Josh Cummings
Western Colorado running back Josh Cummings of Fairbanks finished his football career in style Saturday, rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown in a 52-10 win over Adams State.
The senior carried the ball 22 times, found the end zone on a 2-yard plunge early in the third quarter and broke off a long of 29 yards.
Cummings finished the NCAA Division II season with 783 yards and five TDs in nine games for the 7-4 Mountaineers of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. He had four 100-yard games, giving him 11 for his career – the second most all-time among Alaska running backs at the NCAA level.
Only Yohance Humphery produced more 100-yard games. The former Chugiak star had 26 of them during his All-American career at Montana from 1998 to 2001.
Cummings (West Valley) ranks No. 3 all-time among Alaskans with 30 TDs and 2,824 yards. Only Humphery and Mike Connaker (Service) from the late 1990s rank higher on both lists, giving Cummings the distinction of being the best college back from Alaska in 20 years.
With Cummings as the team’s primary rusher over the last two seasons, Western Colorado went 17-6.
1 & 0 – That's All That Matters! #Gameday #ThinAirCrew #MountUp Thank you ‘22 Seniors! pic.twitter.com/zZ9pXbosMN
— Jas Bains (@Jas_Bains_12) November 12, 2022
At Montana State, junior Derryk Snell of Eagle River scored a TD for the third straight game to give him seven for his career – the most for Big Sky tight end from Alaska.
He scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter for his team’s second TD in a 72-28 win over Cal Poly, moving third-ranked Montana State to 9-1 in the FCS.
Derryk Snell
On the previous drive, Snell made a big block to spring Elijah Elliott’s 49-yard run around the left edge. Snell blew up the Cal Poly defender to clear an open path, throwing his whole body into the block.
The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Alaskan is an effective blocker who brings a certain flare to his assignments, attacking tacklers with gusto and guts.
His rushing TD made it 17-0. This was the second straight game Snell moved to running back as part of a goal-line package, both times resulting in short TD runs, reminiscent of his days at Chugiak High when Snell was unstoppable near the goal line and scored 39 TDs as a senior.
Another high school running back who now plays a different position, tight end Derryk Snell, rushes for a TD. His 1-yard run comes at 2:28 1Q. Cal Poly has #MSUBobcatsFB right where it wants them.
Montana State 17, Cal Poly 0#MTscores
— Victor Flores (@VictorFlores406) November 13, 2022
At Dartmouth, junior Jace Henry of Fairbanks hauled in his first career TD reception 17-13 loss against Cornell in the Ivy League.
The 6-foot, 250-pound tight end accounted for 46 yards on his team’s 4-play, 66-yard scoring drive that culminated with Henry’s 22-yard TD catch. He also caught a 24-yard pass on the first play to move the chains.
Jace Henry
Henry (Lathrop) finished with three catches for 47 yards to continue his breakout season.
He has made nine receptions for 171 yards and a TD in nine games as a receiver. He’s also played quarterback and been sprinkled in with different red-zone packages. He has two TDs and nine yards on the ground.
At Washington, junior linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio of Anchorage made six tackles to help the No. 24 Huskies upset No. 6 Oregon 37-34 in Eugene.
Edefuan Ulofoshio
This was just his second appearance of the season after missing the first eight games with an injury.
Ulofoshio (South) increased his career tackle total to 153, passing Anchorage’s David Killpatrick (150) for the most tackles at the Pac-12 school by a player from Alaska. Killpatrick (West) played for the Huskies from 1991 to 1994 and served as a team captain his senior season.
Ulofoshio made two solo stops and was on the field when the UW defense denied the Ducks on 4th-and-1 late in the fourth quarter that set up the game-winning field goal with 51 seconds to play.
He slipped because @Ulofoshio30 closed the hole. https://t.co/oNoVi1luuf
— Sang Kim 김상욱 (@sang_kim) November 14, 2022