FB: Northwest Conference

[BearcatFan]

Thanks, BCP!

[downtown48]

While West Coast and Texas teams have often seen 'bending' of seeds, so far as I have seen they've never gone quite so far as #2 @ #1 in the first round.  If that happens this year, we will know for sure that money beats EVERYTHING.

I like to reference the NCAA DIVISION I soccer playoffs from 3 or 4 years ago when we even start to question the seeding motives.  The University of Portland was the #1 ranked team in the nation and they got sent to somewhere like Oklahoma or Colorado and didn't get to host a four team regional because the other three teams were closer to the host city.  So if they are willing to send the #1 team in the nation on the road in Division I...#1 vs #2 WOULD happen if it saved some money in Division III.   

[Ralph Turner]

Re:  NWC teams in the playoffs...

To make lemonade out of lemons, I have compiled the playoff games in the "Texas Sub-Bracket".  This shows the geographic proximity problems that we share with you.  We greatly respect NWC football in Texas.  Good luck, and I hope you get a good bracket draw!

Post #29 in the thread  (Last post on the page.)

[D O.C.]

Re. a NWC - SCIAC match in the 1st round:
A couple points from a neutral viewer...
A Revenge factor going for WU. They embarrassed themselves and their conference a couple years ago down in the dust of the old OX field.
Leading to point 2, OXYdental has had a couple of YEARS to prepare for the fly since they've seen it.

[Bearcat Press]

While West Coast and Texas teams have often seen 'bending' of seeds, so far as I have seen they've never gone quite so far as #2 @ #1 in the first round.  If that happens this year, we will know for sure that money beats EVERYTHING.

I like to reference the NCAA DIVISION I soccer playoffs from 3 or 4 years ago when we even start to question the seeding motives.  The University of Portland was the #1 ranked team in the nation and they got sent to somewhere like Oklahoma or Colorado and didn't get to host a four team regional because the other three teams were closer to the host city.  So if they are willing to send the #1 team in the nation on the road in Division I...#1 vs #2 WOULD happen if it saved some money in Division III.   

They got sent to a pod hosted by unranked Nebraska, and it was a travesty.

Leading to point 2, OXYdental has had a couple of YEARS to prepare for the fly since they've seen it.

Oh crap.

[Bearcat Press]

Our webmaster is taking a ridiculously long time to get stories up this week, so I figured I'd post this week's article myself.

LESLIE LEADS 9-0 BEARCATS TO CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Tim Walsh
Staff Writer

As the Willamette Bearcats clung to a one-point halftime lead over the Puget Sound Loggers, the pressure on the team, already high, seemed to be building.

"There was probably more pressure for this game than for any other this year," said Willamette head coach Mark Speckman.  "Not only were we supposed to win, but we needed to win."

Any doubt was cleared up in the second half, however, as the Bearcats, gunning for their first conference title in nine years, used hard-nosed defense, exceptional special teams, and a devastating aerial attack to blow the Loggers apart and turn a close game into a 49-27 rout.  The victory clinched at least a share of the conference title for Willamette, and ensured the Bearcats will get the NWC's automatic playoff bid.

"It's pretty awesome," said NWC offensive player of the week Grant Leslie, who threw for a career high 285 yards and 5 touchdowns in the win.  "Now we don't want to share it."

Tenth-ranked Willamette (9-0, 5-0 NWC) started the game with a bang, capping off a stellar opening drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Leslie to senior tight end Josh Lee.  For the third week in a row, the Bearcats blocked their opponents opening punt, but the return was negated by a penalty ("debatable" according to Speckman) – the first of several costly mistakes to hurt Willamette's first half effort.

When the Bearcats failed to take points off the turnover, UPS (2-6, 0-5) didn't hesitate, utilizing the arm and legs of quarterback Kavin Williams to tie the game at seven.  Another Willamette penalty killed a promising drive, and the Loggers drove all the way to the Bearcat ten yard line before safety Arlin Taylor forced a fumble that Ryan Bettancourt recovered.

A holding penalty forced the 'Cats back inside their own ten, but Leslie uncorked a 93-yard pass to a wide open Scott Schoettgen, and Willamette was back on top by a touchdown.

"How did it happen?  It happened because [Joe] Penkala held!" Speckman laughed.

But Williams, who totaled 346 yards in a loss to Linfield two weeks ago, put the Loggers on his back with a 16 play, 88 yard drive to end the half and pull UPS within one.  "It's just impossible to simulate someone like him," commented Speckman, "unless we put pads and a helmet on the dumpster."

But as has often been the case, the Bearcats took the second half to shine.  A sack of the UPS punter gave Willamette the ball on the Logger 30, and Merben Woo cashed in for an eight-point lead.  Williams plunged into the end zone to cut the deficit to one, but Leslie hooked up with Woo for 65 of his 123 receiving yards to push the advantage to 28-20.  On the next UPS possession, a fake punt broke down and Grant Piros stepped in front of the kick.  Lukkes Gilgan recovered the ball for another touchdown, and the floodgates had opened.

Leslie followed a defensive stand by lofting a pretty pass to Woo over two Loggers, and the lead swelled to 49-20 when Leslie tossed his fifth touchdown pass of the day to Jose Green.  One more UPS touchdown made the margin more respectable, but as the clock expired, those fans still at McCulloch Stadium serenaded the team with chants of "Conference Champs!"

The linebacker duo of Jack Bevins and Tommy Grove put together another outstanding game, combining for 31 tackles on the day and earning Bevins NWC defensive player of the week honors and Grove "extra-special warm fuzzies" from a grateful coach.  The Bearcats special teams continued their streak of torrid play, marking their fourth straight week with a touchdown.

But the star of the day was Leslie, who threw for more yards than any Willamette quarterback since 2000.  The senior from Bainbridge Island drew heavy praise from Speckman.  "Not only does he have a great grasp of the offense, but he's a tremendous field general.  Great quarterbacks have an aura about them, and Grant has it."

According to Leslie, however, "it all starts with the offensive line.  Those guys have been amazing.  The receivers are getting open, and our timing is just so much better."

Just one more regular season game remains for Willamette, as they host the Menlo Oaks (3-6, 2-3) this Saturday.  But the game is far from meaningless: a win would clinch the conference title outright and practically guarantee home-field advantage for the Bearcats through the initial rounds of the playoffs.  It's a fact not lost on Leslie and his teammates:

"Like I said, we don't want to share.  No, I don't think we'll be flat.  We only have ten times a year to go out and play.  If we don't, we're cheating ourselves out of an incredible experience."

[BearcatFan]

<applause> Great article, Tim!

[RFB]

Our webmaster is taking a ridiculously long time to get stories up this week, so I figured I'd post this week's article myself.

LESLIE LEADS 9-0 BEARCATS TO CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Tim Walsh
Staff Writer

As the Willamette Bearcats clung to a one-point halftime lead over the Puget Sound Loggers, the pressure on the team, already high, seemed to be building.

"There was probably more pressure for this game than for any other this year," said Willamette head coach Mark Speckman.  "Not only were we supposed to win, but we needed to win."

Any doubt was cleared up in the second half, however, as the Bearcats, gunning for their first conference title in nine years, used hard-nosed defense, exceptional special teams, and a devastating aerial attack to blow the Loggers apart and turn a close game into a 49-27 rout.  The victory clinched at least a share of the conference title for Willamette, and ensured the Bearcats will get the NWC's automatic playoff bid.

"It's pretty awesome," said NWC offensive player of the week Grant Leslie, who threw for a career high 285 yards and 5 touchdowns in the win.  "Now we don't want to share it."

Tenth-ranked Willamette (9-0, 5-0 NWC) started the game with a bang, capping off a stellar opening drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Leslie to senior tight end Josh Lee.  For the third week in a row, the Bearcats blocked their opponents opening punt, but the return was negated by a penalty ("debatable" according to Speckman) – the first of several costly mistakes to hurt Willamette's first half effort.

When the Bearcats failed to take points off the turnover, UPS (2-6, 0-5) didn't hesitate, utilizing the arm and legs of quarterback Kavin Williams to tie the game at seven.  Another Willamette penalty killed a promising drive, and the Loggers drove all the way to the Bearcat ten yard line before safety Arlin Taylor forced a fumble that Ryan Bettancourt recovered.

A holding penalty forced the 'Cats back inside their own ten, but Leslie uncorked a 93-yard pass to a wide open Scott Schoettgen, and Willamette was back on top by a touchdown.

"How did it happen?  It happened because [Joe] Penkala held!" Speckman laughed.

But Williams, who totaled 346 yards in a loss to Linfield two weeks ago, put the Loggers on his back with a 16 play, 88 yard drive to end the half and pull UPS within one.  "It's just impossible to simulate someone like him," commented Speckman, "unless we put pads and a helmet on the dumpster."

But as has often been the case, the Bearcats took the second half to shine.  A sack of the UPS punter gave Willamette the ball on the Logger 30, and Merben Woo cashed in for an eight-point lead.  Williams plunged into the end zone to cut the deficit to one, but Leslie hooked up with Woo for 65 of his 123 receiving yards to push the advantage to 28-20.  On the next UPS possession, a fake punt broke down and Grant Piros stepped in front of the kick.  Lukkes Gilgan recovered the ball for another touchdown, and the floodgates had opened.

Leslie followed a defensive stand by lofting a pretty pass to Woo over two Loggers, and the lead swelled to 49-20 when Leslie tossed his fifth touchdown pass of the day to Jose Green.  One more UPS touchdown made the margin more respectable, but as the clock expired, those fans still at McCulloch Stadium serenaded the team with chants of "Conference Champs!"

The linebacker duo of Jack Bevins and Tommy Grove put together another outstanding game, combining for 31 tackles on the day and earning Bevins NWC defensive player of the week honors and Grove "extra-special warm fuzzies" from a grateful coach.  The Bearcats special teams continued their streak of torrid play, marking their fourth straight week with a touchdown.

But the star of the day was Leslie, who threw for more yards than any Willamette quarterback since 2000.  The senior from Bainbridge Island drew heavy praise from Speckman.  "Not only does he have a great grasp of the offense, but he's a tremendous field general.  Great quarterbacks have an aura about them, and Grant has it."

According to Leslie, however, "it all starts with the offensive line.  Those guys have been amazing.  The receivers are getting open, and our timing is just so much better."

Just one more regular season game remains for Willamette, as they host the Menlo Oaks (3-6, 2-3) this Saturday.  But the game is far from meaningless: a win would clinch the conference title outright and practically guarantee home-field advantage for the Bearcats through the initial rounds of the playoffs.  It's a fact not lost on Leslie and his teammates:

"Like I said, we don't want to share.  No, I don't think we'll be flat.  We only have ten times a year to go out and play.  If we don't, we're cheating ourselves out of an incredible experience."

Nice article indeed. I think you have a future as a sportswriter. Just make sure you remember your DIII roots when you're writing for ESPN.

[BearcatFan]

Nice article indeed. I think you have a future as a sportswriter. Just make sure you remember your DIII roots when you're writing for ESPN.

I concur!  I wanted to add some Karma for BearcatPress but I don't see a way to do that. How does one add (or reduce) Karma?

[d-train]

Nice article indeed. I think you have a future as a sportswriter. Just make sure you remember your DIII roots when you're writing for ESPN.

I concur!  I wanted to add some Karma for BearcatPress but I don't see a way to do that. How does one add (or reduce) Karma?

I think you have to hit 100 posts first (or something like that). Anyway, I just gave him a +1 for you. Good stuff, 'Press.

[BearcatFan]

Thanks D-Train!

[Tuxguy]

+1 from me too BP.

Nice job,
now make sure your Cats bring home the "W" tomorrow

GO WILDCATS

[criswyly]

okay...i'm on the bandwagon...another +1

[criswyly]

...since it's the only NWC bandwagon going anywhere:)

[BearcatFan]

All Aboard!