Great West Parity

“Can you find a more balanced league?”

** USD head coach Ed Meierkort, after his team’s 45-21 win on Nov. 7

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Yesterday (Saturday) was the final day of league football action for the five schools in the Great West Conference.

Among the games was a showdown in Davis, Calif., between UC Davis and North Dakota for the Great West championship. The back-and-forth contest was ultimately won by the hosts, 28-20.

In other action, South Dakota held off Cal Poly 50-48, while Southern Utah was defeated by No. 18 Eastern Washington, 41-28.

And although four teams have one game remaining in their seasons, we now know the final conference records for each team. UC Davis finishes 3-1, while North Dakota, South Dakota and Southern Utah all finish 2-2, with Cal Poly at 1-3.

You know what that shows?

That in a league won by Cal Poly last season, 2009 was truly marked by extreme parity.

Consider:

** League champion UC Davis started its season 1-3. Opens league play with a 24-23 overtime win over South Dakota in Vermillion. Is then routed by Southern Utah 56-35 on the road. Rebounds with wins over Cal Poly and North Dakota.

** North Dakota opens league play with a 27-12 home win over rival South Dakota. Two weeks later, is embarrassed by NAIA Sioux Falls. Loses at Southern Utah. Turns around and beats Cal Poly. But then sneaks by NAIA Southern Oregon 30-24, but still has a shot at a league title on Saturday.

** South Dakota is crushed by Northern Iowa 66-7 on the road. Then responds by making quick work of FCS foes Drake (51-21) and Southeastern Louisiana (44-13). But then embarks on a four-game losing streak. But pulls it together for a 45-21 thrashing of Southern Utah and a 50-48 closer-then-it-should’ve-been win at Cal Poly.

** Following a season-opening win, Southern Utah then loses three straight. But turns around and beats Top 25 foe Texas State. But then loses at Cal Poly 24-23 thanks to a missed game-tying extra point. But then beats North Dakota and UC Davis. But then is crushed by South Dakota on the road.

** And Cal Poly hangs tough in back-to-back FBS games, and then edges Top 25 South Dakota State at home. Following a loss at Montana, the Mustangs win two straight. But then lose three straight, against North Dakota, UC Davis and South Dakota.

Balanced much?

SD Football Finals Day 3

The Press & Dakotan will be covering tonight’s (Saturday) Class 11AA state high school football championship game at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Sports Editor James D. Cimburek will be providing Twitter updates from the game, which starts at 7:30 p.m.

Follow our updates here.

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FINAL: Sioux Falls Washington 27, Aberdeen Central 10

Great West teleConference 11/9

(Tried a new headline there……)

Some news, notes and quotes from today’s Great West Conference football coaches media teleconference.

** Results from the weekend: UC Davis defeated Cal Poly 23-10; South Dakota cruised past Southern Utah 45-21; and North Dakota edged NAIA Southern Oregon 30-24.

** So, that sets up a title game showdown with UC Davis and North Dakota, both 2-1 in the league, this Saturday in Davis, Calif.

** Coming into Saturday’s game with Southern Utah, the USD defense had recorded a total of three interceptions in eight games. But Saturday? Four interceptions. (Here’s my game story).

** Leading the way offensively for USD was sophomore Chris Ganious, this week’s Great West Player of the Week. The Texas native rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Said USD coach Ed Meierkort, “He’s not a very big back, but has a quick burst … He’s a very disciplined kid …. Improved a ton this year.”

** USD’s next opponent, Cal Poly, isn’t quite the same team that handed the Coyotes a 49-22 loss last season in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Mustangs are 1-2 in league play, but in their only win (over Southern Utah) benefited from a missed game-tying extra point by the opponent. Said Poly coach Tim Walsh, “We’re searching for answers … We’re not playing for the future, we’re playing to win right now.”

** This weekend: North Dakota is at UC Davis; South Dakota is at Cal Poly; and Southern Utha hosts Eastern Washington.

USD football vs. Southern Utah

Today, the University of South Dakota football team hosts Southern Utah in a Great West Conference showdown in Vermillion.

USD comes in 3-5 overall and 0-2 in league play, while Southern Utah — easily the talk of the conference — is 4-4 and 2-1. The Thunderbirds have routed North Dakota and UC Davis, and lost by one point at Cal Poly.

I’ll have a live game blog going, so feel free to join in, follow along and comment (if you’re so inclined).

Here’s the link to the blog.

USD Men Tabbed First In GWC

A quick break from high school football….

The University of South Dakota men’s basketball team has been picked to win the Great West Conference title this season, according to the coaches preseason poll released Thursday.

USD received a total of 41 points, including 3 first place selections.Rounding out the poll was Utah Valley (38, 2 first place votes), Chicago State (35, 1 first), North Dakota (26, 1 first), Houston Baptist (23), New Jersey Tech (17) and Texas-Pan American (16).

So, as you can see, the Coyotes weren’t the overwhelming favorite, but still, the league coaches appear impressed with USD’s chances in the conference’s first season.

USD senior forward Tyler Cain was named the league’s Preseason Player of the Year. Last year, Cain averaged 15.4 points, 11 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game on the way to All-Independent honors — including Independent Defensive Player of the Year.

Joining Cain on the Preseason All-Conference First Team were USD’s Louie Krogman, Chicago State’s Carl Montgomery, NJIT’s Jheryl Wilson and UTPA’s Nick Weiermiller.

Also for USD, senior Roman Gentry was named to the Second Team.

The Coyotes, under 22nd-year head coach Dave Boots, return three starters (Cain, Krogman and senior Steve Smith) and seven letterwinners. USD also brings in a pair of junior college transfers (Mitchell Bouie and Kendall Cutler), while also adding four freshmen.

USD opens its 2009-10 season Nov. 13 at the Duel in the Desert Classic, being hosted by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tex.