This Saturday the Macalester Scots will be taking the field against Illinois College looking to win the Midwest Conference title, while also extending their school record win total to nine games. This has been a season that has seen the school’s upper classmen step up and take this team to heights the school has not seen in their 121-year history. It has also been a season in which freshman have played an important role in the team’s success, and one who has really shined forth is receiver Sam Bordo.

Bordo had more of an insight about the school entering this fall than most new Macalester students do. His brother Victor had already been a mainstay on the team for two seasons. The younger Bordo had visited the school each week during the football season to watch his brother play and had already met and become accepted by many of the players on the team. However, he acknowledges that the atmosphere of the team is welcoming to all no matter how well known a person is. “It is an intimate atmosphere as a freshman. The team doesn’t care whether you are a freshman, sophomore or whatever. There is no hazing system here or you don’t have to do anything to become a respected player. They really make it easy to be respected at Macalester.”

Respected is what the freshman wide out is quickly earning for himself on the field with his play. Earlier in the season the Scots had Victor in the slot and used Sam in more specialty packages. As a result he found himself more on the field running the ball than making pass catches. In Macalester’s first game of the year he had three rushes for 37 yards, including a huge 20-yard carry that led to a key score in the second half.

While the freshman was making contributions in other ways, his opportunity opened when Victor moved to the outside and the slot position became open. His coaches were happy to give him a shot at filling that void. “The coaches have been really great at giving me the opportunity to be on the field and to make big plays. Usually when you come to a school you sit for a year or two no matter what your skill level is, but they have given me the chance to play and that really has made me feel more confident in my abilities.”

Since moving to the slot Bordo has made 10 catches for 147 yards. Against Ripon earlier in the season the Scots were really struggling in the first half, and the team needed a spark to get their offense on track. QB Samson Bialostok connected with Bordo three times in the second half for 72 yards and his contribution helped to open the field more for the other receivers.

The younger Bordo has been appreciative of how his quarterback has included him in the offense. “Samson has been really great. Usually in a freshman-senior relationship there really isn’t much of one, because he has all the experience and I am a new guy. However, he has been amazing. When we come to the sidelines he spends time talking to me and has really helped me to understand the offense better.”

While Sam credits the way his coaches and teammates have influenced and improved his play, he puts the bulk of the credit for his growth at the feet of his family. “My parents have had a huge influence on me. They have always supported me in my decisions, and have been to all of my games. They are just great. My dad has really taught me how to give my all and to do my best in all things. And my mom, what can I say about her? She is just the ultimate good person. She has really helped me to be a good person.”

The praise doesn’t end with his parents. Older brother Victor has played a significant role in the freshman’s life as well, especially on the field. “I am a very competitive person, and that comes from my brother. I wanted to play quarterback when I was younger, and he kind of led me to playing wide receiver, and then helped me to grow into the position. His influence on the field has really made me a better competitor.”

The Scots are 9-1 this year and are heading to Jacksonville, IL to play for the conference title this weekend. It is an amazing start to the freshman’s career which he thinks is just the beginning. “We have a lot of youth here that is really talented, especially at the wide receiver position. I have the great benefit of playing with two other freshman, Cash McGregor and Jack Schultenover, who are on defense and are both really talented. I am really excited about what it is going to look like here three years from now.

It is hard to believe that this team can be any better than they are now, but Bordo believes that no one should be surprised by how good this team can be or about how good they are now. “I got to watch this team play for two years before I came here, and I knew they had a lot of talent. There was just an incredible amount of potential here, and I knew when I arrived that this was going to be a really good team.”

Now that he is at Macalester and the team is having so much success, does the freshman feel pressure to reach these lofty goals every season going forward? “I think pressure at this level is what you put on yourself. Instead, I think this is a very exciting time. We are establishing a winning tradition here at Macalester, and this is now going to be a school where the expectation is for us to win.

Along with the two Bordo brothers, Ben Hillman and Tre Nowaczynski, the Scots have an incredibly talented group at the receiver position, and now that they are growing comfortable and building chemistry with their quarterback, they are rapidly making the Macalester Scots one of the more difficult teams to defend against.

Sam Bordo is part of a great group of receivers that are just coming into their own, and the freshman is really gaining confidence with each passing game. The Macalester Scots have introduced themselves to the nation with a 9-1 record this season, and with players like Sam Bordo they want the nation to know they are here to stay.

By Robert Pannier