Pioneers Among Statistical Leaders

As the Pioneers prepare for back to back trips to the northern-most schools in the conference (Lawrence and St. Norbert) it is time to take a look at how the Pioneers rank statistically, both nationally and within the Midwest Conference.

David Ternes forces a fumble against Lake Forest

Nationally, the Pioneers Black Swarm Defense ranks 17th in total turnovers forced with 20.  Indvidually, David Ternes ranks 6th in the country with 13.1 tackles per game.  The last time a Pioneer defender ranked so high in a national statistical category was in 2008, when linebacker Brett Maloney led all of Division III with 16.1 tackles per game (see them here and here).

Richard Renteria with one of his 4.5 sacks

The Pioneers also rank well within the conference, with four individuals leading the league in a statistical category.  Ternes of course leads the league in tackles per game, senior defensive back Andrew Clark is leading in kick return average (22.6), senior safety Kevin Hwang is tied for the league lead with four interceptions, and junior Richard Renteria is tied for the lead in forced fumbles.  Ternes is also second in the league in fumble recoveries and Renteria is third in sacks (4.5).  Clark is fourth in passes defended and Hwang is fifth, while fellow senior defensive back Seth Gustafson is tied for second with nine in only seven games.  Rounding out the leaders on the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Jeremy Wiles is fifth in tackles per game.

Jeremy Wiles getting ready to bring pressure from the edge.

Offensively the Pioneers are paced by quarterback Sam Poulos, who is ranked third in passing yards per game (214.4), just .2 yards per game behind second place.  Wide receiver Jake Meixler is fourth in the conference in receptions per game (4.9) and fifth in yards per game (60.4).  First-year running back Jacob Bernholtz is 8th in the league in scoring with 6.0 points per game.

Jake Meixler turns a short hitch into a long gain against Beloit

The Pioneers look to improve their standing, both individually and as a team, this weekend against Lawrence.  The game will kick off at 1:00 PM, with the webcast at MWCTV and the live audio at KGRN.

Morgan Kinsinger Featured in NCAA.ORG Article

Senior left tackle Morgan Kinsinger has been a steadying force up front for the Pioneers for the past three years.  Morgan and fellow senior Quinn Rosenthal (36 straight starts on the offensive line), have been the constants on the offensive side of the ball since late in the 2010 season.  For Morgan, there have been some bumps along the way, but he's overcome all obstacles to remain a force up front.

Part of Morgan's story (beating cancer and overcoming injury) is detailed in this weeks Faces of the NCAA.  Left out of the story was the hard work Morgan put in during his first year at Grinnell to even be in a position to play Division III football. 

Morgan arrived in Grinnell as a 6'04" 205 pound project.  After some debate about where he'd play, (OL or TE), it was decided the offensive line had bigger needs, but maybe he'd move to TE down the road.  Towards the end of his first-year, Morgan filled in for injured starter Jake McVeigh '11, seeing significant action in the last three games of the season.  With an off-season of hard work, Morgan left campus in May having gained some good weight (up to 240 pounds) and having lost any chance of ever playing tight end.  Projected as the starting left tackle, he lost most of his summer due to the cancer diagnosis, but Morgan returned in time to see limited action in the pre-season intersquad scrimmage.  He went on to play every offensive snap during both his sophomore and junior seasons. 

Morgan now tips the scales at around 270 pounds, and is perhaps quicker than when he started at Grinnell.  He has had to fight through several injuries this year, but is putting together his best season yet.

Morgan and the rest of the senior class will lead Grinnell against Carroll this Saturday, on Rosenbloom Field.  Kickoff is at 1:00 and you can listen to the game here and watch the live webcast here.

Pioneers Return to Rosenbloom

For only the second time all season, the Pioneers will host an opponent on Rosenbloom Field.  They will face a difficult opponent in Ripon College, but with the home field advantage they appear up to the task.

The game will kick off at 1:00 PM, and will be broadcast by MWCTV, with an audio feed provided by KGRN 1410. 

The Pioneers look to get back on track, and to continue their winning ways at home.  In order to have success the Pioneers must stop the triple-option attack that has helped Ripon move the ball on the ground with great effectiveness for many years.  Offensively, Grinnell must counter with a balanced attack against the Redhawk defense. 

The Pioneers are also inviting all area recruits to visit the game.  Please contact Head Coach Jeff Pedersen for a schedule of the day and for further details.

Pioneer Black Swarm Defense on a Roll

The Grinnell College Pioneer Black Swarm defense has forced ten turnovers in the past two games.  The Pioneers have intercepted six passes and forced four fumbles, scoring two touchdowns themselves and setting up the Pioneer offense inside the five yard line on a third drive (click here to see the video: Black Swarm Forces Ten Turnovers).

This past Saturday, against Beloit College, the Pioneers finally put together a complete team effort.  Playing in rainy conditions the offense took care of the ball (only one turnover compared to Beloit's six) and scored on several big plays.  The Pioneers travel to Monmouth College October 12, where they'll look to defeat the Midwest Conference heavyweight Monmouth Scots for the third time in four years.