Football | 12/28/2011 12:49:00 PM

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – There's a new look to West Liberty's 2012 football schedule as the Hilltoppers have turned their eyes south in search of some new non-conference challenges.
    After facing teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and Northeast-10 in recent years, the Black-and-Gold will be lining up against representatives of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and South Atlantic Conference (SAC) before wrapping up the 11-game slate with a rematch against a highly-regarded southern independent.
    Head coach Roger Waialae, who enters his eighth season at West Liberty looking to bounce back from the first sub-.500 campaign of his head coaching career, says the opponents may have changed but the challenge for the Hilltoppers remains the same.
    “We come into every season with an eye toward putting ourselves in position for post-season play,” Waialae said. “Strength of schedule is a major factor in the selection formula so we're always looking for quality opponents in our non-conference games. When you add these teams to our league games, we should have one of the strongest schedules in the region.”
    There are no open dates on West Liberty's 2012 slate, which includes six home games and sees the Hilltoppers taking the field for 1 p.m. kickoffs on 11 consecutive Saturdays.
    The Hilltoppers open at home on Sept. 1 when Catawba (N.C.) comes to Russek Field. It's the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Indians, charter members of the SAC, have averaged more than 7 wins a season over the past decade while winning two league titles and earning three NCAA Division II playoff bids over that span.
    West Liberty's first road trip follows on Sept. 8 when the Hilltoppers travel to Ettrick, Va. to take on CIAA member Virginia State. The Trojans are coming off a 5-5 season after winning the 2010 CIAA title. The only previous meeting between the two schools saw Virginia State eke out a 10-7 victory at Russek Field in 1993.
    The Hilltoppers return home to open their WVIAC slate with a Sept. 15 game against West Virginia Wesleyan before heading to Fairmont State for a Sept. 22 game.  West Liberty hosts Glenville State on Sept. 29 and travels to West Virginia State on Oct. 6 to set the stage for a two-game homestand.
    Shepherd comes to Russek Field on Oct. 13 with Charleston following on Oct. 20. The Hilltoppers close out their WVIAC slate with back-to-back road games at Seton Hill (Oct. 27) and defending champion Concord (Nov. 3) before coming home for the regular-season finale.
    That Nov. 13 contest features the first visit to Russek Field by UNC-Pembroke, which closed out the 2010 season with a 31-10 victory against WLU in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Braves have won 31 games over the past four seasons and were among the teams receiving votes in this year's final NCAA Division II Top 25 after posting an 8-3 record.
    Several special promotions are planned for a number of Hilltopper home games and will be announced at a later date.
 
WEST LIBERTY
Date          Opponent                          Time
Sept. 1:      Catawba (NC)                   1 p.m.
Sept. 8:      at Virginia State               1 p.m.
Sept. 15:    *W.Va. Wesleyan             1 p.m.
Sept. 22:    *at Fairmont State           1 p.m.
Sept. 29:    *Glenville State                1 p.m.
Oct. 6:       *at W.Va. State                1 p.m.
Oct. 13:     *Shepherd                         1 p.m.
Oct. 20:     *Charleston                       1 p.m.
Oct. 27:     *at Seton Hill                    1 p.m.
Nov. 3:       *at Concord                       1 p.m.
Nov. 10:     UNC-Pembroke                 1 p.m.
  *-West Virginia Conference game