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By DON CLEGG
The Mountain East Conference may be the youngest league on the NCAA Division II landscape but the needle is definitely pointing up as it kicks off its fourth year on the gridiron.
Shepherd got the ball rolling in 2013 when it won the first MEC championship and advanced to the national quarterfinals.
Concord topped that a year later when the Mountain Lions followed up an undefeated conference title with a Region One crown and made it to the national semifinals.
Two MEC teams earned playoff berths last year with Charleston joining unbeaten regular season champion Shepherd. The Golden Eagles dropped their playoff debut to Indiana (Pa.) but the Rams carried the MEC banner all the way to the national championship game.
As a result, what seemed little more than a fleeting fantasy not that long ago looks like an obvious next step for one of the nation's fastest-rising Division II football leagues.
Flanked by all 11 head coaches at last month's annual MEC Media Day, Commissioner Reid Amos couldn't help but raise the bar one more notch.
"A national football championship may have seemed an unrealistic dream in the past," Amos said, "but in three years with the Mountain East Conference, I think these gentlemen have proven it is within our collective reach."
The MEC is drawing plenty of preseason attention with Shepherd a consensus Top 5 pick and no less than six returning standouts from four different programs making at least one preseason All-America Team.
With a boatload of talent returning on both sides of the ball, the Rams were installed as favorites to make a successful defense of their MEC title by the league coaches - but it wasn't unanimous.
Shepherd received 9 of the 11 first-place votes with Charleston, which also features a strong returning core, checking in at No. 1 on the other two ballots. Concord, two years removed from its run to the NCAA Division II "Final Four" was a distant third.
A logjam of potential challengers - Glenville State, Fairmont State, West Liberty, Notre Dame and West Virginia State - followed with West Virginia Wesleyan, Urbana and UVA-Wise bringing up the rear.
Cater understands why his Rams were ranked No. 1 and fully embraces the challenge but he's been around long enough to know that past performance is no guarantee of future results - especially in a league with multiple teams now harboring realistic post-season aspirations.
Just ask Concord. After their run to the national semifinals, the Mountain Lions were a preseason Top 10 pick and the unanimous choice of the coaches to win a second straight MEC title at this time last year.
It didn't happen. West Liberty kicked a last-minute field goal to upset Concord in the season opener and the Mountain Lions never recovered, stumbling across the finish line with a 5-5 record.
"Concord didn't have the record they wanted last year but we were lucky to get out of there with a win by scoring at the end," Cater said. "There are no guaranteed wins. You have to be ready to play every week.
"When you look at the challenges we face in this league and compare that to the teams we've faced in the playoffs, you realize that this is a heck of a good football league. We have a bunch of teams who could have the playoff success we did if they get the chance."
There are four new head coaches in the league. Paul Price (Concord) and Mike Jacobs (Notre Dame) moved up from their defensive coordinator spots after their head coaches left for Division I assistant coaching jobs. Del Smith was hired to replace George Shehl at Wesleyan and UVA-Wise handed the reins to Dane Damron after Dewey Lusk resigned.
Here's a look at what they're getting themselves into with last year's overall and MEC records shown in parentheses:
SHEPHERD (13-1, 10-0)
With 14 returning starters, including a trio of All-Americans, the Rams have been ranked as high as No. 2 in some national preseason polls and look primed for another deep postseason run. Senior QB Jeff Ziemba was a National Player of the Year finalist after completing 235-of-373 passes for 3,414 yards and 30 TDs with just 5 interceptions. Senior WR Billy Brown had 89 catches for 1,492 yards - No. 2 nationally - and 10 TDs while junior OT Lavonte Hights anchors what could be one of the nation's top offensive lines. All-America DB/KR C.J. Davis is the headliner on defense but veteran All-MEC LBs James Gupton and Octavius Thomas return along with an experienced defensive front.
CHARLESTON (10-2, 9-1)
Coach Pat Kirkland's Golden Eagles return 8 starters from an offense that averaged more than 40 points a game but all eyes will be on QB Mason Olszewski, who replaces dynamic run-pass threat Jeremy Johnson. Olszewski won't lack for weapons. RB Marvin Elam is back to lead a highly-productive rushing attack while WR Joey Augustin and OL Justin Johnson have received preseason All-America notice. There are holes on defense but leading tackler LB Rhakeem Stallings is back along with DB Zaire Lewis, who led the MEC in interceptions. K/P Brett Benes is an All-America punter and a reliable kicker.
CONCORD (5-5, 5-5)
Graduation exercises hit hard at Concord but Coach Price still has some quality pieces at his disposal as the Mountain Lions look to rebound from last year's disappointing campaign. QB Brian Novak is a four-year starter while WR Jermiel Douse is one of the MEC's premier deep threats. Price will have to draw on his defensive coordinator roots as only three starters return on that side of the ball. DBs Jeremiah Johnson and Chaudlier Shepherd are proven playmakers.
GLENVILLE STATE (7-4, 6-4)
Program sales should be brisk in Glenville as Coach David Hutchison has only six starters coming back. The only starter back on offense is a good one as WR Dante Absher had 64 catches for 811 yards and 10 TDs last year. Wake Forest transfer RB Dominique Gibson will try to fill the huge cleats of 1,000-yard rushers Rahmann Lee and Tevin Drake. The outlook is a bit more settled on defense with five starters back in the fold and plenty of returning lettermen. All-MEC LB Marcus Umu led the team in tackles while DE Alex Robinson notched four QB sacks and 10.5 tackles-for-loss.
FAIRMONT STATE (6-4, 6-4)
Coach Jason Woodman's Falcons hope to build off last year's surprise third-place MEC finish with 15 returning starters and five All-MEC honorees. Defense should be the key as the Maroon and White bring back nine of 11 starters, including All-MEC standouts LB Marcus Porter and DB Jacob Jean-Charles. QB Cooper Hibbs completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 2,436 yards and 21 TDs with just four interceptions to key an opportunistic offense. Sure-handed All-MEC WR Fabian Guerra had 62 catches for 819 yards.
WEST LIBERTY (5-6, 5-5)
Coach Roger Waialae's Hilltoppers could be this year's MEC "surprise" with 15 starters and more than 40 lettermen back from a 2015 team that had its 2015 season derailed by injuries. Senior QB Dakota Conwell returns after racking up 46 TD tosses and more than 5,300 yards of total offense the past two years. WR/KR Anton McCallum had 41 catches for 732 yards and 8 TDs and leads a receiving corps that has been bolstered by several transfers, including former Purdue WR Dan Monteroso. Three-time All-MEC DT Darnell Vickers anchors four senior starters on the defensive line, leading tackler LB Garrett Vulcano is back for his senior year and a defensive secondary riddled by injuries a year ago looked much improved in the spring.
NOTRE DAME (5-6, 5-5)
First-year coach Mike Jacobs takes over a Notre Dame program that put up big offensive numbers but gave up big defensive numbers a year ago. The Falcons are loaded on offense again with electrifying QB Malik Grove, who led the MEC in total offense, back for his junior year. RB D.J. Green was the MEC Freshman of the Year after rushing for 1,132 yards and senior WR Mitchell Shegos is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Jacobs must shore up a defense that gave up nearly 6 yards per play and lost its top four tacklers.
W.VA. STATE (5-6, 5-5)
Fourth-year coach Jon Anderson had the Yellow Jackets on the verge of their first winning season since 2008 before West Liberty pulled off a comeback win in the season finale. With plenty of starters back, State expects to get over that hump this year. Junior QB Matt Kinnick, a former St. Clairsville standout, led the MEC in passing a year ago with 3,084 yards and 20 TDs and will be operating behind a veteran offensive line. All-MEC LB Dennis Gardeck ranked among the league leaders in tackles (93), sacks (11) and tackles-for-loss (22) while fellow LB Mitch Rowell led the team with 94 tackles.
W.VA. WESLEYAN (2-8, 2-8)
First-year coach Del Smith finds a stiff challenge awaiting him at his alma mater but the cupboard isn't completely bare. RB Mike Anderson was a 1,000-yard rusher while QB Ryan Deal, a part-time starter in 2015, should get the full-time job. He passed for 1,235 yards and 13 TDs with just two interceptions in six games. There are issues on defense as Wesleyan was last in the MEC in nearly every defensive statistic a year ago. That could make for an uphill climb in one of the most offensive-oriented conferences in Division II.
URBANA (2-9, 1-9)
Second-year head coach Tyler Haines is hoping 13 returning starters and a horde of returning lettermen will accelerate the rebuilding process at Urbana. The strength of the offense could be up front, with four of five starters returning. All-MEC WR Trevon Saunders is a proven commodity after catching 48 passes for 878 yards and 8 TDs while also making his presence felt in the return game. DL Clayton Bullard and DB Andre Cliff are veteran leaders on defense.
UVA-WISE (1-10, 1-9)
Dane Damron brings more than two decades of coaching experience to UVA-Wise, the last five as offensive coordinator at Eastern Kentucky. That should come in handy at a Cavalier program that has won just five games in the past three seasons. UVA-Wise does return 15 starters, including All-America LB Zach Blair, who led the nation with 28.5 tackles-for-loss a year ago, but it will be interesting to see how well the rest of the returning personnel fit into Damron's plans for this year and beyond.