THE PEDAL TO THE METAL

Two of Monmouth’s first three touchdowns in a 51-14 win over Lake Forest last Saturday took all of one minute and four seconds – combined.

That’s fast, folks.

The first – an Alex Tanney to Nick Wright bomb, covered 41 yards on the Scots’ first possession and took just 30 seconds. Wright was also on the receiving end of a Tanney TD pass on the next possession, but this one took a bit longer – 4:49.

Nearly five minutes? What’s up with that?

The Scots didn’t have great field position for this one. The Foresters put together a 42-yard march down the field, but the drive stalled out when the Foresters’ quarterback was stopped on a fourth and seven by Adam Hoste after a six yard gain.

That gave the Scots the ball at their own 25 yard line. Monmouth then began their own march to the sea, uh, we mean end zone. The 14-play, 75-yard clock-eating drive included eight pass completions, four rushing attempts, a sack, two penalties and a Forester timeout. Oh, and a touchdown.

“We came out very fast and jumped on them early,” reported Steve Bell. “Scoring so quickly on our first possession set the tone. We played well on both sides of the ball in the first half.”

The Scots rolled up 613 yards of offense – 388 in the first half – second only to the 679 yards the 1972 team put on Carleton. If that wasn’t enough, Mike Blodgett caught 10 passes for 131 yards and moved past Evan Haffner’s 150 receptions as the all-time leader with 153. Matt Shepherd is right behind with 147. Tight end Kramer Matzen hauled in two passes for scores and let’s not forget Clay Bricker who had a season-high 148 yards and one TD.

That’s a whole lot of offense.

“The defense did a good job of getting us the ball back,” said Bell of his unit that forced the Foresters to punt a whopping 12 times. “We got the ball back A LOT. It’s not so much the yards or time, but what you do with the possessions. Do you get points?”

The Scots certainly have gotten points – nearly 50 per game. And the defense had some fun Saturday, too.

Defensive end Anthony Goranson recorded three sacks to move to within three of all-time leader Greg Bennett (34). Marcus Ruff followed his 16-tackle performance against Ripon with another 11 at Lake Forest.

“The front four, five guys played as a single unit,” said Bell of his defensive linemen. “That’s the way we need them to play all the time. They played hard, fast and physical.”

The starting four – Goranson, Marc Wozniak, Peyton Lumzy and Nick Leffler – combined for 10 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and three pass breakups.

Holding a 35-0 lead at halftime, the Foresters were finally able to break into the scoring column on their first possession the second half. The Scots scored on the Foresters’ next possession when Goranson made a stop in the Lake Forest end zone for a safety.

Those were the only points the Scots scored in the third quarter. Not exactly what Bell was hoping for in the second half.

“We missed some opportunities in the Red Zone in the second half,” said Bell. “We moved the ball down the field, but we didn’t finish. We threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the Red Zone. That was very uncharacteristic for us. I don’t think it was lack of focus, just lack of execution.”

The Scots still ran 93 plays, well within their no-huddle target. Bell attributes the number of snaps to Blodgett’s receiving record as much as his talented receiver’s hands.

“The style of play is a bit different now than when Haffner played,” explained Bell. “It’s really a combination of a lot of things, the quarterback, the other receivers, but Mike himself has done a great job. You’re going to see some of those records fall, and you’ll see multiple players doing it.”

A bit different style of play? The Scots’ no-huddle is like the two minute drill on a caffeine and sugar overload.

Take into account last year’s 78-17 win over Illinois College. The Blue Boys possessed the ball for nearly 10 more minutes than the Scots, yet Monmouth scored 11 times.

That’s something the Blue Boys remember and Bell expects that to be motivation enough for Illinois College this weekend when they visit Monmouth. It’s a big game for both teams.

For Monmouth, a win would clinch at least a share of the conference crown – and their second consecutive trip to the NCAA playoffs.

For Illinois College a win would mean redemption from last year’s blowout. They’re motivated to get satisfaction in ’09.

Need proof?

Just one look at the Blue Boys’ football website says it all. Their schedule page lists opponents by name, but the Oct. 31 opponent listing simply says “The Team Up North.”

Ouch! That hurt.

The Scots don’t really care what they’re called, all they’re concerned about is the outcome this Saturday, and the next Saturday, and…well, you get the picture. Let’s just hope they have plenty of gas – or jet fuel as the case may be – in the tank.

PLAYOFF WEEKEND?

Destiny.

The women’s soccer team controls their own this weekend. Barry McNamara’s ladies can determine their own fate for the postseason with two critical matches Saturday against Beloit and Sunday with Lake Forest.

Two wins would put them in the conference tournament for the first time since 2005. All that thanks to Tuesday’s 6-2 win over Knox.

“We HAD to have it,” said McNamara of the match with the Prairie Fire. “It wasn’t a lock, Knox is greatly improved.”

McNamara’s soccer team took a page out of Steve Bell’s football playbook for their first goal – the section on quick scores.

Camille San German scored the first two collegiate goals of her career in the first two minutes. Goal No. 1 came just 40 seconds into the match. Goal No. 2 found the net at the 2:06 mark with an assist from Amy Unzicker. By the way, Unzicker scored the Scots’ next two goals in the 28th and 30th minutes to put Monmouth up 4-0 before the Fire knew what hit them.

“Camille is one of our fastest players,” explained McNamara of the early offensive onslaught. “She was able to beat her defender and get in scoring position and then finish it off. She did a great job against Knox and really sparked us.”

Unzicker was able to finish off her two goals – albeit with her non-dominant foot. The sophomore’s two blasts came off her left foot, following her left-footed game-winning goal Sunday against Cornell.

“Amy did what we needed her to do,” said McNamara. “She’s right-footed and the defenders expected her to go right, but she made the move and got open and finished.”

Riddled by injuries, the Scots were able to post back-to-back wins for only the second time this year, but the streak comes at a good time.

“We’re proud that we were able to win a pair of games while we’re resting two starters,” said McNamara. “We hope to have Brittney Parker and Lauren Vana back for this weekend. That was the whole idea of resting them, to get them healed up for this crucial weekend.”

Saturday’s 1 p.m. matchup with Beloit is a “must have” for both teams.

“This is like a playoff game for both of us,” reported McNamara. “The winner stays alive for a conference tournament berth and could clinch it on Sunday.”

A win by the Scots would knock the Buccaneers out of the picture. A Beloit win doesn’t totally eliminate the Scots, but they would need to win Sunday against Lake Forest and hope for some help from the other teams.

It’s not like the Scots haven’t been in this situation before.

“Lake Forest has been the determining game for us before,” reported McNamara. “When we made the playoff in 2005, we beat them to clinch our berth. The women understand the significance the Lake Forest game could have, but first, we’ve got to get by Beloit. That’s our focus – beat Beloit and worry about Lake Forest later.”

The Scots should feel confident going into the weekend after the decisive win over Knox Tuesday and last Sunday’s thrilling 1-0 win over Cornell.

“We told our team we thought we would win some low-scoring games,” said McNamara. “We felt going into the year, our defense was good enough to carry us. That game was a good example.”

Unzicker’s goal in the 62nd minute broke a scoreless tie, giving the Scots a little breathing room.

“Being able to take the lead was big,” said McNamara. “That meant we didn’t have to take chances. We didn’t have to risk moving players up to get a goal.”

The Scots didn’t have their full compliment of players for the Cornell match, but that was actually a good thing.

“That game showed us that we can win games without all of our regulars,” said McNamara. “We’ve got some good bench players who can contribute.”

One of those players – goalkeeper Katerina Meletis – has just moved past injured ‘keeper Sarah Wintersteen in minutes played in goal this season and has been in goal in four of Monmouth’s wins.

If it’s all the same to McNamara, he would just as soon see his goalkeepers log even more minutes and more wins after Sunday’s regular season finale. The postseason future for the Scots rests solely on their own hands – and feet.

TECHNOLOGY AND HEARTBREAK

Needing a win Tuesday at Illinois College for the Scots to advance to the Midwest Conference playoffs, many fans unable to make the trip were huddled around their computers watching the webcast.

Sports Information Director Dan Nolan was one of them. Softball coach John Goddard was another.

The Scots took the first two sets, but the Lady Blues came storming back to tie the match at 2-2. It’s now in the fifth set and the Scots are trailing 14-12.

Side out. Point Monmouth.

Monmouth serving and trailing 14-13. Just get the serve over and ……

“Media player is unable to find the server.”

WHAT???!!!

It’s the final set, it’s a two-point match and Nolan lost his feed AND his comfortable spot on the couch.

Rrrrring.

“Dan, this is Goddard,” said the voice on the phone. “Are you watching volleyball? I lost the feed.”

Join the club, coach.

A technical glitch disconnected the feed at the crucial moment, so some Scots’ fans were spared the pain of the final point in their 15-13 loss in the last set. The Scots had rallied, staving off a 14-10 deficit before the Lady Blue’s fatal kill to end the match. The bottom line is the loss effectively knocked the Scots out of playoff contention.

After rolling to a 25-17 first set win and eking out a 25-20 win in the second, the Scots faltered. Monmouth trailed 14-9 in the third set, but closed the gap to 16-14 before IC was able to put the Scots away.

“We had a lot of hitting errors to start,” said Kari Shimmin. “We starting making some errors in the second set, but were able to hang on. Our errors then continued into the third set.”

The fourth set was closer throughout, although the Scots never led. Three straight IC kills ended the match and forced the decisive fifth set. It wasn’t for a lack of effort – Kendra Newlon and Claire Hermie recorded five and six total blocks, respectively, just not in the final set.

“We weren’t getting our blocks,” explained Shimmin of the play down the stretch. “We just weren’t very consistent, but we did handle the tips much better than we had last weekend.”

Last weekend, the Scots hosted Principia and Iowa Wesleyan in a triangular. Monmouth cruised to a 3-1 win over Principia and fell 3-2 in a see-saw battle with Wesleyan.

“Our attack, especially our middle hitters, played very well against Principia,” praised Shimmin. “The Wesleyan game could have gone either way. There were just a few errors that swung the match the other way.”

This weekend the Scots travel to Benedictine to wrap up the regular season with matches against Benedictine, North Central, Wheaton and Grinnell – the team the Scots were trying to catch for the fourth and final conference tournament berth. The Pioneers won both meetings with the Scots this season.

“The Grinnell match will be the big one this weekend,” claimed Shimmin. “We’d like to get some revenge over them. Otherwise our goal is to end the season above .500. It’s a strong field, so we’ll need to play well.”

Playing well and sending the team’s two seniors – Alexis Keller and Sara Schoon – out on a positive note might just be enough motivation to make for a great weekend.

With no webcast of the weekend tournament, Nolan and Goddard will just have to get the results the old-fashioned way – via the cell phone.

ALIGNING THE PLANETS

When the cross country team runs at the Midwest Conference Championships on Saturday, they’ll hope their depth and a little good timing results in a high team finish.

The Fighting Scots’ women enter the meet at Rock Cut State Park near Rockford as the defending champions with five all-conference runners returning. The men are trying to improve on their back-to-back third-place finishes after winning the team title in 2006.

The meet, hosted by Beloit College, will begin at 11 a.m. and will be run on a trail-type course – 6K for the women and 8K for the men. The narrow, winding layout through heavy timber with moderate hills means those runners wanting to keep track of their opponents had better not let them get too far ahead. There won’t be a lot of room to pass if it gets congested, either.

“It will be easy to lose track of where you are in the race if you’re not really focused,” said coach Roger Haynes. “We really don’t try to pack race as a team. Normally, we try to run our own type of race and let the chips fall where they may. On this course, if you get 20 meters separation from someone, you might not see them again for a long time. For this course, we’ll try to pair up with two or three runners from other teams.”

Of those runners from other teams, Megan O’Grady of Carroll and Jenny Scherer of St. Norbert have the top 6K times among the women. The Scots’ Mary Kate Beyer and Katie Staab are ranked third and fourth, less than 90 seconds back of league-leader O’Grady.

Monmouth’s women return the entire squad that won the first title in their history last year and have added some newcomers who should have an impact. The Scots own four of the top 20 spots (only the top 20 at the meet are named all-conference) in the latest top performances list. Freshman Rachel Bowden is ranked 15th and senior Amy Aghababian – all-conference a year ago – has the MWC’s 19th-best time.

Carroll, St. Norbert and Grinnell appear to be the main contenders to dethrone the Scots. Combined, the three teams have garnered 12 of the top 20 times. Of course, the Scots ran a “perfect storm” race last season when all their women were at their peak performance.

“I’m not counting on it, but it could happen again,” said Haynes. “Mary Kate and Katie are running well, and Rachel has a great shot at a top 20 finish. She’s a pretty courageous runner for having so little experience in cross country.”

Another freshman – Brittney Frazier – along with all-conference junior Whitney Didier have posted times that will threaten the top 20. That team depth may be just enough for a high finish.

Like the women, the men have a clear-cut top two runners. Geoff Bird and Jon Welty have consistently led the Scots this season and have the fifth- and sixth-best MWC times. Last year’s champion, Grinnell, owns the top four spots.

“We don’t have that one really fast runner,” reported Haynes of his men’s team. “We’ve got a couple of very good runners up front and then a lot of team depth after that.”

There is strength in numbers and Monmouth isn’t lagging far behind the front runners with six runners in the top 20 and in contention for all-conference honors. Senior Damon Bautista has seen limited competition this fall but ran his best race just two weeks ago and has the league’s 14th-best time. A trio of freshmen – Jake Barr, Connor Shields and Paul Davies – are also in the mix. Barr is ranked 12th, Shields 15th and Davies 18th. Veterans Alan Rosiquez, Craig Maher and Tim Bentz are among Haynes’ deep stable of contenders anxious for Saturday’s competition.

“The guys are focused and ready for the weekend,” praised Haynes. “They’ll be very aggressive and go out and challenge the other runners. We have a lot of guys who have a top 20 spot in their sights.”

Last year, the women aligned the planets to take the team title with a pair of bona fide lead runners and a solid supporting cast. Monmouth’s men hope to use that recipe from a year ago to cook up a top three finish.

RED IS BLUE

Two inches was all it took to hang a 1-0 loss to Illinois College on the men’s soccer team Sunday and end the Fighting Scots’ hopes of a conference playoff berth.

For more than 80 minutes, it looked as if the Scots and Blue Boys would be headed to overtime. That was averted when IC’s Chris Schulte drove home the match’s only goal in the 82nd minute.

With nearly eight minutes left in regulation, the Scots refused to surrender and kept up the attack. A curving Daniel Medina corner kick late just missed, hitting the crossbar and bounding high. If only it were two inches lower.

“I can’t fault the work rate,” said Perry. “Eddie Martinez, Josh Del Valle and Daniel are working hard as can be up front.”

Despite the hard work, Monmouth had limited chances to score. That may have been due as much to the offensive mindset as much as anything else.

“There wasn’t much offense generated in the penalty area,” reported Perry. “We did a nice job in back and midfield. We just need to be more assertive and release shots quicker and be a little more aggressive or ‘selfish’ once we get into the penalty area.”

Don’t get Perry wrong, he likes the team aspect, but sometimes the Scots are trying to be too fine.

“It’s not so much what other teams are doing to us,” explained Perry. “It’s more a case of we need to take the initiative. As a culture we’re so hung up on statistics that sometimes we worry too much about the stats. In baseball, .300 is a great batting average, but in soccer, you’re not going to make 30 percent of your shots. As a front runner, you’ve got to have the mentality that you’ll succeed every single time and take the shot.”

Martinez, for one, has been taking his shots with that mentality. The sophomore fired two of his three attempts on goal Sunday. In the last four matches, Martinez has blasted nine of his 10 shots on target.

“He’s doing a much better job of keeping himself higher on the field,” praised Perry. “He can hold the ball under pressure. Guys like Josh, Daniel and a few others can run off of him.”

The Scots didn’t allow the Blue Boys many chances, either, just four shots on goal for the entire game and one corner kick each half.

“Defensively, we played very well,” said Perry. “Other than the goal on the corner kick, IC just had one other good chance. Garret White, Joe Howell and Andy Sheller did a great job in back.”

Owen Robinson saved three of the four shots he saw, but from Perry’s standpoint, his senior keeper made an impact on plays that don’t result in stats.

“Owen came off the line well and stopped some attacks,” praised Perry. “He played the ball with his feet well.”  

Of course, not all of the defense occurred on the Scots’ half of the field. Led by Adam Buol and converted defender Jake Scimeca, the midfield as a group played well, limiting any Blue Boys runs.

“The defensive effort was as consistent as we’ve had all season long,” claimed Perry. “We didn’t give up many opportunities.”

The Scots will have two last opportunities this weekend – hosting Beloit on Saturday and Lake Forest Sunday. Both teams are ahead of the Scots in the MWC standings, meaning Monmouth could make a major jump in the standings with a pair of wins and send their two seniors – Robinson and Bryan Jackson out on a winning note.

“Bryan and Owen have given an awful lot to the program,” praised Perry. “They’ve played very well for us in their four years. We’d like nothing better than to send them off with a couple of wins.”

Scots Scoop would like that, too.

POOLING THE TALENT

Returning three conference champions in four events and seven record holders in 12 events has first year swim coach Kurt Niemeier smiling.

Niemeier, a four-time conference champion and multiple record-holder himself, spent last season as an assistant under interim coach Dave Yez. Now that Niemeier has full control of the program, he’s implementing more of his philosophy and training techniques with an eye on the conference championships.     

“It was a little awkward at the start of the season,” said Niemeier of his transition from teammate to assistant and, now, to the head of the program. “The older ones weren’t sure how to address me. Is it Kurt or coach Niemeier? It’s kind of hard for the ones I swam with to know what to call me, but they’re adjusting well.”

He’s hoping by the end of the season, they’ll call him a winner. Niemeier wants to improve on the men’s three-year run as conference runner-up and land the women a top-three finish. Without an abundance of divers, Niemeier knows that’s a tall order.

“We have one diver – Jack Clifford (Rantoul, Ill./St. Thomas More),” reported Niemeier. “Jack has improved over his four years here. He’s working primarily on the 1-meter, but we’ll also have him in some swim events. We really don’t have the number of divers needed to really challenge for the conference title, but we’ll try to narrow the gap.”

Part of the gap-narrowing plan is to adjust the training regimen. The new training plan includes many of the 2008 practices and will incorporate some stroke-specific training.

“We’re keeping the philosophy of training for your specific events,” said Niemeier. “We’re getting much more specific than we have in the past. We’re spending more time working on each stroke and breaking it down to each component of that particular stroke.”

Men’s returning champions Josh Dunn (Brookfield, Ill./Lyons Township) in the 200 freestyle and Andrew Wright (Quincy, Ill./Quincy) in the 500 and 1650 freestyle – both sophomores – headline a strong group of returners that includes seven seniors. One of those seniors, Harrison Heilman (Downers Grove, Ill./North) holds both the 200 and 400 individual medley records while another senior, John Kaiser (Hanover Park, Ill./Glenbard North), is the record-holder in the 100 butterfly.

“We don’t have a lot of freshmen, but the team IS loaded with potential to improve,” reported Niemeier. “Harrison is very goal-oriented. He’s set his sights on more IM records. Andrew and Josh came into practice looking good. Josh had a great summer of training in Minnesota and John is our No. 1 butterflier and could contend for a conference title.”

The Scots, who boast a strong senior and sophomore class, expect great things from second-year swimmer Steve Collins (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) as well as newcomer Greg Dortch (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West). Dortch just began competitive swimming a year ago, but Niemeier is high on his potential.

“Greg could be a very good swimmer for us,” predicted Niemeier. “He could be one of our top swimmers, if not this year, then next year. Steve is right there with Harrison as a top-notch IMer. We expect him to also be a valuable member of our relays.”

Another sophomore, Joe Testolin (Darien, Ill./South), took the slow-but-steady route to excellence last season. Testolin dropped his times at the MWC meet and finished in the top six in most of his events at the championships.

While the Scots have just two freshmen on the men’s squad, the women have eight freshmen on their roster of 15. Lauren Nelson (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) is the lone returning senior and is tabbed as the Scots’ best threat in the distance events.

“Lauren is a very good swimmer, but doesn’t realize what great potential she has,” claimed Niemeier. “Our goal this year is to help her reach that potential.”

Defending MWC 200 breaststroke champion Krista Sparks (Montrose, Colo./Montrose), 200 backstroke record-holder Rachel Buckham (Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Sturgeon Bay) and 50 and 100 butterfly record-holder Rachel Holm (Oregon, Ill./Oregon) form the foundation of a talented sophomore class.

“Krista broke the pool record in the breaststroke at Grinnell last year and just missed the ‘B’ cut by a couple of seconds,” reported Niemeier. “She’s definitely our top breaststroker.”

Niemeier points to freshman Amada Zaidel (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart) as one to watch  in the breaststroke along with sophomore Colleen Zumpf (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East).

“We have a really good group of freshmen,” said Niemeier. “With Krista, Amanda and Colleen, we have a really strong breaststroke group. Colleen was in the top five at conference last year and Amanda has competitive times from high school coming in. That should equate into a lot of points at the conference meet.”

Holm is touted as the Scots’ top swimmer in the butterfly and sprint freestyle, while a last-minute change last season made Buckham the Scots’ top backstroker.

“That was a change we made at the last minute last year at conference,” explained Niemeier. “She responded well. I think she can make some major improvements if we concentrate more on the backstroke this season.”

A roster that includes just one senior and one junior has Niemeier looking at the future while focusing on the present.

“We were fifth last year,” reported Niemeier of the women’s MWC finish. “We were just 74 points out of third. That sounds like a lot, but in swimming, 74 points is a pretty narrow margin. That was with eight women. With 15 swimmers this year, we should make a jump just by sheer numbers.”

If the women can pull into at least third place, it will be the highest finish since 2006 when the squad placed fourth.

Niemeier faces two vastly different, but yet similar men’s and women’s teams. The men are counting on an experienced mix of seniors and sophomores to lead the way while the women rally around strength in numbers combining a solid class of returning sophomores and potentially great freshmen.

A REAL FIGHTING SCOT

When Steve Glasgow ’02 played basketball and baseball at Monmouth, he was known as an intense, hard-nosed competitor, so it’s no surprise he’s still competing – albeit in mixed martial arts.

OK, so how did a guy who played basketball and baseball – two non-contact sports – and a guy working on a law degree decide to take up the violent sport of mixed martial arts? Keep in mind, he IS the son of fiery baseball and basketball coach Terry Glasgow, owner of a combined 812-478-3 record in 30-plus years at Monmouth. That should be enough genetic toughness to get the younger Glasgow through the rigors of “The Cage.”

“It didn’t surprise me that he took up the sport,” said his father. “Steve was always very focused in whatever he did. He’s a very good athlete and is in the best shape of his life.”

He may be in shape, but mixed martial arts isn’t exactly a trip to the museum.

“Of course as a parent you always worry about your kids getting injured,” said Terry. “That part of any type of competition always crosses your mind and maybe more so in such an intense contact sport, but he’s very tough mentally and physically. Right now, he’s enjoying he challenge.”

As if law school wasn’t enough of a challenge.

“It was originally an avenue to release the stress of law school,” said Steve of his initial interest in studying martial arts. “As I continued to work at it, I developed an enjoyment for participating in combat sports. I got curious as to my abilities and contacted a Lansing (Michigan) based mixed martial arts group.”

The younger Glasgow didn’t pull any punches in contacting one of the best. Murcielago MMA had already produced the UFC light heavyweight champ and Ultimate Fighter champion Rashad Evans.

The former Scot was unbeaten through four bouts and earned an invitation to travel to Dubai for an international competition. For those of you who are geographically challenged, in layman’s term’s Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates, south of Iran just across the Persian Gulf.

Still lost? How about, near the southeastern edge of Saudi Arabia…in the Middle East.

Got it? OK.

The travel and competition will be taped for a television show to air early next year on a cable station yet to be determined. Did we mention all expenses paid?

Sweet, which sometimes is misspelled sweat, which is what Glasgow will be doing while in Dubai. Called a “Global Paradise,” it will be anything but a vacation for the soon-to-be reality TV star. Long training days and a film crew shadowing your every move might make for good TV viewing back in the States, but talk about stress.         

Did we mention he’s also studying for his bar exam?

Even more stress – while overseas, he will also turn pro and be under the tutelage of the UFC’s Pat Miletich and Dan Severn.

Of the 16 fighters competing, only a select few will be invited back in February to compete in the finale and a chance at a six-figure contract with the Xtreme Kombat League.

“He has a chance to make a pretty good paycheck,” said Terry. “That would just about pay his schooling in one shot.”

Glasgow – who fights in the 170 pound welterweight division – will be making the trip with three other fighters from his camp.

“Unfortunately, I will probably have to fight two of my teammates,” reported Glasgow. “But, a strong showing could result in a pro contract.”

Hmmm, Glasgow’s law school training could come in handy…he might be able to act as his own agent.

Steve Glasgow: MMA fighter, lawyer, reality TV star, but mainly…a Fighting Scot.

CONFERENCE HONORS

Defensive end Anthony Goranson (Bartlett, Ill./Belvidere) had one of his best games this season and earned this week’s Midwest Conference Defensive Performer of the Week honor.

Goranson played a big role in shutting down the Lake Forest offense in the Fighting Scots’ 51-14 win over the Foresters Saturday. The senior stuffed the Foresters with eight tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks for 20 yards. For the season, he leads the team with six sacks for 46 yards and 14.5 tackles for loss for 74 yards. He is tied for fifth with 40 total tackles and is just three sacks from tying Greg Bennett’s career sack record of 34 set from 1987-90.

With the win, Monmouth maintained sole possession of first place in the Midwest Conference.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Fri., Oct. 30
Swimming – at Millikin, 6:00 pm
Volleyball – at Benedictine Tourn. at North Central, vs. Grinnell, 6:00 pm
Volleyball – at Benedictine Tourn. at North Central, vs. Benedictine, 8:00 pm

 Sat., Oct. 31
Cross Country – at MWC Championship at Loves Park, Ill., 11:00 am
Volleyball – at Benedictine Tourn. at North Central, vs. North Central, 10:00 am
Volleyball – at Benedictine Tourn. at North Central, vs. Wheaton, Noon
Football – hosts Illinois College, 1:00 pm
Women’s Soccer – hosts Beloit, 1:00 pm
Men’s Soccer – hosts Beloit, 3:30 pm 

Sun., Nov. 1
Women’s Soccer – hosts Lake Forest, Noon
Men’s Soccer – hosts Lake Forest, 2:30 pm 

SCOTSIVATIONAL

“A champion is someone who gets up when he can't.” – Jack Dempsey