Football | 9/16/2020 1:11:00 PM
The McPherson College football team, will play its 2020 home opener this Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Bethel College Threshers. Saturday night's game will also be the 10th annual Blake Reed Memorial game, which honors Reed's lifelong enthusiasm for Bulldog football.
Reed, a student assistant coach for the Bulldog football team beginning in 2006, passed away from complications of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in on August 3, 2010. Donations will be accepted at the gate to benefit the Blake Reed Mac2Mac Football Scholarship Fund. To date, the scholarship fund has raised over $60,000, which is used to fund an annual scholarship to benefit one McPherson football player who exemplifies Reed's positive spirit and attitude.
This year's recipient will be honored at halftime of Saturday's game. Past recipients of the scholarship include James Temaat, John Davidson, Michael Ramos, Cole Long, Evan Clary, Kavoderic McIntyre, Dominic DeLuca, Joey Hale, and current junior wide receiver Ben Nikkel, who was the recipient in 2019.
Though he could not take the field, McPherson College football coaches considered Reed the heart of the team. He learned the nuances of football and became both a leader and inspiration for the Bulldogs. He passed away just before the start of the 2010 season which saw the Bulldogs go 10-1 and win the KCAC with a 9-0 record. Blake's father Ronnie is currently on the Bulldog coaching staff as a special assistant to the head coach.
Coming into Saturday's game, the Bulldogs are 1-0, having opened the season last Saturday with a 58-40 win on the road at Sterling College.
