ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Perennial Football Championship Subdivision power North Dakota State sits atop this year’s Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll, but narrowly.

The Bison received 21 first-place votes and 380 total points to edge South Dakota State, which got 19 first-place votes and 379 total points. The two schools were conference co-champions last season.

The poll is conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors. The No. 3 spot is held by Youngstown State, which reached the FCS title game last season.

Northern Iowa and Illinois State round out the top five, followed by Western Illinois, South Dakota, Southern Illinois, Missouri State and Indiana State.

Bulldogs picked fourth in PFL vote

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Drake University football team was picked to finish fourth in the Pioneer Football League standings in a preseason vote of the league’s coaches.

The Bulldogs, set to begin their fourth season under head coach Rick Fox, return nine all-PFL honorees and 18 players who started on last year’s team.

Drake earned 67 total points in the poll. San Diego, which won the 2016 title, again received the coaches’ nod to win the 2017 PFL title, getting 99 points with nine first-place votes. Dayton earned 92 points with two first-place votes, while Marist was picked third with 69 points.

The upcoming 2017 season marks the 25th year for the Pioneer Football League — the nation’s only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league will feature 11 teams each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Championship.

The Bulldogs begin their 2017 campaign on Sept. 2 against South Dakota at Drake Stadium at 6 p.m.

MHS youth football camp is Friday

Marshalltown High School will host a Friday Night Lights youth football camp on July 28 at Leonard Cole Field.

Youth entering grades K-8 will receive coaching in the fundamental skills of football from the MHS coaching staff and current Bobcat players under the lights from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The camp is free, but everyone is asked to register with new Bobcat head football coach Adam Goodvin at agoodvin@marshalltown.k12.ia.us.

“Having the young campers under the lights on a Friday night with current MHS football players will hopefully be a special time for them,” said Goodvin. “Hopefully we can all have a great night of football.”

Participants are asked to wear a T-shirt, shorts and shoes to the camp.

GMG hosting youth football camp

GARWIN — The GMG High School football coaching staff will be conducting a Youth Football Camp for students going into grades 1-8 from July 31 to Aug. 2.

The evening camp will run from 6-7:30 p.m. each night, and will be held at Akers Field in Garwin. Cost of the camp is $25 per participant, which will include a T-shirt handed out at the conclusion of the three-day clinic.

Contact GMG athletic director Jon Reed at (641) 499-2005 for more information.