College Football | Look for ex-Huskies in Central Washington's lineup

It's time to see if newcomer J.R. Hasty can make big plays in Ellensburg for Central Washington just like he did last Saturday night in St. George, Utah.

The former Husky from Bellevue High School scored on Central's first offensive play in overtime, his 25-yard run giving the Wildcats a 44-38 victory over Dixie State.

Hasty, whose UW scholarship wasn't renewed after a troubled career, rushed for two touchdowns and gained 58 yards on 12 carries. He also caught three passes for 13 yards and returned two kickoffs for 51 yards.

Hasty is one of four former Huskies starting for Central. The others are tight end Jared Bronson, wide receiver Chris Rohrbach and cornerback Jordan Murchison.

Hasty and the 11th-ranked Wildcats get a visit from Mesa State of Grand Junction, Colo., at 1 p.m. today.

The state's other NCAA Division II team, Western Washington, opens its season in Bellingham at 7 p.m. today at Civic Stadium against Western Oregon, which lost to Portland State 31-14 last Saturday.

This is a year of league change for both Washington schools. They are back in the five-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference after two years in the now-defunct North Central Conference with Midwest teams.

Central and Western will play all league opponents twice, including each other. The first Central-Western game will be the annual Battle in Seattle on Oct. 11. The second will be in Ellensburg Nov. 8 and will be the 100th game in the series (Central leads 61-33-4 and has a five-game series winning streak).

Central has a new coach in Blaine Bennett, who replaces Beau Baldwin, now head coach at Eastern Washington. Bennett's staff includes his father, Shorty, a former head coach at Ellensburg High School and Whitworth College. Also on the staff is Peter Sirmon, former Oregon and Tennessee Titans linebacker from Walla Walla.

Central, whose senior quarterback Mike Reilly is an All-America candidate who is challenging some of Jon Kitna's school records, is coming off a 10-3 season. The Wildcats advanced to the Division II quarterfinals. Western was 2-8 last year under coach Robin Ross, now starting his third season with the Vikings.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com