Photos from Saturday’s NCAA Division II college football game between Central Washington University and the University of Minnesota Duluth at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg, Wash. All photos by Andy Sawyer of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

CWU offense misfires against Minnesota Duluth ||

ELLENSBURG,Wash. — As predictions go, Blaine Bennett’s words were not especially bold. But as a warning they spoke volumes.

“We won’t beat anybody,” the Central Washington coach said, “if we don’t score more than 10 points.”

Presumably that means anybody and everybody, including the five remaining teams on the Wildcats’ schedule this season (they play all four of their GNAC opponents twice, plus non-conference foes Eastern Washington and Southern Oregon).

Central defenders, including Paul Wright, 16, and Abraham Muheize, 5, tackle Minnesota Duluth's Isaac Odim near the line of scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic)

And even though CWU had in fact triumphed a year ago with such a modest offensive output in its opener at Mesa State, that victory was due largely to a dominant defense.

So in that regard two things were abundantly clear Saturday: First, Central’s defense is not as good as last season’s, and second, the total Bennett mentioned was not nearly enough to compete with, let alone defeat, No. 4 Minnesota Duluth.

“We’ve got some things to sort out,” he said after fifth-ranked CWU had been clobbered 35-10 in its regionally televised season opener before 3,973 sun-bathed fans at Tomlinson Stadium. “We’ve got to decide who’s going to play quarterback for us, and we’ve got to find an offensive package that will work for that quarterback.”

Saturday’s game, which saw senior transfer Alex Cate start and finish while redshirt sophomore Ryan Robertson played most of the second half, apparently provided little resolution to the issue.

Cate struggled after an encouraging start. He was 9 for 15, but threw for only 67 yards plus an interception that led to Duluth’s second touchdown.

Robertson was 21 for 32 for 236 yards and Central’s lone TD, a 39-yard sideline strike to Chris Smith late in the third quarter. But he also threw two picks, the second of which was returned 46 yards for a touchdown by Duluth’s Forest Clements.

Bennett liked the running of senior Bryson Kelly, who gained 52 yards on 13 carries, but said, “We were way too predictable, and then the score got out of hand and we had to throw every down.”

The Wildcats led 3-0 on Pavel Pachenko’s 37-yard field to cap the hosts’ first possession, but then saw Duluth score 28 unanswered points.

Sophomore quarterback Chase Vogler burst 55 yards up the middle after being flushed out of the pocket to make if 21-3 with 1:47 left in the first half, then connected with ace receiver D.J. Winfield on an 89-yard touchdown pass on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the second.

The play was set up by a fake to All-American running back Isaac Odim, after which Vogler rolled to his left and then found Winfield behind the coverage.

“I thought about running the ball at first,” said Vogler, a sophomore who finished 9 of 18 for 183 yards with no interceptions. “But then I saw D.J. running over the middle with his hand up.

“That just shows you how the best player in the country (Odim) can have an effect even when he doesn’t touch the ball. We knew play action would work.”

Said Bennett, “Our pass defense was not very good. We can’t give up a big play like that — it’s 21-3, then all of a sudden it’s 28-3.”

Central’s bright spot was clearly its run defense, with West Valley’s Taylor Tanasse and Kittitas’ Mike Reno helping the front line and fourth-year starter Adam Bighill leading the linebackers.

“We just need to come together as a team,” said Tanasse, who helped limit Odim to 50 yards and a 4-yard touchdown on 20 rushes. “We have to establish some cohesiveness between the offense and defense. We need to help each other out.

“We did OK against the run, but we can’t let the quarterback take off up the middle like their guy did.”

For Bennett, however, the sore spot was the offense. He’s a former quarterback, after all, and serves as offensive coordinator.

“I don’t think either quarterback played very well,” Bennett said. “Both guys made some good decisions and both guys made some bad decisions. And our receivers didn’t do a very good job of catching the ball.”

As is often the case in one-sided games, the final numbers were deceiving.

With Duluth content to relinquish several small plays in lieu of a big one, CWU compiled more first downs (20-16) and total yards (370).

The Wildcats, however, lost their first regular-season home game since Nov. 10, 2007, when Nebraska-Omaha blew them away 59-21. Two weeks later in the NCAA Division II playoffs, Central avenged the defeat with a 20-17 win — much as Duluth got even Saturday for last year’s 13-10 home loss to CWU.

Like Blaine Bennett said, it’s tough to win when you don’t score more than 10 points.

Minnesota Duluth    0    21    7    7    —    35
Central Washington    3    0    7    0    —    10
First quarter
CWU — FG Pavel Panchenko 37, 7:31.
Second quarter
MD — Brian Hanson 1 run (David Nadeau kick), 13:06.
MD — Isaac Odim 4 run (Nadeau kick), 6:30.
MD — Chase Vogler 55 run (Nadeau kick), 1:47.
Third quarter
MD — D.J. Winfield 89 pass from Vogler (Nadeau kick), 11:38.
CWU — Chris Smith 39 pass from Ryan Robertson (Panchenko kick), 1:08.
Fourth quarter
MD — Forest Clements 46 interception return (Nadeau kick), 14:09.
MD    CWU
First downs    16    20
Rushes-yards    36-162    22-67
Passing    183    303
Comp-Att-Int    9-18-0    30-48-3
Return yards    86    83
Punts-Avg.    8-34.5    4-41.5
Fumbles-Lost    0-0    1-0
Penalties-Yards    8-72    9-78
Time of Possession    29:58    30:02
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Minnesota Duluth, Vogler 6-69, Odim 20-50, Brad Foss 9-42, Hanson 1-1. Central Washington, Bryson Kelly 13-52, Alex Cate 3-17, Ishmael Stinson 3-13, Ryan Robertson 2-minus 5, Team 1-minus 10.
PASSING — Minnesota Duluth, Vogler 9-18-0-183. Central Washington, Robertson 21-33-2-236, Cate 9-15-1-67.
RECEIVING — Minnesota Duluth, Winfield 7-164, Josh Quilling 1-11, D’Andre Sherill 1-8. Central Washington, Smith 6-86, Justin Helwege 5-47, Codey Berry 4-25, Kelly 4-24, Griffin Squires 3-47, Kollin Hancock 3-44, Demetruis Guice 3-20, Robert Akeo-Orr 2-10.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Minnesota Duluth’s Joe Doherty, a reserve defensive back, completed his obligatory trip through the postgame handshake line and, having offered one last “Nice game,” spun and then hopped into the air.

“Damn” he said, “that felt good!”

Easy for him to say.

It usually is when your team wins 35-10, on the road, against a team you’d lost to a year ago and which, if polls are to be believed, was possibly your equal.

Yet Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium, fifth-ranked Central Washington was no match for the No. 4 Bulldogs.

“Yeah, they’re a good football team,” CWU coach Blaine Bennett conceded, “but we didn’t play our best game. I sure hope we didn’t.”

Given the events of this particular day, there are other things the Wildcats must hope for.

That they’d played their worst game of the season would be one of them, and that Duluth was the best opponent they’ll see, with the possible exception of Eastern Washington, would be another.

It’s true that it’s still August, that Central has a proven coaching staff and there is still time for improvement that clearly needs to be made.

But suddenly another GNAC championship, a foregone conclusion since the conference reassembled for the 2008 season, no longer seems a certainty.

Games that in recent seasons past seemed a sure thing for the Wildcats now look like anything but. And when opponents watch Saturday’s film, they will see a CWU team they’ll no longer just hope to hang with, but one they’ll think they can beat.

As with last year’s squad, the defense seems Central’s strength — though it would be unrealistic to expect this unit to be as good as that one.

The front line of Taylor Tanasse, Eugene Germany, Mike Reno and Tyrell Nielsen is strong, mobile and experienced. The linebackers, especially senior Adam Bighill, are solid, too.

But Bennett was justifiably displeased with the Wildcats’ pass coverage, and the special teams which a year ago distinguished themselves are thus far unproven.

“We have a lot of talent in our secondary,” Bennett said, “and also on our return units. We just didn’t get much out of them today.”

Meaning the offense, which a year ago was asked not to lose games as much as it was required to win them, must become substantially better.

“I just think we need to find an identity,” quarterback Ryan Robertson said. “We need to figure out who we are as a unit, what we do best and how we can move the ball and score points.”

And fast.

Dixie State, which lost 34-14 Saturday at Adams State, is up next. And Saturday’s game at St. George, Utah, will afford the Red Storm a golden opportunity — one in which it can snap Central’s 31-game GNAC winning streak.

Film of CWU’s loss to MD, meanwhile, will give Dixie hope, albeit a different type than the Wildcats have.

At this hour Central must hope to quickly and dramatically improve — and also that Duluth was just really, really good.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Citing mobility as the deciding factor, Central Washington coach Blaine Bennett on Friday named Alex Cate as his starting quarterback for today’s high-profile season-opener against Minnesota Duluth.

A senior transfer from Oklahoma State, Cate had dueled evenly with redshirt sophomore Ryan Robertson throughout preseason camp.

Bennett said both will probably play in today’s regionally televised showdown of nationally ranked teams.

“Both quarterbacks have done an excellent job,” Bennett said Friday afternoon after the Wildcats’ final tuneup for the 1:05 p.m. kickoff at Tomlinson Stadium. “Alex, I think, is a little more mobile, and that’s one thing that has moved him to the top. But I would anticipate both guys playing.”

It’s likely, Bennett said, that Cate will see most of the first-half action with Robertson playing perhaps a series before halftime — depending on how the game progresses, of course.

Cate, 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, was a highly recruited prep star from Salt Lake City who played sparingly at OSU.

The 6-3, 200-pound Robertson is a redshirt sophomore from Sammamish who was part of Bennett’s first recruiting class. He started Central’s first eight games last year and finished 125-for-218 passing for 1,275 yards and 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

He was replaced at halftime of Central’s Week 8 meeting with Western Oregon at Seattle’s Qwest Field, a game in which the Wildcats trailed 21-0 at halftime.

Cole Morgan, a senior transfer from Western Washington, finished that game, which CWU rallied to win, and started the remaining five games.

The Wildcats finished the season as the only unbeaten team in NCAA Division II, were top-ranked and advanced to the playoff quarterfinals before falling 21-20 to eventual national champion Northwest Missouri.

Bennett said the perennially powerful Bulldogs, beaten 13-10 at home by Central last year in Week 2, make today’s game more important than most season openers.

“Yes, no question,” he said. “It’s very important for both teams. For us, it’s critical to at least go out and play well.”

Early opener should be good barometer for CWU’s season ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Last year they took a bus trip, and what a ride it was.

Central Washington’s football season turned out to be pretty special, too.

The Wildcats, who used a nationally televised, Week 2 upset of host Minnesota Duluth to catapult them toward an unbeaten regular season and No. 1 national ranking, will host the Bulldogs for a season-opening rematch that Saturday should provide substantial insight as to how far 2010 will take them.

A swarm of Central Washington tacklers, led by returning players Mike Reno (45) and Emeka Aludogbu (20), tackles a Humboldt State ballcarrier during an Oct. 24, 2009 game at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic file)

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Tomlinson Stadium, with the game to be televised live regionally on SWX.

A year ago, Central followed a 10-0 victory at Mesa State in Grand Junction, Colo. by busing some 20 hours and 1,300 miles to Duluth. And the following Thursday night, before a CBS College Sports audience, they stunned the No. 2 Bulldogs 13-10.

Much has changed since then, of course, not the least of which has been the departure of 23 seniors and 15 starters from a CWU team that went 12-1, finished the regular season as the top-ranked NCAA Division II team and engaged eventual national champion Northwest Missouri in a fight to the finish before falling, 21-20, in a playoff quarterfinal.

One thing that hasn’t is the Wildcats are again in the final hours before their season opener without having settled on a starting quarterback.

Last year the duel was between Ryan Robertson and Cole Morgan. This year it involves Robertson and Alex Cate — the latter, like Morgan, having transferred in for his senior season. Cate is from Oklahoma State.

Coach Blaine Bennett, asked Thursday if he knew who Saturday’s starter would be, said, “I don’t. I wish I did. You’ll probably see both of them play, but we’re just not sure who’s going to take the first snap.

“What we’re trying to decide is what offensive package we’re going to use more, and which guy will operate that package best.”

Speaking of game plans, Bennett has a priority for that of his defense.

It involves Duluth running back Isaac Odim, a 6-foot, 215-pound senior All-American who last year gained 120 of his 1,808 season yards against the Wildcats.

“He’s the best running back we’ve faced,” Bennett said. “He’s an NFL prospect — just a real special player. Containing him will be our No. 1 concern on Saturday.”

At least Central’s defense, featuring West Valley’s Taylor Tanasse and Kittitas’ Mike Reno up front and fourth-year starter Adam Bighill at linebacker, figures to be its strength.

Central Washington’s Adam Bighill (41) tackles Humboldt State’s Corey Stollmeyer during an Oct. 24, 2009 game at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg. This season will be Bighill’s fourth as a starter for the Wildcats. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic file)

Offensively, there is no heir-apparent to All-American Johnny Spevak as a big-play, big-number receiver.

Chris Smith, a senior who came to CWU as a junior transfer from California’s Grossmont College, will start at Spevak’s position. Last year Smith caught seven passes for 62 yards.

Bryson Kelly, a 235-pound senior running back who was second on the squad last year with 568 yards and one touchdown, will play a more prominent offensive role.

“I think we’ll have a very good running game,” said Bennett, who has lauded the play of 302-pound senior transfer Brian Agnis at left tackle. “We’ll probably have fewer big plays by our receivers than we’ve had that past couple of years and we’ll be a little more balanced in our offensive attack.

“But I really think the strength of this team will be on the defensive side of the ball, and it should be with the returners we have.”

Kelly and receiver Jamal Weems will be the offensive captains, Bennett said, while Bighill and end Tyrell Nielsen will captain the defense.

Injuries have slowed some players, with offensive tackle Joe Meeks’ season-ending knee injury the most serious, and Bennett said others had yet to become eligible.

And of course beyond Saturday looms the bigger picture — one which the Duluth game will begin to develop — meaning CWU’s quest for a fourth straight playoff berth.

Since Central has established itself as a D-II power, with players first recruited by John Zamberlin and coached for one season by Beau Baldwin before Bennett’s arrival in 2008, such an aspiration should be more realistic than it might have been years earlier.

CWU’s conference, the GNAC, has too few teams (five) to qualify its champion for an automatic bid, so the Wildcats must finish high enough in the final regional rankings to make the postseason.

How many wins will it take?

“I would guess nine,” Bennett said. “If you finish 9-2 I think you would expect to get in. At 8-3 you might, but you’d obviously be less certain.

“Our goal every single year is to win the conference championship. We also want to get into the playoffs and win a national championship, but it’s hard to set a goal you’re not really in control of. So we have to win the conference first to have a chance to get into the playoffs. Then hopefully we’ll get in and be in the mix for a national title.”

The ride starts Saturday.

YAKIMA, Wash. — After 16 consecutive years in the West Valley baseball program, the last nine of which were as head coach, Klayton Wyckoff is making a “bittersweet” move away from the sport.

Wyckoff, previously a teacher in the district, is moving into administration, accepting the position of athletic director and student activities coordinator at West Valley Junior High. The time commitments of that job led him to resign as the Rams’ head baseball coach.

“This is an opportunity that I always wanted to pursue, and the timing feels right in my career,” Wyckoff said. “But at the same time it’s bittersweet to walk away from something I absolutely love.”

Wyckoff compiled a 155-64 record in his nine seasons, with two state trophies — second in 2003 and third in ’09 — and was the Class 3A coach of the year in ’03.

“We’ve have had such massive support out here from parents, the community, staff and administrators — that made my experience very positive,” added Wyckoff, a 1987 West Valley graduate. “It was a great situation to be in as a head coach and I would have liked to continue on, but this move is better for me in the long run.”

Kevin VanDeBrake would be a strong candidate to replace Wyckoff. Not only was he an assistant throughout Wyckoff’s nine seasons but he preceded him as head coach.

Siebol leaves RC for Highland

Bruce Siebol, who directed Riverside Christian’s boys basketball program to 170 wins in 10 seasons, has left the Crusaders’ program to take the head boys job at Highland.

In those 10 seasons at RC, Siebol posted a 170-69 record and led the Crusaders to three Class 2B state trophies.

“I had 10 great years at Riverside with great kids and wonderful parents,” he said. “I accomplished what I set out to, building up the program, and I guess now I was ready for a new challenge.”

Siebol will replace Josh Borland, who resigned after six seasons.

“I’m excited to coach in the SCAC,” he added. “The Riverside program is in good shape (all starters return), so this was a good time to pursue another challenge.”

COLLEGES

CWU ranked 5th by D2 website

Central Washington has been ranked fifth by D2Football.com in a preseason poll released Tuesday.

The Wildcats, who were 12-1 last season and lost 21-20 to eventual national champion Northwest Missouri in a playoff quarterfinal, followed, in order, Northwest Missouri, Grand Valley State, North Alabama and Abilene Christian.

Minnesota Duluth, Central’s season-opening opponent at home on Saturday, is ranked sixth.

SPOKANE, Wash. — Despite returning only seven of 22 starters from last season, Central Washington is the unanimous pick of GNAC football coaches to repeat as conference champions, the conference announced Friday.

Central Washington received all five first-place votes for a total of 25 points. Western Oregon (19), Dixie State (14), Humboldt State (12) and newcomer Simon Fraser (5) complete the poll.

CWU coach Blaine Bennett has retooled the program with 14 Division I transfers, including quarterback Alex Cate (Oklahoma State), linebacker Jared Silva-Purcell (Nevada) and defensive back Eric Hunter (Idaho).

CWU has won the conference title five times in the seven-year history of the football conference and is 31-4 in GNAC play.

During Bennett’s two-year tenure, the Wildcats have yet to lose a regular-season game against a Division II opponent. Their three losses include two Division II playoff defeats and a three-point defeat on the road against Division I FCS Montana.

Central opens against Minnesota Duluth at Tomlinson Stadium on Aug. 28. The game will be televised on SWX, a subchannel of KNDO-TV available over the air on channel 23-3 and on Charter cable channel 287.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The first Kittitas County Roundup, a football exhibition involving Cle Elum, Ellensburg and Kittitas high schools and Central Washington University, will be held Saturday at CWU’s Tomlinson Stadium.

Each team will stage a 30-minute scrimmage, starting with Cle Elum from 11-11:30 a.m. Kittitas will follow from 11:40 to noon, Ellensburg will go from noon to 12:30 p.m. and the Wildcats will take the field from 12:30-1 p.m.

Admission is free. Also, all participating high school players will be admitted to Central’s season opener against Minnesota Duluth on Aug. 28 at no charge.

“We’re hoping this will become an annual event,” said Central coach Blaine Bennett. “We’ll feed all the kids, and hopefully the players from the different schools will get to know each other and watch our scrimmage.

“It’s less of a recruiting thing for us than it is just to provide people in the area with exposure to our program. Some of them, whether they’re players or parents or whatever, might be coming to Tomlinson Stadium for the first time.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — As of early this week, Central Washington’s Wildcats were not ready for prime time.

Or Minnesota Duluth, either.

The good news, as coach Blaine Bennett would hasten to add, is that almost two weeks remained before CWU’s regionally televised season opener against the nationally ranked Bulldogs.

“Right now,” Bennett said, “I’d say we’re a little behind schedule. This is practice 13 today, and we have a lot of guys hurt. It’s obviously frustrating to have so many guys who we think will be starters, or playing a lot of football for us, not practicing.”

The injuries were too numerous for Bennett to detail. And while only one — a dislocated kneecap for senior offensive tackle James Meeks — seemed serious, others were depriving Central both individually and collectively.

Newcomers, and there are many on a team attempting to replace 23 seniors from a 12-1 squad, can’t learn the Wildcats’ system and get in game shape if they’re not practicing. And units, be they O-line or defensive secondary, can’t galvanize if they’re missing one or more components.

Nor can coaches evaluate those vying for the many wide-open spots on the Wildcats’ offense, defense and special teams.

“Absolutely,” Bennett said. “We haven’t been making as much progress as we’d like.”

Central held its first scrimmage Saturday and has another scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The Kittitas County Roundup will follow on Saturday, with the Wildcats following Cle Elum, Kittitas and Ellensburg high schools for a 30-minute scrimmage.

Bennett said the Wildcats’ ranks have been bolstered by 21 transfers, the most high-profile of which is senior quarterback Alex Cate. Having moved in from Oklahoma State, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder has been dueling evenly with redshirt sophomore Ryan Robertson for the starter’s job.

“They’re both getting about equal reps,” Bennett said, “but Alex is a fast learner, he’s athletic and he’s been around the game a long time. He’s just a fun guy to be around, and we’re excited to have him in our program.”

Bennett also has been impressed with Brian Agnis, a 302-pound senior offensive tackle from the University of Richmond, junior tight end Demetrius Guice from Arizona Western and senior receiver Kollin Hancock from College of the Redwoods and the University of Tulsa.

Bolstering the kicking game will be senior punter Kyle Peterson from UTEP and freshman placekicker Pavel Panchenko, a native of the Ukraine who prepped at Toledo High School.

Bennett said Demetrius Sumler, a running back from the University of Colorado, is not yet eligible.

“Some of our new players showed up a little out of shape,” Bennett said, “but we’re excited about a lot of the new people we have and we think they can help our football team this year.”

Central’s opener with Minnesota Duluth is scheduled for Aug. 28 at Tomlinson Stadium and will be televised live on SWX, a Spokane-based sports and weather station.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Granger’s Russell Baze has ridden the 11,000th winner of his career.

The 52-year-old jockey won the fourth race at the Sonoma County Fair aboard Separate Forest on Saturday to reach the milestone.

Baze was already North America’s winningest thoroughbred jockey, having surpassed Laffit Pincay Jr.’s record of 9,530 winners in December 2006.

Baze rode his 10,000th winner in February 2008 at Golden Gate Fields in the San Francisco Bay area, where he has spent most of his career.

VOLLEYBALL

Officials meeting Monday

The Central Washington Volleyball Board of Officials will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16 in the Parker Room of the Deccio Building at Yakima Valley Community College.

Anyone interested in officiating school volleyball this fall should attend. New officials are always needed.

For more information, contact Dick Brown at 509-952-7357 or Liz Gilbert at 509-945-6391.

FASTPITCH

UW returning to Selah

The University of Washington fastpitch team will be making its annual trek to Selah’s Carlon Park Sept. 25-26. The Huskies will play Central Washington at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, before a dinner and auction at Selah Civic Center Starting at 6. Two camps will be held Sunday.

For more information about the dinner and auction or to purchase tickets, call Bill Harris at 509-961-1588. The phone number was incorrect in Page 1B of Saturday’s Sports section.

WACO, Texas — The Central Washington football team is ranked fifth in the AFCA Division II preseason poll for 2010, which was released Monday.

This marks the third consecutive season that CWU is ranked in the preseason top 25 by the AFCA. The Wildcats were listed 11th in the 2008 preseason poll and 14th in the 2009 preseason ranking.

Central’s 11-game schedule for 2010 opens with a stiff challenge from visiting Minnesota Duluth, which is ranked fourth in the preseason poll. The Wildcats and Bulldogs will take the Tomlinson Stadium turf Aug. 28 at

1 p.m. in a game that will also be televised in Eastern Washington.

The Wildcats’ opening-week opponent is the only foe listed among the Division II Top 25 in the AFCA preseason poll, although Western Oregon received one vote.

Division I Football Championship Subdivision opponent Eastern Wash-ington, whom Central will face in Week 3 on

Sept. 11 in the Showdown on the Sound at Qwest Field, is ranked among the Division I-FCS top 25 entering the season.

Central finished the 2009 season with a school-record 12 victories and just one loss — a 21-20 defeat against eventual national champion Northwest Missouri State in the national quarterfinals.

YAKIMA, Wash. — It’s football season.

At least, it’s football season at Central Washington, where Friday the Wildcats will gather under third-year coach Blaine Bennett to receive their gear and on Saturday will begin preparation for their Aug. 28 season-opener at home against Minnesota Duluth.

For Bennett, preseason camp will provide three primary challenges as CWU seeks to replace 23 seniors from a 2009 squad that finished 12-1 and was ranked No. 1 nationally before bowing in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.

The first, he said, will be to find a starting quarterback. That competition figures to be waged primarily between redshirt sophomore Ryan Robertson and Alex Cate, a senior transfer from Oklahoma State.

Bennett, as per NCAA regulations, cannot publicly comment on transfers until they’re officially on the team’s roster and involved in workouts. Transfers in addition to Cate are also likely to compete at other positions.

David Weisner, a redshirt sophomore from Walla Walla, will probably be CWU’s No. 3 QB. Jordan Durbin, the Prosser recruit who would have been a redshirt sophomore this season, has left the program, according to Bennett.

Central, listed seventh in a preseason D-II poll by The Sporting News, must also rework an offensive line that consisted primarily of seniors last season, and do likewise with its special teams.

Garrett Rolsma, the most prolific placekicker in school history, has graduated along with holder and all-American receiver Johnny Spevak and several of the team’s top kickoff and punt returners. Rolsma was also last year’s punter.

“Our special teams have been excellent,” Bennett said. “So how well we rebuild our kicking game will be critical.

“Our defense will be very, very good, so that’s not a concern of mine. The quarterback position, our offensive line and the kicking game are areas we need to solidify before we’re ready to compete against Minnesota Duluth.”

Bennett said the Wildcats will have one practice each day from Saturday through Wednesday, then begin two-a-days.

“We have to have a five-day acclimation period,” Bennett said, alluding to NCAA rules.

While the GNAC has added Simon Fraser to its ranks for this season, it still has too few teams (five) to qualify its champion for an automatic playoff berth.

So the Wildcats have compiled a demanding schedule starting with perennial national power Duluth and including a Sept. 9 Qwest Field meeting with Football Championship Subdivision member Eastern Washington.

Also, three of Central’s games including the season opener will be televised live on SWX, a Spokane-based sports and weather channel broadcast over the air in the Yakima area on channel 23-3, and on Charter Cable channel 287.

2010 Central Washington football schedule

Aug. — 28, vs. *Minnesota Duluth.
Sept. — 4, at Dixie State; 11, vs. Eastern Washington at Qwest Field, Seattle; 18, vs. *Dixie State; 25, at Simon Fraser.
Oct. — 2, at Humboldt State; 9, vs. Southern Oregon; 16, vs. Western Oregon at Qwest Field, Seattle; 23, vs. Humboldt State.
Nov. — 6, vs. *Simon Fraser; 13, vs. Western Oregon.
* — live television on SWX.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Central Washington will host the Kittitas County Football Roundup on Aug. 21.

The Wildcats, who will open their season on Aug. 28 at home against Minnesota Duluth in a game to be televised on SWX, have invited Ellensburg, Cle Elum and Kittitas high schools to a scrimmage event at Tomlinson Stadium.

The Warriors will scrimmage from 11-11:30 a.m., Kittitas will go from 11:30 to noon, Ellensburg will follow from noon to 12:30 p.m. and Central will take the field from 12:30 to 1 p.m.

CWU coach Blaine Bennett said admission to the event is free, and that any high school player who participates will then be admitted to the Central-Duluth game without charge.

GOLF

Graf gets ace at Country Club

Dick Graf recorded a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at Yakima Country Club on Wednesday.

Graf used a 9-iron on the 141-yard hole. It was witnessed by Jim Gilbert, Dave Lewis, Brian Harris and Steve Mercy.

ADULT FASTPITCH

Action Towing, Eagles win

Sean McCauley’s two-run homer and three RBI helped Action Towing defeat Old Town Pump-Peak Performance 12-6 in Summer League play at Gateway Complex on Wednesday.

The Yakima Eagles won the second game, beating Craft Brewing 11-4.

Old Town-PP       040    200    0    —    6    5    8
Action Towing    202    602    x    —    12    8    6
Harris, Parham (7) and Cawley-Murphee; George and Rousseau.
Highlights: Bobby Harris (OTP) 2-run 2b; Cory Worrell (AT) 2-4, 2 RBI; Sean McCauley (AT) 1-3, 2-run HR, 3 RBI; Jonathan Ripplinger (AT) 2-run 2b.
Craft Brewing          040    000    —    4    5    5
Yakima Eagles        352    001    —    11    10    8
Seward and Call, Gonzalez (5); L. McCauley and Ward.
Highlights: John Jensen (YE) 2-4, 2 RBI; Tyler Berman (YE) 2-4, 2 2b, RBI; Kevin Root (YE) 2-4, 2 2b, 2 RBI.

YOUTH FASTPITCH

Selah 16-U

NEWBERG SUMMER CLASSIC

At Newberg, Ore.

Selah 10, Oregon Warriors 4 (Selah: Ashley Wilkey 2-3, 2 runs; Mary Graf 2-2, run, 2 RBI; Morgan McCallister 1-3, run, RBI, 3b; Sarah Bersing 2-3, 2 runs, RBI; Bailey Turner 3-3, run, RBI; Kylee Morse 2-2, run; Carly Minnick 1-2, 2 runs, RBI;
Selah 10, Southview 0 (Selah: Wilkey 2-2, 2 runs, RBI; Graf 1-1, 2 RBI; McCallister 1-2, 2 RBI, 3b; Bersing 1-1, RBI, run; Turner 1-2, run, RBI; Taylor Rath 1-2, run, RBI; Sierra Weedin 1-2, run, RBI; Morse and Minnick combined for a no-hitter).

YOUTH BASEBALL

Little League

JUNIORS STATE TOURNAMENT

At Medical Lake

Thursday’s result

West Valley 23, Federal Way 10 (WV: Kanay Soderstrom 4 hits, 2 runs; Corey Hill 3 hits, 3 runs; Wyatt Peckman 2 hits, 4 runs, HR; Dillon Burlingame 3 hits, 4 runs; Nolan Cookson 3 hits, 2 runs; Jason Mains 4 hits, run; Zach Remsberg 2 hits, 2 runs; Sean McCormick 2 hits, 3 runs; Justin Bailey hit, run).

YAKIMA, Wash. — Central Washington’s football Wildcats, long known for using the air via their prolific passing game, will occupy TV airwaves this season.

The university announced Wednesday that three of its home games will be aired on SWX-TV, a sports and weather station headquartered in Spokane.

Central’s season opener, Aug. 28 against Minnesota Duluth, will be the first game to be telecast with a Sept. 18 game against Dixie State and a Nov. 6 meeting with Simon Fraser to follow.

“This is an exciting time for CWU athletics, especially Wildcat football,” Central athletic director Jack Bishop said in a news release. “Now Wildcat families will be able to see our student athletes play anywhere in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. It will truly strengthen our program’s regional and national reputation.”

Blaine Bennett, the Wildcats’ third-year coach, has touted Central’s program as the top NCAA Division II program on the West Coast.

“It will be great to have a significant presence in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, as we have a strong following in that area,” Bennett said, also in a CWU release. “The exposure on SWX will also allow for a greater base of people within our region to see the quality of football that is played at the Division II level.”

SWX televises Gonzaga athletics, Spokane Shock football, Spokane Chiefs hockey, Eastern Washington University, University of Idaho and Whitworth University sports as well as Greater Spokane League preps and other activities.

It is broadcast in Yakima on channel 23-3. On Charter cable, SWX is available on channel 287.

Central, which went 12-1 and reached the D-II quarterfinals last year, finished the regular season unbeaten and ranked No. 1 nationally. The Wildcats begin preseason workouts Aug. 6.