Chadron rated in national polls

Several football teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic conference are among the top-rated in the nation, according to a pair of recent NCAA Division II preseason polls.

D2Football.com, a Web-based publication, picked the RMAC’s Chadron State as the 15th best team in the country, as per its media poll.

Chadron was 11-2 in 2008 and rolled up a league championship.

Media members who voted in the poll also showed some love to RMAC schools Nebraska-Kearney, Colorado School of Mines and Mesa State. Though only Chadron cracked the D2Football Top 25, those three received votes; UNK and CSM are unofficially 29th and 31st, respectively.

Meanwhile, Chadron ranked 10th in the American Football Coaches Association poll, while Mines and Kearney are unofficially 35th and 39th, respectively.

Both polls have the consistently dominant Grand Valley State (Mich.) in the top spot. The AFCA poll rates 2008 national runner-up Northwest Missouri State and champion Minnesota-Duluth second and third, respectively. D2 has Northwest Missouri State and Delta State round out its top three.

The RMAC received additional notoriety with the naming of two preseason All-Americans by D2Football.com. Junior defensive lineman Marc Schiechl of Mines was tabbed first-team All-America on defense; Chadron State tight end Isaac Stockton is a second-teamer on offense.