11-08-2005, 09:13 AM
Bears up two spots in penultimate poll
PIKEVILLE, Ky. â The Pikeville College Bears took a giant leap toward their first ever appearance in the football playoffs when Monday afternoonâs ratings found them listed at No. 14.
The two-spot jump may seem incidental, but considering there is only one more rating between now and next Mondayâs announcement of the first-round parings, it is a huge move forward for the five-year-old program.
âI felt we bounced back pretty well Saturday, all things considered,â said Coach Jerry Mynatt of his team which rebounded from back-to-back losses to knock off U.Va.-Wise 31-20. âWe hung around and hung around, and then when push came to shove, we stepped up and took care of business.
âI hope the raters saw that and renewed their confidence in us, and in turn, I hope that will lift the faith this team has in itself. Weâre one week from doing something very nice here, now we need to finish the job.â
Pikeville moved up after losses by No.11 Montana Tech, which fell to 15th, and ninth-ranked St. Ambrose.
The shakeups were noticeable after six of the Top 25 loss on Saturday. One of those teams was the highest rated Mid-South Conference team, Cumberlands, which fell from fifth to 12th after a one-point loss to rival Union College.
Georgetown moved up one place into the spot vacated by Cumberlands in preparation of the teams playing this week in the regular-season finale.
Another MSC team took advantage of the losses to move into the Top 25 for the first time. MSC West leader Bethel (Tenn.) College moved up to 24th despite its 6-4 record. The Wildcats are the only team in the poll with four losses.
The move may be too little, too late, however. The Wildcats need to be at least 20th in next weekendâs final poll to claim the Westâs automatic bid to the playoffs.
Carroll, St. Francis, Morningside and Sioux Falls are all still ranked 1-4, with Carroll still getting 13 of the 17 top nods and St. Francis the others. Tabor, still unbeaten at 9-0, is sixth this week.
Bears 15th online: Pikeville also moved up in the poll released by the Web site http://www.naiafootball.net, the only media outlet in the country which focuses exclusively on NAIA sports.
The Bears are 15th this week after spending a week at 16th, coming off back-to-back losses to Cumberlands and Georgetown. Speaking of those teams, the Tigers are fifth this week â the top five are identical to the official poll â while Cumberlands slipped to 11th. Bethel is 20th this week.
PIKEVILLE, Ky. â The Pikeville College Bears took a giant leap toward their first ever appearance in the football playoffs when Monday afternoonâs ratings found them listed at No. 14.
The two-spot jump may seem incidental, but considering there is only one more rating between now and next Mondayâs announcement of the first-round parings, it is a huge move forward for the five-year-old program.
âI felt we bounced back pretty well Saturday, all things considered,â said Coach Jerry Mynatt of his team which rebounded from back-to-back losses to knock off U.Va.-Wise 31-20. âWe hung around and hung around, and then when push came to shove, we stepped up and took care of business.
âI hope the raters saw that and renewed their confidence in us, and in turn, I hope that will lift the faith this team has in itself. Weâre one week from doing something very nice here, now we need to finish the job.â
Pikeville moved up after losses by No.11 Montana Tech, which fell to 15th, and ninth-ranked St. Ambrose.
The shakeups were noticeable after six of the Top 25 loss on Saturday. One of those teams was the highest rated Mid-South Conference team, Cumberlands, which fell from fifth to 12th after a one-point loss to rival Union College.
Georgetown moved up one place into the spot vacated by Cumberlands in preparation of the teams playing this week in the regular-season finale.
Another MSC team took advantage of the losses to move into the Top 25 for the first time. MSC West leader Bethel (Tenn.) College moved up to 24th despite its 6-4 record. The Wildcats are the only team in the poll with four losses.
The move may be too little, too late, however. The Wildcats need to be at least 20th in next weekendâs final poll to claim the Westâs automatic bid to the playoffs.
Carroll, St. Francis, Morningside and Sioux Falls are all still ranked 1-4, with Carroll still getting 13 of the 17 top nods and St. Francis the others. Tabor, still unbeaten at 9-0, is sixth this week.
Bears 15th online: Pikeville also moved up in the poll released by the Web site http://www.naiafootball.net, the only media outlet in the country which focuses exclusively on NAIA sports.
The Bears are 15th this week after spending a week at 16th, coming off back-to-back losses to Cumberlands and Georgetown. Speaking of those teams, the Tigers are fifth this week â the top five are identical to the official poll â while Cumberlands slipped to 11th. Bethel is 20th this week.