Monday, August 29, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. - The second of our five GNAC Football Video Previews features Central Washington.

Picked to finish fourth in the GNAC in 2016, Central Washington tied with Azusa Pacific for third in the GNAC while compiling a 5-5 record under second year head coach Ian Shoemaker. The Wildcats won three straight at the start of GNAC play, but had trouble building consistency with a number of personnel changes over the course of the season.

What was consistent, however, was the play of wide receiver/return specialist Jesse Zalk. Named a First Team All-GNAC performer at both positions and a First Team All-American by Don Hansen, Zalk finished fifth in Division II with a combined 989 kick return yards and third with a total of 186 all-purpose yards per game. Zalk returned 31 kicks for an average of 26.2 yards per return and also returned 18 punts for an average of 9.9 yards per return. At wide receiver, Zalk average 75 yards per game on 43 catches with four touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Justin Lane will lead the CWU offense. After becomg the regular starter three games into the season, Lane completed 143 passes for 2,001 yards and 12 touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Justin Peterson caught 24 passes for 397 yards and two touchdowns while junior tight end Christian Gasca saught 29 passes for 456 yards and three scores. The Wildcats will be protected by an experienced offensive line that includes Second Team All-GNAC sophomore James Moore and seniors Josh Stolz and Andrew Ulrich.

On defense, there may not be a more solid returning crew than Central Washington. First Team All-GNAC linebacker Kevin Haynes registered 73 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in his sophomore season, while fellow junior linebacker Sean Elledge added 41 tackles and a pair of blocked kicks. The Wildcats also welcome back the return of defensive lineman Tovar Sanchez after he missed the 2015 season. A First Team All-GNAC selection in 2014, Sanchez finished his junior campaign with 55 tackles, including an impressive 22.5 for loss and 12 sacks.

GNAC 2016 FOOTBALL VIDEO PREVIEW SCHEDULE
Sun., Aug. 28: Simon Fraser
Mon., Aug. 29: Central Washington
Tues., Aug. 30: Western Oregon
Wed., Aug. 31: Azusa Pacific
Thurs., Sept. 1: Humboldt State