Brinkman & Taylor Head to Mexico for All-Star Game!

Tom Brinkman and Brian Taylor will continue their careers for at least a little while

Grinnell College's Tom Brinkman '13 and Brian Taylor '13 have been chosen by a panel of NCAA Division III football coaches to represent Team Stars & Stripes in the fourth annual Tázon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars).

The D-III All-Star team's contest against the CONADEIP All-Stars from Mexico is slated for Dec. 15 at La Fortaleza Azul (The Blue Fortress) in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Jack Taylor and 138 Points!

By now you should know that Grinnell College men's basketball player, Jack Taylor '15, made national headlines this past week when he scored an NCAA-record 138 points in a single game.  Since that Tuesday night, there's been plenty of buzz on campus and Grinnell has been seen or mentioned on ESPN, The New York Times and Sports Illustrated just to name a few.

Check out the video above which aired on ESPN last night during SportsCenter.

Also, perhaps one of the best pieces from this story came from Forbes, where the author claims that scoring 138 points in a basketball game isn't even Taylor's greatest feat:

However, more impressive than Taylor’s unprecedented sports achievement is the institution of higher learning that he attends. The sophomore guard, and National Honor Society member, attends Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa.

I visited Grinnell a few years ago and was immediately smitten. The school sits on 120 acres of bucolic Iowa countryside. When you dream of fresh, clean, and pastoral collegiate environments, think of Grinnell.  One can easily see how such a lovely, free-spirited locale gave rise to innovations both inside (Grinnell launched the nation’s first political science department) and outside the classroom.

But, for an education columnist like me, there’s a bigger story. At Grinnell College students are expected to be both physical and service athletes. Moreover, academic standards aren’t lowered to attract top athletic talent.

Seven Pioneers Named All-MWC!

Clockwise from Top Left: Cody Weber, Tom Brinkman, Drew Blumberg, Andrew Clark and David Ternes

Seven Grinnell College players have been named to the 2012 All-Midwest Conference Football Team.

The Pioneers had five second-team selections – Cody Weber '13 (wide receiver), Tom Brinkman '13 (defensive line),Drew Blumberg '13 (defensive back), Andrew Clark '14 (return specialist) and David Ternes '15 (linebacker).

Weber, a 6-0, 195-pounder from Pullman, Wash. (Pullman), led the Pioneers in receiving with 44 catches and 564 yards despite missing the second half of the season due to injury. He scored five touchdowns, and before getting hurt was among the national leaders in receptions and reception yards per game. Weber, who was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week and earned MWC Player of the Week honors, has been invited to play in the All-American Bowl in Minneapolis, Minn.

Brinkman, a 5-9, 259-pounder from Rolfe, Iowa (Pocahontas Area), had 46 tackles this season including four for loss. He also had 2.5 sacks and ranked sixth in the MWC in fumble recoveries with two. Brinkman, who also blocked a kick this season, has been named to the USA roster for the Tazon de Estrallas All-Star Game.

Blumberg, a 6-1, 191-pounder from Bishop, Calif., was among the MWC leaders in pass breakups (eight), interceptions (four) and tackles (72). His tackle total ranked second on the team. A two-time Academic All-District first-teamer, he has been invited to play in the All-American Bowl in Minneapolis, Minn., the Aztec Bowl in Monterrey, Mexico, and the Tazon de Estrallas All-Star Game.

Clark, a 5-9, 180-pounder from Byron, Ill., led the MWC in kickoff return average with 23.9 yards per attempt. He had 573 yards on 24 returns with a long of 48. Also a defensive back, Clark finished the season with 27 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception.

Ternes, a 6-0, 221-pounder from Oakley, Calif., led Grinnell in tackles and ranked third in the conference with 103. He was first in the MWC in fumble recoveries with four, second in forced fumbles with three and ranked eighth in tackles for loss with 11.5. Ternes also had 3.5 sacks and two pass breakups.

Grinnell had a pair of honorable mention selections, TJ Schaid '13 at running back and Graham Fisher '16 at punter.

Schaid, a 5-9, 187-pounder from Walworth, Wis., was also an All-MWC selection in 2010. He led Grinnell in rushing this season with 570 yards and a touchdown, and ranked second in receiving with 36 catches for 241 yards and three scores. A semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's National Scholar-Athlete Award, he has been invited to play in the National Bowl Collegiate All-Star Game.

Fisher, a 6-4, 233-pounder from Palo Alto, Calif., was among the MWC leaders in punting with a 36.2-yard average. He had five kicks of over 50 yards and put 18 inside the 20-yard line. Fisher was named the MWC Special Teams Performer of the Week during the season after kicking a 50-yard field goal. He was 5-of-9 on field goal tries.

Cornell Photos

With Official Pioneer Football Photographer Alysia Horcher competing in her first-ever diving competition on Saturday, Brieauna Bradley filled in quite admirably.  Thanks Brieauana!

Rain began falling just as the Pioneers started to rally

Barrett Morrissette runs through an attempted tackle

Sam Poulos led the Pioneers in rushing 

Rich Renteria with a key 4th quarter INT

Brian Taylor setting the edge in his last game

Aamir Walton looks for confirmation on Kevin Hwang's TD catch

Frantic Fourth Not Enough Against Cornell

In the season finale for both teams, the Pioneers fell behind early, down 25-0 at halftime, only to ignite a stunning rally that came up just short before losing 32-27.  The 2012 season comes to a close with the Pioneers finishing with a 2-8 record, their worst record in 3 years.  Going 1-4 in games decided by one score or less was most certainly the main reason for the drop-off in record.

We'd like to say a final farewell to our 5 seniors:  Drew Blumberg, Tom Brinkman, TJ Schaid, Brian Taylor, and Cody Weber.  We are so grateful for their commitment and leadership, not to mention their talent.  Thank you and good luck as you move forward!

With 40 returning players with lots of experience, we are already looking forward to 2013!  Go Pioneers!

Hype Video

Tonight, during our weekly "Milk and Cookies" gathering, we treated the guys to a hype video.  Last game of the 2012 season is tomorrow at Cornell!

Go Pioneers!

Drew Blumberg Named Academic All-District Again

Grinnell College safety Drew Blumberg '13 has repeated as a District 8 NCAA Division IIIAcademic All-District football first-teamer.

The award is presented by Capital One and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). By being named to the first team, Blumberg is eligible for Academic All-America honors.

Blumberg, a biological chemistry major from Bishop, Calif. (Bishop Union), is a team captain and last season was named the Pioneers' defensive back/outside linebacker Most Valuable Player. He has been named Academic All-Conference twice.

Blumberg ranks second in the conference in interceptions this season with four, third in pass breakups with seven and is in the top 20 in tackles with 66. He also has a forced fumble and has 2.5 tackles for loss.

He has been invited to play in the Metrodome All-American Bowl in Minneapolis, Minn., the Aztec Bowl in Monterrey, Mexico and the Tazon de Estrallas All-Star Game.

Athletic Facilities Video

Grinnell College alum, and former track and field athlete, Ben Brewer '11 put together this sweet video that shows off the College's fantastic indoor athletic facilities, one of the finest in all of Division III.

Photos from St Norbert Game

Thanks once again to Alysia Horcher for her amazing work.  Visit her Flickr page for all of her photos of Pioneer Football.

The fans came out for Senior Day

Andrew Clark hits a seam provided by Jacob Beecher, Seth Gustafson, and Kevin Hwang

Kevin Hwang celebrates his critical 3rd quarter punt block

Colton Feller corrals a Green Knight

Daniel Ryerson celebrates a sack

TJ Schaid turns the corner while Max Jacobson leads out in front

Aamir Walton with one of his team-high 7 catches

Pioneers Lose Another Close Game

2012 Pioneer Seniors and their families.  (L-R)  TJ Schaid #28, Brian Taylor #9, Cody Weber #5, Drew Blumberg #44 and Tom Brinkman #66

Saturday's Senior Day game against St. Norbert could not have started any better for the host Pioneers, when Kevin Hwang recovered a fumble in the first quarter for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead.  Heading into the 4th quarter, Grinnell still lead 12-7, but would give up two scores in the final period before falling to the Green Knights 20-12.

Defense and special teams kept the Scarlet & Black in the hunt.  David Ternes had 15 tackles with 3 TFLs, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble.  Seniors Drew Blumberg added 12 tackles and Tom Brinkman had 11, including 1.5 sacks while playing 50 snaps on offense as well.  Hwang had the fumble recovery and added a blocked punt that led to a Pioneer field goal in the 3rd quarter.  Graham Fisher hit both field goal attempts (22 and 40 yards).

Offensively, the Pioneers were led by receiver Aamir Walton with 7 catches for 69 yards.

Players of the Week:
Defense:  David Ternes
Offense:  Aamir Walton and Tom Brinkman
Special Teams:  Kevin Hwang

The 2012 season comes to a close this Saturday at renewed MWC-rival Cornell.  Kickoff is at noon!

Go Pioneers!