The 2010 GNAC football race was one of the closest in conference history with three teams in the hunt until Central Washington finally nailed down its sixth title on the final Saturday of the season with a 21-16 home win against Western Oregon.
Only twice previously (in 2002 and 2003) had the championship been decided by just one game and only once (by CWU in 2004) had the champion even lost a conference contest.
The Wildcats are the favorites to repeat this fall, but once again should receive a stiff challenge from both Humboldt State and WOU.
All three teams have plenty of returning experience and the ability to make a run at the title.
Central has the fewest number of returnees of the three with just 10 returning offensive or defensive starters among 30 returning letter winners.
The Wildcats, however, did add several outstanding transfers including a pair of Division I safeties in Deionte Gordon (6-2, 200, Jr., Seaside, CA) and Matt Mosley (5-10, 185, Phoenix, AZ – Corona del Sol).
Gordon started 23 games at Sacramento State in 2008 and 2009 and Mosley played in 21 games at University of Washington in 2007 and 2008, starting six at cornerback.
With the addition of Gordon, Mosley and JC transfer Genesis Fonoimoana, that will likely allow the Wildcats to move pre-season All-American safety Stan Langlow (6-3, 220, So., University Place, WA – Curtis), who led the GNAC with seven interceptions, to linebacker.
Fonoimoana (6-1, 205, Jr., Long Beach, CA) had superb numbers at Long Beach City College.
He led his JC team in tackles with 89, including eight for losses and also had nearly a thousand yards in return yardage and five touchdowns.
He intercepted five passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, returned 12 punts for 209 yards (17.4) and a touchdown and 24 kickoffs for 665 yards (27.7) and a pair of scores.
Also in the secondary will be cornerback Dominique Gaisie (5-9, 162, Sr., West Covina, CA – Bishop Amat), who was a second team all-league selection.
“Our secondary should be the best we’ve ever had here,” CWU coach Blaine Bennett, who has a 30-6 record in three seasons, said.
Langlow and Gaisie are two of eight returning all-stars for the Wildcats, including junior quarterback Ryan Robertson (6-4, 202, Sammamish, WA – Eastlake) who led the GNAC in passing (200.3) and total offense (202.6) in earning second team all-league honors.
Humboldt State, which split its two games with CWU last season and hosts the Wildcats on Thursday, Sept. 8 in a nationally televised game, returns a league-best five first-team all-stars among its 14 returning starters.
Running back Lyndon Rowells (5-10, 200, Sr., Largo, FL) and quarterback Mike Proulx (5-11, 203, Sr., Castro Valley, CA) are back to lead a Lumberjack offense that ranked first in the GNAC in scoring (32.5), total offense (388.5) and rushing (203.5).
Rowells, who was a Football Gazette honorable mention All-American, led the GNAC in rushing (119.0), scoring (9.3) and all-purpose yardage (14.5), while Proulx ranked second in passing (173.6). Both players were first team GNAC selections.
All-American offensive lineman Jason Slowey (6-5, 310, Sr., Medford, OR – North Medford) is among a league-best 45 returning letter winners and 11 all-stars back at Western Oregon.
Slowey was a D2football.com honorable mention All-American and along with CWU’s Langlow is one of two GNAC players on the web site’s pre-season All-American team. Both are second team picks.
The Wolves also have the top returning tackler in the GNAC in linebacker Scotland Foss (6-3, 235, Jr., Albany, OR – West Albany), who ranked fifth last season with 88 stops.
Dixie State will be led by quarterback Cody Stevenson (6-6, 205, So., Sandy, UT), who passed for 1707 yards and 16 touchdowns. However, the Red Storm has the fewest number of returning lettermen (21) and starters (7) and does not have any returning all-stars.
Simon Fraser has 40 letter winners, a league-best 16 starters and five all-stars led by running back Gabriel Ephard (5-10, 195, Sr., North Vancouver, BC) as it begins its second season in the GNAC. Ephard rushed for 941 yards last season.
The 2011 season kicks off next week with Western Oregon heading to Michigan to play nationally fifth-ranked Grand Valley State on Thursday (Sept. 1) and No. 22 Central Washington hosting No. 7 Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday (Sept. 2).
The opening weekend concludes on Saturday (Sept. 3) with Dixie State entertaining Adams State, Simon Fraser traveling to Forest Grove, Ore., to play Division III Pacific University and Humboldt State visiting Colorado to take on Mesa State.
TEAM-BY-TEAM PREVIEW
Central Washington (8-3, 7-1, 1st)
Quarterback Ryan Robertson and four linemen return off a starting unit that averaged 27.6 points and 364.2 yards per game to rank second in the GNAC in both categories.
Robertson completed 201 of 321 passes for 2,203 yards and 15 touchdowns and was intercepted just eight times in earning second team GNAC honors.
Tackle Mike Nelson (6-4, 276, So., Carnation, WA – Mt. Si) and center Joey Tivnan (6-2, 285, Jr., Centralia, WA) earned first and second team all-star honors and guard Neil Fuhrmann (6-3, 292, So., Sumner, WA – Cascade Christian) was also a starter.
Another former starter is James Meeks (6-5, 316, Sr., Oakland, CA – Foothill College), who did not play last season due to injuries.
Among the newcomers is Terrance Joyner (6-5, 295, Sr., Bronx, NY), who played four games at Tarleton State in 2009.
CWU did graduate its No. 1 running back Bryson Kelly (839 yards, 10 touchdowns), but returns Ishmael Stinson (5-11, 195, So., Tacoma, WA – Charles Wright) who rushed for 467 yards and four touchdowns and Louie Davis (5-11, 215, Fr., Tacoma, WA – Wilson) who had 123 yards in two games before being injured and missing the rest of the season.
Among the receivers the Wildcats’ most experienced player is Justin Helwege (6-6, 217, Sr., Sammamish, WA – Eastlake), who caught 24 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns and has 48 career catches for 805 yards.
Also back is Robert Akeo-Orr (6-1, 183, Jr., Spanaway, WA – Bethel), who had eight catches for 74 yards.
Other possible candidates to grab one of the three starting wide-out positions are redshirt freshman Leon LaDeaux (6-3, 201, Port Orchard, WA – South Kitsap) and transfers Anthony Spain (6-0, 173, Jr., Grants Pass, OR – North Valley) from Butte College (Calif.) and Brandon Dunlap (5-10, 185, Jr., Stockton, CA – Edison) from San Joaquin Delta.
Defensively, Langlow and Gaisie head up a group of four all-stars off a unit that allowed just 41 points in its final five games.
Defensive ends Andrew Oney (6-4, 255, Sr., Spanaway, WA – Spanaway Lake) and Taylor Tanasse (6-0, 242, Sr., Yakima, WA – West Valley), who had 29 and 28 tackles, respectively, both earned second team all-league honors.
The two combined for 22 ½ tackles for losses as Tanasse had 10 for losses of 38 yards and Oney had 12 ½ for losses of 53 yards.
A third available all-star defense end is Tyrell Nielsen (6-6, 270, Sr., Woodland, WA), who earned second team honors in 2008 before missing all of the 2009 and most of the 2010 season with injuries.
Nielsen led the GNAC in tackles for losses (13-69) and quarterback sacks (7 ½ – 49) during the 2008 season.
Also back on defense is starting nose tackle Mike Reno (6-3, 280, Sr., Ellensburg, WA – Kittitas), who started all 11 games.
Specialty team-wise the Wildcats return kicker Sean Davis, (5-11, 180, Jr., Federal Way, WA – Todd Beamer) who converted on 17 of 28 field goals and 19 of 21 extra points to earn GNAC first team accolades.
Davis will likely also handle the punting chores replacing Kyle Petersen who averaged 42.6 yards in his senior season.
Humboldt State (8-3, 6-2, 2nd)
School-record holders Mike Proulx and Lyndon Rowells return to lead Humboldt State’s offense.
Proulx is HSU’s all-time leading passer with a total of 4,827 yards in three years including 1,903 yards last season when he completed 170 of 285 passes tossing 17 touchdown passes.
Rowells rushed for a school single-season record 1,308 yards earning him GNAC Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Receiver options for Proulx included three veterans – Dirk Dallas (6-3, 215, Sr., Lynden, WA), Kevin Miles (5-8, 172, Sr., Sacramento, CA – Del Campo), and Patrick Gondkoff (WR, 6-0, 183, Jr., Pleasanton, CA – Arnador Valley).
Gondkoff enjoyed a breakout season in 2010, grabbing 28 passes for 475 yards in only nine games in earning second team all-league honors.
Dallas, a possession receiver, was second on the team with 30 pass receptions for 351 yards, while Miles, in the slot, was the Jacks’ leading receiver in 2008 before he was injured and forced to miss 2009. He bounced back to grab 13 passes for 97 yards in 2010.
At tight end, the Lumberjacks lost Matt Devlin to graduation. but head coach Rob Smith (15-17, 3 years; Overall, 124-79-1, 20 years) has at least two standout performers ready to step in, including converted quarterback Chris Bolt (Sr., Lynden, WA).
“(Chris) is a 6-5, 240-pound athlete who we need on the field,” Smith said. “He is too talented of a player to be standing on the sidelines.”
Also in the mix is Alex Hiebert (6-2, 231, Jr., Redmond, WA – Mt. Si), who played in 10 games last season.
On the offensive line, the ‘Jacks graduated four starters including All-American Taylor Boggs. They do, however, return two players – guard Drew Shaw (6-3, 280, Sr., Encinitas, CA – La Costa Canyon) and tackle Brett Fryendahl (6-3, 275, Jr., Corona, CA) – who each made six starts each a year ago.
Letterman John Hughes (6-0, 269, Sr., Redlands, CA) will likely replace Boggs at center, while David Kulp, a 6-2, 295-pound sophomore from Lompoc, is the likely starter at right guard. Brandon Hribar (6-7, 310, Sr., Encinitas, CA), will join Fryendahl at the tackle position.
“These guys have waited their turns to play a prominent role for us,” Smith said. “They’ve really come together as a unit.”
Five all-stars return on the defensive side of the ball for the Lumberjacks including Andrew Iupati (6-1, 310, Sr., American Samoa) at tackle.
Iupati made 46 tackles in 2010. Also inside is Sean McDonald (6-2, 295, Jr., Kalama, WA), who successfully made the switch from offensive to defensive line last year and has had a strong fall camp.
At linebacker, the Lumberjacks boast proven run-stoppers and pass-rushers including two GNAC returning all-league selections.
Chris Peterson (5-11, 208, Jr., San Diego, CA) had 57 tackles, including nine for losses of 44 yards in earning first team honors a year ago.
Jonathon Faraimo (5-11, 240, Sr., Sacramento, CA – Western) ranked second on the team in tackles with 66 tackles and was a second team all-league pick.
Strong safety Guy Ricciardulli (5-10, 204, Sr., San Diego, CA – San Diego Mesa) returns after missing the 2010 season with an injury and will fortify the secondary which also includes second team all-leaguer Jordan McGowan-Smith (6-0, 185, Sr., Santa Rosa, CA).
McGowan-Smith, who had 34 tackles, scored touchdowns in three different ways a year ago – returning an interception for a score, scrambling into the end zone after scooping up a fumble and returning a blocked field goal attempt.
Ricciardulli, who has 117 career tackles and nine interceptions, was a first team all-league selection in both 2008 and 2009.
Also back is Jerry Maluia (6-0, 196, So., Compton, CA) who started 11 games and had 55 tackles, four pass break-ups and an interception.
Specialty-team wise, the Lumberjacks return both kickers who shared the place-kicking responsibilities last year.
Brian Blumberg (5-6, 166, Sr., Redondo Beach, CA) was five of eight on field goals, including a critical three-pointer in the ‘Jacks win over Central Washington, while Matt Bruder (5-7, 152, So., Jamul, CA – Steel Canyon) set a school record by making 44 of 44 extra points.
HSU, however, did lose punter Tim McMullen (41.0), who transferred to Oregon State University just as fall camp was starting.
Bolt, who backed up McMullen last year, has a strong leg that produced two punts for a 48-yard average in 2010.
HSU also returns two of its top kick returners from a year ago. Miles had 68 yards on 10 punt returns and Gondkoff averaged 24.7 yards on 11 returns, including an 83-yard touchdown, in earning first team kick return honors.
Western Oregon (7-4, 5-3, 3rd)
Three different quarterbacks started games last fall for coach Arne Ferguson (39-25, 6 years) and two of them – Evan Mozzochi and Cory Bean return this fall.
Mozzochi (6-4, 230, Sr., Vancouver, WA – Columbia River & Idaho State) made four starts and completed 55 of 109 passes for 819 yards and nine touchdowns. Bean (6-5, 245, Sr., Hillsboro, OR) started the season finale against CWU and in six appearances completed 31 of 59 passes for 424 yards and two TDs.
Whomever ends up at quarterback will be playing behind an offensive line that will feature three all-stars including honorable mention All-American tackle Jason Slowey.
Also back on the line are a pair of second team GNAC all-star guards – Kevin Brockman (6-0, 330, Sr., Gaffney, SC – Feather River) and Ervin Una Smiley (6-6, 320, Jr., Red Hill, HI – Moanalua).
The offense will also feature wide receiver Trevor Gates, who is the leading returning receiver in the conference. Gates (5-9, 185, Sr., Hillsboro, OR – Valley Catholic) caught 38 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns.
None of WOU’s other returning receivers, however, had more than five receptions.
In the backfield, the Wolves graduated their top running back in Darryl Valdez (491 yards), but do return Adryan Allen (6-0, 205, Sr., Salem, OR – North Salem), who started two of their final three games and rushed for 284 yards and three touchdowns.
Also back is Trevor Roush (6-0, 195, Jr., Kirkland, WA – Juanita) who played in 10 games and rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
In all the Wolves have 17 returning letter winners on offense, including the four starters Defensively, they are a little more experienced with 24 lettermen and eight starters available.
Five defensive all-stars led by first team selections Gustave John Benthin (6-2, 285, Fr., Nampa, ID) at tackle and Bryce Peila (6-1, 200, Jr., Central Point, OR – Crater) at strong safety are among that group.
Benthin had 40 tackles for the Wolves, including 11 for losses of 34 yards. Peila was credited with 58 stops and ranked second in the GNAC in interceptions with six for 108 yards.
Second team all-league defenders a year ago were defensive ends Levi Smith (6-4, 255, Sr., Hermiston, OR) and Gavin Drake (6-3, 250, Jr., Portland, OR – Central Catholic) and linebacker Scotland Foss.
Smith had 33 tackles, eight of them for losses of 39 yards, while Drake had 14 tackles, four of them for losses of 17 yards.
Foss was WOU’s second leading tackler with 88, ranking only one behind consensus All-American Caleb Singleton. He also had 8 ½ tackles for losses totaling 20 yards.
Also returning on defense this fall are three other 2010 starters – cornerbacks Isaiah Buchanan (5-10, 175, Sr., Portland, OR – Grant) and Raymond Williams (6-0, 195, Jr., Salem, OR – Cascade) and linebacker Sherman Vercher (6-2, 220, Sr., Vancouver, WA – Hudson’s Bay).
Buchanan had 37 tackles last season and broke up a team-high seven passes. Williams had 25 tackles. Both players had one interception.
Vercher was WOU’s fourth leader tackler with 67 stops, 7 ½ for losses totaling 34 yards.
The Wolves also return two specialty team all-stars – kick and punt returner Lucas Gonsalves (5-9, 175, So., Kailua, HI – St. Louis) and place-kicker Kelly Morgan (5-10, 170, Jr., Sherwood, OR).
Gonsalves led the GNAC in punt returns with a 13.3 average to earn first team all-star honors and ranked second in kickoff returns with a 24.6 average, earning him second team accolades.
Morgan made 13 of 18 field goal attempts and 33 of 35 extra points and was a second-team all-conference selection.
Dixie State (2-8, 2-6, 4th)
Dixie State returns its starting quarterback and its leading rusher, but overall second-year coach Scott Brumfield returns only seven players who started as many as five games a year ago.
Quarterback Cody Stevenson passed for 1,707 yards and 16 touchdowns in his freshman season, completing 156 of 289 passes.
His top returning receiver is Darren Carter (6-2, 190, Sr., Sandy, UT – Jordan), who started one game and had 19 receptions for 149 yards.
Running back Jesse Ence (5-10, 200, Sr., St. George, UT – Pine View) led the Red Storm in rushing with 433 yards, despite making only three starts and playing in just eight games.
Fullback Trevor Nicotera (5-10, 220, Jr., Roy, UT) did officially start five games, but never took a handoff from Stevenson and only accounted for three yards offensively on one reception.
The only other returning starter on offense was guard Joe Cowan (6-0, 320, Sr., Escalon, CA).
On defense, the lone returning starters are defensive end Dustin Goza (6-0, 230, Jr., Roy, UT) and defensive backs Chris Aragon (6-1, 205, Sr., Los Angeles, CA – Crespi Carmelite), Nick Porrazzo (6-1, 175, Jr., Rescue, CA – Ponderosa) and Cameron Greene (5-9, 202, Jr., Brigham City, UT – Box Elder).
Goza had 25 tackles for the Red Storm, including four for losses of 15 yards.
Greene had 43 tackles, the most for any returning Dixie player, while Porrazzo and Aragon had 38 and 34, respectively. Porrazzo also broke up a team-high 10 passes.
Reserve linebacker Christian Case (6-0, 230, Sr., West Jordan, UT) had 39 tackles, the fifth most on the team and ranked third in tackles for losses with seven for 32.
An addition to the defense this fall will be defensive back Cache Morgan (6-1, 200, Jr., West Jordan, UT), who played in 23 games in two seasons at Utah State.
Simon Fraser (1-9, 0-8, 5th)
Moving the ball wasn’t a problem for the Clan, which went winless in eight GNAC games last season, as SFU gained 334 yards per game, just 54 fewer than league-leader Humboldt State
The Clan ended up second in the conference in rushing as Gabriel Ephard and Bo Palmer (5-9, 185, Jr., North Vancouver, BC – Windsor) ranked third and fourth, with 941 and 417 yards, respectively.
The real problem was on defense where SFU surrendered 36.2 points and 481.7 yards per game, nearly twice the numbers allowed by conference leader Central Washington.
Both SFU units hope to be improved this season as eight starters return on offense and seven on defense. That’s the most of any team in the GNAC.
On offense two returnees – Ephard and center Kris Gluppe (6-1, 270, Sr., Mission, BC) – were GNAC all-stars. Ephard, who averaged 6.1 yards per rush and scored five touchdowns, was a second team pick, while Gluppe earned first team honors.
Also back on offense is quarterback Greg Bowcott (6-4, 216, So., Abbotsford, BC – Rick Hansen), who started the final four games of the season and completed 56 of 113 passes for 625 yards and one touchdown.
Other offensive returning starters include wide receiver Mathis Baumbach (6-5, 220, Jr., Duesseldorf, Germany), who caught 29 passes for 513 yards and four touchdowns and SFU’s entire interior offensive line.
That includes Gluppe at center, guards Ben Thompson (6-3, 255, So., Newmarket, Ont.) and Thomas Basso (6-0, 275, So., Coquitlam, BC) and tackles Bradley Erdos (6-3, 260, Jr., Coaldake, AB) and Matthias Goossen (6-3, 280, So., Richmond, BC).
On defense three returning starters earned second team all-star honors last season – defensive end Justin Capicciotti, and defensive backs Adam Berger and Nigel Palma.
Capicciotti (6-3, 240, Sr., Burnaby, BC – Toronto Wildcats) ranked third on the team in tackles with 51 and was the team leader in tackles for losses (11-52) and quarterback sacks (5 ½ – 43).
Berger (5-11, 185, Jr., Surrey, BC – Lord Tweedsmuir) had 40 tackles and tied Palma, who had 38 tackles, for the team lead in interceptions with three each.
Other returning defensive starters for the Clan include defensive backs Matt Isherwood (6-1, 195, So., Abbotsford, BC) and Chris Seminoff (5-10, 185, Sr., San Mateo, CA) and linebackers Casey Chinn (5-10, 215, So., Port Moody, BC) and Andrew Marshall (6-2, 210, Jr., Nanoose Bay, BC – Ballenas Whalers).
Isherwood had 25 tackles and Seminoff had 34. Chinn had 47 to rank fifth on the team and Marshall led the Clan with 96, including nine for losses of 25 yards.
Also back is Jeffrey Biles (6-3, 205, Sr., Burnaby, BC – Moscrop), who was SFU’s No. 1 punter (39.1) and place-kicker (10-14 PAT, 1-5 FGs).
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