IOWA FALLS – Ellsworth Community College has hired Josh Gooch as its new Panther head football coach. He accepted the position on Monday afternoon and has already arrived in Iowa Falls to begin his duties this week.

Most recently the associate head coach at Hutchinson Community College (Kansas), Gooch has extensive experience in the community college system. While at HCC, he was offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, helping the Blue Dragons to three straight wins at the Salt City Bowl and a fifth place ranking in the final NJCAA national poll. Prior to that, he coached at Fort Scott Community College, Coffeyville Community College, Fort Hays State University and the University of Wyoming. His first full-time job out of graduate school was a one-year stint as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for Ellsworth Community College (1999).

A native of Kansas, Coach Gooch holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Fort Hays State University and a master’s degree in Health/PE/Recreation with an emphasis in administration. While at Fort Hays he was a heavyweight wrestler and played football as an inside linebacker.

“I can’t tell you how eager I was when I heard the head coaching position at Ellsworth was open,” says Coach Gooch. “I’ve been with HCC Head Coach Rion Rhoades for eight years, and I consider him one of my best friends. At HCC we were one of only two community colleges in the country to win three bowl games in a row. We also had a 96% placement rate for our sophomore players, meaning they either graduated or transferred successfully, and that’s something we were very proud of. It’s a success that I’d like to continue at Ellsworth.”

Coach Gooch continued, “I have deep roots in the junior college circuit, and I understand the recipe for success at this level. Over the course of eight years, Coach Rhoades and I turned around two football programs that wanted to be good. I’m very excited to be in Iowa Falls now, and to do the same work here. The college staff had an open arms attitude during the interview, so I feel the transition will be very smooth.”

Gooch was one of three finalists interviewed for the head football coaching position at Ellsworth, and ECC Athletic Director Paul Eberhardt said it was his community college experience that drew the committee’s attention.

"We are very excited to have Coach Gooch join our team here at Ellsworth Community College,” says Eberhardt. “He brings a wealth of NJCAA football experience at a high level and is well prepared to lead our program. He has a magnetic personality that will excite and energize our players and fans. We look forward to continuing the long tradition ofEllsworth football success with his leadership.”

Coach Gooch said his father helped him move to Iowa Falls and is working with him get things inventoried and organized in the football offices pending the hiring of assistant coaches. Gooch’s wife, Kandy, and daughters, Aubrey Jordan (AJ), 3, and Avery, 1, will be joining him in Iowa Falls soon.

 -30-

 
 
PALATINE, IL - Harper College President Kenneth L. Ender announced today that the Harper College Football program will be discontinued following the recent elimination of football teams at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, IL and Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, MI.  The move will leave the Midwest Football Conference with five teams, and only one, the College of DuPage, in Illinois. The decision was made upon the recommendation of the College Provost and in consultation with the Harper College Board of Trustees. 

 “This is a painful decision,” said Dr. Ender. “Harper has had a long and proud football tradition. But with only one community college football team left in Illinois and four out-of state teams in the conference, it became clear we could no longer sustain the program.” 

The remaining teams in the Midwest Football Conference are College of DuPage, Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, IA, Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, IA, Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, IA and North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, ND. 

 While budget issues and scheduling difficulties played a role in the College’s decision, residency of the players was also a growing concern. Over the past six years, more than 90% of Harper’s football players came from outside the district, creating significant challenges for student-athletes. Harper does not have student housing, which means most football players need to find living space off campus.

“Many of these students are 18 and 19 years old living away from home for the first time and they’re trying to manage their housing, finances, academics and play football,” said Dr. Ender.
“The dynamic has contributed to low academic performance and a high dropout rate. That was also a factor in our decision.”

The College plans to conduct a normal spring training schedule for current student-athletes, and coaches and staff will work with colleges to place Harper football players in other programs.

“We are committed to working closely with our football players who are affected by this decision,” said Doug Spiwak, Harper College Athletic Director. “We will continue to offer them support to help them succeed academically should they chose to stay at Harper or help them transfer successfully to another college football program.”

                                                                   ### 
 
 
 
 
MFC Championship Game

#5 Grand Rapids CC (10-0, 7-0) vs. #8 Iowa Western (8-1, 5-1)
Saturday, October 1
Grand Rapids, MI – 1:00pme

The MFC Championship Game is a rematch of the epic week 6 match-up where Grand Rapids came out on top in a 56-48 shootout, and this game promises to be just as special.  Both teams are ranked in the top 2 in almost every offensive category including Total Offense (519.3 ypg for Grand Rapids and 480.7 ypg for Iowa Western) and Scoring Offense (51.8 ppg for Grand Rapids and 50.8 ppg for Iowa Western).  Meanwhile both defenses are also ranked 1 and 2 in Scoring Defense per Game (Iowa Western 12.0 ppg and Grand Rapids 13.6 ppg).

Each team has their share of stars both offensively and defensively to lead their respective teams.  Jake Waters (Iowa Western) and Cody Kater (Grand Rapids) both have shown fantastic ability to control the game through air.  Yet both teams remain balanced with Devin Jarret average 88.4 ypg on the ground for Grand Rapids and Aaron Wimberly with Iowa Western averaging 78.0 rush yards per game.

Defensively, Iowa Western has safety Drake Ferch roaming the field who lead the conference this year in interceptions with 5.  The Reivers also have Ty Branz who led the conference in total sacks this year with 9.  Meanwhile Grand Rapids hopes Ben Hayes who has accounted for 5 sacks this year can apply pressure on the Reiver passing attack.  The Raiders and Reivers have a lot on the line for this game with one looking to continue on its undefeated season and dream of a national championship while the other looks for payback from a heartbreaking loss earlier in the season.

 
 
 
 
Due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the Joliet vs. DuPage football game last week, the Midwest Football Conference has decided that Joliet and DuPage will not play their scheduled contests on Saturday, October 29.  As a result, the Joliet vs. Harper game and the DuPage vs. Grand Rapids game will not be played.  
 
 
MFC Game of the Week
North Dakota SCS (5-3, 3-3) vs. Iowa Central (4-4, 2-4)
Saturday, October 29
Wahpeton, ND – 1:00 PM

There is a lot riding on the outcome of this game.  The winner of this game will claim a 2nd place finish in the MFC-West, which would secure a bid to The Graphic Edge Bowl on November 20.  The atmosphere should be electric.

In addition to what is on the line for both teams, their contrasting playing styles will make this an intriguing game.  Iowa Central will look to control tempo with their 285 rush yards per game average with just 47 yards per game through the air.  In contrast, NDSCS has held their opponents to less than 100 rushing yards per game on average. 

Although NDSCS has the conference’s 2nd leading rusher in Dominique Fuller with 105 yards per game, they also average 186 yards per game through the air to give them a more balanced attack.  Iowa Central has given up twice as many passing yards this season as they have rushing yards, so look for NDSCS to have a strong air attack on Saturday.

#8 Iowa Western (7-1, 5-1) vs. Ellsworth (2-6, 1-5)
Saturday, October 29
Council Bluffs, IA – 1:00 PM

Ellsworth will travel to Council Bluffs, IA with a large task at hand.  Iowa Western has maneuvered back into the top 10 of the NJCAA rankings after losing to #5 ranked Grand Rapids in a close shootout.  Although this may be a tough task for Ellsworth, Coach Mike Virden and his squad came away with a 34-14 victory last year when they traveled to Council Bluffs for the MFC-West playoff finals.  Iowa Western will not take this game lightly.

Ellsworth has a huge offensive weapon with quarterback Willie Tindal, who is leading the Midwest Football Conference in total offensive yards per game.  With Tindal at the helm, the Panthers average over 413 yards per game on offense.  More importantly for Iowa Western’s game plan, Ellsworth has the most passing yards out of all MFC teams thus far this season with 2,206 yards.  They are very capable of making lots of big plays and scoring a lot of points. 

Iowa Western averages 496 yards per game on offense with close to a 50/50 run/pass attack.  Defensively, Iowa Western has allowed 276 yards per game, which is ranked 3rd in the MFC.  Most interestingly, they have allowed less than 900 yards through the air this season.  Although Iowa Western has been effective with their pass defense, they will be put to the ultimate test as they prepare for Ellsworth’s strong attack.

 
 
MFC Game of the Week

Iowa Central (4-3, 2-3) vs. #10 Iowa Western (6-1, 4-1)
Saturday, October 22
Fort Dodge, IA – 2:30 p.m.

Iowa Western takes their #10 ranking to Fort Dodge to face an Iowa Central team currently on a two game winning streak.  Meanwhile, Iowa Western QB Jake Waters looks to have a huge day against the Central defense which is currently ranked last in the MFC in passing yards allowed.

Iowa Central will attempt slow the Iowa Western offense by using the clock to their advantage with their distinctive “ground and pound” running game.  The Iowa Western defense is sure to stack the box to slow Central’s star RB Jontel Clayton.  If Jontel Clayton can continue to find daylight against a very good Iowa Western defense, this game should be an exciting contest.

NDSCS (4-3, 2-3) vs. Ellsworth (2-5, 1-4)
Saturday, October 22
Wahpeton, ND – 1:00 p.m.

NDSCS is coming of a shutout loss to Iowa Western this past weekend, while Ellsworth looks to halt a current 4 game losing streak.  The Ellsworth offense looks to continue their success in the air with the connection Willie Tindal to Dexter Holmes and Darnell Smith.  Additionally, you always have to account for the dangerous legs of Willie Tindal and his scrambling ability.

QB Cody Davies (186.4 ypg) and RB Terrance Williams (87.4 ypg) lead NDSCS, as they look to bounce back and show that last week’s loss was a fluke.  Additionally, the NDSCS defense wants to prove that they deserve a reputation of one of the top defenses in the MFC.

#6 Grand Rapids CC (8-0, 5-0) vs.  Harper (2-5, 0-5)
Saturday, October 22
Grand Rapids, MI – 1:00 p.m.

Harper faces a daunting task of traveling to Grand Rapids this weekend to face an undefeated, nationally ranked Raider team that has won by an average of about 35 points per game.  Harper will likely rely heavily on their QB Cody Miller to have a big game because of the outstanding Grand Rapids run defense.

Grand Rapids continues to dominate on offense with their balanced attack of QB Cody Kater (223.5 ypg) and RB Devin Jarrett (94.2 ypg), along with a defense only allowing 14.6 points per game.  Harper’s offense (ranked last in the MFC) will have to play a near perfect game in order to be competitive. 

Dupage (6-2, 3-2) vs. RV Joliet (4-3, 3-2)                                                                     *RV-receiving votes
Saturday, October 22
Glen Ellyn, IL – 6:00 p.m.

Dupage looks to prove this weekend that they are a team deserving of national attention and has the opportunity to do so against a Joliet team still receiving votes despite being on a two game losing streak.  Dupage continues to rely on their lights out top ranked defense (202.0 ypg) that is going against a Joliet offense averaging only 249.9 yards per game.

The matchup between the Dupage defense vs. the Joliet offense (which has a blaring advantage towards Dupage) adds an increased pressure on the Joliet defense to stop Bobby Vega and the Dupage offense.  Joliet hopes for a big game from Jeffery Brown (averaging 1.1 sacks per game) and Michael Sims (averaging 8.6 tackles per game) in order to come out with a victory.

 
 
MFC Game of the Week

Joliet (4-2, 3-1) vs.  #6 Grand Rapids CC (7-0, 4-0)
Saturday, October 15
Joliet, IL – 1:00 p.m.

In this week’s MFC Game of the Week the Grand Rapids Raiders put there undefeated record on the line on the road against Joliet.  Grand Rapids is coming of another high scoring win against Georgia Military Academy, in which they scored 62 points, bringing their average to an amazing 55.4 points/game.

Joliet will look to slow the game down and win the time of possession battle in an effort to slow Grand Rapids offense.  This will be no easy task with the seemingly unstoppable Grand Rapid rushing attack averaging almost 300 yards/game.  Joliet hopes to take advantage of this great opportunity and come up with a huge upset.

#11 Iowa Western (5-1, 3-1) vs. NDSCS (4-2, 2-2)
Saturday, October 15
Council Bluffs, IA – 1:00 p.m.

In another excellent game this weekend, the lead in the MFC-West is on the line.  Having been idle last week, Iowa Western is playing in their 1st game since their heartbreaking loss to Grand Rapids and looks to have a big win to get back on track.  They will have their hands full against a NDSCS team who is currently on a three game winning streak behind there tandem running attack of Terrance Williams and Dominique Fuller along with the efficient passing attack of Cody Davies.

A great match up this week is QB Jake Waters’ #1 ranked Iowa Western offense (524.5 ypg) against NDSCS’s #1 ranked defense (231.8 ypg).  A similar match up happens against Iowa Western’s #3 ranked defense (242.7 ypg) and the 4th ranked offense of NDSCS (406.0 ypg).  Something has got to give in this seemingly even contest.

Harper (2-4, 0-4) vs. Dupage (5-2, 2-2)

Saturday, October 15

Palatine, IL – 1:00 p.m.

Bobby Vega and the high powered passing attack of Dupage travels to face a Harper team still hungry for that 1st conference victory.  Both teams are coming of impressive victories against two non-conference opponents this past week and look to continue the winning ways this week.

Darius Moffett continues to dominate and lead the Harper defense in tackles with an impressive 11.6 tackles per game.  While on the Dupage defense with its trio of Vince Coach (avg 1.1 sacks/game), DJ Lemons (8.8 tackles/game), and Josh Pettus (3 Ints this year) should provide plenty of pressure against the Harper offensive attack.

Ellsworth (2-4, 1-3) vs. Iowa Central (3-3, 1-3)

Saturday, October 15

Iowa Falls, IA – 1:00 p.m.

Iowa Central travels to play the stumbling Ellsworth Panthers this weekend.  If you look at the stats, Ellsworth has one of the top teams in the conference being ranked in the top 4 in Scoring Offense, Total Offense, as well as Total Defense, but it’s just a matter of putting a complete game together in order to win the game.  While, the Iowa Central defense will have to step up their game in order to slow the prolific Panther offense.

Ellsworth and Iowa Central each have their own outstanding individual performers: Ellsworth has their “do everything” QB Willie Tindal who leads the conference in passing (265.8 ypg) and leads his team in rushing with 55.7 yards per game. Iowa Central has their own star in an ox of a running back, Jontel Clayton, who is averaging 161 yards per game which is leading the conference by over 55 yards per game. 

 
 
Joliet pulled out a close 22-14 victory at home over Iowa Central.  The key to their win was the kicking.  Almost half of the wolves points were a result of Kyle Battle's field goals.  For the day, Battle's nailed 3 field goals from distances of 37 yards, 26 yards, and 28 yards.  He also tacked on an extra point.  

The "clutch" freshman kicker for Joliet has a bright future as he helps his squad continue to turn heads this season.