By Matt Florjancic
D3sports.com
In the visiting locker room at Mount Union last fall, the Capital Crusaders knew they would be losing one of the most prolific passers in the history of NCAA Division III football. However, they thought one of Rocky Pentello's favorite targets would be in uniform when the team traveled to Springfield for the 2007 opener with the Wittenberg Tigers.
Though Capital head coach Jim Collins has senior All-American wide receiver Derick Alexander back on the roster, Alexander, who spent his freshman season at Tiffin followed by a year at Ohio Dominican, was unable to play in the 13-0 victory over the North Coast Athletic Conference's playoff representative in 2006.
"He's doing a great job as far as leadership," said Collins, currently in his 11th season in Bexley. "His presence is definitely an asset to our team."
Derick Alexander will be needed if Capital hopes to return to the playoffs. Photo by David Rich for D3sports.com |
Once Alexander gets back to playing shape, which could be as early as Capital's next game, a road contest at Wilmington in Week 3, Collins and the Crusaders will be looking for the Grove City native to become a leader on an off the field.
"We need him to really take over," said Collins. "Last year, he was a star player in terms of what he did for us and his accomplishments. He had a lot of good people around him with a very good group of senior receivers.
"This year, he's the lone returner," Collins added. "We're expecting him to make even more of an impact. He's the only skill athlete on our team right now with a lot of experience. It's really vital that he's back. Once he gets healthy, he's going to be a major part of our offense."
Alexander led the team in several receiving categories in 2006. Then a junior, he collected 67 passes for 1,093 yards with 11 touchdowns. The only Crusader to catch more touchdown passes was Mike Niedzwiecki, who corralled 12 scores. Because with those statistics, Alexander's coach wants him to heal quickly and reenergize the squad. The wide receiver's journey to Capital was not as typical as some of his teammates. Alexander spent two years playing in other programs. It was during his time in Tiffin and at Ohio Dominican where he matured as a player and a person.
While at Tiffin and Ohio Dominican, Alexander served as a defensive back. In fact, he played on the first-ever team fielded by the Oho Dominican Panthers. During the 2004 campaign, Alexander set an Ohio Dominican record with four interceptions in a season. He also returned an interception for a touchdown, one of only two Panthers in school history to do so.
The last two playoff runs by the Crusaders ended in losses to Mount Union, who in turn went on to win national championships. This season, if Capital is to knock off the Purple Raiders, Alexander must be an impact player for the Crusaders.
Wisconsin Lutheran starts season 1-0
After losing every game on their schedule in 2006, the Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors spent the offseason working to improve the program. While the mission of turning an 0-10 season into a winning record is not complete, the Warriors took a giant step forward last weekend.
The Warriors hosted and defeated Aurora by the score of 23-13 Saturday afternoon. Wisconsin-Lutheran earned the victory due in large part to the solid performances of quarterback T.J. Bodnar and special teams standout Erik Treske.
Bodnar, now a senior signal caller for the Warriors, went 21-of-36 with 279 yards. The MIAA Offensive Player of the Week added two touchdowns against one interception in the victory. Treske hauled in six passes for a team-high 59 yards, along with a 21-yard punt return and blocked kick against Aurora. Treske was honored at the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week.
Now they will go for back-to-back wins for the first time since the fifth week of the 2005 season. Their last victory, a 37-14 decision, came against the Tri-State Thunder in Week 4 of 2005. The next week, the Warriors dropped a 21-13 contest to Kalamazoo on the road.
News and notes
Mount Union's offense did not miss a beat in its opener against the Averett Cougars in Alliance. In addition to the 75-7 final score, the Purple Raiders outgained Averett in total yards 571-181, which includes 349-43 on the ground. Mount Union, which scored a record 52 points in the first quarter, will again be in action against Otterbein on Sept. 15.
Adrian and Tri-State joined Wisconsin Lutheran as the only MIAA teams to win on opening weekend. Hope and Albion both lost tough contests; Hope dropped a 54-24 home game against UW-River Falls, while Albion fell on the road at Butler, 42-14.
Wooster had an unceremonious beginning to its season with a 24-0 loss on the road to John Carroll. The story of the day was the passing game. Wooster threw for just 107 yards, while the Blue Streaks racked up 316 yards through the air. Mark Petruziello saw the bulk of the action, going 15-for-23 with 276 yards and two touchdowns.
The Case Western Reserve Spartans opened their 2007 campaign with a 37-15 victory on the road at Oberlin. Spartan wide receiver Tim Cowdrick hauled in eight passes for 122 yards against the Yeomen, but did not find the end zone. Fellow wide outs, Brian Webster and Shaun Nicely, caught scores from quarterback Dan Whalen. Corey Checkan added two more touchdowns on the ground.
Westminster (Pa.), Waynesburg and Thomas More are 1-0 after non-conference victories in Week 1. Westminster took down Allegheny on the road 13-6, while the Yellow Jackets of Waynesburg won over Muskingum 28-10. Thomas More received a great individual performance from freshman quarterback Josh Gauger against Hanover. Gauger completed 18-of-24 passes for 267 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Panthers.
Carnegie Mellon cracked the D3football.com Top 25 with an impressive 33-10 showing at Rochester. The Tartans had 499 yards of total offense against Rochester and controlled the ball for 36:20 against the Yellowjackets.
Games of the Week
Central at Hope, Sept. 8, 7 p.m.:The Flying Dutchmen are looking to rebound after a slow start in Week One. However, it will be a tough task against Central, who won its opener 35-10 over St. Thomas. A season ago, Hope lost 24-13 on the road at Central. They went on to run the table in the MIAA, while Central did the same in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Augustana at Baldwin-Wallace, Sept. 8, 1 p.m.: Coming off of their first losing season in 39 years, the Yellow Jackets went to Rock Island and stunned then-ranked Augustana with a 17-7 loss in 2006. This year, the Vikings will be looking for a measure of revenge against Baldwin-Wallace. If its game last week was any indication, Augustana, 65-0 winners against MacMurray, will not allow the Yellow Jackets to sneak up on them this year.
