Jim Allen

Steady wins the prize. That and a lot of hard work, according to Eastern Washington offensive line coach Aaron Best, who reveled Tuesday in the selection of lineman Will Post as an All-American.

When asked how hosting at least two football playoff games this season will help the bottom line, Eastern Washington University athletic director Bill Chaves didn’t hesitate. “It really doesn’t,” said Chaves, explaining that after meeting NCAA guarantees and subtracting expenses, “we know we’re not going to make a lot of money, but we’re not going to lose any, either.” And since the NCAA takes three-quarters of that profit, it made sense for the athletic department to set ticket prices “as friendly as possible so people would come to the games,” Chaves explained. The result: “Incredible,” said Chaves, laughing at his unintentional pun of the “incREDible” posters that in turn play off the Eagles’ signature red field. “I think the community has really gravitated and the program is on the upswing to the point where people are excited about going to the games,” Chaves added.

The Eastern Washington football team has climbed out of so many holes this year, it’s become a conditioned response. On Saturday, it came late in the third quarter of an FCS second-round game against underdog Wagner College, which had just scored 10 straight points to take a two-point lead.

Kyle Padron threw for 327 yards and Demitrius Bronson rushed for two touchdowns as Eastern Washington beat Wagner 29-19 in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs on Saturday.

As growth spurts go, this one is as graceful as they get. A young Eastern Washington basketball team grew up in the second half of Friday night’s game with Cal State Fullerton, gaining not only a 79-75 win but the promise of more growth to come.

The Gateway is half open, and Mike Westfall doesn’t intend to stop now. Eastern Washington Universtity’s vision for a multimillion-dollar, multiuse facility came into sharper focus this month – partly through a book full of schematic drawings but mostly because Westfall hasn’t eased up on a project that he says will raise the profile of the institution as well as the athletic department.

Injuries are just another opportunity for success, Eastern Washington head football coach Beau Baldwin likes to say. So when opportunity came pounding at the Eagles’ door earlier this season, who better to answer than Grant Williams?

When opportunity came pounding at the Eagles’ door earlier this season, who better to answer than Grant Williams?

Getting separation is easy for Brandon Kaufman, who has 1,270 yards and 10 touchdowns to prove it. But memories of the 2010 season are harder to shake than Deion Sanders; Kaufman doesn’t even try.

Ten days after it was earned, Evan Cook appreciated the reward of home-field advantage in the upcoming Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. That included Thanksgiving at home, a hard-earned bye week, and the knowledge that the Wagner Seahawks, and not Cook’s Eastern Washington Eagles, will be winging it 2,600 miles across the country after playing a first-round game during the holiday weekend.

PULLMAN – The Washington Huskies have pulled it before, drawing Stanford offsides on third-and-short to pull out a big win earlier this season. Not this time.

It was the little things, Beau Baldwin said, that added up to another big football season at Eastern Washington – and his selection Wednesday as Big Sky Conference Co-Coach of the Year. They included faster-paced practices, an emphasis on the running game, stressing pursuit angles on defense and more time devoted to special teams – all of which added up to a 9-2 record, a conference title and a No. 2 seed in the upcoming FCS playoffs.

The Brandon Kaufman highlight reel is gaining speed. Two more flew by on Tuesday: a top-of-the charts rating on ESPNU for a catch last weekend, and a unanimous spot on the All-Big Sky Conference first team.

The Brandon Kaufman highlight reel is gaining speed. Two more flew by on Tuesday: a top-of-the charts rating on ESPNU for a catch last weekend, and a unanimous spot on the All-Big Sky Conference first team.