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GRINNELL, Iowa – Knox College running back Terry White, St. Norbert College linebacker Zach Klarkowski and Beloit College kicker Kam Sallee have earned the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week award after week four of the 2014 football season.
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White, a freshman from Hillsdale, Ill., was named the MWC Offensive Performer of the week after exploding for 176 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including a 67-yard dash to the end zone, in a 45-14 Knox win against Lawrence University at home last Saturday. White, who carried the ball 15 times for an average of 11.7 yards per carry, also had a 26-yard reception to give him over 200 yards of offense in the game. His 11.7 yards per carry average in a game ranks fifth all-time in Knox football history.
Klarkowski, a native of Green Bay, Wis., earned Defensive Performer of the Week honors after leading the St. Norbert's defense in a 32-27 win over Illinois College. The senior finished with 16 tackles (12 solo), two tackles-for-loss and one quarterback sack. The Green Knights held the Blueboys to four three-and-out possessions in the fourth quarter and to 314 yards of total offense, 369 yards under their season average. Illinois College averaged 3.6 yards per play and was 8-for-22 on third-down conversions.
Sallee, who doubles as a Buccaneer wide receiver, was named the Special Teams Performer of the Week after forcing overtime with a 37-yard field goal in the final minute and then winning Saturday’s game over Lake Forest College, 27-24, with a 33-yard field goal in overtime. He also averaged 46.7 yards/punt on seven kicks, including three punts of 60-plus yards (longest-67). For the season he is 4-5 on field goals with a long of 44 and is averaging 41.0 yards/punt on 17 punts, putting five of them inside the 20.
Honorable Mention Offense
Beloit running back Mason Dixon had his third 100-yard rushing game in three games this season, and his sixth straight going back to last season, with 130 yards on 30 carries with 2 touchdowns in Saturday's win. Dixon has had 11 games of 100-plus yards rushing in his career in 13 games with 15 touchdowns. After three games this season he has run for 353 yards on 83 carries with five touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per rush.
Cornell College running back Preston Ritchie rushed for a career-high 134 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns in Cornell's 43-24 win at Ripon. The Ram senior had scoring runs of 18 yards and one yard in the second quarter as Cornell opened a 36-3 lead at halftime. It was his fourth career 100-yard rushing effort.
Zandy Stowell had big day for the Macalester College offense, and although he didn't get into the end zone on any of his 29 carries, Stowell rushed for a career-best 150 yards and caught two passes for 36 yards, an effort which was key in the Scots holding a 34:22-25:38 advantage in time of possession in its 21-16 win at Grinnell.
St. Norbert running back Zach Broberg made several big plays down the stretch as the Green Knights scored 26 unanswered fourth-quarter points to tip Illinois College. Broberg finished the game with 96 yards rushing on just nine carries and two touchdowns, and also caught two passes for 33 yards. Broberg's 54-yard touchdown run while tightroping the sideline brought St. Norbert to within 27-20, and his 2-yard run with 2:56 left were the game-winning points. Both of Broberg's receptions were key third-down conversions (third-and-8 and third-and-15), both on the game-winning drive to set up the game's final points.
Carroll University quarterback Kyle Burlingame completed 14-of-17 passes for 190 yards to lead the Pioneers to a 31-27 victory over Monmouth College. Burlingame, a sophomore from Waukesha, Wis. (North), completed passes to eight different receivers while also rushing for 71 yards. It was Carroll’s first victory over the Fighting Scots since 2000.
Honorable Mention Defense
In the win over Lake Forest, Beloit’s Antonio Jones led a strong defensive effort with 10 solo tackles from his end position. He also had an interception. For the season, the junior is second on the team with 24 tackles, 20 solo.
Illinois College linebacker Dylan Ringhausen had a team-high 15 tackles (13 solo) on Saturday at St. Norbert. He is now second in the MWC with 35 tackles on the season and leads the conference in solo tackles with 26 so far this season.
Andrew Joseph and the Cornell defense set the tone early in the Ram's victory at Ripon. The sophomore finished with eight tackles, two stops for losses, one quarterback sack and a pair of forced fumbles, both of which led to first-half touchdowns. Cornell limited the Red Hawks to three points and 1-of-8 third-down conversions in taking a 36-3 lead at halftime.
Macalester linebacker Reid Callahan did a little of everything for the Scots in their win at Grinnell. He had seven total tackles, led the team with five solos tackles, registered a quarterback sack with two tackles for loss, and he also batted down a pass and was credited with a quarterback hurry. The senior lead a defense which allowed just 249 yards of offense and forced three turnovers.
Honorable Mention Special Teams
Knox kicker Drake Sykes had a perfect day, going six-for-six on extra point attempts and kicking a 24-yard field goal in the Prairie Fire’s win over Lawrence. He also had eight kickoffs that averaged 61.8 yards, including two touchbacks.