SHELBYVILLE, IL. — Central A&M football’s triple-threat Collin Townsend signed his letter of intent on Wednesday, February 9, to play football next year for the Coach Greg Poelker and the Bearcats of McKendree College, Lebanon.

Townsend was the senior quarterback and team leader of the Raiders, earning Okaw Valley Conference all-conference selections as a quarterback, a linebacker, and as a punter.

Townsend was a unanimous 1st Team pick as a linebacker with 89 tackles, 21 for loss, with one interception for a touchdown. He was also an OVC 1st Team pick as a punter (37.3 yard average). He was thirdly, an OVC Honorable Mention as a quarterback with 21 touchdowns (16 passing, 6 rushing). That is in a conference that had five teams make the playoffs 1A-3A, and two of them were eventual state runner-ups.

As a quarterback, Townsend’s best game came in the 2nd round of the playoffs this season. He threw for 244 yards passing (one yard off his school record of 245 yards in 2009), 70 yards rushing and five touchdowns (2 rushing, 3 passing). He also had three 2-point conversions ( 1 rushing, 2 passing). He also has a school record in passing for a season (2009) with 1370 yards. He was a 4-sport athlete as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. As a senior, he is playing just football and baseball.

In addition to his individual accolades, Townsend led the Raiders back to the playoffs, losing to the eventual state runner-up in the 2nd round.

“His strength is his competitiveness,” said state champion (1997) and Final Four (2009) A&M coach Mark Ramsey. “You could put him at tight end, running back, quarterback, defensive end or linebacker. It didn’t matter. He competed. His leadership was key for us, on and off the field. We had good  players, bit I think he was the one that kept it all together.”

Central A&M has a proud history with 2A State Championship in 1997 and a Final Four appearance. They have made the playoffs 15 times and have a playoff record of 34-13. They finished the season in the Okaw Valley Conference (Blue) tied with two other teams at 4-1. They finished the regular season at 7-2 and the overall record was 8-3.

Townsend received interest from several colleges, including North Central College, Marrietta, Ohio, Augustana, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Lawrence University in Wisconsin, Elmhurst, Aurora, Ohio Wesleyan, and Millikin. He was heavily recruited by Iowa Wesleyan in Mt. Pleasant Iowa. When the dust settled, Townsend chose the 4-year program at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois.

Last year, McKendree College was 9-3 (750%), 6-1 (857%) in the Mid-States Football Association and undefeated at home (4-0) under Coach Greg Poelker, former Millikin coach for 14 years.

Coach Poelker took over a dormant football program in 1996 and put up a 94-41 record with seven NAIA playoff appearances in 12 years, including five straight years. The Bearcats have the best winning percentage in the conference over their 11-year membership. They boast five conference titles, including an undefeated season in 2004. In 2002 the Bearcats led the nation in rushing offense (4,200 yards). Although McKendree has been an NAIA level program they are moving up into NCAA Division II.

“I felt it was the best place for me,” said Townsend. “It is close and it’s more like home for me. We haven’t talked much about what position I will play yet. I prefer playing defense, hopefully linebacker. It may take time before I see a lot of playing time. I’ll play a lot of Sunday inter-squad and work my way up.”

Townsend received a partial-scholarship to play for the Bearcats, who typically provide fuller future scholarships based on meeting individual incentives.

“There are a lot of good schools and McKendree is one of them,” Coach Ramsey said. “They are improving their facilities, their programs, and their competition.”

Townsend would love to go on from college and keep playing football. He is looking to earn a degree in Biology, Sports Medicine, or even go into coaching.

On top of all his football honors, Townsend recently received an invitation to play in East-West All-Star Football Game this summer.

Collin Townsend is the son of Greg and Terri Townsend of Moweaqua.

Football Honors

2010 Decatur Herald and Review First Team All Area LB

2010 ESPN Radio Decatur Real Men Wear Pink All Area LB

2010 ESPN Radio Decatur Real Men Wear Pink All Area QB Finalist

2010 Okaw Valley All Conference First Team LB (unanimous): 89 tackles, 21 for

loss, 1 interception for TD

2010 Okaw Valley All Conference First Team Punter: 37.3 yard average

2010 Okaw Valley Conference Honorable Mention QB: 21 Touchdowns (15

Passing, 6 Rushing).

2010 Central A&M Team MVP Defensive Backs

Best 2010 offensive game (playoffs game 11): 244 yards passing 70 yards rushing, 5 touchdowns (2 rushing 3 passing), 3 2-point conversions (1 rushing, 2 passing)

Best 2010 defensive game: 15 tackles, 1 for loss,  

Most tackles for loss in a game: 5

2009 School Record Passing Game: 245 yards

2009 School Record Passing Season: 1370 yards