Harper's Brand passes for 310 in loss

Harper College had a tough start well before its Midwest Football Conference game at North Iowa Area Community College on Saturday.

Freshman starting quarterback Garrett Barnas came down with the flu and couldn't play for the Hawks in Mason City, Iowa.

Freshman backup Matt Brandt did throw for 310 yards and a touchdown, but Harper (3-4, 2-4) gave up 531 total yards and the second-most points in a game in its history in a 55-24 loss to NIACC (4-2, 3-2).

Brandt was 27-for-47 with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Brian Whitehead to cut Harper's deficit to 20-8 in the second quarter. Brandt and Barnas gave the school two different 300-yard passers in a game in the same season for the first time.

Brian Mitz (Cary-Grove) caught 13 passes for 158 yards, John Baldwin caught 5 for 65 yards and Whitehead had 4 catches for 57 yards.

Senica Jackson (Streamwood) had a pair of third-quarter 1-yard touchdown runs to get Harper within 41-24. But quarterback Lorenzo Brown ran for 2 fourth-quarter scores to cap a big day where he threw for 212 yards and a TD and rushed for 60 yards and three scores.

Harper will return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday with its final regular-season home game, against Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College.

Kirkpatrick out of hospital: St. Viator head football coach Chris Kirkpatrick was released from Northwest Community Hospital on Saturday after he complained of chest pains and was taken in an ambulance from Friday's game with St. Joseph.

Viator assistant athletic director and baseball coach Mike Manno said by the time Kirkpatrick got to the hospital his blood pressure was down and he was doing better. Kirkpatrick stayed in the hospital overnight for observation and there were no signs of heart trouble.