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2011 Final Standings
Looking back: Franklin won its second straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) crown, and fourth in the last five years last year, finished unbeaten in conference play at 8-0. Also, the Grizzlies have won at least nine games in a season for the fifth time in the last six years, dating back to 2006. The only season within that span where they have won eight games of fewer was in 2008, when they finished 7-3.
Looking ahead: The Grizzlies will be gunning for their third straight conference title in 2012. Meanwhile, the rest of the HCAC will be gunning for them in a big way this season. Don't be surprised if that happens.
2012 Predicted
Order of Finish (2011 overall record in parentheses)
1. Franklin (10-2): The Grizzlies advanced to the second round of the 2011 NCAA Division III playoffs, where they eliminated by eventual three-time national championship Wisconsin-Whitewater, 41-14. In fact, the Warhawks handed them their lone losses, as UWW pitched a 45-0 shutout at Franklin on September 10. Now, fast forward to 2012, as the Grizzlies will open the season at home against the very team Warhawks have beaten for the national championship the last three years: Mount Union, on September 1. That's followed by a visit to FCS Butler on September 8. Their HCAC opener follows the following week against Manchester, also on the road. So, it'll be interesting to see if the Grizzlies can continue to lead the pack in the HCAC.
2. Hanover (5-5): The Panthers finished in a four-way tie for second place in 2011 at 5-3 in the HCAC, a two-win regression from 2010, when they finished 7-3 overall in 6-2 in conference play. If they're to break the two-year stranglehold Franklin has on the HCAC, they must do it under new head coach Steve Baudendistel.
3. Mount St. Joseph (6-4): The Lions had a "Jekyll and Hyde" season in 2011, winning three games in a row, then losing three games in a row, followed by another three-game winning streak, then losing their season to Thomas More. If they're to win their first HCAC title since 2009, the Lions must learn to win the games that count: the conference games. Not only that, it doesn't hurt to get hot at the right time too.
4. Rose-Hulman (5-5): Another team in the quartet of teams that finished 5-3 in HCAC play last season, the Engineers failed to crack the 25-point mark in each of the five games that they lost in 2011. They'll be tested tremendously in the second game of 2012: a visit to NCAA playoff participant Centre on September 8.
5. Bluffton (5-5): How's this for a "Jekyll and Hyde" season? The Beavers stumbled to an 0-4 start right out of the gate, only to win to five out of their final six games, including a 46-27 rout of Defiance in the season finale, to end 2011 on a high note. Now, it'll be interesting to see if they can that next step in 2012: winning a conference crown.
6. Defiance (4-6): The Yellow Jackets will try to get back on the winning track in 2012 after their third four-win season in the last four years. An 0-4 start, along with a dismal 1-5 record at home, proved to be their undoing last season. They finished 6-4 in 2010. Oh, and they'll play against seven teams that posted .500 or better records in 2011. The Yellow Jackets will open up this season against two foes from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), in defending champion Albion, followed by a visit to Adrian (8-2 overall in 2011).
7. Manchester (4-6): The Spartans will also open the 2012 schedule against MIAA foes on consecutive weekends in Trine and Kalamazoo, before opening HCAC play at home against Franklin on September 15. Ouch!
8. Anderson (1-9): The Ravens will look to soar under new head coach Bobby Ladner.
9. Earlham (0-10): The Quakers enter their third season in the HCAC looking to snap a 20-game skid. Their last win came as a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), as they defeated Denison, 21-17, on November 14, 2009.
4 years ago
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