Sunday, November 14, 2021

INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time since 2017, Central Washington is headed to the postseason.

Thanks to an 8-2 overall record, a fourth consecutive GNAC championship and a 7-1 record against Super Region 4 competition, the Wildcats received a berth to the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs on Sunday.

Central Washington will face one of Division II’s perennial powers in the first round. The Wildcats will play at No. 3 seeded Northwest Missouri State on Saturday. Under new selection criteria adopted by the Division II Football Selection Committee, Central Washington was moved outside of Super Region 4.

The Wildcats have succeeded this season as a complete team. Central Washington enters the postseason ranked fourth in Division II in scoring with 44.3 points per game and is 38th nationally and first in Super Region 4 with 419 yards of total offense per game. The Wildcats led the GNAC in passing offense (229 yards per game) and rushing offense (190 yards per game).

Defensively, the Wildcats lead Division II in turnover margin (1.78) and rank 17th in first downs defense (157) while holding opponents to 19.9 points and 308 yards of total offense per game.

Freshman Quincy Glasper leads the CWU offense, averaging 213.3 yards per game with 17 touchdowns in six games. Freshman Darius Morrison leads the receiving corps with an average of 58.8 yards per game and eight touchdowns while junior running back Rashaad Boddie is the team leader with 74.2 rushing yards per game and seven touchdowns. Junior kicker Patrick Hegarty is 54 of 55 on point-after attempts and 11 of 14 in field goals.

On defense, sophomore defensive back Jahleel Breland leads the Wildcats with 75 tackles. Senior linebacker Donte Hamilton has 71 tackles along with 14 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and six interceptions.

This is Central Washington’s fifth time participating in the Division II postseason. The Wildcats last made the field in 2017, losing 34-31 in a first-round home game to Texas A&M-Commerce. Central Washington advanced to the national semifinals in 2007.

Northwest Missouri State earned the MIAA championship with a 9-1 record and was ranked No. 4 in last week’s American Football Coaches Association Division II poll. The Bearcats took its lone loss of the season on October 16 to Washburn, 17-16.