teams because field position will be a big factor in order to keep from giving their kicker any chances."
Turnovers, penalties and mental mistakes, as always, will be key, but LaPlante is worried about his opponents' confidence.
"They're good at both running and passing the ball," said LaPlante. "I have a lot of respect with how they play from the first play to the last play. It doesn't change at all. I think we're very similar."
LaPlante said he doesn't plan any major changes for Sunday's contest. Neither does Medeck, except maybe one important aspect.
"Hopefully we win," Medeck said with a laugh. "That's the one different variable I'd like to see. They're a strong football team, year in and year out. They're undefeated this year, but our only blemish is against them. We were down a few guys in that game and I'd like to think that affected the outcome."
JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5856.
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