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Fort Lewis College football still searching for RMAC respect

Coaches pick FLC 8th in the RMAC; Folaumoeloa honored

Coaches around the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference believe the Fort Lewis College football team still has a long way to go to be a contender.

The Skyhawks are set to embark on the 2015 campaign, and head coach John L. Smith is ready to begin his third year at the helm. He is 7-15 in two seasons at Fort Lewis after stints at big Division I programs, including Arkansas, Louisville and Michigan State.

During Monday’s RMAC Kickoff media day in Colorado Springs, the preseason coaches poll was released, with the Skyhawks picked to finish eighth in the 10-team conference.

The Skyhawks earned 27 points in the voting, five ahead of ninth Black Hills State and two behind seventh Western New Mexico.

But FLC will return nine starters on both the offense and defense, and Smith is excited about the team’s experience and added depth going into the season.

“The big key for us is that we have our offensive and defensive front lines back,” smith said during Monday’s news conference.

One of those defensive linemen, senior Sione Folaumoeloa, was named to the Preseason All-RMAC team Monday. He was the only Skyhawk selected.

Folaumoeloa, a 6-foot, 230-pound lineman from Salt Lake City, started all 11 games in 2014 and made 51 tackles. He led the Skyhawks with 12 tackles for a loss, and he led the team with 4.5 quarterback sacks.

Smith also singled out defensive lineman Dalten Lane during the RMAC Kickoff news conference, saying the 6-foot-2, 265-pounder from Gilbert, Arizona, will be a stalwart of the team.

“Our strength is going to be on the defensive side,” Smith said.

Among the returning starters on defense is Ryan Ross, the team’s leading tackler in 2014. He attended the RMAC Kickoff along with quarterback Jordan Doyle, who is coming off a broken leg suffered late in the 2014 season.

Defending Division II national champion Colorado State-Pueblo was selected as the coaches’ favorite to win the RMAC in 2015, receiving all nine possible votes. Colorado Mines was selected second and received one first-place vote, coming from CSU-Pueblo head coach John Wristen. Coaches cannot vote for their own team.

Chadron State was selected third , with Colorado Mesa picked to finish fourth. Western State rounded out the top five with 47 points, and Adams State, Fort Lewis’ main rival, was picked to finish sixth.

Also announced Monday was the RMAC television schedule. FLC will have two games televised, though none nationally like last year’s CBS Sports game against Colorado Mines.

The Skyhawks’ season opener at Montana State will air on the Altitude Sports Network. The game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Sept. 3, which is a Thursday.

FLC’s rematch with CSU-Pueblo will be televised on Comcast at 2 p.m. Oct. 10. The Skyhawks were the only team to beat the ThunderWolves in 2014 in a shocking 23-22 upset in Durango at Ray Dennison Memorial Field.

A more experienced FLC team hopes to add more big wins this season and to build off the momentum that win gave the team.

“It was a huge win for us, the school and the town, and it gave us a lot of pride,” Ross said of the win during Monday’s news conference.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com



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