The Valdosta State football team learned Saturday evening following its 41-17 victory over No. 10 Bowie State, that it’ll host No. 9 Colorado School of Mines Saturday, Dec. 11 at 12 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Colorado School of Mines advanced to the semifinal round with a 34-26 victory over Angelo State (Texas) on Saturday. The Orediggers are out of Golden, Colo., compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and are 12-1 on the season.

On the roster for the Valdosta Blazers are two Clay County standouts; junior linebacker Jackson Bull of Fleming Island High School, and Middleburg High’s Cole LeClair, a freshman offensive guard.

Bull, in his freshman season in 2018, recovered a key final play onsides kick in the Blazers NCAA Div.II championship win over Ferris State (49-47). Bull will be an outside linebacker for the Blazers for a third straight season. Bull, who has 24 game appearances and one start for the Blazers, is also a key special teams player. Bull played in all 11 games in his sophomore season as Valdosta finished 10-0, won the Gulf South Conference title and lost in the the NCAA Div. II semifinal.

For LeClair, his power and mammoth size (6’-3”, 297 lbs) has made him a key part of an offensive line that has amassed an incredible amount of offensive prowess; 44 points per game, 3,301 yards rushing, 38 TDs (262 yards per game), 3,106 yards passing with 28 TDs, and a 526 yards per game of offense average. The Blazer offensive line has given up just 32 quarterback sacks all season on 469 pass attempts.