Pioneers Fall in Season Finale

It was Senior Day and the Season Finale this past Saturday at Rosenbloom Field and the host Pioneers fell short against the visitors from Carroll University, 31-21. 

Despite gaining more total yardage (403-282) and winning the turnover battle (3-1), Grinnell wasn't able to over come the field position battle and fell behind early before the late rally fell short.

Offensively, Robert Seer '12 and Logan Granera '12, one last time, paced the Scarlet & Black with a combined 256 yards receiving and 1 TD among their 14 catches. 

Defensively, the Pioneers were about as balanced as possible.  Drew Blumberg '13 led the unit with 11 tackles, but 10 players had at least 5 tackles AND at least .5 TFL.  The Pioneers also had 2 INT (Andrew Clark '14 and Max Keller '14).

Drew Blumberg (#44) '13 and Max Keller (#20) '14 combine for a tackle

Players of the week:

Offense: Logan Granera '12
Defense: Matt John '12 and Ryan Creps '12
Practice: Harpreet Singh-Mann '12

The Pioneers finish the 2011 campaign at 5-5 (4-5 in MWC) good for 6th in the league.  The last two seasons have been the most successful back-to-back years since the 1999-2000 seasons that combined for 12 victories.

We bid farewell to Jimmy Borrasso, Ryan Creps, Kelsey Davis, Logan Granera, Chris Jarmon, Matt John, Stephen Hudak, Robert Seer, Harpreet Singh-Mann, and Brian Westerlind!  Thank you for all that you have done for Grinnell College Football.  You will be missed!

Pioneers Run Win Streak to Three Games!

Under unseasonably warm conditions the host Grinnell Pioneers defeated the visitors from Knox 43-35 at Rosenbloom Field.  It was a tightly contested game until just into the fourth quarter when the Scarlet & Black ripped off 3 straight scores in a 4 minute span to take control of the game.

Kickoff Coverage Unit
Courtesy:  Caleb Williams, d3photography.com

Statistically, the defense was led by Ryan Creps '12 who had 12 tackles (3.5 TFL) and Andrew Clark '14 (2 INT) while the offense was paced by the two senior wide receivers, Logan Granera '12 (7 catches for 101 yards) and Rob Seer '12 (6 for 99 yards and 3 TD).  In the kicking game, Max Jacobson '14 blocked his second kick of the season, this one a PAT attempt after Knox's third score.

The victory takes the Pioneers to 4-2 overall (3-2 in MWC) and it's back on the road next Saturday, at Lawrence University (1-5, 1-4 MWC) in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Players of the week are:
Offense:  Jason Peters '14
Defense: Andrew Clark '14
Special Teams:  Kickoff Unit
Rookie:  Emmi Sandoval '15
Practice: Max Jacobson '14

 See the official game story here.

Highlight Video From 1st Five Games!

Song "All Black" by Nick Hinojosa '13

Pioneers Beat Beloit!

Going on the road and beating the opponent on their Homecoming is always a good thing.  Saturday was one of those days for the Pioneers, defeating the host Beloit Bucs 28-21.

Cody Weber '13

Standout performers on offense were Cody Weber '13 who had 175 all-purpose yards and 2 TDs and Trent Baker '15 with 7 catches for 140 yards and 1 TD.

The defense had a solid all-around performance led by linebackers Jeremy Wiles '14 (6 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 TFL) and Richard Renteria '15 (6 tackles, 2 were TFL)

Jeremy Wiles '14

The win pushes the Scarlet & Black to 3-2 overall and back to 2-2 in MWC play.  Knox College comes to Rosenbloom Field this Saturday after a tough 26-20 loss to Ripon.

Players of the Week Honors went to:
Offense - Cody Weber '13
Defense - Jeremy Wiles '14
Special Teams - Harpreet Singh-Mann '12
Practice - John Mertes '15
Rookie - Trent Baker '15

See the official game story here.  More photos and video to follow later this week!

Ripon Pulls Away From Pioneers

After leading on two different occasions in the first half and only trailing 17-14 at halftime, the Grinnell College Pioneers weren't able to stay with the Ripon Redhawks, losing 38-20.  After restraining the Redhawks triple option offense to just two touchdowns in the first half, the hosts took to the air and threw more pass attempts than they had in the season's first two games combined.

Cody Weber '13

 Standouts for the Pioneers include safeties Drew Blumberg '13 (14 tackles) and Kelsey Davis '12 (11 tackles), wide receiver/running back Cody Weber '13 (100 yards of total offense and one touchdown), and cornerback/kick returner Andrew Clark '14 (1 INT and 55 kick return yards).

Check out the official game story here.

Pioneers Fall To Monmouth

Both teams observed a moment of silence in honor of the 10th anniversary of 9/11

Despite almost 400 yards of total offense the Pioneers couldn't keep up with the visiting Monmouth College Scots in Saturday's home opener at Rosenbloom Field, losing 61-20.

Nick Hinojosa '13

Suffering a couple key defensive injuries early, the Scots opened up a good lead very quickly and never looked back.  It's on to Ripon College next Saturday to keep that road record spotless!

Richard Renteria '15 closes in for a tackle

See the official game story here.

Highlights From Saturday's Win Over Macalester!

Check out a short highlight video of the 31-6 victory this past weekend.

Pioneers are in the black jerseys...

Pioneers Open With a W!

The visiting Grinnell Pioneers christened their 2011 season in a big way, with a 31-6 victory over Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota this afternoon.

Mike McCabe '13    Courtesy: Jody Russell

After a scoreless 1st quarter, the guests tacked on 10 quick points just before the half using a successful onside kick sandwiched between the scores.  Things were put away in the 4th, with three scoring aerial strikes, two to Rob Seer '12 and one to Cody Weber '13.

Check out the official game story here and the box score here.

Photos and highlights to follow early this week.

2011 home opener is Saturday against Monmouth!  Come out to Rosenbloom and support the Scarlet and Black!

Media Day Photos

Our second annual Media Day was held this past Saturday before our scrimmage.  Here are some of the more memorable photos taken...

Issac Chadri '15 can do what most offensive linemen can't

The Pioneer Defensive Line

Pioneer Receiving Threats

California Crew

2011 Pioneer Seniors

Pictures from Camp!

With classes starting tomorrow, today was the last day of "training camp".  The past two weeks have flown by but we continue to be excited about this year's Pioneer Football team.  All signs point to a great season opener next weekend up at Macalester College!

Below are some pictures taken during practice by Alysia Horcher '15.  Thanks Alysia!

Down the line of scrimmage during an Inside Run period

Getting some extra work in!

Rob Seer '12 hauls in a deep ball during Competition

Coming together at the end of the day...

We're Back!

The Pioneers 2011 campaign is officially underway.  Players reported to campus on Thursday and with only 3 practices under our belt it's clear we are headed for a great season!

We've had plenty of fun in the first few days as well, including the annual fishing derby where safety Drew Blumberg '13 caught this 28-inch catfish!

More videos, updates, and photos to come as we inch closer to opening our season September 3rd at Macalester College!