MCC football wins consolation title; finishes season 5-5
By: Warren Younger
After a long season for MCC, the T-Birds wrapped up the season with a title.
It just wasn’t the title the team was hoping for.
MCC beat Pima by a score of 34-17 to capture the consolation-bracket final in the team’s last game of the season.
With the win MCC improved its final standing to a clean .500 record by going 5-5.
It’s the T-Birds third straight season of going at least even in the standings.
The T-Birds were in complete control the entire game against Pima, who completed a shocking upset of No.5 ranked Eastern Arizona to reach the final game.
Quarterback Austin Apodaca, coming off an injury in the semi-final game, rebounded nicely with a four touchdown performance in his final game as MCC’s quarterback.
Wide receiver Garette Craig also has a monster game of his own as he caught 11 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.
For most of MCC’s starters this was the last game they will play in a T-Bird uniform.
“This season was a great experience. We faced a lot of adversity but we continued to get better each week and that was a huge thing for all of us,” Apodaca said.
That doesn’t mean the journey is over for these guys.
As the off-season continues, offers to four-year universities will start to roll in for the football players.Some players already have offers.
“A lot of guys are going through the recruiting process right now and receiving offers. It’s a testament to the players they are, all of their hard work and also how hard our coaches work to get us out and on to four-year schools.” Apodaca said.
Apodaca has an offer to play for New Mexico University, Deron Williams-Brown has offers from California and Hawaii, and Brandon Pertile has already committed to Oklahoma State University.
“I’m also going through recruiting right now so I will be visiting some schools and then choosing a school later on. Basically just getting a feel for what each school has and how I fit”. Apodaca said.
MCC sent 35 players to four-year universities last year and they hope to send 35 more.
Even though the season didn’t end the best, MCC still has a few achievements to share.
The T-Birds had 12 players make all-ACCAC and all-WSFL, including 1st team selection Dusty Cook among others.
Apodaca had nothing but praise for his teammates.
“I felt like I did a pretty good job this year. Like I said, I feel like I got better every week and really focused on that. Credit to all of my teammates on making plays for me throughout the season,” Apodaca said.
