COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW
WHITWORTH PIRATES Coach: Rod Sandberg, fourth season (23-8 at Whitworth & overall)
Ian Kolste completed nearly 72 percent of his throws last season for the pass-first Pirates.
WHITWORTH ATHLETICS PHOTO
QB SPOTLIGHT
IAN KOLSTE He’s the catalyst for a Whitworth offense that led the Northwest Conference in scoring in 2016 and is poised to be even more potent this season. The senior quarterback from Oak Harbor, Washington — who is drawing preseason All-America notice — broke out in his second year as a starter (his average game day: 35-of-49 for 379 yards and three touchdowns) and was named first-team all-conference. Kolste cut down on interceptions, throwing just eight in 488 attempts, and ran for four scores. The Pirates have depth and experience at quarterback; backup Jonah Koski, from Bend, Oregon, is also a senior. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he has 3 inches and almost 20 pounds on Kolste, offering opposing defenses a different look. Koski saw action in eight of 10 games last season, completing all 13 of his passes for 130 yards and a pair of scores. (MICHAEL MAHONEY)
2017 PIRATES SCHEDULE Sept. 2 at Central (Iowa) Sept. 9 vs. Whittier Sept. 16 vs. La Verne Sept. 30 at Linfield Oct. 7 vs. George Fox Oct. 14 at Pacific Lutheran Oct. 21 vs. Puget Sound Oct. 28 at Pacific (Oregon) Nov. 4 at Lewis & Clark Nov. 11 vs. Willamette
2016 record: 6-1 Northwest Conference/8-2 overall 2017 preseason prediction: Inlander says: 2nd in NWC for the 3rd consecutive year The big story: It’s not on the field, or off the field. It is the field. The Pine Bowl, the Pirates’ home for more than 80 years, is getting a makeover; the centerpiece is a million-dollar green carpet — a new FieldTurf playing surface. Whitworth was the second-to-last conference holdout; Puget Sound is now the lone team to play on grass. The Pirates are on a strong three-year run (with a 2015 playoff appearance) under Sandberg, who made his reputation as a defensive coach at Division III power Wheaton. He guided Whitworth to its second straight runner-up finish last year despite a defense that surrendered 30 points per game, giving up more than 40 four times. This year’s unit has strong senior leadership in LB Patch Kulp and CBs Taylor Roelofs and LJ Benson, but the line, which Sandberg also coaches, is greener than the new turf. The defense may not have to improve much if the offense plays to its potential. Under coordinator (and former Shadle Park coach) Alan Stanfield, the Pirates throw the ball all over the yard. They were a scoring machine in 2016, averaging nearly 46 points per game and racking up more than 50 four times. Senior Ian Kolste is the NWC’s best quarterback, and three senior standouts, Garrett McKay and former Greater Spokane League stars Kevin Thomas (Gonzaga Prep) and Nick Kiourkas (Shadle) lead a loaded receiving corps; last year, the trio teamed for more than 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns. The big game: One team has stood between the Pirates and first place the past two years: Linfield, a perennial Division III power with 61 consecutive winning seasons, eight straight conference crowns (40 overall) and four national titles. This year’s game is Sept. 30 in McMinnville, Oregon, where the Wildcats are 48-2 in their past 50. Last year, the Pirates fell 45-31 at the Pine Bowl, their 10th loss in a row to Linfield. (MICHAEL MAHONEY)
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