Chaparral Football Kicks Off 2017 Season
The Chaparral gridders have hit the ground running with a 13-6 season opening win over Iowa Central Community College.
The team hosts its home opener at noon Monday, Sept. 4, against Olivet Nazarene.
The College of DuPage team worked to rebuild its defense last year with several new players. With a subdued 6-5 season, the Chaparrals averaged 1,704 rushing and 1,885 passing yards. Coming into this year, Coach Matt Foster said he's pleased with how the team is coming together.
"We did great at our scrimmage against Whitewater," he said. "We've got about 50 percent new players, which is the norm, but we have more kids returning on defense this year."
Foster, now in his fourth year as head coach at COD, applauded his players' commitment and said the team is showing much promise at practices.
"The kids are doing awesome things and I'm excited to see how they do against some of our tougher competition," he said.
That tougher competition includes University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Sept. 10) and Georgia Military Tech (Sept. 23).
"Three of the best teams in the country are on our schedule," Foster said. "It's exciting to be playing teams of this caliber. Oshkosh was the national champion last year."
As they've done for the last several years, Chaparral players are partnering with the West Suburban Special Recreation District, hosting weight training session for members each week. Additionally, players volunteer each month at Ronald McDonald House Charities, a partnership built out of last year's inaugural Red Grange Bowl.
"Our kids go and really it's to put a smile on the faces of these families who are going through so much," he said.
The Chaparrals will once again host several special games throughout the season that will include brief recognitions of WSDRA athletes (Sept. 4) and military members (Oct. 28). COD hosts the second annual Red Grange Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 2. Last year, the Chaps pulled out a thrilling overtime victory against top-ranked Central Lakes College in the inaugural bowl game.
For more information on COD Chaparral Football, click here.
College of DuPage is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association, National Junior College Athletic Association Region IV and North Central Community College Conference (N4C). The College's Athletics program offers eight men's and seven women's sports teams each year, including track and field, cross country, football, volleyball, golf, basketball, tennis, baseball, softball and soccer. All home games are played on the Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd., and are free and open to the public.