By Ryan Briggs
Grove City SID
As teams throughout the Great Lakes region enter the 2004 campaign, it is apparent that what is "not" is en vogue at the start of the season.
Mount Union is not the defending national champion. Wittenberg is not the defending North Coast Athletic Conference champion. Washington and Jefferson is not the defending Presidents' Athletic Conference kingpin.
While those perennial powers did not have their season end the way they anticipated in 2003, a number of other schools were able to take their turn in the limelight.
Allegheny returned to prominence last year, winning the NCAC and qualifying for the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 1997. Waynesburg won its first-ever outright PAC title while Hope earned its first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association crown since 2000 by holding off challenges from Adrian and Albion.
A number of other interesting stories emerged in 2003. Oberlin rose from the NCAC's ground floor to wreck Wooster's title hopes and ultimately finished behind only Allegheny in the NCAC. Capital continued its climb to prominence, finishing 7-2 in the rugged OAC last season and 8-2 overall.
Of course, that is all in the rearview mirror. And the windshield gives us a wide glance at the future, the 2004 season. So let's roll down the highway and take a look at the four conferences within the Great Lakes Region.
MIAA
Overview: If you like wide-open, high-scoring football, the MIAA is your ticket. Case in point: Olivet averaged 28.2 points per game against conference foes -- and went 0-6 in the league last season. Hope's defense was less porous than the rest of the MIAA in 2003 (17.8 points allowed per game) and thus, the Dutchmen earned the conference title and reached the national playoffs. In the first round, Hope gained 526 yards and scored 45 points, yet still lost to Wheaton, 55-45.
But that doesn't mean that the MIAA doesn't have some standout defensive players returning after strong 2003 seasons. Adrian junior defensive lineman Mike Lewis earned First Team All-MIAA after ringing up 14 sacks last season while teammate Steve Gauthier, a senior linebacker, had 55 tackles and five sacks last year. Wisconsin Lutheran defensive back Phil Hahm had 112 tackles last year as a sophomore and is back as is Alma senior linebacker Scott Barriger (108 tackles, three sacks). Kalamazoo senior linebacker Jeremy Vanisacker brought down 88 ballcarriers and added five sacks in 2003.
Still, it seems as if the MIAA will continue its high-scoring ways in 2004. Olivet's Wing-T offense returns what is arguably the league's top 1-2 punch in the backfield in backs Mick Faasen and Kemp Luchie. Faasen ran for 1,241 yards and 11 touchdowns while Luchie gained 915 yards on just 106 attempts, an average of 8.6 yards per carry!
On the perimeter, Hope senior wide receiver Joe VerScheuren hauled in 69 passes last year and is back. Keep an eye on Hope's Jake Schrock. He caught just 32 balls last year but eight went for touchdowns. Schrock averaged 22.8 yards per catch last year.
Up front, Wisconsin Lutheran junior lineman Ian Schaeffer and Hope junior Josh DeHaan are a pair of All-MIAA returnees.
Favorites: Hope is the preseason pick in both the media and coaches poll after winning the 2003 title. Of course, no MIAA preseason favorite has won the league since Albion in 1996. Speaking of the Britons, they upset Hope in the regular season finale and return four starters along the offensive line. Alma has 17 starters back and four quarterbacks who have started at some point in their career ... Adrian is 15-5 over the last two seasons could have the best overall team speed in the league.
Dark Horse: Olivet was the preseason pick last year and opened the season with three straight non-conference victories. But things caved in on the Comets in league play as they went 0-for-6 against the MIAA. But with 11 starters back from one of the nation's premier ground attacks, the Comets have the capability to control the clock and keep the MIAA's other high-flying offenses on the sideline.
The Rest: Kalamazoo has Vanisacker and senior running back Matthew Jarboe to help lead the Yellow Jackets under first-year head coach Van Nickert ... Wisconsin Lutheran improved from 0-6 in its first year as a full MIAA member, 2002, to 3-3 last year ... The Warriors went 5-5 last year and could record their first-ever winning season this year ... Tri-State begins its first season as a full Division III program ... The Thunder went 0-10 as an NAIA independent last year but did play a full MIAA slate.
NCAC
Overview: Wittenberg's run of dominance ended last year as Allegheny won the conference with a 7-0 mark. But the three "W" schools -- Wabash, Wittenberg and Wooster, are the favorites. Wooster features standout halfback Tony Sutton, one of the nation's premier players. The Scots also return four of five starters on the offensive line, which should give the senior speedster plenty of room to run. Sutton averaged 217 yards per game last season and scored 30 touchdowns in nine games.
Wittenberg also returns a standout halfback in Raymar Hampshire along with 16 other starters. Denison current senior Phil Bowhuis finished second in the NCAC with 1,142 rushing yards last year while Earlham returns the league's top quarterback, statistically, in junior Justin Rummell. Wittenberg senior Brad Kassner is a two-time All-NCAC First Team pick along the offensive line, as is Wabash senior Dan Rodriguez.
With so many offensive standouts back, Wabash may be able to gain an advantage on defense as five starters return from the nation's fourth-ranked defense. Linebackers Josh Foster, Aaron Selby and T.T. Jackson provide the nucleus of the Little Giant defense that allowed just 50 points in six conference games last year.
The overall strength of the NCAC is hard to gauge in comparison to other conferences. Wittenberg and Wooster both went undefeated in non-league games but champion Allegheny went 0-4 outside of the NCAC, including losses to Washington and Jefferson and Westminster (Pa.), the respective second- and third-place teams in the PAC. Allegheny's two other losses came to Baldwin-Wallace and in the NCAA playoffs at Montclair State. The other six teams were more or less a mixed bag, going an aggregate 9-15 in non-conference play.
Favorites: Wittenberg and Wooster are the consensus picks and it is hard to argue with either. Both return a plethora of standout players on each side of the line. Wabash has a strong defense and also returns seven offensive starters to augment the Little Giant "D."
Dark Horse: Ohio Wesleyan. The Battling Bishops are always a very competitive program and every few years or so, OWU makes a strong run at the NCAC title. This could be the year for Mike Hollway's charges, who return all four starters in the offensive backfield, including quarterback Ryan Sir Louis. Three starters on the defensive line return, too. The schedule is also favorable as Allegheny, Wittenberg and Wooster all have to travel to Selby Field.
The Rest: Has any defending conference champion gotten less respect than Allegheny? The Gators were picked fourth in the preseason poll and do have a lot of holes to fill. Plus, their schedule is unforgiving with trips to Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan, Wabash and Wittenberg. Throw in non-conference games with Baldwin-Wallace, Westminster and Washington and Jefferson and you have a real meat grinder. Offensive lineman Phil Huffman leads the returnees ... Gerry Keesling finally takes over as the full-time head coach at Earlham after being interim coach in 2002 and an assistant last year. The Quakers return Rummell under center as well as their top four receivers, including sophomore James Jewell (65 catches in 2003) ... Fifth-year head coach Nick Fletcher is hoping his Denison squad can improve on last year's 3-7 effort. The Big Red are hoping to shore up a defense that allowed 40 points or more five times last year. Bowhuis is joined by standout tight end Frank Roe and quarterback Larry Cappetto ... Oberlin tied for second in the NCAC last year and went 5-5, the program's best record in three decades. Ryan Squatrito enters his third year as starting quarterback while defensive lineman Jon Ramsier led the NCAC with 23 tackles for loss ... Hiram has a new coach in Mike Lazusky but returns familiar faces in linebacker Mike Erkkila and running back Tim Anderson, a pair of All-NCAC picks ... Kenyon returns to NCAC play after a one-year hiatus under second-year head coach Ted Stanley. Running back Alby Coombs is back after rushing for nearly 1,100 yards last year as a freshman. He is one of seven returning offensive starters. The Lords are playing at Mount Vernon High School this season.
OAC
Overview: Top-to-bottom, one would be hard-pressed to find a stronger conference than the Ohio Athletic Conference. In the upper echelon sit Mount Union, the nation's premier Division III program over the last decade, along with perennial playoff participants Baldwin-Wallace and John Carroll. Capital and Ohio Northern have been on the edge of that stratosphere at various times recently while the teams that would comprise the so-called "second division" have done quite well historically in their non-conference games.
Standout players abound in the league on both sides of the ball. The national leader in pass efficiency, Mount Union's Zac Bruney, returns. So does Capital sophomore Rocky Pentello, who threw for more than 300 yards per game last year as a rookie. Eight of the league's 10 top rushers were underclassmen last year, also.
Mount Union All-American linebacker Shawn Spisak is one of the top defensive returnees in the OAC while Wilmington defensive lineman Brandon Tisdale is a three-time All-OAC pick. It is pretty clear that the OAC will once again be a star-studded league this autumn. It would be a shock if the OAC did not send two teams into the NCAA playoffs again this year.
Favorite: Mount Union is an obvious pick. The Purple Raiders have won 85 straight conference games, spanning nearly a decade. Bruney, Spisak and halfback Rick Ciccone lead the returnees. Mount Union's biggest obstacle could be back-to-back road games late in the season at Ohio Northern and Baldwin-Wallace.
Contenders: Baldwin-Wallace went 10-2 in 2003 and welcomes back All-America candidate Nate Wilder at tight end, along with linebackers Jason Princehorn and Joe George. Capital and John Carroll (51 returning letterwinners) should also be in contention for a national playoff berth if not the conference crown itself.
Dark Horse: Ohio Northern has a new head coach in former Thomas More taskmaster Dean Paul. The Polar Bears also have a new home field and return a pair of senior standouts on offense in running back Zach Weber and receiver Greg Evilsizor. ONU finished strong last year, winning four of its last five.
The Rest: Muskingum features two-time All-OAC selection Trevor Cooper at running back. He is one of nine offensive starters back from last year. Linebackers Todd Flitz, Dave Griswold and Matt Meggyesy all return, also. The Muskies started 5-1 last year but closed with four consecutive losses ... Otterbein returns cornerback Michaux Robinson, one of 13 returning starters for second-year head coach Joe Loth ... Wilmington has a new head coach in Phil Dorn who will rely on Tisdale to anchor the Quaker defense ... Heidelberg and Marietta both went 1-8 in the OAC last year with The Berg downing Marietta during the regular season. The Berg returns three senior starters in the secondary under second-year head coach Brian Cochran ... Marietta will showcase a new artificial surface at Don Drumm Field but will be without senior quarterback Justin Papania due to offseason surgery. Wide receiver Mike Valiente is one of the Pioneers' top threats on offense.
PAC
Overview: For the first time since 1998, Washington and Jefferson is not the defending conference champion. That honor belongs to Waynesburg, which nearly upset national semifinalist Bridgewater (Va.) in the first round of the playoffs last year. Washington and Jefferson also qualified for the postseason, routing Wilkes in the ECAC Southwest Bowl to also finish 9-2.
Like the other conferences in the Great Lakes region, the PAC is stocked with talented returnees. Westminster senior halfback Scott Froelich earned the PAC's Player of the Year award as well as the ECAC's Division III South Region player of the year honor after rushing for 1,483 yards and 15 touchdowns last year.
Waynesburg's high-powered attack features senior quarterback Jeff Dumm and offensive lineman Jim Hyland while Washington and Jefferson features standout safety Frank Pilato. Grove City brings back the PAC's 2003 leader in sacks and tackles for loss in senior linebacker Mike Choby. Thiel boasts a veteran offensive line that features center Robert Munch and guard Rock Davis.
In all, four teams received multiple first-place votes in the preseason poll. No doubt the PAC should be a league to keep an eye on in 2004.
Favorites: Much like the NCAC, the "W" schools are the favorites. Waynesburg won the PAC last season, going 5-0 and receiving a Pool B berth in the national playoffs. Washington and Jefferson saw a probable Pool B slot evaporate with a 10-7 home loss in the regular season finale against Buffalo State last year. Second-year head coach Mike Sirianni is counting on quarterback Chris Edwards and versatile receiver Aaron Krepps for big plays on offense. Westminster features Froelich along with several returning starters on defense, including tackle Tony Ventresco and defensive back Tom Froelich, Scott's younger brother.
Dark Horse: Grove City. Yes, it's my alma mater and my employer, but there is a strong case here. The Wolverines return eight starters on each side of the ball. Choby had 92 tackles last year despite playing with just one good leg. Senior split end Dave DiDonato caught a school-record 10 touchdown passes last year and finished with 52 catches. The Wolverines do have a vacancy at quarterback, though. Junior Bradford Clark and sophomore Scott Fichter are the top contenders to orchestrate Grove City's double-slot offense.
The Rest: Thiel could very easily be considered a dark horse or maybe even a contender this year. Head coach Jack Leipheimer is in his fourth season at his alma mater. The Tomcats return all seven starters in the defensive front seven and feature several standout athletes in the secondary. Darrell Satterfield is the Tomcats' likely starter at quarterback ... Bethany has a new head coach in former Chowan boss Steven Lee, who is also Bethany's new athletic director. The Bison were 1-9 last year and return just 10 starters.
