W. Wash. a cut above in CFA race

A solid corps of offensive returnees, including quarterback Scott Mitchell, and a schedule featuring seven home games are expected to be factors contributing to Western Washington University winning a second straight Columbia Football Association championship.

A poll of CFA coaches resulted in the Vikings getting four of five first-place votes. The other No. 1 vote went to Western Oregon, where Adam Bledsoe of Yakima will be the quarterback after transferring from Colorado. Bledsoe's brother, Drew, is the New England Patriots' quarterback.

Mitchell, a junior from Kennewick (Kamiakin), was named all-CFA last season after completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,386 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also ran for 300 yards.

"He's got a year under his belt, and he understands the offense and the philosophy of the things we're trying to do," said Rob Smith, who is back for his 12th season as Western coach. "His mobility is something we need to continue to take advantage of."

While Mitchell's prime 1999 target, Ben Clampitt, is gone, five letter-winners return at wide receiver, including Sean O'Brien of Puyallup and Greg Dykstra of Everson. Last season, O'Brien had 23 catches for 272 yards; Dykstra had 23 for 259 yards.

Expected to provide offensive balance is running back Georgio Usai of Spokane (Central Valley). He ran for 864 yards and had 157 receiving yards last season.

"He's a good, instinctive inside runner who can get those 10-15 yard runs," Smith said. "Perhaps his greatest attribute is his competitiveness _ he wants the ball."

Four starters return on the offensive line.

Only four starters return on defense _ end Dan Ball of Vancouver, Wash. (Mountain View), linebacker Lance Gustafson of Tumwater, and defensive backs Erik Totten of Maple Valley (Tahoma) and Andy Linscott of Kent (Kentridge).

The Vikings (4-0 in the CFA last year, 8-3 overall) will open their season Saturday against Division I-AA Portland State in Hillsboro, Ore., then will play at St. Mary's on Sept. 9. Seven of their final eight games will be at Bellingham's Civic Stadium, which has a new FieldTurf surface.

At Central Washington University, five all-league selections return from the CFA's No. 2-ranked defense, but with the exception of quarterback Zak Hill, the offense is in a state of rebuilding.

Hill, a 6-foot sophomore from Battle Ground, completed 85 of 147 passes for 1,017 yards as a freshman.

"We're a little more settled at quarterback than we were a year ago," Coach John Zamberlin said.

Hill, however, will have a new supporting cast. Running back Dan Murphy (700 yards, 60 points) and the top two receivers, Ty Nunez and Ryan Seal, have graduated.

Nat Conley, a junior from Pasco, is expected to move up to No. 1 running back. Two transfers from Washington, Ty Fotheringill and Justin Johnson, are among those challenging Conley.

Richard Penton, a sophomore from Tacoma who had two receptions last year, is the top returning receiver.

Defensively, six starters have returned _ defensive backs Jason Patterson of Enumclaw and John Hallead of Ellensburg, linebackers Jed Sluyter of Renton and Brandon Christensen of Mukilteo and end John Fields of Des Moines.

Central's schedule is unusual. The Wildcats play five of their first six games on the road, then finish up with three of their last four games at home.

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CFA coaches' poll

First-place votes in paretheses, with points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis:

1. Western Washington (4) 28

2. Western Oregon (1) 21

3. Central Washington 16

4. Humboldt State 8

5. Simon Fraser 7