RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines Football team approaches its final matchup of the season this week as the Hardrockers will play host to the Western State Colorado University Mountaineers from Gunnison, Colo., in a 1 p.m. game on Dunham Field at O'Harra in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference bout.
 
This game will decide whether or not the Hardrockers claim 2016 as a winning season and give SD Mines back-to-back winning seasons since 1985. After beginning the 2016 campaign with a 5-1 overall record the Hardrockers have lost four hard-fought, heartbreaking games and now stand at 5-5 on the season.
 
Western State comes in the game with a 6-4 mark (6-3 in the RMAC). The Mountaineers are on a two-game losing streak after tough matchups against CSU-Pueblo and Humboldt State --- two very good football programs.
 
The Mountaineers will be a very interesting matchup for the Hardrockers. SD Mines is Top 3 in the RMAC in scoring offense (40.8 points per game), total offense (511.2 yards per game), rushing offense (235 yards per game), and passing offense (276.2 yards per game).
 
Meanwhile, Western State is Top 2 in the RMAC in total defense (341.6 yards per game), passing defense (185.8 yards per game), and passing defense efficiency (110.4).
 
"They have a very strong defensive unit," said Hardrocker football head coach Zach Tinker. "We cannot wait to get out and compete on Saturday."
 
The Hardrocker defense will need to be especially focused on containing one Mountaineer in particular.
 
"Western State brings in the premier running back in the RMAC in Austin Eckeler," Tinker said. "[Eckeler] is the best the RMAC has to offer and he leads the conference in rushing with nearly 150 yards per game and is third in scoring with 18 touchdowns."
 
The Hardrockers have a few threats of their own, one being senior Rashad Ridley. Ridley has the most kick return yards in the conference, and has a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to his credit.
 
"He had another electrifying kickoff return on Saturday," Tinker said of Ridley. "Senior Day is your last chance to see Ridley do something crazy. Don't blink when he has the ball."
 
Ridley is sixth in the RMAC in all-purpose yards averaging 127.8 per game.
 
Wide Receiver Marcus Sanchez is another High Octane weapon and is third in the RMAC in receiving yards per game and is tied for third with six receiving touchdowns.
 
Coach Tinker also highlighted this senior standout when talking about the matchup ahead.
"Last week Marcus Sanchez set the new record for career touchdown receptions (17 TD catches)."
 
Sanchez is a serious deep threat and averages 15.6 yards per reception.
 
Also excelling this season and on the verge of a Hardrocker career record is sophomore place kicker Robbie Jo Gerarden. He already has the season record for extra points with 50. Add his 31 from the 2015 campaign for a total of 81 and Gerarden needs just two more to break the career record for extra points for the Hardrockers. The current record is held by Andy Smith from 2008-2011.
 
The matchup against Western State is Senior Day. The SD Mines community comes together to celebrate all that the Hardrocker football graduating class has brought to the gridiron, to campus and to the Rapid City community.
 
"Senior day is a special day. Those 20 men have been the foundation of this program," Tinker said. "Each of these players will graduate with a winning record against Black Hills State, something they should be extremely proud of."?
 
Watch the action live from the RMAC Network on Stretch Internet at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sdsmt/ .