Game 3: McPherson College vs Bethel College Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015 │ McPherson Stadium │ McPherson, Kan. │ 7:00 p.m. CST 1923, 1952, 2010 KCAC Champions - 2009, 2010 NAIA Football Championship Appearances 2015 McPherson Schedule/Results MC Hosts Bethel for Blake Reed Memorial Game Date Opponent Time/Result 09/05 Doane (Neb.) L 54-7 Game No. 3 09/19 at Southwestern* L 33-7 09/26 Bethel* 7:00 p.m. Date ...................Sept. 26, 2015 10/03 at KWU* 6:00 p.m. Location .........McPherson, Kan. Kickoff ..............7:00 p.m. (CST) 10/10 Ottawa* 2:00 p.m. Stadium ....McPherson Stadium 10/17 at Friends* 1:30 p.m. Surface ...................... RAM Turf Capacity........................... 3,000 10/24 at Saint Mary* 1:30 p.m. McPherson College Bethel College 10/31 Tabor* 1:00 p.m. Bulldogs Radio .................96.7 FM KBBE Threshers Record ................................. 0-2 Live Stats ...... macbulldogs.com Record ................................. 1-1 11/07 Sterling* 1:00 p.m. Ranking ............................None Live Video ..... macbulldogs.com Ranking ............................None 11/14 at Bethany* 1:00 p.m. Last Game ...................... L 33-7 Last Game ...................W 30-23 Coach .............Paul Mierkiewicz Series Record .................. 46-43 Coach .................... Morris Lolar 11/15 Southwestern* 1:30 p.m. Career Record ................. 69-66 Previous Meeting ............ L 13-0 Career Record ..................... 1-1 * - KCAC Conference Game 2014 Record ........................ 5-6 Current Streak ................... 1 - L 2014 Record ........................ 3-8 All Times Central The Matchup McPherson, Kan. – McPherson College football will host their annual Blake Reed Memorial Game this weekend as 2015 Quick Facts/Team Information the Bethel College Threshers come to town for a 7:00 p.m. (CT) kickoff. General Information The name Blake Reed may not seem significant to many people. But for the McPherson community, the name Location ...................................McPherson, Kan. epitomizes a legacy and an inspiration to the town and its football programs. Reed was more than a young adult with Founded........................................................1887 disabilities. Blake was just like every other boy growing up. He liked playing video games and liked being active. Al- President ...........................Dr. Michael Schneider though he watched football with his father, his passion didn’t start to grow until eighth grade. His passion was sparked when he went to college football practices with a McPherson College Football Coach, who also happened to be his VP of Academic Affairs ............. Dr. Bruce Clary paraprofessional at school. Athletic Director ......................... Andrew Ehling Athletic Communications Director ...Aric Cherry Blake took an interest in the sport. When he reached high school, he was asked to become a manager for the McPherson High School Bullpup football which he did all through his high school career. From that point on, Blake’s Conference ................................................KCAC love for football grew. He began traveling with the teams and went to football camps. After graduating high school, Affiliation ...................................................NAIA Blake attended McPherson College and was granted a managerial position for the Bulldogs. Stadium (Capacity) .McPherson Stadium (3,000) Surface ................................ Artificial RAM Turf Blake was more than just a manager. He was the Bulldogs’ “most positive and biggest fan,” says his mother, Terri Reed. Ronnie, Blake’s father, described how Blake was always trying to recruit high school players to come play Nickname .............................................. Bulldogs for McPherson College. Not only was Blake taking on some scouting duties, he was providing inspiration for his fel- Colors ...........................................Red and White low Bulldogs. Former Coach Brian Ward adds, “Blake was one of those rare people who was a true friend, without pretense or judgment. He was real, and a genuinely selfless friend to all who knew him. He gave everyone a perfect Football History example of how to treat others, and how to live your life no matter what adversity you may face.” First Year ......................................................1920 Blake wanted to be treated like everyone else. Just like in high school, Blake was held to a standard a player was. All-Time Record ............................... 314-506-24 This influenced everyone by understanding what true dedication and perseverance really means by the example All-Time Conference Record ............ 249-429-17 Blake set forth while dealing with all the adversities that he dealt with on a daily basis. KCAC Championships.............1923, 1952, 2010 After a lifelong battle with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, Blake passed away at the young age of 22 on August 3, NAIA Playoff Appearances ................2009, 2010 2010. His parents wanted to preserve his legacy by forming the Mac2Mac Scholarship. Last Playoff Appearance ............... Nov. 20, 2010 .............................. vs. McKendree (Ill.), L 38-14 The Mac2Mac was established in August of 2010. The first recipient of the award was announced in 2011. The requisites of the scholarship are the recipient must, “Most closely exemplify the attributes of Blake Reed, i.e. assume Coach’s Information a leadership role on and off the field, encourage others to strive to be their best, demonstrate sportsmanship, display dedication and commitment to high school’s and college’s football program, and maintain a positive attitude even Head Coach ............................. Paul Mierkiewicz when faced with difficult situations.” Alma Mater ..............Loras College (Iowa), 1989 Overall Record at MC ....................0-2 (1st Year) Each season, Bulldog football plays a game where all proceeds from the day go to fund the Blake Reed Scholarship. E-mail [email protected] For additional information about the scholarship, please contact the McPherson College Advancement office at 620- 242-0400. Team Information 2014 Overall Record ...................................... 5-6 Following the contest with Bethel, McPherson will travel to Salina, Kansas to take on Kansas Wesleyan University; 2014 KCAC Record ...............................4-5 (6th) that game is set for October 3rd at 6:00 p.m. (CT) and will be the first in the Graves Family Sports Complex. Starters Returning .............. 8 offense, 4 defense Total Player Returning .....................................30 Total Lettermen Returning ...............................12 Total Players Lost ............................................40 Athletic Communications Base Offense ..................................Multiple Set I Aric Cherry, Director Base Defense .................................................. 3-4 Phone: 646-737-2725 │E-mail: [email protected] │ Fax: 620-245-9706 Game 3 - McPherson vs Bethel - September 26, 2015 - McPherson Stadium 2015 KCAC Composite Schedule Coaching Staff August 29 Mayville State Univ. (N.D.) def. Saint Mary 46-6 Paul Mierkiewicz KWU def. Waldorf College (Iowa) 34-9 Head Coach Wayland Baptist (Texas) def. Southwestern 42-5 No. 22 Tabor def. Lyon College 45-21 Offensive Coordinator September 1st Season 5 Morningside College (Iowa) def. Sterling 77-17 Hastings College (Neb.) def. Bethel 33-29 Loras College Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) def. Ottawa 23-22 Career Record: 69-66 KWU def. Midland College (Neb.) 55-37 Nebraska Wesleyan def. Friends 27-17 Record at MC: 0-2 Concordia (Neb.) def. Southwestern 31-10 Briar Cliff (Iowa) def. Saint Mary 27-13 Northwestern College (Iowa) def. Tabor 9-7 Paul Mierkiewicz joined the McPherson College athletic staff in December of 2014, becoming McPherson’s Houston Baptist (Texas) def. Bethany 51-7 30th head football coach. Doane College (Neb.) def. McPherson 54-7 12 Langston Univ. (Okla.) at Bethany 33-14 Mierkiewicz’s most recent head coaching stint came at his Alma Mater, Loras College, where he led the Duhawks from 2011 to 2013. Southwest Baptist def. Friends 52-0 19 Tabor def. Ottawa* 43-17 Prior to coaching for Loras, Mierkiewicz was the head coach for Hastings College from 2001-2011; he guided KWU def. Sterling* 28-21 the Broncos to a record of 65-41, accruing the third most wins in the history of the program while leading Southwestern def. McPherson* 33-7 the program to two NAIA postseason playoff berths. The team’s two best seasons came in 2004 and 2009. Bethel def. Bethany* 30-23 The 2004 unit went 8-2 in the regular season and then went on the road to defeat then undefeated No. 5 Lindenwood 20-19 on a last second field goal before falling to St. Francis (Ind.) in the quarterfinals. In 2009, Saint Mary def. Friends* 27-14 the team finished 9-3; that squad earned NAIA All-Academic Team honors with a team Grade Point Average 26 Ottawa at Bethany* 6:00 of 3.0. KWU at Southwestern* 6:00 Friends at Sterling* 7:00 Before he became head coach of Hastings, Mierkiewicz was the offensive coordinator for the Broncos for Bethel at McPherson* 7:00 three seasons. The team posted a 27-5 record during that time and 12 school records were broken by the Saint Mary at Tabor* 7:00 offense; they spent most of the 1999 season as the No. 1 team in the NAIA. Mierkiewicz also served as the assistant to the athletic director from 1998-2001. October 3 Bethany at Saint Mary* 1:30 His first college coaching job came in 1994 when he was named the