Shippensburg is pick for PSAC West crown

Bloomsburg is favored to repeat as the PSAC East champion.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shippensburg University hasn't won or shared the PSAC West football title since 1988. Coach Rocky Rees thinks this is the season it could happen.
The Red Raiders also were the pick of PSAC coaches in their annual preseason balloting -- a switch from past seasons when Indiana, Pa., usually was the favorite.
"We appreciate the respect the other coaches have given us in the preseason poll, but we have to live up to our own expectations," Rees said.
In the East, Bloomsburg is favored to repeat after winning or sharing the division title the last four seasons. The Huskies have 16 starters returning, nine from an offense that averaged slightly less than 30 points per game.
"We have the experience required to be a postseason contender, but West Chester, East Stroudsburg and Kutztown also have a lot of returning starters," Bloomsburg coach Denny Hale said.
All offensive starters back
Shippensburg has plenty of reasons to be optimistic -- 11 of them. The Red Raiders return every offensive starter after falling one victory short of winning the PSAC Western Division last season.
With Western Division offensive player of the year John Kuhn returning, Shippensburg's offense expects to be as good or better than the one that averaged 27.9 points per game last season.
Kuhn, a 6-foot-1, 247-pound senior fullback, already holds Shippensburg's career records for rushing yards (3,198) and touchdowns (39). He ran for 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. Also back on offense are Rick Henshaw (1,674 yards passing, 14 touchdowns) and Patrick Ferguson (28 catches, 6 touchdowns).
Challengers
Edinboro and Indiana shared the Western Division title last season and are expected to push Shippensburg, even though IUP has only 10 starters back.
Edinboro, second in the coaches poll, returns Justin Bouch (2,044 yards passing, 15 touchdowns), fullback Matt Phillips (644 yards, 13 touchdowns) and wide receiver Justin Lipscomb (39 receptions, 6 touchdowns).
IUP, easily the most successful team in the West over the last 20 years, is still trying to get over being left out of the 16-team Division II playoffs last season despite being ranked sixth nationally.
The Indians' top returning players are former Pitt tailback Mike Jemison (1,311 yards, 12 touchdowns), Kevin Weidl (1,974 yards passing, 19 touchdowns) and LeRon McCoy (36 receptions, 6 touchdowns).
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