Linfield Back Atop Preseason Poll
| NWC Football Coaches' Pre-Season Poll: |
2006 records |
| School |
(1st) |
Pts. |
All |
NWC |
| 1. Linfield (Ore.) |
(5) |
52 |
6-3 |
5-1 |
| 2. Whitworth (Wash.) |
(2) |
44 |
11-1 |
6-0 |
| 3. Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) |
|
35 |
4-5 |
4-2 |
| 4. Willamette (Ore.) |
|
27 |
2-7 |
2-4 |
| 5. Puget Sound (Wash.) |
|
24 |
7-3 |
3-3 |
| 6. Menlo (Calif.) |
|
14 |
4-6 |
1-5 |
| 7. Lewis & Clark (Ore.) |
|
7 |
0-9 |
0-6 |
(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on 8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis).
Linfield College has been selected by Northwest Conference football coaches as the favorite for the 2007 season, the seventh straight year the Wildcats have place first in the NWC preseason poll. Linfield finished ahead of 2006 champion Whitworth, gaining five first place votes to the Pirates' two.
The Wildcats led the poll with 52 points and return plenty of offensive firepower from last season, when the team went 6-3 overall and 5-1 in the NWC. Quarterback Trevor Scharer, who led the league in passing last season, will again be throwing to Tyler Kaluza and Josh Vierra, who were both First Team All-NWC wide receivers a year ago. Brian Mehl, also a first team all-conference selection last fall, will lead Linfield's defense.
Whitworth University, which totaled 44 points in the poll for second place, is coming off of the first outright NWC title in school history. The Pirates must overcome the graduation of All-Americans Joel Clark (QB) and Michael Allan, a tight end drafted in the seventh round this spring by the Kansas City Chiefs. However, Whitworth returns eight starters on a defense that led the league in points allowed and takeaways. Linebacker Casey Clifton, the 2006 NWC Defensive Player of the Year, returns for his senior season.
Pacific Lutheran University, which bounced back to finish third in the conference with a 4-2 record, is third in the poll with 35 points. The Lutes welcome back offensive firepower in versatile back Chase Reed and wide receiver Craig Chiado. Returning All-NWC defensive end Andrew Eisentrout led the conference in sacks and tackles for loss last fall.
Willamette University is fourth in the poll with 27 points, just ahead of University of Puget Sound's 24 points. The Bearcats return 13 starters from last season's 2-7 team. First Team All-NWC lineman Brandon Bennett will lead Willamette's potent ground attack. UPS is coming off of a 7-3 season, the Loggers' first seven-win season since the reformation of the NWC in football in 1996. Quarterback Kavin Williams and tailback Silas Paul return to lead the UPS offense.
Menlo College, in its second season as an affiliate (football-only) member of the conference, is sixth in the poll with 14 points. The Oaks return eight starters from a team that finished 4-6 last season. Defensive back Galen Perry was one of the most dangerous punt returners in the conference last year.
Lewis & Clark College is seventh in the poll with seven points. L&C has 17 starters back from 2006, when the Pioneers went 0-9. Junior linebacker Kevin Takeno will lead an improved defense that returns nine starters.
The season will officially get underway on August 31, when Menlo travels to Menomonie, Wisconsin to take on the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Willamette opens play on September 1st against Western Oregon. Every other NWC school begins its schedule on September 8th.