Oct. 12, 2005
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -
JOE SUNNEN, THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
"I had a chance to kick there before when I was in high school and the ball hit off the crossbar from 47-yards out," Younggren said. "So that was a little redemption."
The field goal attempt was only the second of the season for Younggren. "It was a pretty short field goal, but I was lined up almost in the center," Younggren said.
He missed a 23-yard field goal in the first week of the season against Mesa State College.
"I wish I could have that one back because that was a really easy field goal," Younggren said. "I just got a little excited and pulled my head up and yanked it too the left.
Even though Younggren had been waiting since the start of training camp in early August to make a field goal, he said it was worth it.
"I didn't think it would take so long to get a field goal, but it was a perfect opportunity to do it," Younggren said. "I had all my family in the stands and a lot of my friends were there. It was a perfect time to do it."
Freitag is day-to-day: Starting offensive tackle Will Freitag is day-to-day with a dislocated toe and a sprained ankle. The senior right tackle injured the toe late in the first quarter against Central. On Tuesday, he spent time on the sidelines with ice on his foot.
"Right now it's a day-to-day thing," WWU coach Rob Smith said. "We just don't know."
Dale Moore replaced Freitag during the game, but the Vikings could re-evaluate the position during the week, Smith said.
Starting left guard Peter Van Datta could move over if needed and backup guard Zach Myers might get a look at the spot.
Staying optimistic: Now that the Vikings have had a few days to think about Saturday's loss to Central, Smith sees a few silver linings in an otherwise cloudy performance.
"I honestly feel like we're close," Smith said. "I really do believe that. Now I know it's hard to see that through the fog and the disappointment of the loss on Saturday, but we're not that far from being the team I know we can be."
Sack attack: The Vikings have recorded four quarterback sacks in each of their last two games since moving to the 3-4 defense against Humboldt State two weeks ago. Before the switch, WWU had five sacks in its first four games.
Defensive linemen Chase Schmidtz and Geoff Hise have each grabbed two sacks in the last two games. Hise leads the team with four sacks this year. The Vikings have 13 sacks as a team so far this year. Last year they finished with 16.
Something offensive: Quarterback James Monrean ranks 10th in the Division II nationally in total offense, averaging 293.5 yards per game. The Vikings rank 30th at 408.8 total yards per game.
Little movement in the polls: Central Washington stayed at No. 12 in the latest NCAA Division II Northwest Regional poll after its 37-17 win over WWU. North Dakota remained No. 1 in the poll followed by Saginaw Valley and Grand Valley State.
Hise, Olson rest at practice: Starting defensive lineman Geoff Hise and starting receiver Andy Olson did little at practice on Tuesday because of injuries. Olson was resting a shoulder injury that he suffered on his first catch against Central, while Hise was dealing with a calf injury. Both are expected back sometime during the week. Running back Duncan Sherrard also sat out practice with a hyper-extended knee.
