Hawks picked last in GLVC preseason football poll

QUINCY — The Quincy University football program broke out of the rut of being picked to finish sixth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason poll.

However, sixth looks a lot better than where the Hawks ended up.

QU is tabbed to finish last in the eight-team GLVC, according to the vote of the league’s coaches. Quincy garnered just nine points, getting picked last on five ballots and seventh on two others. It’s the second time since the league added football in 2012 the Hawks have been picked eighth, the other was in 2014 when the GLVC had nine teams.

Quincy was picked sixth each of the past four full seasons and has been sixth five times overall. This is the first time Quincy has been picked last.

Indianapolis, which has won seven GLVC championships, is tabbed as the league favorite once again. The Greyhounds received five first-place votes. Lindenwood, which shared the title with Truman State in 2018, received the other three first-place votes and was picked second.

Truman State was third, followed by Missouri S&T, McKendree, Southwest Baptist and William Jewell. Check out the complete poll here.

Quincy lost both of its games in the spring, falling 38-0 to Indianapolis and 30-8 to McKendree. A third game against Lindenwood was canceled as the Lions opted out of the spring season due to coronavirus concerns. The Hawks also had a scrimmage against William Jewell halted at halftime due to lightning.

Improvements offensively will be paramount if the Hawks hope to avoid ending up in the cellar.

They averaged just 1.97 yards per carry in the spring, while completing just 30 percent of their passes with three interceptions and 6.4 yards per completion. The lone spring touchdown came with 2:55 remaining in regulation against McKendree and trailing 30-2.

The Hawks return three players who were first-team All-GLVC selections in the spring in linebacker Peyten Chappel, offensive tackle B.J. Wilson and defensive lineman Collin Olla-Chatman.