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 Schedule/Results | Roster | Stats | News | Archives WEEKLY RELEASE: Western faces No.11 Central in 6th annual Battle in Seattle
Oct. 7, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - THIS WEEK: Western Washington University Vikings (3-2, 3-1) vs. Central Washington University Wildcats (5-1, 4-0) in the sixth annual Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup presented by Comcast and a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest Saturday, Oct. 11 (6 p.m.) at Qwest Field (67,000 cap., FieldTurf) in Seattle, Wash. Last week, the Vikings moved into second place in the GNAC standings with a 24-13 win at Western Oregon. It was their second straight victory as on Sept. 27 they posted a dramatic home field 29-27 win over Dixie State that was decided on a 27-yard field goal with four seconds remaining. Western opened its season by splitting two league contests, losing its home opener to Western Oregon, 36-27, on Sept. 6 and winning 30-14 at Humboldt State on Sept. 13. Three weeks ago, the Vikings fell 52-31 at NCAA I-Football Championship Subdivision No.14-ranked Eastern Washington after being tied 31-all with 13 minutes remaining. Central, ranked No.11 in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II Top 25, has lost just once this season, that a 38-35 decision two weeks ago at NCAA I-FCS No.4 Montana on a last-second 42-yard field goal. The Wildcats are coming off a 49-14 home field victory Saturday over Dixie State. They opened the season with a 44-38 overtime win at Dixie State, then rolled to victories over Mesa State 48-14, Western Oregon 31-24 and Humboldt State 48-10. Central leads the GNAC standings with a perfect 4-0 record, followed by Western (3-1) and Western Oregon (3-2). BIS TICKET INFORMATION: Battle in Seattle tickets are priced at $35 reserved with Club access, $25 reserved and $15 general admission. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster (206-628-0888), the Western Box Office (360-650-2583) or at the Qwest Field Box Office. SERIES HISTORY: 99th meeting. Central leads the series, 61-33-4, winning the last five meetings. Last year, the Wildcats were victorious 24-7. Western's last series win was 28-21 at Qwest Field on Sept. 25, 2004. The series began in 1922. RADIO: KBAI (930 AM-Bellingham) is broadcasting all Western football games live this season with sports director Doug Lange handling the play-by-play duties for the 13th consecutive season. The pre-game show with host and color commentator Mark Scholten begins at 5:30 p.m. The KBAI broadcast can also be heard on the Internet at wwuvikings.com. All Central football games are carried live on KXLE (1240 AM) with Rob Lowery (22nd year) and Dave Heaverlo (17th year) calling the action. They can also be heard via the internet at wildcatsports.com. AUDIO WEBCAST: Viking football is again on the Internet for 2008. To listen to the live broadcast via the web, go to www.wwuvikings.com and follow the links. The web provides streaming audio of the KBAI 930 AM radio broadcast. The audio stream is only available during event broadcast times. 2007 RESULTS: Western finished 2-8 and placed ninth in the North Central Conference at 1-7. Central was 10-3, reaching the quarterfinal round of the NCAA II playoffs, and placed third in the NCC at 6-2. NEW LEAGUE (KIND OF), NEW REGION: The Vikings spent the last two years as a football-only member of the North Central Conference, but when that league folded after an eight-decade history, WWU returned to the GNAC, which took a two-year hiatus from football. The top team in the conference not reaching the NCAA II playoffs earns a berth in the Rotary Bowl at St. George, Utah. The five GNAC schools will play each other home-and-home this season. The five current GNAC football teams competed in the Northwest Region last season, but have been moved to the Southwest Region this fall. That region, which earlier this season was officially renamed Super Regional Four, also includes the Lone Star Conference and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. WESTERN REPORT: The Vikings head into the Battle in Seattle against arch-rival Central with confidence, riding their first two-game winning streak of the last two seasons. Western claimed a 24-13 victory at Western Oregon last week despite its normally high-powered offense having one of its lowest outputs of the season. Not only was the point total a season low, the 276 yards of offense were nearly 60 less than the previous minimum. Even so, senior quarterback Adam Perry remained solid. Perry has completed 105-of-166 passes for 1,479 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions, leading the GNAC in passing yards per game (295.8). He has thrown at least two touchdown passes in all five games, and his 423 yards in a 29-27 victory over Dixie State were the third-most in school history. Western leads the GNAC and ranks 11th nationally in total offense, averaging 410.2 yards a game, twice surpassing the 500-yard mark. Perry's top targets have been senior wide receivers Pat McCann and Travis McKee. McCann has 26 receptions for 453 yards and five touchdowns, McKee 26 grabs for 398 yards. McCann had a huge day against Dixie State with eight receptions for 232 yards and three touchdowns. The three touchdown receptions tied a school record, and the yardage total was the second-best mark in school history. The overall receiving attack has been quite balanced, with eight players having at least five receptions, including junior tight end Zach Hekker, who has three touchdowns among his seven catches. Keying the ground game is junior running back Randall Eldridge, who has 315 yards and a touchdown on 92 carries and leads the GNAC in rushing (78.8 avg.). Eldridge has also added 14 catches for 181 yards and two scores, including a 56-yard touchdown last week. The offense is anchored by an experienced line that returned four starters, led by senior center Dan Trask, an honorable mention all-North Central Conference pick last season. On defense, junior linebacker Caleb Jessup has 60 tackles, including 3.5 for loss. He leads the GNAC and ranks fifth nationally in tackles per game (12.0 avg.) and has double-figure stops in all five games. Sophomore linebacker Nick Cragin has 44 tackles, including 14 last week. Cragin has 4.5 tackles for loss, sharing the team lead with sophomore end Nick Rocco. Rocco had three stops behind the line of scrimmage last week and also shares the team sack lead with sophomore tackle Don Thomas at 2.5. In the secondary, sophomore safety Zach Schrader has two of Western's four interceptions and also has 33 tackles. Sophomore cornerback Anthony Zackery has a team-high three passes defensed and 14 tackles.. On special teams, junior Josh Lider is 15-of-17 on extra points and 6-of-8 on field goals, including a game-winning 27-yarder with four seconds against Dixie State. The Vikings have blocked three punts this season, with Kevin Sampson getting two of them and returning a block against Western Oregon for a touchdown. Senior Rick Copsey is averaging 19.0 yards on 11 kickoff returns. The week's team co-captains are Rick Copsey, C.J. Green, Shea Thorstad and Dan Trask. VIKING NOTES: Perry is now 11th among school career passing leaders with 3,443 yards ... WWU ranks eighth nationally in passing offense at 317.5 yards per game ... McCann's 96-yard touchdown grab against Dixie State was a GNAC record and the second-longest in school history. His yardage total was the second most in league history, and was the most ever for a GNAC contest ... In its two losses, WWU held a third-quarter lead in the season opener against Western Oregon, and entered the fourth quarter against NCAA I-FCS Eastern Washington tied at 31-all ... In 2007, Perry threw for 1,587 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions ... Eldridge redshirted last year after being the Golden Gate Conference Offensive Player of the Year at Chabot JC in 2006, rushing for 1,277 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games ... Senior wide receiver Travis McKee had 43 catches and was an honorable mention all-NCC pick a year ago. He has been the Vikings' leading receiver in each of the last two seasons ... Jessup earned all-NCC honorable mention in 2007. SCOUTING CENTRAL: The Wildcats have perhaps the best Division II quarterback in the country in senior Mike Reilly, who was projected as the DII Offensive Player of the Year by Lindy's College Football Annual and was a preseason first-team D2football.com All-American. Reilly ranks eighth nationally in total offense, averaging 329.5 yards per game. In six games this season, Reilly has thrown for 1,772 yards and 18 touchdowns, completing 130-of-193 passes, 67.4 percent, with just two interceptions (has not thrown an interception in school-record 141 attempts). He also leads the team with 205 rushing yards (4.9 apc) and has one touchdown on the ground. Reilly is just the second player in northwest small college history to throw for 10,000 career yards (Jon Kitna, CWU, 12,353, 1992-95). He currently has 10,514 yards and a school-record tying 99 touchdowns, completing 855-of-1,332 attempts with 36 interceptions. Another preseason first-team All-American, this one by The Sporting News, is junior wide receiver Johnny Spevak, who is second nationally in receiving yards with a 135.6 average per game and fourth in total receptions at 7.8 per contest. Spevak, who had seven catches for 136 yards against Montana, has 47 grabs for 814 yards and nine touchdowns this season. His career numbers are 200 catches for 2,778 yards and 31 touchdowns. And yet another first-team preseason All-American by both Lindy's and The Sporting News is 6-foot-5 senior tight end Jared Bronson, who has 15 catches for 258 yards and four touchdowns. His career totals are 50 grabs for 735 yards and six touchdowns. Junior placekicker Garrett Rolsma is tied for 11th nationally in field goals (1.60), connecting on 8-of-11 and all 31 of his PAT tries for 55 points. He has a school career-record 26 field goals (36 att.) and is 99-of-105 on PATs for 177 points. Leading the defense, which ranks second nationally in quarterback sacks (4.33 per game avg.) is junior linebacker Buddy Wood with 44 tackles and 4.0 quarterback sacks (minus-37 yards) along with two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He had 119 stops last year. Sophomore middle linebacker Adam Bighill has 43 tackles, senior linebacker Chris James with 35 stops and 5.5 tackles for loss (minus 32 yards) and junior defensive end Ryan Dyer with 5.5 quarterback sacks (minus-49 yards). Junior strong safety Jerome Williams has four interceptions this fall, including two last week against Dixie State, and ranks 10th among school career leaders with 10 thefts. WWU INJURY REPORT: Cornerback Kevin Jones (neck) and offensive tackle Nick Bassett (illness) missed last week's game at Western Oregon, but both are expected to start against Central. WWU lost two top reserves during the first three weeks, strong safety Jordan Carey and cornerback Reggie Christor both suffering season-ending shoulder injuries. BATTLE IN SEATTLE ATTENDANCE: The attendance at the Battle in Seattle between arch-rivals Western and Central has surpassed 11,000 all five years with the 2003 meeting being played before 16,392, a record for a non-NCAA I collegiate football game in the state of Washington. GNAC PRESEASON POLL: WWU was picked to finish third among five teams in the 2008 Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll. Arch-rival Central Washington was the first-place pick with Western Oregon second. Dixie State was fourth and Humboldt State fifth. HEAD COACHES: Robin Ross (Washington State, 1977) is in his third year (10-16) as head coach at WWU and has three decades of coaching experience. He was the defensive coordinator for two of the finest Viking teams in school history in the mid-1990s. Ross spent most of his career as an assistant at the NCAA Division I-A level. He also coached in the National Football League, being the linebackers coach with Oakland for two seasons, helping the Raiders have the ninth-ranked defense in the NFL in 2000, when they were 12-4 and reached the AFC Championship Game. In 2005, Ross was linebackers coach at Oregon State, where the Beavers led the PAC-10 in run defense, allowing 108.0 yards per game. He spent the previous four seasons as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Oregon. The Ducks won the 2001 PAC-10 championship, finishing second in the ESPN Coaches Poll after defeating Colorado in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. He was also at Oregon as an assistant during the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Ross initially came to Western in 1994 and in his first season the Vikings led the NAIA Division II in scoring defense, allowing just 11.5 points a game and five times holding opponents without a touchdown. Western, which posted its first national playoff victory that season with a 21-2 triumph at No.1-ranked Linfield, ranked third nationally in rushing defense at 76.0 yards a contest and fifth in total defense (260.3) with 42 takeaways. In 1995, Western finished 9-1, going 9-0 for the school's first undefeated regular-season in 57 years and being ranked No.1 nationally in NAIA II for five weeks. The defense allowed 13.7 points a game, ranking seventh nationally in that category. Ross, 53, is a graduate of Washington State, where he was a second-team all-PAC-8 pick as an offensive lineman. He was a 10th round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 1976, and spent one preseason with the Seattle Seahawks. Blaine Bennett (Whitworth, 1987) is in his first season (5-1) as head coach at Central. He spent six years (1995-2000, 27-32) directing the football program at Western Oregon, leading the Wolves to a Columbia Football Association title and the first round of the NAIA national playoffs in 1997. Following that, Bennett was the quarterbacks/recruiting coordinator at Purdue from 2001 to 2005 and the assistant head coach/wide receivers coach at Michigan State in 2006, before being the head coach at Lafayette Jefferson High School (Lafayette, Ind.) in 2007. In two seasons as quarterback at Whitworth, Bennett completed 56.7 percent of his passes for 3,762 yards and 23 touchdowns. LAST MEETING: Central Washington scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and went on to defeat Western, 24-7, in the fifth annual Wells Fargo Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup football game before a crowd of 11,780 at Qwest Field on Oct. 20, 2007. Western had six drives enter Central territory, but scored just once, missing three field goals and being stopped on a fourth-down play inside the Wildcat 3. Central, ranked No.19 nationally, improved to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the NCC. Quarterback Mike Reilly completed 17-of-25 passes for 218 yards, and also ran for 67 yards on 10 attempts. It was the third straight BIS victory for the Wildcats, who have a 4-1 overall lead. It was the first BIS which did not have a lead change. The Wildcats opened the scoring by moving 90 yards in 10 plays after Western punted on its first drive. The march concluded with a bit of trickery, as wide receiver Johnny Spevak took a pitch-out, rolled right and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to James Murphy. Central then scored two touchdowns less than three minutes apart early in the second quarter. First, running back Johnny Lopez scored on a 4-yard run, leaping over a tackler into the right corner of the end zone to cap a seven-play, 73-yard drive. Western fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, leading to Reilly throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Spevak, giving the Wildcats a 21-0 lead with 11:13 left in the first half. Western crossed midfield on four of its five first-half possessions, but didn't reach the scoreboard until the final drive of the half. After being stopped on fourth-and-one at the Central three, the Vikings forced a punt, then moved 41 yards in 10 plays, with quarterback Adam Perry finding wide receiver Travis McKee in the corner of the end zone for a 2-yard score with eight seconds left in the half. Central opened the second half with a 27-yard field goal by Garrett Rolsma which was set up when Reilly completed a 37-yard pass to Brandon Stout on third-and-17. Neither team scored after that. Reilly has now thrown for 200 yards or more in 24 of his 28 career at Central, surpassing 300 yards eight times. Central had a 410-278 advantage in total offense. Lopez rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries. For Western, Perry completed 17-of-36 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, with McKee having eight catches for 66 yards and a score. Running back Craig Garner added 70 yards on 21 rushing attempts. LAST WEEK: Western Washington scored 10 points in the final minute of the first half to grab the lead and went on to avenge a season-opening loss by defeating Western Oregon, 24-13, in a GNAC contest at McArthur Field in Monmouth, Ore. It was the second consecutive victory for the Vikings, who had four takeways - intercepting three passes and recovering one of three forced fumbles. Western Oregon, which beat WWU, 34-27, on Sept. 6, slipped to 3-3 overall and 3-2 in the GNAC. The score was tied at 7-7 late in the first half, but the Vikings moved 80 yards in eight plays in just 2:13, capped by a 20-yard pass from Adam Perry to wide receiver Pat McCann with 41 seconds left in the period. But the Vikings weren't done, as an interception by Anthony Rosso got the ball back for WWU, setting up a 48-yard field goal by Josh Lider, the longest of his career, as time expired, giving the Vikings a 17-7 lead at halftime. The Vikings extended the lead in the third quarter after getting the ball at the WOU 31 because of a botched punt. Four plays later, running back Randall Eldridge ran in from six yards, giving WWU a 24-7 lead. WWU then seemed to put the game away by controlling the ball for more than eight minutes with a 14-play drive that lasted past the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter. But WOU responded on a 3-yard run by Josh Riddell with under six minutes left to make the score 24-13, and then in the final minute blocked a punt to take the ball at the Vikings 23-yard line with 27 seconds left. Two plays later, Riddell threw an apparent touchdown pass to Isaiah Smith, but the score was wiped out by a holding penalty. Perry completed 17-of-26 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns, with wide receiver Travis McKee having six grabs for 88 yards. Eldridge added 53 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and four receptions for 78 yards and a score. Riddell completed 21-of-39 passes for 249 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions for the Wolves, who had a 373-276 advantage in total offense. Isaiah Smith had seven receptions for 106 yards, and D.J. Jackson added 112 yards rushing on just 13 carries. The Wolves took the lead less than three minutes into the game, as they recovered a Viking fumble on the opening kickoff and five plays later, Riddell connected with Shaun Kauleinamoku for a 16-yard touchdown. It took WWU just 22 seconds to respond. Rick Copsey returned the kickoff to near midfield, and on the first Viking play from scrimmage, Eldridge took a short pass from Perry and rumbled 56 yards for a touchdown. Western Oregon had numerous chances to regain the lead in the opening half, as the Wolves held a 234-74 advantage in total offense prior to the WWU flurry in the final three minutes of the second quarter. The Wolves' best chance to take the lead came after a 68-yard run by Jackson put the ball at the WWU 1, but an offensive pass interference call helped push the ball back to the 23, and a 40-yard field goal by Juan Rodriguez was blocked by William Jackson. WOU again was inside the Viking 10 on the following series, but Riddell was intercepted by linebacker Nick Cragin, who also had a game-high 14 tackles. Eldridge's performance earned him GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. WWU PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for Viking football cost $12 for reserved seating, $10 for general admission adults, $6 for students and seniors and $3 for Western students. For ticket information, contact the WWU Athletic Department at 360-650-2583 (BLUE). Season tickets are available for $33. CIVIC STADIUM: Western is in its 47th year of playing home games at Bellingham's Civic Stadium. The Vikings have a 123-90-7 (.575) record at that facility which was built in 1961. Last year, Western finished 1-3 at home, the second time in three years after not having a losing record at Civic Stadium since 1990. NEXT GAME: Western flies to face NCAA I-FCS and former North Central Conference rival North Dakota in a non-league contest Saturday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. WEBSITE: For the latest results, statistics and updates, including reports on all WWU athletic events, visit the Vikings website at wwuvikings.com. PROBABLE TWO DEEPS PREVIOUS BATTLE IN SEATTLE CONTESTS
Fifth Annual Battle in Seattle Oct. 20, 2007 at Seattle, Wash. - Central 24, Western 7 No.19 Wildcats prevail in fifth annual Battle in SeattleCentral Washington scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and went on to defeat Western, 24-7, in the fifth annual Wells Fargo Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup football game before a crowd of 11,780 at Qwest Field. Western had six drives enter Central territory, but scored just once, missing three field goals and being stopped on a fourth-down play inside the Wildcat 3. Central, ranked No.19 in the latest American Football Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Top 25, improved to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the NCC. Quarterback Mike Reilly completed 17-of-25 passes for 218 yards, and also ran for 67 yards on 10 attempts. It was the third straight BIS victory for the Wildcats, who have a 4-1 overall lead. It was the first BIS which did not have a lead change. It was the 98th all-time meeting between the schools, with Central holding a 61-33-4 advantage. The Wildcats opened the scoring by moving 90 yards in 10 plays after Western punted on its first drive. The march concluded with a bit of trickery, as wide receiver Johnny Spevak took a pitch-out, rolled right and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to James Murphy. Central then scored two touchdowns less than three minutes apart early in the second quarter. First, running back Johnny Lopez scored on a 4-yard run, leaping over a tackler into the right corner of the end zone to cap a seven-play, 73-yard drive. Western fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, leading to Reilly throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Spevak, giving the Wildcats a 21-0 lead with 11:13 left in the first half. Western crossed midfield on four of its five first-half possessions, but didn't reach the scoreboard until the final drive of the half. After being stopped on fourth-and-one at the Central three, the Vikings forced a punt, then moved 41 yards in 10 plays, with quarterback Adam Perry finding wide receiver Travis McKee in the corner of the end zone for a 2-yard score with eight seconds left in the half. Central opened the second half with a 27-yard field goal by Garrett Rolsma which was set up when Reilly completed a 37-yard pass to Brandon Stout on third-and-17. Neither team scored after that. Reilly has now thrown for 200 yards or more in 24 of his 28 career at Central, surpassing 300 yards eight times. Central had a 410-278 advantage in total offense. Lopez rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries. For Western, Perry completed 17-of-36 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, with McKee having eight catches for 66 yards and a score. Running back Craig Garner added 70 yards on 21 rushing attempts. At halftime a donation of $6,045 was made by Western and game sponsors Wells Fargo and Comcast to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Fourth Annual Battle in Seattle Oct. 21, 2006 at Seattle, Wash. - Central 42, Western 28 Wildcats win Battle in Seattle for third time in four yearsQuarterback Mike Reilly completed 19-of-26 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for a touchdown as Central Washington defeated Western, 42-28, in the fourth annual Wells Fargo Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup, before a crowd of 11,153 at Qwest Field. It was also a NCC contest. Western running back Craig Garner rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, the most rushing yards for a Viking in a single game since 1996. Central won the Battle in Seattle for the second consecutive time and the third year overall. It was the fourth straight victory over Western for the Wildcats, who scored 21 points off three Viking fumbles. Central took the lead for good midway through the third quarter. Immediately after a diving interception attempt by Western's Steve Davis, Reilly scrambled and found Spevak for a 53-yard gain, setting up an 11-yard touchdown pass to Josh Boonstra. Reilly then connected with Spevak on a 2-point conversion, giving the Wildcats a 28-21 lead. Western reached the Wildcat 25 on the following series, but a fumble on a shotgun snap was recovered by Central linebacker Simon Iniguez to end the drive. The Wildcats then marched 62 yards in nine plays, capped by a 1-yard run by Johnny Lopez on the second play of the fourth quarter to take a 35-31 lead. The Vikings narrowed the margin to seven, 35-28 on a 59-yard pass from quarterback James Monrean to wide receiver Travis McKee with 11:45 to play, but Central put the game out of reach with 4:45 left as Reilly connected with Brandon Robertson for a 15-yard touchdown. Central had a 373-316 edge in total offense, as Lopez rushed for 117 yards on 13 carries, and Boonstra had eight receptions for 122 yards. The Wildcats jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Chris James recovered a Western fumble, the first of six Viking turnovers, in the end zone for a touchdown just 79 seconds into the game. It was the second straight year James recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the Battle in Seattle. Reilly then scored on an 11-yard run on Central's first offensive series. Western rallied to tie the score in the second quarter, as Monrean threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Brett Upchurch, then scored himself on a 1-yard run on the following possession. Central held a 17-14 lead at halftime after a 28-yard field goal by Garrett Rolsma, but Western opened the second half in explosive fashion. Garner recovered an onside kick, then on the first play from scrimmage he burst down the right sideline for a 52-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings their first lead at 21-17. A 24-yard Rolsma field goal narrowed the margin to one, setting up Reilly's go-ahead pass to Boonstra. Monrean completed 12-of-22 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. Upchurch had five receptions for 47 yards. The Vikings were without leading rusher Calvin McCarty because of a foot injury and leading tackler Shane Simmons with a shoulder injury.
Third Annual Battle in Seattle Oct. 8, 2005 at Seattle, Wash. (Qwest Field) Central 37, Western 17 Central Washington scored four first-half touchdowns, all after Western fumbles, and went on to claim a 37-17 GNAC victory before a crowd of 11,312 in the 3rd annual Battle in Seattle at Qwest Field. Central quarterback Mike Reilly completed 22-of-34 passes for 247 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for the Wildcats, who improved to 4-2 and lead the GNAC at 2-0. Western quarterback James Monrean completed 30-of-42 for a season-high 354 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings, but was intercepted there times. Western committed seven total turnovers, fumbling six times and losing four of them. The 20-point margin is the most lopsided in the series since a 36-14 Western victory in 2001, and the widest for Central since a 34-14 triumph in 1987. The Vikings held an early 7-0 lead and had a chance to regain the lead midway through the second period. Trailing, 14-10, midway through the second quarter, Western drove within inches of the Central goal line. But a bad snap was recovered by Wildcat linebacker Chris Burch, and Central marched 99 yards in 11 plays, capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass from Reilly to tight end Kevin Schmidt. Western fumbled again on the following series, and the Wildcats moved 36 yards in four plays, with Will Bennett rushing in from 22 yards with 59 seconds left in the second period. The extra point failed, giving Central a 27-10 halftime lead. The Wildcats then extended their lead to 34-10 in the third quarter. Following an interception by free safety J.R. Jamerson, one of two for him in the game, Central moved 93 yards in 11 plays, capped by an eight-yard pass from Reilly to wide receiver Brandon Robertson. The two teams combined for 942 yards of offense, with Western holding a 475-467 edge in yardage, but Central had a 34:06-25:54 advantage in time of possession. Western opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first quarter. After a missed 46-yard field goal by Central's Coby Sadler, the Vikings took over at their own 29 and scored in just three plays - a 13-yard pass from Monrean to Andy Olson, a 46-yard run up the right sideline by running back Jake Carlyle, and a 12-yard scoring toss from Monrean to tight end Nick Yoney. Central responded with two touchdowns created by special-teams fumbles. First, a Sadler punt hit a Western blocker on the heel at the 10-yard line, and Chris James recovered in the end zone for a Wildcat touchdown. On the following series, Western punter Corbin Anderson bobbled the ball and was forced to fall on it, giving Central possession on downs at the Viking 34. Reilly then hit wide receiver Nate Brookreson for 30 yards, and connected with wide receiver Brian Potucek in the right corner of the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 14-7 lead with 1:16 left in the first quarter. Olson, who had missed the last two games with a knee injury, had seven receptions for 116 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass from Monrean with 1:21 to play. The touchdown catch was the 30th of his career, tying the school record held by Chris Nicholl and Greg Dykstra. He also moved into second in school history in career receptions (174), and had the 14th 100-yard receiving game of his career. Potucek, already Central's all-time career leader in receptions and receiving yards, had six receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown and became the Wildcats' career leader in all-purpose yards with 4,465.
Second Annual Battle in Seattle Sept. 25, 2004 at Seattle, Wash. (Qwest Field) Western 28, Central 21 Running back Jake Carlyle scored on a 3-yard run with 1:06 to play, helping Western overcome an 11-point fourth quarter deficit and defeat archrival Central Washington, 28-21, before a crowd of 11,458 in the second annual Battle in Seattle at Qwest Field. The Wildcats took a 21-10 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Vikings, who had gone more than 22 minutes without a first down from early in the second quarter until late in the third, rallied with 18 points in the final period. A 6-yard pass from Steve Nichols to Andy Olson with 10:31 left and a subsequent two-point run by Nichols on the conversion narrowed the margin to 21-18, then a 46-yard field goal by Michael Koenen tied the score at 21-21 with 6:01 left. On the following series, Central reached the Western 40 with 3:06 to play, but on fourth-and-three, a pass from quarterback Brian Baugh to receiver Brian Potucek, who had 10 catches for 117 yards, went incomplete. The Vikings then moved downfield quickly, as Nichols had completions of 24 yards to slotback Chris Robinson and 29 yards to Olson to help set up Carlyle's go-ahead score. Central reached its own 48 in the final minute, but on third-and-19 from the Wildcat 39, an interception by Western cornerback Brett Hall sealed the result. Nichols completed 24-of-34 passes for 270 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Both touchdowns were to Olson. The Vikings had a 406-300 advantage in total offense. Central was led by running back Emilio Iniguez, who rushed for 150 yards and two scores on 30 carries. Baugh completed 9-of-17 passes for 111 yards after replacing starter Dan Lapinsky at halftime. Western jumped to a 10-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game, getting a 48-yard field goal from Koenen on the opening series of the contest, then moving 70 yards on seven plays on its following possession, capped by an 18-yard pass from Nichols to Olson. But Central responded with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, both set up by turnovers, to take a 14-10 lead at halftime. Defensive tackle Dustin Hawkins recovered a fumble late in the first quarter, and two plays into the second period, fullback Aaron Hineline, who had his only previous career touchdown reception in last year's inaugural Battle in Seattle (a 29-20 Central victory), caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Lapinsky. Later in the quarter, an interception by Derrick Morris gave the Wildcats the ball at the Western 20, and five plays later, Iniquez scored from a yard out. The Wildcats extended the lead to 21-10 in the third quarter, as a 15-yard touchdown run by Iniguez capped a 10-play, 70-yard drive. Linebacker Blake Walker had 13 tackles, including two for losses, to lead the Central defense. Linebacker Jeff Parks had 11 stops, including two sacks, for Western, and also forced a fumble and broke up a pass, to earn GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
First Battle in Seattle Oct. 4, 2003 at Seattle, Wash. (Seahawks Stadium) Central 29, Western 20 A third-quarter safety put Central Washington in front to stay and the Wildcats went on to defeat Western, 29-20, in the Battle in Seattle played before a crowd of 16,392 at Seahawks Stadium. The attendance figure is a record for a non-NCAA Division I game in the state of Washington. After a high punt snap through the end zone gave the Wildcats a 16-14 lead, they took the ensuing free kick and moved 57 yards in four plays, capped by a 4-yard run by Emilio Iniguez, who rushed for a game-high 140 yards on 32 carries. The extra point was blocked, leaving Central a 22-14 lead with 5:48 left in the third quarter. The Vikings closed to 22-20 later in the period on a 21-yard pass from Steve Nichols to tight end Rick Carte, who had two touchdown catches, but Nichols was sacked trying to tie the game on a two-point conversion. Central defensive back Nick Omatsu then provided the final margin, returning an interception 40 yards for a touchdown three minutes into the fourth quarter. The Wildcats, who entered the game with just one interception this season, had four in the game. The four turnovers and bad snap by Western helped Central overcome the Vikings' 366-311 edge in total offense. Western wide receiver Andy Olson had nine receptions for 160 yards, his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season and his third consecutive 100-yard receiving performance. The Wildcats scored on the opening possession of the game, with Zak Hill throwing 4 yards to Nate Brookreson to cap a 10-play, 62-yard drive. Western countered later in the period with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Josh Shimek to Carte, and took a 14-7 lead with just under six minutes left in the half with a 13-yard scoring toss from Nichols to Olson. The Wildcats tied the score at 14-14 just 27 seconds before halftime, with Hill connecting on a 33-yard scoring pass to Moses Lewis. Hill completed 13-of-27 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. For Western, Nichols was 11-of-22 for 154 yards and two scores, and Shimek was 12-of-25 for 129 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted four times. Olson was named GNAC co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
CENTRAL vs. WESTERN - TOP GAME PERFORMANCES (THRU 2007) PASSING Central 455 Jon Kitna Bellingham 1995* 413 Zak Hill Ellensburg 2002 369 Jon Kitna Bellingham 1995 339 Ken Stradley Ellensburg 1991 |
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