Football coaches unanimously pick Northwestern as preseason favorite
8/25/2008 12:47:31 PM
ST. PAUL (Aug. 25, 2008) -- Northwestern College, who claimed their 11th outright Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship in 2007, was the unanimous choice to repeat as conference champs, earning a conference-best 16 points in the preseason coaches poll. The Eagles hope to ride their momentum from an eight-game winning streak into the 2008 season behind the arm of last year’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Zach Tarter (Crystal Falls, Mich.). In addition to Tarter, Northwestern returns eight UMAC All-Conference players from a year ago.
Martin Luther College, who finished second in the 2007 conference standings, was voted to finish second in the poll, receiving 12 points. The Knights return all but five starters from last year’s team that went 5-2 in conference play last season (6-3 overall). Martin Luther’s defense will be anchored by senior Seth Scheuerlein (Thiensville, Wis.), who was named the UMAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2007.
Receiving 10 points in the poll, the University of Minnesota-Morris was picked to finish third in the conference. The Cougars, under the direction of second-year head coach Todd Hickman, hope to return to their form of 2006, when they hoisted the UMAC championship trophy after posting a perfect 7-0 UMAC record.
Crown College came in fourth in the preseason coaches poll, earning seven points. The Storm return all but two starters on offense from last year’s 5-4 season (4-3 UMAC), but have only five returning starters on defense. Crown would love to give eighth-year head coach John Auer his second straight winning season in 2008.
Rounding out the coaches poll with five points is the College of St. Scholastica, who will play their first year of football this fall. Head coach Greg Carlson has been putting his team together for the past year and a half, and had 92 recruits report to camp on Sunday.
Complete results of the preseason coaches poll are listed below.
SCHOOL - POINTS (1st Place Votes)
1. Northwestern College - 16 (4)
2. Martin Luther College - 12 (1)
3. University of Minnesota-Morris - 10
4. Crown College - 7
5. College of St. Scholastica - 5