8/5/08
Football Preseason Poll
Widener has been selected as the favorite to capture the 2008 Middle Atlantic Conference title in a poll conducted of the conference head coaches.
The Pride look to carry on to their recent success and add another glorious chapter to their storied history. Widener (8-3, 7-0) last season made one of the most impressive marches in school history, notching the school’s record 17th Middle Atlantic Conference championship and also its 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The goal of staying on top will be challenging, but once the squad is sure it can attain the under the leadership of reigning MAC Coach of the Year David Wood.
The defense has been the staple for Widener the last few years as one of the regions elite and last year was no exception. The unit made numerous stops in key situations and will be called upon this season to once again lead the charge.
The linebacking corps suffered big losses due to graduation, but one consistent is sophomore Joe Favinger. The leagues Rookie of the Year and second team All-Conference, led the team with 80 tackles, including 53 solos, and 6 1/2 sacks for an impressive inside group.
The offence made lasting memories a season ago, including three fourth quarter comebacks at the end of the campaign to secure an umblemished league mark. Six started return from that group looking to continue making their mark.
The loss of Matt Campbell at quarterback will be tough in many ways. But sophomore Anthony Besten hopes a year’s experience will go a long way. Besten was the benefactor of last seasons JV schedule and hopes he is the one to lead the charge.
Special teams is key for any team. Having second team all-league kicker Tim Laurich will be critical after hitting 12 of 17 field goals a season ago. The graduation of present assistant coach Robert MuHugh at punter in a big loss. Sophomore Travis Brown is the leading candidate to take his place.
Delaware Valley (5-5, 5-2) is projected to tie for second.
Delaware Valley is coming off a season that saw the squad play six games on the road, including four against eventual postseason teams and one against a higher level program. Despite the formidable task, the Aggies posted their fifth straight non-losing season as they went 5-5 overall, 5-2 and second in the MAC.
The opponents are the same for 2008, but those six road contests from ‘07 have now become home outings where the team is 25-5 over the last five years. And with 40 retuning letterwinners, including 17 starters, head coach Jim Clements and the Aggies will look to recapture the top spot in the conference and bring home their third title in the last five years.
On offense, nine starters are back including second-team all-conference quarterback Mike Isgro. The junior completed 166 of 282 passes for 1,867 yards, 15 touchdowns and just six interception while also netting 292 yards and four scores on the ground. Second-team all-conference tailback Matt Cook is coming off an impressive freshman campaign that saw him tally 596 yards and seven trips to the end zone on 127 carries. Up front, senior guard Ralph Stambaugh returns after earning a spot on the all-MAC first team last year.
Defensively, the Aggies lose five starters that were all on the all-conference team. The linebacker trio of Kyle Reuter (58 tackles, 2 sacks), Zach McCann (51 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and Kyle Gesswein (48 tackles, 7.5 sacks) heads the unit along with senior end Greg Rissinger (25 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and cornerbacks Joe Barnicle (35 tackles) and Charles Squitiere (47 tackles, 3 INTs)
Albright (7-4, 5-2), was also selected to finish second in the preseason poll.
With a national preseason ranking and a 7-4 finish from a year ago, the Albright College Football team is ready to claw there way to the top in 2008. Under the guidance of second year Head Coach John Marzka, the Red and White truly have high hopes for this upcoming season, and are very excited at what this team has to offer.
Leading the Lions into the new season will be captains Matt Christ and Andrew Kibler. Each player exemplifies what a leader is both on and off the field.
A consistent threat on defense, Christ closed out his third season with Albright having started in all 11 games and finished as the team’s top defensive statistical leader. Overall he closed out ’07 with 72 tackles, 7 interceptions which he then returned for 91 total yards, recovered 3 fumbles, and broke up 4 of the oppositions pass attempts. Kibler is also primed to have another solid year at the linebacker position. Ranked third on the team last year with 67 tackles, Kibler proved to be one of the team’s top players on the defensive line, leading by both his words and his actions.
Albright’s passing game will be led by quarterback Tanner Kelly. The 2007 MAC Offensive Player of the Year, Kelly will be the anchor to this year’s offensive line. Voted the number one player to watch for in 2008 by USA Today College Football Preseason edition, Kelly will look to cap off his final season in style.
When it comes to a player that can do it all on offense look no further than Nate Romig. A top finisher in both receiving and rushing, Romig closed out his second year with the Lions as a First Team All-Conference selection. With 612 yards of total offense and team high 15 TD’s Romig will truly be one of the most dominant players, which Albright has to offer this season
Wilkes (4-6, 4-3) is predicted to finish fourth in the coaches preseason poll.
After suffering through a gut-wrenching 4-6 season a year ago, Wilkes University head coach Frank Sheptock feels like he has the offensive firepower and a revamped defense to contend for the MAC crown.
Although the Colonels finished under .500 for the first time since 2001, four of the six losses came by a combined seven points. “We need to find a way to win close games,” Sheptock said. “For some reason we couldn’t do that last year. We lost six games by a combined 24 points.”
Sheptock hopes that his seven returning starters on offense grew from their experience last year of not being able to win the close game. “Last year was a tremendously big learning experience as a program. We were competitive, but we tried very hard in the spring to instill things like maturity and resilience.”
Of the seven returning starters, four come on the offensive line in which Sheptock will rely heavily on to not only support his running game, but his passing game as well. Sheptock has plenty of depth to go around on the offensive front as four others have started a handful of games at some point throughout their time at Wilkes.
On the other side of the ball, Sheptock will orchestrate one of the youngest defensive units he has had in his 12 years at the helm. Five starters return from a team that gave up 235 yards a game, including just 53 rushing yards per contest. “It will be an interesting year for us on defense. We will be the youngest we have ever been,” Sheptock said.
Lycoming (3-7, 3-4) is predicted to finish fifth.
Lycoming College will kick off the 2008 season under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Clark.
Junior Colin Dwyer and sophomore Tim Hook will be the frontrunners for the quarterback spot when the squad reports to camp. Both men picked up valuable experience as a starter in 2007 with Hook starting seven games and Dwyer starting three.
One realm of offense that won’t change its appearance in 2008 is the rushing attack, headlined by sophomore Josh Kleinfelter, who started seven games as a freshman and led the team in rushing with 509 yards and a 56.6 yard per game average. He is joined in the backfield by junior Mark Rosa and senior Jim Laky.
Headlining the receiving corps will be junior Brad Shellenberger, who led the squad last season with 41 catches (9.0 yards per), including four touchdowns. Also returning for the wide-outs are junior Mark Ryan and sophomore Ryan Wagaman.
Anchoring the front line for the defense will be senior captain Chris Tribanis, who returns this season after an injury in 2007. He is joined by returning starters in juniors Ted Geurds and Matt Licci.
The linebackers will be anchored by senior captain Chris Smith on the weak side. Smith posted 44 tackles, including nine for a loss in 2007. Sophomore Ben Rosa, who moved from fullback to linebacker during the spring, enters camp as the frontrunner to start on the strong side after having a terrific spring.
The third defensive captain for the 2008 season will be senior safety Nick Reese. Reese was fifth on the team with 46 tackles in 2007 and leads a talented group of safeties in the defensive backfield entering camp.
Sophomore Jim Daley will lead the cornerbacks this season. Senior kicker Scott Erikson joined the team late last year and returns as the top candidate to handle the kicking chores this fall.
Lebanon Valley (4-6, 3-4) was chosen sixth in the preseason poll.
After a 2007 season which included heart-felt victories and nail-biting losses, the Lebanon Valley College Flying Dutchmen, entering its 112th season of existence in 2008.
Although LVC loses some key pieces due to graduation, 37 letter winners and 19 starters return on offense, defense, and special teams, aiming for a playoff-bound season.
Caleb Fick looks to anchor and take center as the starting quarterback for the Dutchmen in 2008.
Just a season ago, Fick played in eight games while platooning at quarterback, but finished his freshman campaign ranked fifth in the MAC in passing yards (137.1 yards/game) and total offense (152.2 yards/game). His passing efficiency ranked sixth in the conference (98.0) as he completed 50 percent of his passes (93-of-186) to go along with his seven touchdowns.
In the backfield, Charlie Parker enters his third season at tailback, leading an offense that finished first in the MAC in rushing offense (169.2 yards/gm). The third-year running back scampered for 1,105 yards on 241 carries in 2007, both single-season records.
LVC will be led this season by senior linebacker Brian Cottone, who racked up 93 hits, ranking him third in the conference and first on the team. In addition, he recorded two interceptions and 13 tackles for loss as a First-Team All-MAC selection. Joining Cottone at linebacker will be juniors Will Keylor and Bruno Iozzo.
Behind the linebacking core is the secondary, where three of the four starters will be back. Senior safety Andrew Shambach will lead the unit which includes classmate Bill Dixon and sophomore Tim Ridewood. A year ago, Shambach tallied 70 tackles, best for eighth in the conference and second on the team.
Handling the team’s kickoffs will be junior Dan DiBona, who made 9-of-12 extra points and a field goal last season. The Dutchmen also bring back sophomore Brittany Ryan, the first female football player in school and MAC history to participate in a varsity game. She knocked down 8-of-9 extra points.
King’s (1-9, 1-6) earned the seventh spot in the preseason poll.
The 2008 King’s College football team will look to erase the memory of a frustrating 1-9 season in 2007. Critical injuries, a rugged schedule that included four
NCAA national playoff qualifiers, and four losses by four points or less, contributed greatly to a difficult season.
The Monarchs enter the 2008 season invigorated, thanks the combination of a successful off-season training regiment, a promising recruiting class, and the excitement generated by a brand-new synthetic turf field.
In the early going, defense will be counted on to carry the team as heavy losses on the offensive side of the ball will result in a major retooling of the unit. Defensively, King’s returns 10 players who started at least two games, including eight regular starters. The offense returns just five starters and must replace four offensive line starters as well as finding a new starting quarterback.
The King’s defense will be led by senior linebacker Matt Rhodes who was second on the team with 77 tackles. Also back is senior defensive end/outside linebacker Tom Tulaney who posted 33 tackles with 10.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Senior lineman Mike Lovett added 38 tackles and blocked three kicks.
In the secondary, senior safety Shane McNamara tallied 58 tackles with three interceptions while junior safety Justin Zlotek added 47 tackles with four interceptions. Alex Watty started all 10 games as a freshman defensive tackle last season, making 38 tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss.
Offensively, King’s will have a large battle for the starting quarterback position. After 2007 senior starter Jeff Searfass went down with an injury at mid-season, King’s was forced to utilize three freshmen signal-callers. Now sophomores, Blaine Fox, Olayinka Soda, and John Cuiffo each displayed the ability to play at the collegiate level but none have emerged as a clear favorite heading into camp. Factor in Nick Strom and Corey Lavin, who also went down last year with season-ending injuries early on, and King’s has five sophomores challenging for the starting spot.
King’s running game will be headed by senior tailback Jeramia Jones, a returning starter, and sophomore Brandon Murray. Jones posted a team-high 368 yards, while Murray accounted for 151 yards after a mid-season switch to tailback from wide receiver. At fullback, junior Doug Mucha started all 10 games for the Monarchs.
The wide receiver slots will be anchored by senior Bob Cirko and sophomore Rick Ritter. Ritter enjoyed a fine rookie year with a team-high 51 receptions for 597 yards, while Cirko, who missed the first half of the season with an injury, added 16 catches for 345 yards and five touchdowns while averaging a whopping 21.6 yards per-catch. The sole returning starter on the offensive line is junior Brandon Cogley who held down the center position.
FDU-Florham (2-8, 0-7) rounds out the preseason poll in the eight spot.
Junior quarterback and captain Bill Winters returns as the leader on offense after throwing for 1242 yards and rushing for 248 more. He added 10 touchdowns through the air and another on the ground. His 248 rushing yards are the most by a returner after the graduation of running back Dan Harrison. Two of the top three pass catchers in 2007 will return as targers for Winters in 2008. Senior Rob Eck caught 33 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns while junior Kyle Bukowiec made 16 grabs for 180 yards and two scores. The offensive line will return four starters led by senior center and captain Garret Marron.
On offense, the Devils lose Second Team All-Conference defensive end Tom Capra but will return seven starters. Senior middle linebacker and captain Jason Stopper is the leading tackler returning from 2007 with 44 tackles, including three for loss. Joining him at linebacker will be senior Vinny Russo (39 tackles, six for loss), who will be looking to stay healthy after missing four games a year ago, and senior Logan Orros (30 tackles, four for loss).
The defensive line will be led by senior defensive tackle and captain Kevin Hatcher-Puryear (38 tackles). Seniors Don McCardell (six sacks) and Rob Roberts (five sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss) will also be back after finishing first and second on the team in sacks in 2007. Junior defensive tackle Nick Cusanelli also returns after ranking second on the team in tackles for loss with eight. The secondary will be full of new faces with all four spots being up for grabs.
Both specialists return for FDU as senior Mike Barnard(6-9 fg, 12-13 pat) will handle the kicking duties and senior Joe Minneci (33.6 avg, 12 punts inside the 20) will again be the punter.
2008 Middle Atlantic Conference Preseason Poll
1. Widener (4) 53 pts
2. Albright (2) 48 pts
2. Delaware Valley (1) 48 pts
4. Wilkes (1) 43 pts
5. Lycoming 29 pts
6. Lebanon Valley 28 pts
7. King’s 24 pts
8. FDU-Florham 14 pts
( ) First Place Votes