| 2004 Players of
the Week
Smiley
named KCAC “Special Teams Player of the Week”
 Kris
Smiley, McPherson College junior wide receiver from Houston
, Texas , was named the KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference)
“Special Teams Co-Player of the Week” for his play in the Bulldogs'
20-7 loss to Kansas Wesleyan University on October 30.
The 5-10, 195-pound Smiley
ran a fourth quarter kickoff back 93 yards for a touchdown to pull
McPherson back within seven points with just under 10 minutes left
to play in the game. Kris also had two punt returns for 31 yards,
and on a second kickoff return, took a pitch and returned the ball
for an additional 8 yards. As a slotback, Smiley picked up 21 yards
on three carriers plus had one pass reception for 14 yards, giving
him 167 all-purpose yards on seven official touches of the ball.
The return was the Bulldogs'
first for a touchdown and the first of longer than 90 yards since
John Irvine's 90-yard TD return against Ottawa on November 9, 2002.
“This was a solid all around
game for Kris,” said David Cunningham, McPherson College head coach.
“Kris' return should have been the spark we needed. We had struggled
offensively and were looking for a play to get us going.”
“Kris did a good job of running
and catching the ball as well as on the returns. He came within
one block of breaking the one end arounds, and if he gets outside,
there aren't many that are going to run him down from behind.”
A 1999 graduate of Humble
High School in Houston , Smiley transferred to McPherson for the
fall of 2003 after spending the ‘99 season at Grambling University
.
Kris is the son of Cindy
Roberts of Houston , Texas . He is majoring in business management
at McPherson College .
*****
Knigge
receives KCAC honors
 Randall
“Colt” Knigge , McPherson College sophomore free safety
from Caldwell , Idaho , was named the KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic
Conference) “Co-Defensive Player of the Week” for his play in the
Bulldogs' 29-17 Homecoming win over the University of Saint Mary
on October 9.
The 5'11”, 190-pound Knigge
was credited with six solo and eight assisted tackles along with
his first interception of the season, one quarterback hurry, and
one forced fumble. His interception and 10 yard return stopped a
Saint Mary drive deep into McPherson territory with the Bulldogs
holding a 26-3 lead.
Knigge is currently ranked
third among Bulldogs in total tackles for the 2004 season with 39
stops, 20 solo and 19 assists, right behind high school and now
college teammate Alex Holtry..
Last season, the 2003 Vallivue
High School graduate led McPherson College with six interceptions
which he returned for 146 yards.
“Saturday was the Colt we
saw last season,” said McPherson College head coach David Cunningham.
“He was always in the area of the ball, involved in a lot of plays.
He has had the opportunity to make some plays earlier this fall,
but seemingly had a little trouble hanging on to the ball.”
“Maybe Homecoming, and having
a large contingent from home, helped him focus just a little extra.”
McPherson's win raised the
Bulldogs' KCAC record to 3-1.
Knigge is one of series of
Vallivue High School and Nampa-Caldwell area graduates who are currently
playing, or have recently played, at McPherson College . In addition
to Knigge and Alex Holtry, that group includes Dan and Matt Holtry
along with Erik Johnson and Wade Pederson.
Colt is the son of Terri
Allen and Randy Knigge, both of Caldwell , Idaho , and is majoring
in computer science at McPherson College .
Co-winner of the conference
defensive honor was Fred Simmons of Ottawa University .
*****
Ratzlaff
named KCAC “Defensive Player of the Week”
 Jared
Ratzlaff, McPherson College senior linebacker from Fredonia , Kan.
, was named the KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) “Defensive
Player of the Week” for his play in the Bulldogs 14-13 win over
Bethany on October 2.
The 6-0, 220-pound Ratzlaff
was credited with nine solo and 10 assisted tackles in McPherson's
come from behind win over its intra-county rivals.
“For two years Jared has
shown a real knack for being in the right place to make the play
when we've needed one,” said David Cunningham, McPherson College
head coach. “The win over Bethany was big for us since none of our
seniors had beat them.”
“Jared has been one of our
leaders on the defense from the time he stepped on campus, so it's
good to see him recognized with this honor.”
The win by McPherson was
its' first over Bethany since 1998 and only the third since 1977.
The win moved the Bulldogs to 2-1 in conference play, and evened
their season record at 2-2 while Bethany fell to 2-1.
A 2001 graduate of Fredonia
High School , Ratzlaff played two seasons at Coffeyville Community
College before transferring to McPherson College where he was named
to the All-KCAC second team defense following the 2003 season.
Jared is the son of Rusty
and Janet Ratzlaff of Fredonia , Kan. He is majoring in physical
education at McPherson College .
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