By Tris Wykes Injuries take a toll on all football teams as a season progresses and Macalester College’s squad is no different. Junior safety Jay Green suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first game. Junior offensive tackle Elijah Zapzalka was lost for the campaign in the next game and sophomore receiver Kelly Storms suffered…

By Tris Wykes As Macalester College football players, coaches and fans milled about after Saturday’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Hamline, the Klas Stadium public address system blared Bob Dylan’s 1965 hit “Like A Rolling Stone”. “How does it feel?” the bard crooned repeatedly as the Scots accepted hugs and reconected with friends and…

By Tris Wykes In the wake of Macalester College’s 24-14 football defeat of visiting St. Scholastica on Saturday, head coach Phil Nicolaides was asked if he’d take time to celebrate. “Oh, we’ll be in there watching the video until 2 in the morning,” he said, pointing to the Leonard Center, home of the Scots’ athletic…

Monday Night Football averages nearly 16 million viewers per game throughout the fall. About a dozen of them come from a Macalester College class taught by football coach Phil Nicolaides.  The fifth-year bench boss oversees a physical education course that meets for 90 minutes each Monday evening. Nicolaides said he usually opens by presenting some…

By Tris Wykes Macalester College home football games feature free admission, but those in attendance for Saturday’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener with Carleton would have gotten their more than their money’s worth even if they’d forked over a sawbuck or two. The Knights claimed the schools’ Book of Knowledge trophy for a sixth consecutive…

By Tris Wykes The Macalester College football program prides itself on unearthing diamonds in the rough, overlooked prospects who develop into impact players after a few years of instruction and immersion.  Sometimes however, those gems need only slight polishing before shining bright. Sophomore defender Asher Niemi, who shifts between end and linebacker, started every game…

By Tris Wykes NEW ULM, Minn. – Saturday’s football kickoff between Macalester College and host Martin Luther was moved up to 10 a.m. because of fears there would be excessive heat and humidity by early afternoon. The nonconference clash started under overcast skies, with temperatures in the low 70s and lingering fog around the sunken…

By Tris Wykes Last season’s Macalester College football team finished ninth in the 10-team Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in total offense at 16.6 points per game. That was roughly a third of what league leaders Bethel and St. John’s produced and less than half of what third-place Carleton cranked out.  A contributing factor to the…

By Tris Wykes ESPN’s Bill Connolly has ranked all 771 NCAA football teams in Divisions I, II and III. Ohio State is first and it’s theorized the Buckeyes would be a 148-point favorite against No. 765 Oberlin.  Macalester is No. 687, one slot ahead of MIAC neighbor St. Scholastica and six ahead of Martin Luther,…

By Tris Wykes This is both an exciting and disappointing week for football players across the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. There’s less than a week until the 2026 season begins, but not all those who hoped to earn starting jobs did so. In offices and meeting rooms, young men reacted with elation alongside peers who…