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We've got feline fever. Go Wildcats!
Yakima Herald-Republic
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This editorial appears in the Nov. 20, 2009, Yakima Herald-Republic
Move over, basketball. It's time for football to take its rightful place in the trophy case at Central Washington University.
Ranked No. 1 in the nation among NCAA Division II teams and sporting an untarnished 11-0 record, the CWU Wildcats will take the field Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium against 12th-ranked Tarleton State with hopes of continuing their march toward a national crown. The team has built its impressive record around a stingy defense and a solid offense.
The Wildcats also have some serious attitude.
"But the one thing about this team and this group of 23 seniors is that every time they've walked onto a field, they've expected to win," said head coach Blaine Bennett.
Of course, overcoming a little adversity helps, too. Make that a lot of adversity.
When quarterback Cole Morgan came into the game at the start of the third quarter in "The Battle in Seattle" against Western Oregon last month, the Wildcats were looking at a scoreboard that read 21-0. They had to overcome a three-touchdown deficit.
Though Morgan confessed later he didn't play that well, the rest of the Wildcats certainly did and the team charged off Qwest Field that afternoon winners by two points, 23-21. That's right. The vaunted CWU defense didn't give up a point after halftime.
While success has followed the thundering footsteps of the Wildcats, the team's coaching staff hopes the legendary Ellensburg weather patterns hold true Saturday when players from Tarleton State arrive. Accustomed to a much warmer climate in Stephenville, Texas, which is 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth, the Tarleton State players may find the notorious Ellensburg winds not at all to their liking.
That's just the way coach Bennett wants it.
"I hope the wind blows," Bennett said during a news conference last week to celebrate the team's No. 1 ranking. "I hope it's cold. I hope it's an Ellensburg fall day for (Tarleton State), because that's what we practice in every day."
While sunny success has surely been shining on the Wildcats, we hope the coach gets his wish and experiences just enough windy gusts to carry his team to victory. The Wildcats and their coaching staff, along with their devoted fans, deserve to see their dream season stay alive.
* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.
