Dominant D
That's what has kept Raiders perfect
Eight points.
That's less than one point per quarter played that the Central Lakes College Raiders defense has allowed this season.
The eight points were scored in the second quarter of the third week against the nation's 20th-ranked Mesabi Range Norse.
Central Lakes College defenders Jordan Moll (51), James Gagnon (32) and Andrew Hallberg (40) stuffed a Northland running back Sept. 5. CLC has allowed eight points in three games, helping the Raiders to a 3-0 start. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls » Purchase reprints of this photo.
One touchdown and one 2-point conversion.
That's pretty good.
"Defensively I couldn't be happier," said Raiders head coach Greg Medeck. "We've given up eight points in three games. The defense is playing outstanding. It's one of the best in the league. A lot of that has to do with having a lot of guys back from last year's squad. They understand our schemes and philosophy on how we want to attack an opposing offense."
Here are some more impressive statistics posted by the 3-0 Raiders. They are allowing 198.3 yards per game, second only to Rochester's 172.0 in the Southern Division of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference.
CLC Raiders
What: MCAC football
Opponent: Itasca Vikings
When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Findorff Athletic Complex, Brainerd
At stake: Raiders unbeaten record and homecoming
The Raiders have allowed 309 rushing yards and 286 passing, compared to their offense which has gained 373 rushing yards and 460 passing yards for a 277.7 yards per game average.
Defensive lineman Kyle Crozon leads the defense with 12 solo tackles and five assists. Jordan Moll, a freshman from Little Falls, was named this week's Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week after posting 11 tackles and one sack against Mesabi.
Dusty Parker, also of Little Falls, has picked off three passes and has seven tackles.
Medeck is hoping for continued defensive success for the Raiders homecoming against Itasca on Saturday.
Itasca is 1-2 after falling to Rochester 27-6 last weekend. The Vikings average 244.3 yards per game.
"Defensively, we won't change much," said Medeck. "We feel we can attack and be aggressive with our different fronts and coverages. Offensively, Itasca runs a lot of our defense, which we don't see much from other teams in our league. We're used to it though because we practice against it all throughout camp.
"They may be a little bit undersized, but they're a talented bunch."
A Week One injury to starting quarterback Andrew Maskell has allowed Colt Gatzemeyer to step in and show what he can do.
Last week against Mesabi, Gatzemeyer went 11-of-198 for 158 yards and two touchdowns. His efforts landed him Offensive Player of the Week in the Southern Division.
On the season Gatzemeyer is 27-of-52 for 434 yards and five TDs. His top target has been Alex Leach of Pierz. Leach has six receptions for 141 yards and two scores. Tyler Erickson has five catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns and Ryan Fay has five catches for 72 yards.
Dennis Taute leads the rushing attack with 241 yards on 66 carries. Michael Iverson has 83 yards on 23 carries.
"We're still trying to jell on offense," said Medeck. "We took a big hit when we lost Andrew at quarterback, but Colt is developing on a weekly basis. He is getting more confident. We're steady in our running attack, but I would like to see a little more production there."
The Raiders and Rochester are the only teams still unbeaten. They square off Sept. 26 at Rochester. Still, Medeck won't allow his team to look past Itasca. CLC is using the standard one-week-at-a-time mantra.
"I think we're where we thought we would be at this point in the season," Medeck said. "We want to see progress each week. Our offense and defense know what their jobs and responsibilities are.
"We're 3-0, but we want to see our team getting better each week. It's one step at a time and we talk about that each week."
JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5856.