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Vandals return from
Sun Belt Media Day
NEW ORLEANS — Head coach Paul Petrino, quarterback Matt Linehan and defensive lineman Aikeem Coleman represented the Idaho Vandals at the Sun Belt Media Day on Monday.
The Vandals went 9-4 last year after taking down Colorado State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. It’s Idaho’s final season in the Sun Belt before dropping to FCS and the Big Sky Conference, and all three participants in media day stressed the team mantra of “raise the bar.”
We’re trying to raise the raise the bar,” Coleman said. “But raising the bar means we have to get more wins than we did last year. So 10 or 11, somewhere in the double digits is perfect.”
“Our moniker is #RaiseTheBar and I think we expect to not only just as well, but better than last year,” Linehan said. “We’re confident in a lot of guys that we have returning. We’re confident in our scheme and our team. I think we’re going to do a great job this year.”
Petrino had a lot of positive things to say about both his offense, but the Idaho head coach really lit up when talking about his defense.
“I think our strength, what we’re really excited about, is our speed on defense,” Petrino said. “I think it will be the most speed on defense since I’ve been at Idaho.”
Idaho opens at home on a Thursday night, Aug. 31 vs. Sacramento State.
TV times announced
for EWU football games
Game times for all 11 Eastern Washington University football games have been set, as well as television coverage for EWU’s five home contests.
Eastern’s Sept. 9 (North Dakota State), Oct. 14 (Montana State) and Nov. 4 (Weber State for Homecoming) games are slated to start at 1:05 p.m. Pacific time. Eastern’s Hall of Fame Game on Sept. 30 (Sacramento State) will start at 1:35 p.m., and the home finale on Nov. 18 (Portland State) is slated for 3:05 p.m.
The first four home games will be broadcast regionally by SWX, while the game versus PSU will be televised by Root Sports. Root is in the process of finalizing its NBA schedule for the coming year and may have to adjust its Big Sky Conference broadcast times. As a result, game times for EWU’s home games on Oct. 14, Nov. 4 and Nov. 18 are considered tentative and may be adjusted slightly.
Eastern opens the season at Texas Tech on Sept. 2 in a game that will be televised on the Fox Sports Networks at 1 p.m. Pacific time. Eastern plays at Fordham on Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. Pacific time, then opens Big Sky play at Montana on Root at 5:05 p.m. Pacific time on Sept. 23.
Eastern’s other road games are at UC Davis on Oct. 7 (6 p.m.), Southern Utah on Oct. 21 (4:05 p.m. via Eleven Sports) and North Dakota on Nov. 11 (11:05 a.m. on the MidCo Sports Network).
Whalen medals at U.S. Amateur
qualifying at Palouse Ridge
PULLMAN — Aaron Whalen of Ephrata, Wash., shot rounds of 64-68—132 to take medalist honors at U.S. Amateur qualifying Monday at Palouse Ridge Golf Club.
Also qualifying were Hayden Buckley of Belden, Miss., (67-67—134) and Lawren Rowe of Victoria, British Columbia (68-66—134).
All three advance to the 2017 U.S. Amateur Championship, scheduled for Aug. 14-20 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Derek Bayley of Rathdrum shot 72-67—139. Chase Mitchell, a recent graduate of Coeur d’Alene High, shot 74-73—147.
Shadow women bounced
in NWPL semifinals
SPOKANE — Former Lake City High standout Meaghan Bare scored the game’s first goal in the 14th minute, but that was it for the defending champion Shadow in a 4-1 loss to the Washington Timbers in the semifinals of the Northwest Premier League playoffs Sunday at the Spokane Polo Grounds.
Bare, a left back who will be a junior at Idaho State this fall, worked her way up the left side and fired in from about 22 yards out for second-seeded Spokane (9-2-0).
The third-seeded Timbers (7-3-1) advance to the NWPL championship game and will travel to play the regular season champion Seattle Stars, who were 3-0 winners Saturday night in Kent against fourth-seeded Fuerza FC.