The annual CSU-Pueblo International Food and Culture Extravaganza was canceled last week, after the university disallowed an integral part of the event’s tradition.

Canceling the event was a student decision, after senior university administration members informed the CSU-Pueblo International Students Association that they could no longer hold a potluck, a major part of the event’s tradition.

Annie Williams, who works in the Center of Academic Enrichment, and is advisor to CISA, said the group ultimately decided to cancel the event amid concerns they would not be able to feed all of the event’s attendees.

“A heavy tradition is that we encourage students to bring a potluck dish, something native to their country, something associated with their heritage and ancestry,” Williams said.

After being informed of the university’s decision not to allow the potluck, CISA was forced to cancel.

CSU-Pueblo has recently tightened their policy on bringing food on campus, perhaps in part, due to an incident last year in which two freshman students brought a marijuana-laced pineapple upside-down cake to a class potluck last April.

Alexandra Sandoval and Marco Lopez-Diaz brought the marijuana-laced cake onto campus after a class presentation on April 30, 2015, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.

Because of this event, CSU-Pueblo’s policy on potlucks now seems more stringent.

“I think they have tightened their food restrictions in terms of what you can bring and what you can share on campus,” Williams said.

According to Chris Fendrich from the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership, the current policy on outside food is dictated by Chartwells, the company with the exclusive contract for providing food services on campus since 2007.

Fendrich said that the guidelines imposed by Chartwells and the university was partially in relation to the marijuana incident of last April, “but not totally, it’s basically just to keep the university safe.”

Chartwells has health guidelines it must follow in food preparation that it is insured upon in the event that a student or campus faculty member to got sick.

Students who bring their own prepared food to campus do not have such guidelines, and therefore could potentially cause illness from food prepared improperly.

The disallowance of the potluck part of the extravaganza was not so much the disappointment for CISA, as much as the timing of when the club was notified in relation to the event.

“It’s just unfortunate that this event was planned so far into the future and we were told this at the last moment,” Williams said. “It has influenced other events that we have planned but we will comply with university regulations.”

In future years, CISA is considering taking the event off campus in order to continue the tradition of the potluck in the event.

“We will (continue to have the Food and Culture International Extravaganza). I believe it’s the longest single running event this campus has had consistently on an annual basis so we will not eliminate it but we might look at having it off campus,” she said.

The CSU-Pueblo women’s basketball team had a historic season. | Photo by Jason Prescott

Following a record breaking season in which the women’s basketball team accumulated 26 wins and just six losses, the team was bounced from the first round of the NCAA Division II tournament on March 10, after a 78-60 loss against Black Hills State University in Lubbock, Texas.

Twenty-one turnovers in the game for CSU-Pueblo led to 23 points for Black Hills State, helping the tournament’s No. 7 seed to upset the No. 2 seeded ThunderWolves.

However, perhaps the largest difference in the game between the two teams was points contributed by the bench, where Black Hills State had 26 points from their bench, compared to just eight for CSU-Pueblo.

The Pack shot just 38.5 percent from the field, hitting only 20 of their 52 shot attempts, including just 8-for-25 from beyond the arch. This poor shooting was too much to overcome for the Pack, who never held a lead in the contest.

Freshman center Molly Rohrer led the Pack in both points and rebounds, totaling 18 and eight, while going 7-for-14 from the field. Her game leading performance was unfortunately not enough for the Pack, as Black Hills State’s dominant first half performance led to an 18-point lead going into the break and could not be overcome.

Black Hills State got to the free throw line early and often against the Pack, going 26-for-37 from the line to account for one-third of their overall points. The Yellow Jackets were led by guard Taylor Trohkimoinen, who nearly doubled her season average of nine points per game by scoring 18, including two-of-three on three-point attempts.

Despite the early exit from the tournament, the season was one of the best in program history for the Pack. The team set program records for wins, with 26, and winning percentage, with .812. Freshman forward Lauren Heyn also set a program record for field goal percentage in a season, sinking 55.6 percent of her shots from the field throughout the year.

The Pack won their fifth Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Championship in school history on March 5, tying a record for the conference, and clinched its highest ever seed in the NCAA tournament at No. 2.

The Pack will have much to look forward to next season, as it will return three of its five starters in Rohrer, Heyn and forward Tuileisu Anderson.

The ThunderWolves will surely miss its senior leaders, however, as guard Dee Arrietta, who finished as the programs third most successful 3-point shooter with 157 3-pointers, as well as guard/forward Ashley Piper who started 30-of-32 games for the Pack this year, played in their last games for the Pack.

Photos by Jason Prescott

The 2015-16 men’s basketball team | Photo courtesy of gothunderwolves.com

The CSU-Pueblo men’s basketball team played its final game of the season on Tuesday, falling to the tournament’s No. 1 seed, the Fort Lewis Skyhawks, 89-86 in the first round of the 2016 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Shootout.

After clinching the tournament’s eighth and final seed, following an impressive season in which the Pack accumulated 16 wins, the Pack took to the road against FLC in Durango, to take on the No. 8 ranked Division II basketball program in the nation.

Sophomore guard Will Newman led the team in scoring with 22 points off the bench, and a closely contested first half that saw six lead changes amounted in a four-point deficit for the Pack at the conclusion of the first half.

With a dominant start to the second half, FLC turned their 4-point advantage into a 16-point lead with 9:22 left on the clock. In an underdog role on the road in which it would be easy for the Pack to let their deficit turn the game into a one-sided affair, the Pack refused to exit the tournament without a fight, and appropriately, came out shooting in the Shootout.

At 76-60, the Pack hit big shots down the stretch to shift the game’s momentum, with sophomore guard’s Newman and Josh Smith, each totaling five points in the following five minutes to create a 12-1 run for the Pack and reduce FLC’s lead to five at 77-72, with just 4:11 left in the contest.

Regaining their composure, the Skyhawks their lead to 81-72 with the clocking ticking down to just 2:55. Once again, however, senior guard Chris Golden answered the call in his last career game as a CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolf,  scoring 6 points in an 8-0 run that left the Pack trailing by just one heading into the game’s final moments.

Unfortunately, the admirable late game heroics by the Pack would not be enough, as FLC junior guard Joshua Blaylock, powered his team past the Thunderwolves with a 19-point, 8-rebound performance, including a 3-point, nail-in-the-coffin, that put the Skyhawks ahead by two possessions with only 37 seconds left on the game clock.

The game was a thrilling one for the Pack, who fought valiantly to make a contest between the RMAC’s No.1 and No. 8 seeds, have the feel and tempo of a championship contest.

Statistically speaking, the game could not have been much closer, with CSU-Pueblo making 32-of-62 shots from the field, and FLC making just one less basket at 31-61 shooting. CSU-Pueblo had 13 assits, FLC had 14. 33 rebounds for the Pack, 34 for the Skyhawks.

Although the season is now over for the Pack, the program has much to be proud of. In a 16-win season in which the team had to battle to even make the RMAC Shootout, the team showed Tuesday just how much it deserved to be included in the tournament.

Senior Morgan Fox walks back to the Pack locker room for the last time. | Photo by Jason Prescott

Yet another lopsided football game took place at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl Dec. 6, when a 31-7 blowout occurred in a quarterfinal game of the 2015 Division II football playoffs against Grand Valley State University.

Unfortunately for the Pack, this week’s contest was the first all year that the ThunderWolves found themselves on the losing side of that blowout.

In a high-energy atmosphere in the team’s biggest game of the season, the Pack was never once in the game.

GVSU quarterback Bart Williams threw a 65-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first play from scrimmage to wide receiver Matt Williams to take a 7-0 lead with the game just 16 seconds underway.

The Pack would handedly trail for the rest of the game until the contest’s final 31-7 result.

The ThunderWolves were unable to utilize the skills that made the team thrive for the majority of the year, running the football ineffectively and playing poorly on defense throughout the game due largely to the commanding performance of the GVSU Lakers.

“Grand Valley… my hat’s off to them and coach Mitchell. They’re one hell of a football team,” said CSU-Pueblo Head Coach John Wristen.

“We got down early and couldn’t seem to be able to gain any traction or make any moves there and that’s uncharacteristic of Pack football,” he said.

Senior running back Cameron McDondle had his lowest rushing total of the season in a game that he started and finished, rushing for just 106 yards on 19 attempts. McDondle had a record-breaking season for the Pack, finishing the season with the Pack’s single season rushing record of 2,235 yards.

McDondle finished his remarkable CSU-Pueblo career with program records in both rushing yards, with 5,951, as well as rushing touchdowns, with 56.

GVSU’s defense stymied the Pack’s passing attack, holding freshman quarterback AJ Thompson to 5-for-13 passing for just 34 yards through the air.

Photo by Dustin Cox, CSU-Pueblo Athletics

“They out hit us, they out-flew to the ball and they out executed us. We had trouble throwing the ball and it caught up to us. These are the factors that when you become one dimensional it’s hard to win ball games when you pay against a very good defense like Grand Valley,” Wristen said.

The Pack’s normally lock-down defense gave up big plays throughout the contest and allowed a season-high 323 yards rushing, an amount more than triple the teams season average of 95 yards allowed per-game.

The ThunderWolves finished the season 12-2, after winning the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for the fifth straight year.

A notably emotional Wristen praised his senior athletes, commending them for their dedication to Pack football over their athletic careers with CSU-Pueblo.

“I’m proud of the 17 seniors that we have, I’m proud of this program, I’m proud of what we’ve done in 2015 and it’s tough to say that it’s going to end,” Wristen said.

“Those guys are special kids. They will be tough to replace. They bought into this vision of what we wanted to do and they’ve done it. Our seniors have led us and they were great and I’m going to miss them.”

Photo courtesy of Bill Sabo for CSU-Pueblo Athletics

The CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves survived a late game rally by No.1 regional seed Midwestern State University Saturday, to beat MSU 26-17 and advance to the quarterfinals of the 2015 Division II playoffs.

After a hot offensive start in which the team scored 14 points in the games opening quarter, the Pack’s offense failed to capitalize on opportunities, settling for field goals on their next five scoring possessions.

CSU-Pueblo’s rushing attack was revitalized by the return of running back Cameron McDondle, who played the entirety of the game after missing most of the last two contests with a lingering ankle injury.

McDondle appeared in no way hindered or limited, rushing for 160 yards on a career-high 43 attempts. The big game brought McDondle’s season total to 2,129 yards, earning him a new Pack single-season rushing record, eclipsing his own previous previous program best of 2,014 yards set during the ThunderWolves 2014 championship campaign.

For the third consecutive week, sophomore RB Bernard McDondle was a major player for the Pack’s offense, rushing for 161 yards on just 16 carries for an average of 10.1 per-touch and improving upon his best-in-the-nation average of 8.76.

The brothers once again acted as thunder and lightning for the Pack, combining for 321 yards on the ground. With Cameron surpassing the 2,000 yard mark in the contest, the brothers became just the fifth pair of running back’s on the same team to rush for 1,000 and 2,000 yards in the same season in Division II football history.

Despite the big-yardage days from the McDondle brothers, CSU-Pueblo’s offense looked sloppy and inconsistent for much of the contest. The team lost four fumbles, and completed only 3-of-10 pass attempts, leaving the door open for MSU to get back into the game following a 17-0 halftime lead for the Pack.

Both teams struggled mightily on third down throughout the game, with CSU-Pueblo only converting on third down on 2-of-14 tries, a slight advantage over MSU, which converted just one first down on 12 attempts for an 8 percent conversion ratio on the day.

The two teams combined for seven turnovers, with CSU-Pueblo’s top-ranked defense causing two interceptions and recovering one fumble to partially offset the teams four turnovers on the offensive side of the ball.

The ThunderWolves defense came up big when it needed to, holding the Mustangs to just 183 total yards and allowing the MSU offense slightly over 20 minutes of possession in the game, compared to more than 39 minutes with the football for the Pack.

Photo courtesy of Bill Sabo for CSU-Pueblo Athletics

Two redshirt freshman stepped up big for CSU-Pueblo’s defense, with linebacker Brandon Payer leading the team with nine total tackles and six unassisted, and defensive back Darius Williams totaling three tackles while forcing both a fumble and an interception for the Pack.

The win will bring the Pack back home to the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl Dec. 5, to face the No.6 regional seed Grand Valley State, who upset the region’s No.2 seed Ferris State 38-34 on the road in Big Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday.

Eight teams now remain in the NCAA 2015 Division II Football Championship tournament: Shepherd, Slippery Rock, West Georgia, Tuskegee, Northwest Missouri State, Emporia State, Grand Valley State, and of course, the Pack.

With only seven total contests remaining in the 2015 season, CSU-Pueblo now finds itself exactly where it wants to be in the quest to defend its 2014 national championship.

Pack players exit the ThunderWolf tunnel before entering a playoff game against the University of Indianapolis. | Photo by Jason Prescott

For an elite football program like CSU-Pueblo’s, which has acquired an overall record of 59-5 in the last five years, five wins might not seem like a very difficult task.

After acquiring just one playoff win in the three years previous to last year’s national championship, however, the Pack knows all too well the difference between regular season wins and the playoffs.

It’s not like comparing apples to oranges. It’s like comparing apples to high carbon steel; there is simply no way the two things can be realistically compared. If winning the national championship was like climbing Mount Everest, the regular season would be nothing more than the plane ride to Tibet.

Having won their opening round contest against University of Indianapolis, the climb to the pinnacle of Division II football for the ThunderWolves is currently underway, but the ascent to the top truly begins now.

The first game has been won, and the first step has been taken, but four more huge steps still remain.

Each step will get exponentially more difficult than the last, and it will likely take every bit of grit and determination the team has in order to approach the summit, let alone top it.

Luckily for the Pack, the team has summited this mountain once before.

“I think this year we know what it takes to get there. Last year it was all new for us getting that far in the postseason and this year we know what it’s going to take and we know the level we have to play on defense and on offense to get it done,” said senior linebacker Kevin Cuff.

In order for the team to get back to Kansas City for the 2015 national championship, the Pack will simply have to do the same things it did best all season long.

“If we can go out and play Pack football, I don’t see anybody stopping us,” said senior wide receiver Deontrae Cooper.

First, CSU-Pueblo will need to play tough, stingy defense. The Pack’s defense played outstanding all season, allowing just 14.5 points, 73.5 yards rushing, and 229.2 yards passing per-game over the regular season.

Senior defensive end Morgan Fox was just one sack behind the nation’s lead, despite missing two games due to injury in the middle of the season. The ThunderWolves totaled 35 sacks on the year, to go along with 20 interceptions and six fumble recoveries.

The next pivotal key for CSU-Pueblo in this championship run will be to establish its dominant rushing attack in the form of the McDondle brothers.

Bruiser senior running back Cameron McDondle is currently second in the nation in rushing with 1,969 yards, despite missing the season’s last game against New Mexico Highlands, as well as the majority of last week’s playoff game against UIndy.

His younger brother Bernard, the speedy and elusive sophomore, is also in the top 20 of Division II RB’s with 1,270 yards rushing and a nation-leading 8.76 yards-per-carry.

While Cameron has missed most of the last two games with a lingering ankle injury, his brother Bernard has excelled for the Pack, totaling 375 yards and four touchdowns in his brother’s absence.

Although which McDondle will take the field for the Pack for the majority of this postseason remains to be seen, one offensive strategy has been tried and true for the Pack all season long: If there is a McDondle in the backfield, give that man the ball.

If the Pack can stick to these keys, as well as minimize mistakes and take care of the football by not turning it over, the sky is the limit for the team to defend its title and be the first team to win back-to-back championships since Grand Valley State in 2005-06.The next big step for the Pack comes on Saturday, as the team faces the No.1 seed in it’s region, Midwestern State University.

MSU finished the season with a 10-1 overall record, losing their only game to Texas A&M Commerce back on Oct. 24. The Mustangs have had a balanced offensive attack all season, averaging 32 points, 200 yards rushing and 219 yards passing per-game over the season.

Their defense has forced 25 turnovers, making it crucial for CSU-Pueblo quarterback AJ Thompson and company to secure the football throughout the entirety of the game.

If the Pack can beat MSU, it would have to win two more games to make it back the national championship game.

One more win after that and the Pack takes home the trophy. While four more wins is definitely not an insurmountable obstacle, those four wins will likely be hard-fought for the Pack, on the long and arduous road back to Kansas City.

The mountain lies ahead.

The summit is within sight.

All that remains for the team is the climb.

Photos by Jason Prescott

In the first round of the 2015 Division II college football playoffs, the No. 4 seeded CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves took down the No. 5 seeded University of Indianapolis 27-14 at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

The Pack’s primary offensive spark came in the form of second-string sophomore running back Bernard McDondle, who handled the bulk of the team’s carries following an injury to his older brother and team rushing leader, Cameron McDondle.

Cam McDondle, who is a Harlon Hill Division II National Football Player of the Year candidate and was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, left the game in the second quarter after re-aggravating a lingering ankle injury and did not return.

“Cam will be day-to-day day right now,” said CSU-Pueblo’s Head Coach John Wristen. “It’s that ankle. He got it tweaked a little bit underneath the pile. He says that someone grabbed it and twisted it.”

McDondle attempted to re-enter the game after being evaluated by training staff members, but Wristen chose instead to leave the fate of the Pack’s rushing attack in the capable hands of Cam’s younger brother Bernard.

“He was trying to come back but I just said, hey, let’s just be smart with it and turn it over into his brother’s hands,” Wristen said.

In the team’s most crucial game of the year this far, Cam’s early departure set the stage for Bernard to shine.

And shine he did.

Bernard rushed for 187 yards on 28 carries, including three game-changing touchdowns in the second quarter, averaging 6.7 yards-per-carry.

“I knew when he went down that somebody had to step up,” McDondle said.

Bernard McDondle | Photo by Jason Prescott

Facing the Greyhounds in CSU-Pueblo’s first-ever opening round playoff appearance, ThunderWolves players and coaches entered the contest knowing all too well they had their work cut out for them to leave with a win.

“It was a great opportunity to go play against a great team,” Wristen said. “They’re well coached and they’re well schooled so we knew we were gonna have a heck of a dog fight coming in here.”

“The whole key about playoffs is to just win by one and keep advancing and we were able to do that,” Wristen said.

CSU-Pueblo once again relied on an excellent performance from it’s defense, led by RMAC Defensive Player of the Year, Morgan Fox.

Fox, who finished the regular season with the most sacks per game in all of Division II, tallied his 16th sack of the year in the game, eclipsing former Pack defensive lineman Darius Allen’s former program records for sacks in a season, with 16, as well career sacks, with 35.

“It’s cool just so Darius will stop texting me about it,” Fox said jokingly, “but I’m just happy that we’re moving on more-so than getting the new sack record.”

Facing a UIndy team that had the least amount of turnovers in the nation, having only turned the ball over five times in the entire regular season, the Pack forced two Greyhounds interceptions in the first half, leading to two McDondle TD’s for 14 Pack points.

“I think pressure helps. When the D-line gets good pressure it makes the secondary’s job easier and when the secondary covers well it makes our jobs easier,” Fox said.

“I think we just feed off each other.”

The Pack finished the contest with two sacks and two forced turnovers, holding the Greyhounds to just 284 total yards and 14 points.

The Pack will now hit the road to face the regions No. 1 seed in Midwestern State University, for the team’s first road playoff appearance in the last five seasons.

“In the last five years this will be our first road playoff game besides the national championship game so I think our kids are going to embrace it,” Wristen said.

“We really don’t care where we play. We’re lucky to play the number one seed. It’s nice for us to go on the road, it’s gonna be hostile environment and we’re gonna have to go and play one heck of a game to beat Midwestern.”

The Division II tournament’s second round contest will be held in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Nov. 28, at noon Mountain Standard Time.

“I’m totally proud of these players and I’m proud of our coaches and we get to play over Thanksgiving break and there’s not a lot of programs in the country that can say that,” Wristen said.

Senior Kieren Duncan led the team with 42 receiving yards. | Photo by Jason Prescott

In the team’s final home game of the 2015 season on Nov. 7, fourth nationally ranked CSU-Pueblo rolled over No. 16 Colorado Mesa, 51-20, ensuring at least a share of their fifth consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title.

Both teams entered the contest riding 7-0 in-conference records in the RMAC, which led to a closely contested first half, ending in just a two point Pack lead of 19-17.

The rest of the game, however, belonged to the Pack, with CSU-Pueblo coming alive both offensively and defensively in the second half and outscoring the Mavericks 32-3.

Senior running back Cameron McDondle once again led the charge for the Pack’s offense, amassing 150 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Younger brother Bernard McDondle, provided his usual change-of-pace role for the Pack’s rushing attack, running for 117 yards and two TD’s on just 10 carries and improving even more upon his nation-leading average in yards-per-carry.

After uncharacteristically surrendering 17 points in the first two quarters, the ThunderWolves’ elite defensive unit got back to their usual stingy and dominant identity in the second half, holding CMU to just three points in the games final 37 minutes.

The Pack’s defense finished the game with four sacks for -27 yards, as well as three turnovers, with two interceptions by junior safety Joseph Jones, and a forced fumble by junior defensive end Ian Kelly recovered by redshirt freshman linebacker Brandon Payer.

Senior defensive end Morgan Fox provided an explosive spark to the Pack’s defense, totaling eight tackles and three sacks, including a pivotal momentum-changing safety in the second quarter.

Saturday’s win against CMU was satisfying, but also predictable for the Pack.  The lopsided victory accounted for the ThunderWolves’ sixth straight win against the Mavericks dating back to 2010.

But perhaps a better pre-game indicator of Saturday’s victory than past wins was the location at which the game was played.

To put it quite simply, the Pack does not lose at the ThunderBowl. CSU-Pueblo has now won 28 straight at home, including an unblemished 6-0 record in 2015.

For the team’s traditional senior appreciation game, where a pre-game ceremony was held to honor the senior football athletes playing in their last game at the home, many senior Pack players put their best foot forward in their last game in front of the home fans.

In addition to the strong outings of seniors McDondle and Fox, the Pack got key performances out of other senior leaders as well.

Senior Kieren Duncan led the team in receiving yards once again with 42, including an incredible 24-yard, one-handed sideline catch in the fourth quarter. Duncan also totaled 98 yards on four kick returns.

Photo by Jason Prescott

Senior kicker Greg O’Donnell made his lone field goal attempt of the day, and went 4-for-6 on extra points, having two PAT’s blocked in the second half.

The ThunderWolves senior defensive leadership controlled the line of scrimmage and second level, with nose guard Tony Campton, as well as linebackers Kevin Cuff, D’ere Moore, and Ben Estica, totaling 4 tackles apiece and accounting for 16 of the Pack’s 77 total tackles.

Going into the regular season’s final contest on Nov. 14 against New Mexico Highlands, the Pack will seek to ride their current eight game winning streak and finish the season on a high note.

In addition to a crucial momentum-win on the line, all-time program records will also be at stake as Cameron McDondle and Morgan Fox find themselves well within reach of milestone Pack records.

McDonnell is currently 71 yards short of his own CSU-Pueblo record of 2014 rushing yards in a season, set last year, while Fox is currently a half-sack away from former teammate Darius Allen’s records of sacks in a season, at 15.5, as well as career sacks, with 34.5.

Video by Jason Prescott

Game Recap vs School Of MInes from CSU-Pueblo TODAY on Vimeo.

In a clash of the sixth and seventh nationally ranked Division II football programs, CSU-Pueblo annihilated Colorado School of Mines Oct. 24 in a 49-21 victory that was even more lopsided than the overall score line reveals.

The Pack was invigorated by a record-setting 308-yard rushing performance by senior running back Cameron McDondle, who dominated the Orediggers on the ground throughout the entirety of the contest.

The previous program record of 304 yards was set by Frank Hester in 1965, and stood as the schools premier rushing achievement for more than 50 years. Cameron McDondle, however, might just be the kind of running back who only comes along once-in-a-half-century.

The outing regained McDondle his spot as the nation’s DII rushing leader, and also added another two touchdowns to his DII lead in rushing touchdowns.

The career day brought McDondle’s regular season totals up to 1,535 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, putting him well on-track to surpass his own Pack record, set in 2014 for 2,014 rushing yards.

Cameron McDondle scores his second touchdown of the game. Photo by Jason Prescott

Although McDondle was definitely the ThunderWolves’ most impressive offensive weapon on the day, he was by no means the only member of the Pack offense to contribute to the big win.

Sophomore running back Bernard McDondle was once again heavily involved in the Pack’s offensive attack, rushing for two touchdowns on the day and marking the fourth straight game that both McDondle brothers have had multiple touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Kieren Duncan was once again the Pack’s leading receiving weapon, totaling 61 yards, including a 49-yard score on an A.J. Thompson pass in the second quarter. Senior tight end Zach Boyd and junior running back Fridley Dort were also involved in the action, each providing one score.

In an outcome that has almost become routine for the Pack, CSU-Pueblo’s defensive effort was once again spectacular.

Despite totaling a season-low one sack on the day, CSU-Pueblo’s defense was stifling to the opposition, holding an Orediggers offense that ranked second in the nation in total yards-per-game with 546.6, to only 367 yards.

Senior CSM quarterback Justin Dvorak entered the contest third in the nation in passing yards and second in touchdowns, averaging 373 yards and more than four TDs per game. Against the Pack’s stingy defense, however, Dvorak was held to just 226 yards passing on 36 attempts and a lone touchdown.

The game also saw the return of senior Pack defensive end Morgan Fox, who logged his first snaps since suffering a dislocated elbow in week five against Adams Sate. Prior to his departure, Fox led the nation in sacks and will be a pivotal piece in strengthening the ThunderWolves’ pass rush heading into the last three weeks of the regular season.

All in all, Saturday’s victory is one that might be considered a statement win. A dominating performance over a previously undefeated team who ranked in the top five in the nation in multiple offensive categories is certainly the kind of victory that gives a team momentum.

With just three games left in the 2015 regular season, the Pack seems to be hitting its stride at the perfect time to defend its 2014 national championship.

With Cameron McDondle looking as dominant as ever, the defense getting healthy and Thompson looking increasingly comfortable as the Pack’s starting quarterback week after week, the ThunderWolves might just be placing themselves in the perfect position to make another run to Kansas City.

Image courtesy of CSU-Pueblo men’s soccer

With eight games remaining in the ThunderWolves 2015 season, the CSU-Pueblo Men’s Soccer team will seek to finish the season strong with the hopes of qualifying for the 2015 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Pack started the season off hot, winning each of its first three games with a combined score of 6-2. The next seven games, however, yielded a team record of 2-5, including a 1-3 record in the RMAC and bringing the teams total to 5-5 through the first 10 games.

Head coach Roy Stanley commended his team for their defensive play over the first half of the season, but identified an inability to finish as the main issue to improve upon in the coming weeks.

“I think that we have been playing solid on defense,” Stanley said. “We’ve been doing fairly well with getting out of the back and getting into the attacking half of the field so our possession play I think has been fairly solid. The biggest thing is just to do better with our opportunities in the attacking half.”

The Pack will continue to lean on its core group of seniors to find success throughout the back stretch of the season, led by senior forward and midfielder Matt Marchena who currently leads the team with 10 goals.

“I’ve got six seniors who have started every game and have played at least 70-90 minutes in those games who are shouldering most of the load,” Stanley said.

That senior leadership will be pivotal as the Pack now approaches the most critical part of its schedule, with each of its next six games being played against conference opponents.

“We need 100 percent. We’ve got our conference lives on the line,” Stanley said.

“We stubbed our toe in the Mines game but for everything else we’ve shown up. We just want to get ourselves back up to .500. In the past .500 has got you in the conference tournament.”

Getting to that .500 mark in the RMAC will require some big wins for the Pack over the coming weeks against conference foes, which Stanley believes are attainable for the ThunderWolves.

“I truly believe this team has better in it than the bottom 3 but we’ve got to get into that fourth, fifth, or sixth spot to get into the conference tournament. They (these conference games) come at a good time and we’re putting more of the pieces together now than we did at the beginning of the year. Every weekend is gonna be critical, there’s no doubt,” Stanley said.