Explosive Pirates aim high
The atmosphere around the Whitworth College campus this summer has been even more jazzed than usual, thanks to the lofty expectations of the Pirates football team which will celebrate the 100th year of Whitworth football.
With 16 starters – including a trio of preseason NCAA Division III All-Americans – returning from last year’s 5-3 team that went 2-2 in the Northwest Conference, the Bucs are loaded.
And they seem confident they can parlay all of that returning talent and experience into more than just another first-division NWC finish.
“Everything has been really upbeat around here,” said quarterback Joel Clark, a 6-foot, 187-pound junior, who accounted for 2,668 yards of total offense – the second-highest number in school history – last fall. “We know we’ve got a good team.
“We knew that one day we could reach these high expectations people are putting on us. We know we’re getting up into the elite of D-III programs, and this year we plan to definitely compete for the league title and make it into the playoffs.”
The Pirates have not had a sniff of the NWC crown since 2001, when they shared the regular-season championship with Linfield and Pacific Lutheran. That was also the last time they made it to the D-III playoffs.
But with Clark and fellow pre-season All-Americans tight end Michael Allan and cornerback Ryan Marshall among coach John Tully’s impressive list of returning starters, there is a general feeling among coaches, players and fans that both droughts might end this fall.
Clark capped off his sophomore year, which saw him complete 64 percent of his passes for 2,234 yards and 29 touchdowns, by being named to the first-team all-NWC team. Allan, a 6-6, 235-pound senior, caught 36 passes, including a school-record 15 TDs.
Marshall, a junior, led the league with six interceptions last fall and joins Clark, Allan and junior linebacker Casey Clifton as returning first-team all-league performers on this year’s roster.
Marshall and Clifton are among 10 defensive starters who return from last season.
“I’m excited to see how good our defense can be,” Tully said, “because most of them, even though they’re only sophomores and juniors, have played a lot of football. They were athletic when they came in and they all wanted to play right away, which they did.
“Now they’re athletic and experienced, and were looking for big things out them.”
Tully also picked up wideout Steve Silva and safety Peter Ghilardi, a couple of junior college transfers who could make immediate impacts this fall.
The Bucs open on the road on Sept. 9 against the University of Redlands (Calif.), before returning home to host La Verne (Calif.) on Sept. 16. Other non-conference foes include Wisconsin-Stout and Azusa Pacific.
Menlo (Calif.) College, which joins the Northwest Conference as a football-only member this fall, will be one of the six league teams the Bucs will play.