ARCATA — With an emphatic 37-7 win over Western Oregon on Saturday, Humboldt State's football team clearly established itself as the league's best, earning the 2011 Great Northwest Athletic Conference title in front of 6,012 fans in Redwood Bowl.

Boxscore

Leading the list of newsworthy achievements coming out of the victory was the fact that the Jacks earned the program's first title since claiming first in the now-defunct Northern California Athletic Conference in 1995. It's the 10th conference championship in HSU football history, which dates back to 1924, and comes in only the fourth year of Coach Rob Smith's tenure at HSU, a program he took over following a 2-8 campaign in 2007.

But even a conference championship, 9-1 overall record and 7-1 GNAC mark doesn't guarantee a berth in the NCAA Division II postseason playoffs, and Saturday's results in other Super Region 4 games aren't likely to be enough to grab a qualifying position reserved for the region's top six ranked teams.

"This is a playoff football team whether it's strength of schedule or whatever keeps us out" Smith said, after being drenched with the water bucket by his players as time expired. "I don't know for certain if this is our last game, but even if it is we know we're a playoff-worthy team."

Impairing the Jacks' postseason hopes were wins by five of the seven schools ranked ahead of them. No. 2 Washburn lost to Central Missouri and No. 7 Oachita Baptist dropped a 41-36 decision to Henderson State, but the the No. 4-6 ranked squads all scored one-sided victories.

Again illustrating their status as the best of the GNAC's best, HSU running back Lyndon Rowells and quarterback Mike Proulx led the way Saturday after being honored along with 22 other outgoing seniors during pregame ceremonies. Rowells broke his own HSU single-season rushing mark, racing for a career single-game best 246 yards to give him 1,417 this year. Proulx added to his distinction as Humboldt State's career passing leader, completing 19 of 37 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns to finish with a four-year total 5,063 yards.

Equally critical to the big win was the play of HSU's defense, which limited Western Oregon to 50 yards of total offense in the first half and 177 for the game. The Lumberjack secondary intercepted an incredible seven passes, nearly half as many of passes completed to their own receivers by three Western Oregon quarterbacks.

Strong safety Jerry Maluia picked off three passes, including one in the endzone thrown by WOU junior Cody VonAppen, thwarting a third-quarter scoring threat. Senior free safety Guy Ricciardulli snagged two interceptions, stopping another Wolves' drive when he grabbed a VonAppen pass, this time at the HSU 1-yard line.

"Am I reading this right? Seven interceptions?" Smith said as he scanned the postgame boxscore. "Who would think we could do that against (WOU's) quarterbacks. It was a combination of constant pressure by our defensive line and solid coverage from our secondary. Our players were determined."

The teams traded quick possessions on the first two series of the game before HSU's offense got rolling still early in the first quarter. A seven-play, 59-yard drive finished with the game's first score, a 20-yard touchdown pass from Proulx to fellow senior Kevin Miles.

After the defense again forced the Wolves to go three-and-out, Proulx hooked up with Miles again, this time firing a 19-yard touchdown pass that concluded a nine-play, 69-yard drive. Humboldt State's defense held WOU without a first down for the third straight possession and the Jacks' offense provided another score when Brian Blumberg converted a 36-yard field goal that gave HSU a 17-0 lead at the first quarter's end.

While it's offense continued to struggle, Western Oregon's defense stiffened in the second quarter, allowing only a 40-yard field goal by Blumberg that gave the Jacks a 20-0 lead at halftime.

Western Oregon appeared to have regrouped in the early minutes of the second half, but still couldn't find a way to stop the elusive Rowells. Having already passed the 100-yard barrier in the first half with 132 yards, last year's GNAC Offensive Player of the Year continued to rumble in the third quarter, carrying the ball five times to lead a drive that put the Jacks up 27-0 on Proulx's nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alex Hiebert with 7 minutes, 49 seconds left in the period.

Rowells contributed 43 yards on five rushes during the Jacks' next possession, which culminated with Blumberg's longest field goal of the day, a 44-yarder that made him 3-for-3 on the afternoon and provided a 30-0 HSU advantage.

The teams traded touchdowns in an anti-climatic fourth quarter, Western Oregon finally breaking through on quarterback Cory Bean's 18-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Royce Spencer with 9:21 left to play and Rowells rushing in from three yards out to answer for HSU.

Holding Western Oregon to 177 total yards of offense, the Lumberjack defense was paced by linebackers Casey Sarvinski and Jona Faraimo, both of whom topped the team with eight tackles each. Also pulling down interceptions were Jordan McGowan Smith and Tanner Webb.

On offense, Miles was HSU's top receiver with eight catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

The six Super Region 4 selections to the Division II playoffs will be announced Sunday following a selection committee conference call, as will the18 teams qualifying teams from the other three regions.