Yellowjacket Football News

RCTC has 3 players in the Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game

Congratulations to Brandon Meuller (Chisago Lakes), Jason Rodriguez-Cruz (Rochester Lourdes) and Mario Butler (Rochester Mayo) for participating with the Minnesota Outstate 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:

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?a=341516&z=22

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.

Game Stats

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.

Game Stats

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.

Game Stats

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.

Game Stats

Former RCTC Yellowjackets in the news:

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.

Game Stats

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!

Game Stats

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.

RCTC Football 10-21-06

The RCTC Yellowjackets (4-3, 2-0 in the Southern Division) continued their winning ways today with a 25-8 victory over the Ridgewater (Willmar) Warriors. The Jackets used a swarming defense and a ball-controlled offense for their 3rd consecutive victory on a blustery (wind gusts up to 35 mph) day in Rochester.

Rochester got on the board first with a 45 yard field goal by Jered Fohrman with 10:58 remaining in the first quarter. Rochester was aided by great field position as the defense held Ridgewater to a 3 and out on their opening possession. Ridgewater got on the board with 2:32 left in the game on a blown coverage which left Pawelk open for a 20 yard pass from Moody. Ridgewater then went for the 2 pt. conversion and got it to put them up 8-3. The rest of the first half was scoreless until RCTC took the 2-minute drill right down the field for the 3rd straight game for a score. The end result was Henry Lau connecting with Nick Peterson for a 19 yard TD with 0:44 remaining in the half. This score gave the Jackets huge momentum heading into halftime.

RCTC came out with a no-huddle offense that generated a nice scoring drive to start the second half culminated by Henry Lau connecting with Derrick Crowder for a 12 yard Touchdown with 12:46 left to go in the 3rd quarter. Other scores in the 3rd quarter by the Jackets included Ridgewater taking a safety on a punt with 3:37 left in the quarter. This was presumably set up by the strong wind and punts of less than 20 yards on the day. Also, Jered Fohrman connected on a 32 yard field goal with 0:30 left in the 3rd quarter to put the Jackets up 22-8 at the end of 3 quarters of play.

The 4th quarter saw both teams running the ball most downs and with the wind blowing, it made for a tougher day throwing the ball. The only score was for RCTC as Jered Fohrman hit his third FG on the day, a 27 yarder with 3:26 remaining in the game.

RCTC doubled Ridgewater's offensive output on the day 2254-127 and had 15 first downs to Ridgewater's 8. Jimmy Barker led the ground attack with 65 yards on 11 carries. For the day, RCTC had 119 yards rushing on 34 attempts. Henry Lau was 13-20 for 135 yards and no INT's on this windy day to lead the Jackets passing attack. Leading receivers were Nate Clements who had 4 catches for 55 yards and Derrick Crowder who had 3 catches for 29 yards and 1TD.

RCTC (4-3) heads to Worthington on October 21st to take on Minnesota West (3-4) in what could be a game that will dictate who gets into the playoffs for the Southern Division and/or what seed they can expect to get.

To enhance the health of kids - Increased physical activity can combat a host of health problems facing kids today.
To improve air quality and the environment - Replacing car trips to school with walking or bicycling can help reduce air pollution.
To create safer routes for walking and bicycling - Sidewalks, education programs and traffic calming measures are some of the ways to improve conditions.

The Rochester Yellowjackets pulled back to .500 (3-3) with a 28-10 win over MSCTC-Fergus Falls in Fergus Falls today. The Jackets jumped out early on the Spartans as the defense forced a punt on the Spartans first offensive possession. On the punt, returner Paul Kalmes returned the ball inside the 30 yard giving the RCTC offense a short field to work with. Five plays later Jimmy Barker took the ball off right tackle to put the Jackets on the board and a Jered Fohrman extra point made it 7-0 with 7:39 remaining in the first quarter. Another forced punt by the Jackets and good return by Kalmes inside the Spartans 20 yard line gave the RCTC offense more great field position. Henry Lau then connected with Nate Clements for an 18 yard TD Strike with 1:31 left to go in the first quarter.

The second quarter left the Jackets offense stifled as the Spartans put 3 points on the board with Mandemaker making a 31 yard field goal with 2:32 left in the second quarter. However, for the second week in a row Henry Lau guided the offense down the field for a successful 2-minute drill. Phil Louis had 2 catches for 43 yards and Shane Lee had a nice inside trap run that took the Jackets to the 4 yard line. One play later, Lee plunged over the goal line with 0:53 left in the half to put the Jackets up 21-3.

Eric Evans made a great play on the opening kickoff of the second half causing a fumble and recovering it deep in Spartans territory. Lau took the quarterback sneak in 2 plays later to put the Jackets up 28-3 wtih 13:55 remaining in the 3rd quarter to end the Jackets scoring. A 16 yard run with 8:28 remaining in the 3rd quarter by Gaines rounded out the scoring for the game.

The Jackets (3-3) continue MCCC Southern Division play at home Saturday, October 7th at 1:30 pm vs. Ridgewater (1-5).

The Yellowjackets got back on track today with a 35-6 victory over the Itasca Vikings. Rochester jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 4:46 left in the 1st quarter as Running Back Shane Lee getting a 2 yard scoring run. Jason Lennertz made his first extra point attempt of the year. The defense held and once again gave the Jackets the ball right back and early in the 2nd quarter Henry Lau connected with Philippe Louis for an 11 yard touchdown reception. Jered Fohrman added the extra point to put RCTC up 14-0. Good field position had Itasca working inside the 50 yard line throughout the first half, but the Jackets Defense never broke and shut out the Vikings in the half. RCTC had a nice 2-minute offensive strike late in the second quarter as Lau connected with Terrance Fitch with some nice crossing routes and Shane Lee finished off the drive with a 20 yard run off tackle (0:53 left in the half) to put RCTC up 20-0. Fohrman then added his second extra point of the day to put RCTC up 21-0 heading into halftime.

RCTC didn't stop there as a nice drive resulted in another 7 points. Steve Todd had a nice run off-tackle but was stripped of the ball, but Cameron Nelson hustled to scoop and score with 11:12 remaining in the third quarter. Fohrman's extra point was again good to put the Jackets up 28-0. With 13:56 remaining in the game, Todd got his chance again and made good on it as he bounced an off guard play outside end for an 11 yard scoring run. With Fohrman's extra point, the Jackets ended the scoring for the day with a 35-0 lead. Itasca did score with 9:05 remaining in the game when Young had a 5-yard scoring run. The extra point was blocked by the Jackets Defense and an attempt to run it back for 2 points was negated as the Yellowjacket player had his knee down when attempting to pick up the ball and run.

On the day the Jackets dominated the line of scrimmage wiht RCTC having 16 of their 24 first downs coming on the ground and holding Itasca to 2 rushing first downs and only 10 for the game. RCTC also had the edge on the ground game amassing 250 yards to Itasca's 42 and averaging 5.3 per carry for the day. Lau connected on 11 of 17 passing attempts for 175 yards, 1 TD and no INT's for an average of 15.9 per completion. Total yardage had RCTC at 425 to Itasca's 151. RCTC did punt 5 times with Jason Lennertz having an average of 42 yards per punt with a long of 52 yards.

Rochester (2-3) heads to Fergus Falls as they begin Southern Division Games next week with MSCTC-Fergus Falls (1-4).

Rochester dropped another close game today in what appeared to be a defensive battle most of the way. No scoring was recorded in the first half, but Hibbing reached Rochester territory 4 times but came away with no points to show. Hibbing opened up the scoring with 11:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter when Bowen hit Fields for a 29 yard score. On the ensuing extra point, what appeared to be a botched snap or a called fake resulted in Bowen, who was the holder on the play, to connect for the 2-point conversion making it 8-0 in favor of Hibbing. That would be all the points the Cardinals would need as the Jackets never did score. Rochester did have a chance to put points on the board in the 3rd quarter, but a Jered Fohrman field goal attempt aailed wide right. RCTC had what appeared to be a scoring threat late in the 4th quarter drop what could have been at the time the potential tying score. This was the way the Jackets day went as they had 4 dropped passes and 2 holding penalties tally close to 170 yards of offense lost on those plays. Mistakes such as those and keeping contain on Hibbing's 2 athletic quarterbacks allowing Hibbing drives to continue plagued RCTC all day.

RCTC was outgained on the ground 260 to 58 and in the air 160-115. Penalty yardage showed 4 penalties for 45 yards. However, 2 of the penalties negated 2 first downs and over 80 yards of offense and stalled both Jackets drives.

Rochester (1-3) will try to rebound next Saturday as they host the Itasca Vikings (2-1) at 3pm for Homecoming.

The RCTC Yellowjackets lost a heartbreaker today at home to the Vermilion Ironmen 7-3. The Jackets had a late drive end at the 1 yard line. Quarterback Henry Lau on a 2nd and goal quarterback sneak, reached over the goal line only to have an Ironmen defensive player take the ball from out of the end zone on a controversial call and return it past the 50 yard line. There was a 15-yard penalty on the play that took the ball back, but the damage was done and the Ironmen were able to run out the clock.

The Jackets offense stalled 5 times inside the Vermilion 40 resulting in 1 blocked field goal and 3 missed field goal opportunities. On one of the 2nd quarter drives inside the 20 RCTC also lost starting quarterback Mark Aiello to a shoulder injury on a play-action pass attempt. Fohrman did connect on a 20 yard field goal with 13:49 left in the 2nd quarter to put the Jackets up 3-0. The game stayed scoreless until Hughes connected with Osborne on a 72 yard completion for a touchdown with 12:47 remaining in the 4th quarter. Osborne had gotten free on blown coverage during the play.

RCTC held an advantage in net rushing yards 97-58 and also in first downs 13-11. Mistakes and penalties cost the Yellowjackets more points inside the red zone and continuation of drives. RCTC only had 4 penalties, however, 2 proved to be costly and stalled drives. RCTC held a time advantage of 32:55 to 27:50 and also had 2 more offensive plays than did Vermilion.

RCTC (1-2) will travel to Hibbing (1-2) next Saturday to play the Cardinals.

SUCCESS.......Some people dream of it, while others wake up and work hard at it every day!

The Jackets suffered their first loss of the season today 20-10 at the hands of the Mesabi Range Norsemen. RCTC took a 7-0 lead into halftime thanks to a 2 yard run by Cortland Dubose and the extra point attempt by Jered Fohrman. With 9:!6 left in the 3rd quarter, Mesabi Range got on the scoreboard with a 1 yard run by Johnson with Akin kicking the extra point. Mesabi Range went up 14-7 with a 30 yard pass from Johnson to Moore. With 4:30 left in the game, the Jackets added a 38 yard field go by Jered Fohrman to take cut the lead to 14-10. Rochester's defense then held and the offense had one more shot, but the drive ended with a 40 yard interception return for a touchdown by Richardson with 1:41 left in the game. RCTC did block the extra point to keep the score at 20-10.

The Jackets tallied more first down than the Norseman (15-13) but were out gained 274-212. The time of possession favored the Jackets too with Rochester controlling the ball for 31:30 while Mesabi had it for 28:30. Rochester also held the advantage in penalty yards, however, a costly off-sides penalty on a Mesabi Range missed field goal resulted in a first down and ultimately 7 points for the Norseman.

Rochester (1-1) Hosts Vermilion (1-0) in Week 3.

#18 RCTC Football Team Starts Season 1-0

RCTC posted its first win of 2006 with a 44-27 win over a much improved Rainy River Voyageurs Team.. RCTC opened the scoring with a 9 yard pass from Henry Lau to Robert Pierson with 11:11 remaining in the first quarter. Four minutes later Rochester John Marshall's Jimmy Barker took a handoff and went in for a 5 yard TD run. After a Rainy River fumble, the Yellowjackets capitalized and went Lau this time hooked up with Travis Spencer for a 12 yard reception to make it 21-0. Rainy River bounced back with a 69 yard touchdown pass from Terry to Hundley to cut the lead to 21-6 to round out the first quarter scoring. The Jackets scored 13 more in the second quarter. Cedric Okoi returned an interception 23 yards for a score and Jered Fohrman tacked on a field goals of 43 and 29 yards to make the halftime score RCTC 34 Rainy River 13.

Rainy River answered back in the second half with an 80 yard touchdown pass once again from Terry this time to Robinson. RCTC rounded out the third quarter scoring with a 41 yard field goal by Jered Fohrman. Fohrman was 3-4 for field goals on the day with his longest being a 43-yarder. He was also perfect on PAT's going 5-5. In the fourth quarter RCTC's punt coverage failed and the result was a 61 yard punt return for a TD. The Jackets ran out the clock and a final drive dominated by the ground game resulted in a 7 yard run by Cortland DuBose with under a minute remaining.

RCTC's Joel Krasselt led the Jackets Defense with 2 Interceptions on the day. A stifling front 7 held the Voyageurs to -22 yard rushing on the day. Rainy River did get 298 in the air, but nearly 200 of those yards came on 3 plays. RCTC also recovered every Rainy River fumble (3) to set the offense up with good field position.

A balanced RCTC Offense was led by Robert Pierson. Pierson had 4 catches for 27 yards and a TD and also had 3 runs for 43 yards on the ground. Henry Lau completed 11 of 23 passes for 98 yards and a TD. Cortland Dubose and Jimmy Barker both had over 40 yards rushing on the day.

Rushing RCTC 180 Rainy River -22
Passing RCTC 44 Rainy River 298
Total Yards RCTC 281 Rainy River 276
Time of Possession RCTC 37:44 Rainy River 22:16
Punting RCTC Jason Lennertz 5 punts for 204 yards and an average of 40.8 per punt

RCTC Travels to Virginia, MN next Saturday to take on a tough Mesabi Range team who beat MSCTC Fergus Falls at SCSU on Saturday.

The 3rd Annual RCTC FB Golf Tourney was a huge success on Friday, July 21st, 2006. Over 80 golfers including the RCTC Football Coaching Staff, RCTC Faculty/Staff and Administration, Area Business Supporters, Alumni and Current Players and their Families enjoyed a great day at Maple Valley Golf Course. Many great door prizes were given out, but no one won the $10,000 hole-in-one shootout on hole #3. Thanks to all who participated and donated prizes!

^ Back to Top
« Previous Page

851 30th Ave SE :: Rochester, MN 55904-4999
RCTC Athletic Office: (507) 285-7273.
Or call RCTC General Information @ 1-800-247-1296
Members: MCCC Minnesota Community College Conference
NJCCA National Junior College Athletic Association.

Rochester Community and Technical College is a member the Minnesota College and University System. © 2004 Rochester Community & Technical College (RCTC), All rights reserved. RCTC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer.