| 2003 All-American
Football Honors
Jacobs named NAIA Honorable Mention and
NAIAFootball.net All-American
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| Lamar Jacobs |
Lamar Jacobs, junior running back from Manteca, Calif., continues
to receive nationally recognition after his record breaking junior
season at McPherson College. Last Saturday, Jacobs was named to
Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette NAIA honorable mention
list. That followed on the heels of his selection to the 2003 NAIA
All-American squad, also as an honorable mention running back. Jacobs
has previously been named to NAIAFootball.net ’s 2003 All-American
fourth team offense in late December.
"Lamar was a huge addition to our program this past fall,"
said David Cunningham, McPherson College head football coach. "We
knew he would help us, but quite frankly, I did not realize how
much until we saw him in person in a game situation. His big play
capability help open up our entire offense. We are looking forward
to him having a fantastic senior season."
Jacobs, who had been previously been a unanimous first team, All-KCAC
selection, set a McPherson College single season rushing record
with 1,429 yards on 216 carries as he finished second in the KCAC
rushing race and 8th nationally among NAIA running backs for the
2003 season. Jacobs also finished 14th nationally in individual
scoring, averaging 8.6 points per game.
A computer science major at McPherson College, Jacobs joined the
Bulldog program this past fall after attending San Joaquin Delta
College in Stockton, Calif.
Blacklock named to Hansen’s National
Weekly Football Gazette All-Ameican 2nd team
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| Dallas Blacklock |
Dallas Blacklock, senior defensive back from Houston, Texas, was
named to Hansen’s NAIA All-America second team defense. Blacklock
intercepted five passes and returned them for 144 yards his senior
season. He recovered two fumbles, returning one 95 yards for a touchdown.
Credited with 70 tackles, 41 unassisted, Blacklock also broke up
ten passes.
After missing the 2001 season with a back injury, he returned in
2002 to record 46 tackles, 19 of which were unassisted, forced two
fumbles and recovered two. His junior season also included two pass
interceptions, one of which he returned 40 yards for a touchdown,
and 22 passes broken up.
Blacklock was selected to the All-KCAC second team defense following
both the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
"Dallas showed a tremendous commitment to our program by
returning first from a severe back injury to play what we thought
would likely be his final season (in 2002), but then again when
he decided to come back for a fifth year of eligibility even though
he had finished his degree."
"Dallas had been through both the highs and lows of the football
program, and he wanted to go out on another high point. He brought
a much, needed maturity to our defensive backfield. His commitment
to McPherson College and McPherson College football is an inspiration
to all of us involved with the program."
Blacklock graduated from McPherson College in May of 2003 with
a degree in Religion & Philosophy.
Six Bulldog gridders named Academic All-American
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| Robert Ullom |
Matt Tobias |
Joe Blas |
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| Darrell Cole |
Erik Johnson |
Nick Griggs |
Six members of the 2003 McPherson College football team were recently
named 2003 Daktronics-NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes. Named were
seniors wide receiver Robert Ullom and defensive back Matt Tobias,
and juniors, defensive lineman Joe Blas, slotback Darrell Cole,
quarterback Erik Johnson, and running back Nick Griggs.
"We are very proud that we had these young men earn this
great award," said David Cunningham, McPherson College head
coach. "That is what we are striving for; to excel both on
the field and in the classroom. They are great representatives of
McPherson College, both athletically and scholastically."
"I also want to thank Karlene Tyler (Associate Dean of Academic
Records) for noting all the players that were eligible to be nominated.
We have some guys that are even better students than I realized."
Robert Ullom (SR, Wiley, Colo., Wiley HS, Chemistry) was
on the receiving end of nine passes, good for 140 yards and two
touchdowns during his senior season. His longest reception of the
2003 season went for 28 yards in the Bulldogs’ season opening
win over Haskell Indian Nations University. The Haskell contest
also marked Ullom’s season and career high receiving day as
he caught three passes for 55 yards. As a junior, Robert caught
10 passes from 110 yards and a touchdown, matching his sophomore
season with the addition of the touchdown. Ullom completed his Bulldog
career with 37 receptions, good for 411 yards and three touchdowns.
Matt Tobias (SR, Eldora, IA, BCLUW School, History Education),
who is classified academically as a senior, but has one more season
of eligibility, was credited with 22 tackles during the 2003 season,
including six unassisted. Always around the ball, he gathered in
one fumble recovery and a pass interception, plus was credited with
one pass play broken up. During the 2002 season, Tobias notched
eight tackles, half of which were unassisted, and a pass interception
plus returned one kickoff for six yards.
Joe Blas (JR, Sumer, Wash., White River HS, Pre-Med/Biology)
was credited with 51 tackles, 20 unassisted during the 2003 season.
Blas finished his junior season with 4.5 sacks, six tackles for
lost yardage, 10 quarterback hurries, and one forced fumble. Blas’
highlight days in 2003 came when he tallied nine tackles including
half a sack against defending KCAC champion Kansas Wesleyan and
in the season opener against Haskell Indian Nations when he came
away with six stops including two sacks. Blas was an All-KCAC honorable
mention selection as a defensive lineman following the 2003 season.
Darrell Cole (JR, Waynesboro, VA, Bridgewater College/Wilson
Memorial HS, Auto Restoration) has received All-KCAC recognition
the past two seasons. One of the most versatile athletes on the
Bulldog squad, he rushed for 396 yards on 59 carries, caught 17
passes for another 359 yards, and scored six touchdowns plus a two-point
PAT this past season. As a sophomore he rushed for 423 yards and
four touchdowns on 37 carries while catching 19 passes for 159 yards.
Cole’s top receiving performance as a Bulldog came in 2003
against the University of Saint Mary when he caught five passes
for 164 yards and two touchdowns. As a sophomore, Cole’s highlight
day came against Southwestern College when he ran for 123 yards
and two touchdowns on only seven carries. Cole has been a All-KCAC
selection at slotback the past two seasons.
Erik Johnson (JR, Caldwell, ID, Idaho State University/Vallivue
HS, Physical Education) was an All-KCAC selection following the
2002 season, but missed three games (four games on the offensive
side of the ball) of this past season with a broken hand. Still,
he finished the 2003 season with 65 completions on 133 passes, good
for 833 yards and with only two interceptions. Instructed not to
take as many hits, following his 2003 injury as he did during his
sophomore year, Erik rushed only 79 times in 2003, but tallied five
touchdowns among those carries. As a sophomore transfer, Johnson
threw for 1037 yards and nine touchdowns as he completed 102 of
208 pass attempts in earning second team All-KCAC honors. Known
as one of the beest scrambling quarterbacks in the KCAC, Johnson
also rushed for 373 yards and 13 touchdowns on 122 carries during
his sophomore season.
Nick Griggs (JR, Colorado Springs, CO, Harrison HS, Music
Education) rushed for 75 yards on only 17 carries and caught one
pass for five yards this past season. He also returned nine kickoffs
for 151 yards. As a sophomore, Griggs rushed 75 times for 294 yards
and one touchdown, plus caught three passes for another 16 yards.
Twelve Bulldogs named All-KCAC football
McPherson College junior Lamar Jacobs was the Bulldogs’ lone
2003 All-KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) football first
team selection in a post-season vote by the conference’s coaches.
A unanimous choice, Jacobs finished his first season as a Bulldog
as McPherson College’s all-time, single season rushing leader
with 1,429 yards.
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| Jared Ratzlaff |
Jason Henry |
Todd Davis |
Four Bulldogs were named to the all-conference second team. Receiving
second team defensive honors were senior defensive back Dallas Blacklock,
who was named to the second team for a second straight season. Blacklock
was joined on the #2 defensive unit by juniors Jared Ratzlaff, linebacker,
and Jason Henry, defensive end. Junior offensive guard Todd Davis
was the only Bulldog named to the offensive second team.
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| John Berlanga |
Alan Childress |
An additional seven Bulldogs were named to the All-KCAC honorable
mention squad. Senior wide receiver John Berlanga, duplicated his
selection of last season. Juniors Alan Childress, offensive tackle,
and Darrell Cole, slot back, were named to the offensive side of
the ball. Junior Joe Blas and sophomore Ricky Gottschalk were named
as defensive lineman while freshmen Alex Holtry and Randall "Colt"
Knigge received honorable mention recognition as a linebacker and
defensive back, respectively.
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| Ricky Gottschalk |
Alex Holtry |
Colt Knigge |
"We are very proud of all twelve of our All-Conference honorees,"
said McPherson College head coach David Cunningham. "We felt
that a couple of them could have been picked higher, but that's
how the voting went. I felt that Dallas Blacklock and Todd Davis
were both first team performers and that Darrell Cole should have
been at least a second team pick.
"It bodes well for our future that 10 of the 12 are underclassmen,
with John Berlanga being the only other senior selected besides
Dallas. And, it is especially gratifying to see Lamar be a unanimous
first team pick and also to be nominated for All-American honors."
Lamar Jacobs (Manteca, Calif., Delta College, 5-9, 185),
Jacobs came to McPherson College with visions of again being a running
back after spending his sophomore season at Delta as a wide receiver.
After rushing for 70 yards in his appearance as a Bulldog, Jacobs
put together a string of six, 100+ yard rushing days, topped by
his 305 yards on 34 carries against the University of Saint Mary.
With the school single game record in hand, he went on to claim
the school single season record in the eighth game of the season,
and finished the year with 1,429 yards on 216 attempts, ranking
second among KCAC running back both in total yards gained and in
per game average. His 14 touchdowns, 12 rushing and two receiving,
led the Bulldogs, plus he tacked on one two-point PAT reception
to finish the season with 86 points. Combined with his rushing yardage,
his 13 pass receptions for 172 yards, and four kickoff returns for
another 89 yards, gave him a total of 1,690 all-purpose yards. Jacobs’
longest run from scrimmage came when he took it 69 yards to the
house in the Bulldogs’ homecoming win over two-time defending
KCAC champions Kansas Wesleyan. Jacobs is majoring in computer science.
Todd Davis (Chalmette, La., Chalmette High School, 5-10,
280). Manning the left guard spot, Davis teamed with his former
high school teammate and fellow All-KCAC performer Alan Childress,
to consistently open the running lanes for the Bulldogs’ second
ranked scoring offense. Davis was named to the All-KCAC honorable
mention squad as a sophomore in 2002. Davis is an accounting major
at McPherson.
Jason Henry (Houston, Tex., Blinn Junior College, 6-3, 245).
Henry was one of the ringleaders of the Bulldogs’ KCAC leading
pass defense as he led McPherson with 10½ quarterback sacks,
resulting in 60 yards in losses. He tied with Ratzlaff for the Bulldog
lead in other tackles for losses with eight for another 28 yards.
He was second among Bulldog defenders with 43 solo tackles, and
was in on 69 total tackles from his defensive end spot. Henry forced
three fumbles and recovered four, returning one 15 yards to set
up the Bulldogs only score in their season finale against playoff
bound Tabor College. Henry’s top day came against Bethany
when he recorded 10 tackles, including two for loss and a quarterback
sack. Henry is a business major at McPherson.
Jared Ratzlaff (Fredonia, Kan., Coffeyville Community College,
5-11, 210). Ratzlaff was the Bulldogs leading tackler with team
highs 65 solo and 136 total tackles. He tied with Henry for the
lead in tackles for losses with eight. Ratzlaff forced a team high
four fumbles while recovering three others. He broke up two pass
plays from his linebacker spot and forced quarterbacks into nine
other hurried attempts. For good measure, he tacked on two quarterback
sacks for another 15 yards in losses. It took the junior college
transfer a couple of games to get the feel for the Bulldog defense,
but then he strung together eight straight games with double-digit
tackles. Ratzlaff posted two 20-tackle days this season, coming
away with 21 against Tabor and 20 versus Kansas Wesleyan. Ratzlaff
is majoring in physical education.
Dallas Blacklock (Houston, Texas, Sharpstown High School,
5-9, 160). After missing the 2001 season with a back injury, Blacklock
returned to earn All-KCAC second team honors the past two seasons.
This season, Blacklock intercepted five passes plus returned a fumble
95 yards for a touchdown against KCAC champion Ottawa University.
He totaled 70 tackles, 41 of which were unassisted, and had high
games of 13 tackles against Ottawa and 12 against Southwestern.
Blacklock broke up 10 passes and forced two fumbles. A fifth year
senior, Blacklock is received his degree in philosophy and religion
last spring with plans to begin seminary next fall.
Darrell Cole (Waynesboro, Va., Wilson Memorial High School/Bridgewater
College, 5-11, 170). After averaging 11.4 yards per rush while earning
second team All-KCAC honors in 2002, Cole found himself a marked
man in 2003. He responded by rushing for 396 yards and catching
17 passes for another 359 yards, an average of 21.1 yards per catch,
and scoring six touchdowns. While his per touch average dropped
to 9.9 yards, his big play threat helped keep defenses honest. His
longest run from scrimmage in 2003 resulted in a 50 yard touchdown
against Friends, while his longest pass reception was a 67 yards
touchdown that ignited the Bulldogs’ 62-34, come-from-behind
win over the University of Saint Mary. That 67-yard pass play was
part of Cole’s season high five receptions, receptions that
went for 164 yards. Cole, named second team All-KCAC in 2002, is
majoring in auto restoration technology.
John Berlanga (Brownsville, Texas, Rivera High School, 5-10,
160). One of McPherson College’s all-time leading receivers
with 117 catches for 1811 yards, Berlanga led McPherson’s
2003 receivers with 24 catches, good for 451 yards and a team high
five touchdown receptions, all improvements over his KCAC honorable
mention 2002 season. His 2003 season was highlighted by his six
reception day against Bethany and his 125 yards on only four catches
in the Bulldogs’ season finale against Tabor. His 2003 average
of 18.7 yards per reception was second only to Cole’s 21.1
among Bulldog receivers. 2003 marked the third season that Berlanga
received honorable mention All-KCAC recognition. He was previously
recognized following his freshman year, when he had team highs of
31 catches, 509 yards and five touchdowns and in 2002 when he pulled
in 22 passes for 248 yards. Surprisingly, he received no post-season
recognition following his sophomore season when he had career highs
of 40 pass receptions for 603 yards and six touchdowns. Berlanga
is majoring in pre-physical therapy.
Alan Childress (Chalmette, La., Chalmette High School, 6-1,
255). One of the invisible five in the middle of the offensive line,
Childress teamed up with fellow Chalmette High graduate, Todd Davis,
to consistently clear the way for the Bulldog running backs and
protect the McPherson quarterbacks. Childress is majoring in physical
education.
Joe Blas (Sumner, Wash., White River High School, 5-10,
265). The leading tackler for the Bulldogs' inside personnel, Blas
was credited with 51 total tackles, including 20 solo take-downs.
He ranked third among McPherson’s defenders with 4½
quarterback sacks and fourth in tackles for losses with six. In
addition to his single fumble recovery, he forced 10 hurried passes
by opposing quarterbacks. He celebrated the Bulldogs’ homecoming
win over two-time defending KCAC champion, Kansas Wesleyan, by posting
a season high nine stops. Blas is a pre-med/biology major.
Ricky Gottschalk (Little Rock, Ark., Hall High School, 6-0,
220). Gottschalk was the other end of the Bulldogs’ defensive
bookends, teaming with fellow All-KCAC performer Jason Henry to
force opponents inside. He totaled 45 tackles in 2003, 23 of which
were solo shots, and ranked second among Bulldogs with eight quarterback
sacks. He was the Bulldogs’ third ranked tackler with seven
tackles for losses. In addition, he forced five hurried passes by
opposing quarterbacks and recovered one fumble. Gottschalk is majoring
in business.
Alex Holtry (Nampa, Idaho, Vallivue High School, 6-0, 205).
The third of three Holtry brothers to have worn the cardinal and
white of McPherson College, Alex ranked third on the 2003 Bulldog
tackle charts with 94 total tackles, 35 of which were unassisted.
His five double-digit tackle days were topped by his 15 tackle performance
at Southwestern. An active linebacker, he was credited with three
tackles for losses and a sack, plus broke up three passes in addition
to forcing opposing quarterbacks into four hurried attempts. He
also forced two opposing team fumbles. Holtry, is majoring in education
and computer science.
Randall "Colt" Knigge (Caldwell, Id., Vallivue High School,
5-11, 190). Another product of the Vallivue pipeline, Knigge led
the KCAC with six interceptions. After seeing him average a pick
per game for the first six games of the season, opposing quarterbacks
began looking the other way. Knigge returned his interceptions for
a total of 146 yards, including and 84-yard touchdown to open the
game in the Bulldogs’ 62-34 win over the University of Saint
Mary. Twice named the KCAC’s "Defensive Player of Week" in
2003, Knigge ranked second on the Bulldogs’ tackle chart with
96 stops, 40 unassisted. His season high for tackles came against
Bethel when he was in on 15 stops, a figure he matched against KCAC
champion Ottawa. Knigge forced two fumbles and recovered two others.
Seemingly, always where the ball was, he also broke up 10 passes
to tie for the team lead. Knigge is a pre-engineering major.
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