Defense Rules El Toro Bowl

YUMA, AZ - Despite a final score of 38-14, the 2014 El Toro Bowl presented by Walmart and Sam's Club was defined by defense.

On Saturday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the defenses combined for 10 sacks, three turnovers and held the offenses to less than 500 total yards. The Arizona Western College defense proved to be a little better as the fifth-ranked Matadors came away with the 24 point win against the 11th-ranked Central Lakes College Raiders.

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Raiders Football Team to Play in El Toro Bowl

The #11 ranked CLC Raiders (10-1) have accepted a bid to play #5 ranked Arizona Western (10-1) in the El Toro Bowl in Yuma, Arizona on December 6 at 2 pm CST.  Watch the game live.

For more information about the El Toro Bowl.

Raider Football Team Advances to State Semifinals

The Raider football team wins their firstgame of the postseason by beating the Fond du Lac Thunder 48-10 at Findorff Field on the Brainerd campus of Central lakes College. They extend the perfect season to 9-0 and will host the state semifinal game on Saturday, November 1.

Raiders Score Win Over Mesabi

VIRGINIA - The Central Lakes College Raiders, led by 327 yards of passing from Jake Faber (photo) and a pressing defense, ran over Mesabi 59-7 in a Northern Division game Saturday.

With the win, the Raiders finished their division season 5-0 and moved to 7-0 overall. They will have a chance to complete a perfect regular season on Saturday, October 18 with their rivalry game against Ridgewater at Findorff Field. The game begins at 1:30 and will be broadcast on live stream video.

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CLC Raiders vs the Itasca Vikings Live Broadcast

The Raiders football game on Saturday, October 4 will be available via live stream through Team 1 Sports. The CLC Videography Program will manage the production for the broadcast which begins at 1:30 pm. Follow the link below to catch the action as the Raiders (5-0) strive to win six straight.


Game Link

Unbeaten Raiders Overcome Thunder, Lightning

The midpoint of the 2014 season has arrived, and the Central Lakes College Raiders continued their perfect march, moving to 4-0 overall with a 35-32 Northern Division win over Fond du Lac on a day that mother nature dealt everything that she could offer at Findorff Athletic Complex.

The 16th-ranked Raiders, led by Athen Ashton's 65 rushing yards, and Jake Faber's 242 passing yards, jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter.

However, CLC needed a fourth-quarter stand from its defense to preserve the 3-point win.

The Raiders' offense failed to hit 40 points for the first time this season, while the defense gave up 20 straight points, but also sacked Fond du Lac quarterback Travis Brown 11 times.

Bill Desrocher (Photo) recorded three sacks while Max Strand and Jake Kassulker each finished with two. Josh Mantel collected 10 total tackles for the game to lead the Raiders in that category.

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Story courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch by Joe Lindholm

Raiders Improve Record to 3-0

The nationally ranked CLC Raiders football team traveled to Bottineau on Saturday and earned another big win over Dakota College. The Raiders beat the Lumberjacks 45-31 with a strong performance by the offense and quarterback Jake Faber. Faber threw for 248 yards including a 31 year TD pass to Steve Wroblewski and he also ran for a 10 yard score. The Raiders improved their record to 3-0 and face Fond du Lac this Saturday at Findorff Field in Brainerd.

Raiders Score Big Win

Jake Faber threw for four touchdowns and Max Strand came away with a huge momentum turning fourth quarter interception as the Central Lakes Raiders, ranked 18th nationally, defeated the 15th-ranked Rochester Yellowjackets 41-37 at Findorf Athletic Complex Saturday.

Faber threw touchdowns to three different Raiders receivers, including two to Steve Wroblewski. Athen Ashton rushed 14 times for 61 yards to pick up an injured Trey Blanchard, who finished with 64 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown.

Story Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch

Photo by Nick Weeks, Student Employee Marketing and Public Relations Office

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Raiders Football “Grand” Opening

Brainerd, MN. – The Central Lakes College football team began preparation for the 2014 season with the first day of practice on Monday. The opening session lasted two hours with one of the largest squads in school history. 70 players are expected to compete for positions on the team. There are 26 returning players and many of them were key contributors last season.

NFL: Former CLC Raider signs to play in NFL

Former Central Lakes College Raiders football player Frank Mays signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday after the conclusion of the NFL draft.

Mays played at CLC during the 2010-11 seasons. He was an All-American and captain in 2011. He led the Raiders to back-to-back bowl game appearances. He graduated with an AA degree in spring of 2012 and accepted a scholarship offer to Florida A & M University where he started at defensive end the last two years.

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Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch

CLC Football - All MCAC Team Selections

The Minnesota College Athletic Conference has announced their postseason awards for excellence in football. Andrew Johnson, sophomore quarterback for the Raiders was named MCAC Player of the Year. That award also carries the distinction of All-American. CLC finished the season with a record of 9-2 and runner-up in the MCAC State championship game.

Other players receiving honors:

FIRST TEAM MCAC:
Andrew Johnson, St. Agnes, MN, Soph.
Brandon Kiel, Milaca, MN, Soph.
Josh Johnson, St. Agnes, MN, Fresh
Steve Wroblewski, Eaglecrest, CO, Fresh
Sam Moriarty, Rocori, MN, Fresh
Josh Mantel, Mora, MN, Fresh
Ajrian Stone-Caldwell, Eden Prairie, MN, Fresh

SECOND TEAM MCAC:
Logan Novak, Foley, MN, Fresh
Blake Petrich, Staples, MN, Soph
Taz Seibert, Norwood-Young America, MN, Soph
Vadell Johnson, Eden Prairie, MN, Fresh
Alex Galvan, Rochester John Marshall, MN, Soph

HONORABLE MENTION MCAC:
Austin Krumwiede, Martin County West, MN, Fresh
Austin Rucks, Sauk Rapids, MN, Fresh
Jake Kassulker, Brainerd, MN, Fresh
Dominic Hayle, Bemidji, MN, Fresh
Luke Landecker, Pequot Lakes, MN, Soph

CLC Football Team Advances to 2nd Round

Central Lakes College advances to the MCAC semifinal game and will play Northland Community and Technical College on Saturday, November 2 in Thief River Falls, MN. The Raiders (#2 southern division team) advances to the semifinal game by beating MnWest on Saturday 55-26. Northland (#1 northern division team) earned the right to host the game with a win over Mesabi Range by a score of 24-0.

The Raiders are ranked #12 in the country in latest NJCAA Football Poll.

The semifinal winners will play in the State championship game on Sunday, November 9.

MInnesota College Athletic Conference 2013 Playoffs

2nd Round Playoffs

CLC @ Northland 1:00 PM

Vermilion @ Rochester 2:00 PM

1st Round Playoffs

Northland 24 over Mesabi Range 0

CLC 55 over MnWest 26

Rochester 27 over Ridgewater 15

Vermilion 30 over Fond Du Lac 27

Playoff Football: CLC vs. MnWest

Playoff football begins for the CLC Raiders currently the #2 team in the southern division of the MCAC. The Raiders face  #3 MnWest at Findorff Field on the Brainerd campus on Saturday, October 26 at 1 pm. The winner of this game will play the northern division bracket (#1 vs #4) winner in a semifinal game on Saturday, November 2.

The Raiders beat MnWest at home on October 2 in a high scoring contest 50-39. The Raiders trailed in the game by 20 points before rallying to victory.

Raiders Rally, Tie for Division Title

Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch • October 20, 2013
by Jeremy Lindholm Sports Writer

Quarterback Andrew Johnson scored the winning touchdown with 14 seconds left, capping a 93-yard drive, as the Central Lakes College Raiders rallied for a 28-21 win over the Ridgewater Warriors in the final game of the regular season Saturday at Findorff Field.

With the win, CLC secured a share of the Southern Division title with Rochester and Minnesota West. Minnesota West stunned previously unbeaten Rochester 32-24 on Saturday. All three schools finished 3-1 in division play.

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Raiders Nationally Ranked

The Raiders volleyball team (19-2) is ranked #2 in the nation in the latest NJCAA Division III poll. Madison College, WI is currently in the #1 spot with a record of 20-3. 

The Raiders football team is currently ranked #17 in the NJCAA football poll. Other Minnesota colleges making the top 20 are Rochester at #10 and Ridgewater at #15. The Raiders will play Ridgewater on October 19 in their final regular season game.

Raiders Rally to Win 50-39

Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch • October 7, 2013 by Jeremy Lindholm Sports Writer

Led by sophomore quarterback Andrew Johnson, the Central Lakes College Raiders’ offense was facing a wet field and a 20-point deficit in a key Southern Division matchup against Minnesota West on Saturday afternoon.

Having just coughed up the ball three times in their own territory, and after having seen the Blue Jays score 20 straight points against them, the Raiders’ offense got the ball on their 26-yard-line with 7:21 left in the second quarter.

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MCAC Player of the Week

October 1, 2013

Raiders quarterback Andrew Johnson was named MCAC Offensive Player of the Week. Andrew had another big week passing for 349 yards and 3 TD’s (35, 50 and 24 yards) in a win over MN State-Fergus Falls. Johnson completed 15 of 26 passes and also rushed for 2 scores (1 and 8 yards). He is a sophomore from St. Paul, MN.

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Johnson, Raiders Take to Air to Beat Spartans

Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch • September 29, 2013

FERGUS FALLS — Andrew Johnson had a hand in five of the six Central Lakes College Raiders touchdowns during Saturday’s 40-23 victory over Minnesota State-Fergus Falls.

Johnson threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-26 passing. He also rushed in two scores as the Raiders amassed 521 yards of offense.

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Rochester Hands 15th-Ranked Raiders First Loss

Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch • September 22, 2013

ROCHESTER — Rochester Community and Technical College scored 24 unanswered points in the first quarter and went on to saddle the 15th-ranked Central Lakes College Raiders with their first defeat 48-21 in the Southern Division opener for both teams Saturday.

Running back Alex Schliesmann rushed 25 times for 226 yards and a touchdown for the 4-0 Yellowjackets.

Joe Strike led the Rochester defense as he intercepted two passes and returned both for touchdowns.

Yellowjackets quarterback Tanner Menke threw three touchdown passes to Josh Zitzmann.

The Yellowjackets maintained a 472-280 edge in total yards with 361 rushing.

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Raiders Football Team Beat Mesabi 20-0

Courtesy of the Brainerd Dispatch • September 8, 2013

VIRGINIA — Andrew Johnson ran for a short score and threw for two more as the Central Lakes College Raiders shut out the Mesabi Norse 20-0 in a non-division game Saturday.

In the second quarter, Johnson ran for a 1-yard score, passed 51 yards to Brandon Kiel for another and found Sam Moriarty for a 25-yard TD, all in the second quarter. Johnson finished 19 of 36 passing with two interceptions for 279 yards.

The Raiders’ defense was staunch, limiting Mesabi to 163 total yards and forcing three turnovers.

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