North Star Bowl: Ravens blast Rochester

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association bowl season opened here Saturday with No. 19 Coffeyville's 54-12 blowout of No. 14 Rochester Tech in the North Star Bowl.

Even though the Red Ravens came into the contest with a 6-4 record and Rochester was 10-1, this is not considered an upset. Minnesota College Athletic Conference schools do not offer athletic scholarships. However, the NJCAA only has one division for football.

Minnesota schools have never won a bowl game against another school that offers scholarships. In 2002, Coffeyville blew out Rochester Tech, 55-7, in the Dalton Defenders Bowl. And as another example, MCAC champion Central Lakes, which was 10-1 and ranked No. 9 going into the game, was shredded by No. 13 Ellsworth (Iowa), 64-7, in the feature game of the Graphic Edge Bowl at Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Sunday. The Panthers finished the season 8-3.

Coffeyville jumped out to a 17-0 lead, scoring on its first three possessions. Quarterback Andy Summerlin ran for one touchdown and threw for another and Kyle Savner kicked a 33-yard field goal.

The Yellowjackets got back into the game on four Michael Kusnierz field goals. The fourth one with 21 seconds left in the third quarter after the Red Ravens buckled down and held Rochester out of the end zone after the Jackets had a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line.

The Jackets went for the onside kick but it went out of bounds. On the very next play, Summerlin hit Quinton Patton on a 41-yard touchdown pass to make it 25-12 after three quarters.

Coffeyville scored touchdowns on two fumble returns and Chris Stuart rushed for two more as the Ravens scored 29 points in the fourth quarter.

Summerlin, the offensive Most Valuable Player, threw for 258 yards and two scores on 14-of-19 passing. Patton caught four passes for 85 yards and running back Mulku Kalokoh caught 3 for 71 yards.

Rochester Tech quarterback Carey Poarch completed 15 of 27 passes for 206 yards but threw 3 interceptions. The Yellowjackets rushed for just 5 yards on 44 carries.

The only other bowl this weekend was the first game of the Graphic Edge Bowl, which matched up the runners-up of the Midwest Football Conference's East and West divisions. The East's Joliet (Ill.) defeated the North Dakota State School of Science, 28-17, to finish the season at 7-5. N.D. Science finished 6-6.

There are no bowl games this weekend. There are four on Dec. 5, including the Salt City Bowl where No. 20 Hutchinson (6-5) will host No. 16 New Mexico Military (7-3).

The last two are on Dec. 6, including the Citizens Bank Bowl at Pittsburg State University, which has been sanctioned as the NJCAA Championship Game. No. 1 Fort Scott (11-0) will face No. 2 Blinn (Texas, 10-1).