Pair Of Eagles On Academic All-America

Eastern Washington University added to its growing list of football firsts Tuesday when two of its players, senior defensive end Steve Mattson and senior wide receiver Jeff Ogden, were named to the first team of the GTE Academic All-American football team.

In being honored by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Mattson and Ogden became the first EWU student-athletes in any sport to be named first-team Academic All-Americans.

“It’s a testimony to their hard work,” said Eastern coach Mike Kramer, who will send his 12-1 Eagles the winningest team in school history up against Youngstown State (11-2) in Albi Stadium Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in the semifinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. “They are solid, steady and consistent, on and off the field.

“It’s a tribute to the balance they’ve been able to achieve academically and athletically, but their parents deserve much of the credit. They’ve raised their children to understand the importance of academics over athletics.”

Mattson, the son of Diane and Craig Mattson of Naselle, Wash., has a 3.67 grade point average in biology and pre med. Ogden, the son of Janet and Lloyd Ogden of Snohomish, Wash., has a 3.51 GPA in health education.

Mattson, who is EWU’s all-time leader with eight fumble recoveries, ranks seventh in career sacks with 14-1/2. During the regular season, he had 32 tackles, three sacks and three fumble recoveries. He also broke up three passes.

Ogden set a single-season school record with 1,148 receptions yards this season and tied EWU’s single-season touchdown receptions record with 13. His 217 receiving yards in a 40-35 win over Montana was the third-best single-game performance by an Eagles receiver.

Fans challenged

Albi Stadium has been a friendly home away from home for Eastern during the first two rounds of the I-AA playoffs, and part of the reason might stem from the fact that several players on the Eagles’ roster played their high school games in the 28,000-seat stadium.

Now, one of those players, defensive tackle Avont Grant, has challenged the city of Spokane to fill the stadium for Saturday’s game against Youngstown State, a school that routinely draws over 15,000 to its games in Stambaugh Stadium on its Youngstown, Ohio, campus.

“It feels great. I get to play in front of my hometown again,” Grant, a Lewis and Clark High School graduate, said after last Saturday’s 38-21 quarterfinal win over Western Kentucky. “I would like to challenge Spokane to fill this place next week. We need the fans.”

A crowd of slightly more than 6,800 paid to see last Saturday’s game, but Eastern officials said that was enough to cover most of the school’s $40,000 guarantee to the NCAA to host the game.

The guarantee climbs to $50,000 for the semifinals, so it probably will take a crowd of at least 8,000 to cover it.

General admission tickets for Saturday’s game are on sale at G&B Select-a-Seat outlets and the EWU athletic ticket office. They cost $8 for adults ($7 if purchased in advance by a group of 20 or more) and $5 for children and Eastern and high school students with proper identification.

EWU coach Mike Kramer said the crowds at his team’s first two playoff games have been “unbelievable.

“It’s become a festive occasion for our fans,” he added, “and they’ve become a big part of what we’re doing. I hope they all strap it up and are ready to go this weekend.”

Other Eagles who played their high school games in Albi include quarterback Griffin Garske (Mead), defensive linemen Jeff Allen (Central Valley) and Dario Romero (LC), defensive back Jimmy Lake (North Central), running back Shaun McMakin (Rogers) and starting offensive guard John Kane (LC).

Injury update

Kramer said he expects his Eagles to come into Saturday’s game healthier than they were against Western Kentucky.

Kane (ankle sprain) and backup tight end Lance Ballew (knee sprain) were held out of the WKU game, but are expected to be fully recovered.

In addition, quarterback Harry Leons has thrown well at practice and has shown no ill effects of the cartilage tear in his right rib cage that limited his throwing prior to last weekend’s game.

Quick kicks

Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on KXLY (920). There will be no live local TV coverage… . Youngstown State coach Jim Tressel is 106-46-2 in 12 seasons.

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