By Eric Sieger
Alma SID

While other schools and conferences in NCAA Division III football laud the new automatic qualifying principles, the Ohio Athletic Conference will most likely see its most competitive and deep group of teams in recent memory receive only one or two berths into the playoffs. But this should make for a most interesting season for fans of the most dominant Division III football conference this decade.

Of course, the most-watched story in the OAC this season is whether or not Mount Union can break the all-time collegiate record for consecutive victories. The Purple Raiders enter this season with a 42-game streak, dating to a 1995 national semifinals loss to UW-La Crosse. They are gunning for the University of Oklahoma's streak of 47 wins, established from 1953-57.

"They're so deep," observed Baldwin-Wallace's Bob Packard, whose team nearly ended Mount Union's OAC reign last season. "That will be everyone's goal (to knock off Mount Union) -- but it's not going to be easy."

Trying to unseat the Purple Raiders will be a trio of teams with formidable resumes. Atop the challengers' list is John Carroll, followed by Ohio Northern and Baldwin-Wallace. The Polar Bears were selected to finish second by both the coaches and the media at this past Tuesday's OAC Media Preview, while the Blue Streaks were selected third and Yellow Jackets fourth. John Carroll was the only team besides Mount Union to receive a first place vote in the coaches' poll, while Ohio Northern garnered four first-place votes in the media poll compared to Mount Union's 30. Baldwin-Wallace also picked up a first-place tally in the media poll. The media poll had Marietta fifth, followed by Otterbein, Heidelberg, Muskingum, Capital and Hiram. The coaches' poll had Muskingum fifth, rounded out by Marietta, Otterbein, Heidelberg, Capital and Hiram.

"The conference is tough -- bottom to top," said Packard.

Following is a short preview of each school, in D3football.com's predicted order of finish. Last season's overall and OAC records are in parentheses.

Mount Union (14-0, 9-0 OAC): The Purple Raiders will be hard to stop this year, as they are the odds-on favorite not only in the league but in the nation. Junior quarterback Gary Smeck returns, as he made the seamless transition from the Bill Bochert era and put his stamp on 1998 in the form of over 4,000 yard passing and 34 TDs. He is among seven offensive starters returning for head coach Larry Kehres (138-16-3, 13 seasons). Three players return on the offensive line in the form of seniors Tom Bauer and Mark Wolford and junior Jason Gerber. In the backfield, senior Dave Hassey and junior Chuck Moore combined for over 1,000 yards rushing, averaging five yards per carry. Junior wideout Adam Marino returns off a sophomore campaign which saw him rack up 1,337 yards on 74 catches and 14 TDs.

Defense, sometimes the forgotten stepchild in Mount Union's scheme, should be solid again in 1999. Seniors Matt Domin and Andy Conroy anchor things up front, while class mates Justin Sloan (linebacker) and Nate Crosby (cornerback) also return. Outside of those four, not many returners have seen significant action for the defending national champs.

Baldwin-Wallace (8-2, 8-1): The Yellow Jackets, seeking their 33rd consecutive winning season, will also be in search of their first OAC title since 1994, when they earned a share of the league crown. Reigning OAC Coach of the Year Bob Packard (138-42-2, 18 seasons) closes in on becoming the winningest coach in B-W history, as he returns ten starters from a team that was one quarter away from defeating Mount Union and capturing the league title last season. Leading the returners is senior linebacker Brian Dever, who continues the great linebacking tradition established at the school. The Yellow Jackets have had at least one All-America linebacker 17 out of the last 18 seasons. Scott Barwidi joins him at the linebacking spot, as five defensive starters return.

But Packard knows that the key to his team's success is replacing last year's OAC MVP Geoff Helmlinger. The top candidate is Ken Leonard. "He's the heir apparent," said Packard. "He has the tools, just not the game experience." Leonard will seek out split end Jeremy Caldwell as a top target, as he tallied 625 receiving yards while also racking up 505 kickoff return yards. Aiding the passing game is the return of 1996 All-America wideout Dave Price, who missed the last two seasons. Senior Matt Andreas also tallied over 600 yards while snaring eight TDs in 1998, and gives B-W three established pass-catchers.

John Carroll (8-2, 7-2): Under new leadership for the 1999 season, the Blue Streaks hope to replace memories of two heartbreaking losses to Mount Union and Baldwin-Wallace with a conference championship. Regis Scafe (16-34-0, five seasons), the defensive coordinator at JCU from 1987-93, returns as the head man after serving as head coach as Case Western Reserve for five years. Scafe knows that it would be a monumental achievement to knock off Mount Union, and he must do it with a young team.

"We only return three offensive starters, so there is an opportunity for people to step forward. But that's out biggest question mark entering the season -- our offense." A brutal opening schedule that includes nationally ranked Catholic U. will be a severe challenge for Scafe.

"We've got three weeks to get ready -- we need to make a quick transition" to a new scheme. Although Scafe has been on board since January, he knows that he and his new staff are untested. "We've never been in the heat of the battle together."

That offense will be headlined by flanker and return specialist David Ziegler, who set five school records in 1998 while earning All-America honors. He averaged 37 yards per kickoff return and 15 yards per punt return. Directing the offense will most likely fall into the hands of two-year back-up Eric Marcy, who figures to take over for the departed Nick Caserio. The Blue Streaks must also find a replacement for graduated running back Mike Ten Brink, but whoever does replace him will find a line that returns center Jim Ross and two-year starter Brian Fialkowski at tackle.

On the other side of the ball, senior linebacker Brian Zielaskiewicz returns as the top tackler from 1998 with 107 collections. He is among nine starters returning for Coach Scafe, as linebackers John Pellegrini and Danny Merrell also return. The line will be anchored by last year's top freshman in the league, Eric Urdzik, and junior Tony Turek. The secondary was unscathed by graduation, as senior Tom Rini is back at free safety, and is joined by strong safety Greg Kissell and cornerbacks Mike Soeder and Daryl Cleveland.

Special teams will also be a strength for JCU, as All-American kicker David Vitatoe returns as the nation's leader in field goals made per game. Ziegler will handle the return duties, while Josh Schneider, an All-America selection two years ago, will do the punting.

Ohio Northern (7-3, 6-3): With 17 starters returning from last year's fourth place squad, Ohio Northern has received mention as one of the Top 25 programs in the nation by a number of publications. Showing that the OAC might be the toughest football conference in the nation, they very well could finish fourth again. Head coach Tom Kaczkowski (60-67-2, 13 seasons) returns Steve Vagedes, a senior wide receiver and punter, who earned All-America honors at both spots and will spearhead the Polar Bear offensive attack again this year. Defensively, senior defensive end Len VanDeVelde will be among the leaders, as well as Scott Sweat and Shane Fox.

Marietta (6-4, 5-4): The Pioneers will rely on a solid ground game as they attempt to make a move into the top four in 1999. Head coach Gene Epley (53-65-3, 12 seasons) returns junior running back Kenneth Sasu to pace the ground game, as he gained an average of 163 yards and scored 13 times last year. He runs behind a line that has five returning starters. Six starters are back on defense, led by senior cornerback Terry Abron, who is also joined by senior linebacker Adam Saunders and sophomore free safety Scott Affolter. The offense will be boosted by the addition of Concord College transfer quarterback Shawn Taylor.

Muskingum (5-5, 4-5): The Muskies will continue to look for improvement in 1999, as last season saw them make a three-game jump into the middle of the conference standings.

Returning for head coach Jeff Heacock (86-87-4, 18 seasons) is eight starters on offense and seven on defense. A strong rushing attack will be keyed by three returning starters up front in the form of senior Brian Petruska, junior Jim Kornokovich and Eric Foust. Brad DeHayes, a sophomore transfer, should also add depth up front for the Muskies. Junior Jermaine McCrea returns as the top rusher from last year, but the rushing attack will be well balanced with senior Homer Atkins and sophomore Verlon Ward also getting a fair number of carries. Two year starter Jeff Morris returns at the QB slot, and will seek out senior Ryan Caldwell and junior Steve Herren as his top targets.

On defense, the Muskies are experienced up front with senior ends Matt Demyan and Brody Mautz. They must put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, as the Muskies enter 1999 with a young and inexperienced secondary. Senior Eric Peterson and Corey Dye return to fill the linebacking slots.

Otterbein (4-6, 3-6): Wally Hood (101-103-8, 22 seasons) returns for his fifth year as head man of the Cardinals. Hood welcomes 20 starters back from last season's seventh-place team, ten of which are seniors that have spent their entire career's under Hood's direction. Senior quarterback Matt D'Orazio is among tops in the nation, as he surpassed the 2,000-yard passing barrier in 1998. He will look for tight end Jeff Gibbs, and senior receivers Ben Streby and Dwayne Rowley through the airways. The defense is led by senior linebacker Roger Ailiff, who recorded a 100-tackle season in 1998.

Heidelberg (2-8, 2-7): Larry Shank (2-8, one season) returns for his second season at the 'Berg. He finds the cupboard well-stocked, as 18 starters return. Senior Jeff Brock will be the offensive focus, as the running back rushed for over 1,000 yards in 1998, scoring eight times. Joining him is dangerous wideout James Denegall, who tallied 720 receiving yard on 34 catches last year. Ben Stocum a senior safety, spearheads eight returning starters on defense.

Hiram (2-8, 1-8): The Terriers and head coach Bobby Thomas (16-54-0, seven seasons) will see the return of ten offensive and 11 defensive starters in 1999. Kris Giebel, a junior running back, will key the Hiram ground game, as he ranked fourth in the league in rushing a year ago while racking up six games over 100 yards. The quarterback position is solid for 1998, as Dwayne Pavkovich also returns. Senior J.C. Commander, perhaps the best defensive name in Division III, proved he could play up to his name last season by leading Hiram in tackles. Joining him as top returners are classmates Brian Rafferty and Paul Milcetich, as well as sophomore tackle Tom Day.

Capital (1-9, 0-9): Although they went winless in the league last season, the Crusaders are excited about the upcoming season on a number of fronts. They return 49 letterwinners, 19 of which are starters. In addition, their home-field surroundings will improve significantly with the ground-breaking for the Capital Center, which will feature expanded bleachers, a new press box and other refurbishments.

As for on the field, Jim Collins (7-42, five seasons) welcomes back senior signal-caller Shawn Wheeler, who is on track to break most of Capital's career passing marks. He completed 50% of his passes a year ago, and will lead an offense that returns all 11 starters. Also watch for wideout Chris Copeland and tight end Matt Howk to make some noise. Sophomore defensive back Matt Bailey returns as the top returner on the other side of the ball, as he tallied 47 solo tackles, four picks and five break-ups in 1998, while linebacker John Brant and defensive end Marshall Freda are other top returners.

At-large bid possible
The feeling around the nation is that if any second-place team from a conference with the automatic qualifier gets into the playoffs, it might come out of the OAC. JCU's Scafe felt that the AQ process should not affect how he and his staff approached the season.

"In the past, you had to win all your games to get in (to the playoffs). Now, you have to win the conference. Mount Union has raised the standard in the conference, so hopefully that will help."

Baldwin-Wallace's Packard was also unsure of whether it helps or hurts the OAC. "We're all going to have to wait and see what's going to happen."