ARCATA — Seeking a winning send-off for 11 seniors, the Humboldt State football team lines up against Dixie State College in a rare afternoon encounter Saturday. Humboldt State, 4-5 overall and 0-5 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, takes on the Red Storm, 4-6 overall and 2-3 in league, starting at 1 p.m. in Redwood Bowl.
On Sunday the Jacks will gather again for their annual end-of-season banquet, scheduled for noon in the Kate Buchanan Room on the HSU campus. Supporters are invited to join the players and coaches for this celebration, with a cost of $10 covering the meal.
On-the-Air
Every Lumberjack football game is broadcast live over the local airways on KATA, 1340 AM, beginning with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to game time. Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action and HSU Hall of Fame inductee Burt Nordstrom adds commentary. …Audio is also streamed live over the Internet through the hsujacks.com web site. The new UStream format allows an interactive chat between listeners during the webcast. The specific URL for access is located at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics.
Live Stats
All Lumberjack football home games can be tracked online by using the Live Stats feature on hsujacks.com. Real time statistics, drive progress and other information are featured on the game viewer. The feature can be found at http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/football/.
Promotions
The first 160 fans arriving at Saturday's game wearing "Got Jacks" t-shirts will win a pizza from Big Pete's. …This week's national anthem will be sung by the Gospel Outreach Youth Choir.
Lumberjacks Links
2009 Schedule
2009 Roster
Two-Deep
Head-to-Head
Dixie State took over the lead in the all-time series at 4-3 following its win over the Jacks in September. Last year, the Red Storm defeated the Lumberjacks, 16-6 in St. George, and 19-15 in Arcata. …After winning the first three meetings between the teams, Humboldt State has now dropped four in a row.
Weekly Awards
Selected by the HSU coaching staff for special recognition following their efforts last week are the following athletes — Offense: Matt Devlin; Defense: Dawiet Haile; Special Teams: Tim Sousa; Offense Scout: Matt Roi; Defense Scout: Jeremiah Malulia. Captains for the Dixie State game in addition to season captains Taylor Boggs and Bubba Reynolds are all 11 Lumberjack seniors.
Lumberjack Notes
Prior to Saturday's game the Lumberjacks will honor 11 seniors playing their final collegiate football game. On offense, those players are wide receiver Matt Smith, running back Bobby Thomas, and running back Corey Stollmeyer, who will actually be forced to watch from the sidelines following an injury sustained last week. On defense, senior Lumberjacks are defensive backs Wes Montgomery, Justin Price and Charles Owens; linebackers Chauncey Fagan and Bubba Reynolds; defensive linemen Luke Swangler and Joshua Casey. Also finishing his career is placekicker/punter Kyle Schierholt. "Most of the seniors we are losing experienced a coaching change, which is tough to go through," HSU head coach Rob Smith said. "Those players, along with some of the players we brought in with our own first group, have gotten this program headed in the right direction. They can look back and see that they were part of the foundation of our future success. I thank them for their contributions, and we all want to send them off in a positive fashion this week." …Last week's game was the third that the Jacks have lost after entering the fourth quarter with a lead. …Sophomore quarterback Mike Proulx posted his best performance Saturday, not only statistically, but through his leadership, according to head coach Rob Smith. "Mike played the best game of his collegiate career," Smith said. "He was in command in the huddle and making good decisions." Mike Proulx completed 30 of 45 passes for a career-high 359 yards and three touchdowns. It was Proulx’s second 300-yard game and his fifth 200-yard game of the season. He enters the week as the GNAC leader in pass efficiency with a 143.6 rating and is third in passing yards, averaging 215.1 per contest. …Like any team heading into its season finale, the Lumberjacks have endured their share of injuries that have changed the look of the lineup significantly. Key personnel, including linkebacker Allen Brunner, defensive lineman Justin Hornsby and defensive back Kevin Cooper, were all lost for the season early in the campaign, while starters Bobby Thomas, Guy Ricciardulli, Taylor Boggs, Mike Lynch and Proulx have all missed playing time. Freshman running back Nick Ricciardulli, who got a late start to the season because of a knee injury, played only five games before going down again, this time for the rest of the season. …"Over the course of the season you need depth to be successful," Smith said. "Every team suffers injuries, and we've dealt with our share. How much quality depth you have allows you to continue forward." …Hornsby, the Jacks' top defensive lineman coming into the year, will seek a medical redshirt waiver that will allow him to play his senior season in 2010. …
Injury Report
Corey Stollmeyer was denied a chance to finish his Lumberjack career at home when he went down with a knee injury in last week's game. Stollmeyer finishes the season as the current GNAC leader in all-purpose yards with 105.4 yards per game. …Bobby Thomas, who saw limited playing time last week while recovering from an ankle injury, will take Stollmeyer's place as starting running back. …Wide receiver Edwin Henry suffered an ankle injury that leaves him questionable for Saturday's game. …Strong safety Guy Ricciardulli, who missed last week's contest, is expected to return this week.
Red Storm Notes
Dixie State challenged Central Washington at home last week, falling 23-9 as the Wildcats clinched the GNAC crown. The Red Storm was shut down on the ground, posting -21 yards rushing. …Quarterback Judd Thompson finished 20 of 45 passing for 256 yards and one touchdown. For the season, Thompson leads the GNAC with an average of 256 yards passing per game.…Linebacker Keauntea Bankhead tops the league in tackles, averaging 9.7 per game. Also setting the pace in the GNAC is DSC punter Mike Langston, averaging 42.1 yards per kick. Prince Hall is first in tackles for a loss with an average of 1.30 per game, as is Micah Howard in sacks with a .40 average. Wesley Beavers is best in the GNAC in interceptions, averaging .50 per game.
Smith Says
“Last week was another example of where we are as a program. We are close to winning, but we didn't finish the deal." … "There is very little that separates us, Western Oregon and Dixie State in the GNAC, and we've risen to that level this season. Still, we've had our chances and have come up short. Maybe those are the growing pains." … "Dixie has had a fine year with a tough schedule. But as usual, our preparation will be more about us then about them. They're a good, battle-tested team, and we had a tough game against them at their place. It's important that we build some momentum for this program by ending the year on a winning note."