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A new football season is set to begin today for Wilkes University and King’s College.
The Colonels will host three-time defending Centennial Conference champion Muhlenberg today at 1 p.m., while the Monarchs will make the six-hour road trip to Ashland, Va., to take on Randolph-Macon, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference champions from 2008.
The Wilkes-Barre teams were opposites in last year’s openers as the Monarchs defeated Randolph-Macon at home and the Colonels dropped a decision in Allentown to the Mules.
This week, both teams have high hopes.
Here’s a look at both matchups:
Muhlenberg Mules at Wilkes University Colonels
Time: 1 p.m. today
Place: Ralston Field
Last meeting: Muhlenberg defeated the Colonels 34-21 in last season’s opener.
Wilkes Offense
The Colonels will be looking for quarterback Rob Johnson to pick up where he left off last season, when he passed for more than 1,700 yards. Another key cog for the offensive unit will be the ground game, paced by Harry Reese and a strong O-line.
Wilkes Defense
The unit enters the contest as an inexperienced unit. Coach Frank Sheptock says the team needs to focus on stopping the run and take baby steps the rest of the way in today’s game.
“They need to understand that they don’t have to do it all,” the coach said. “We’re playing well, then it’s a small drive, and then we start pressing, and we can’t get off the field. I think that part is going to come with experience.”
Muhlenberg Offense
The Mules are starting a freshman quarterback in Justin Kreamer from Ossining, N.Y. The signal caller won the six-player battle in camp as the team enters its first season since 1994 without a QB taking a snap in the previous season. He is also the first freshman to start the Muhlenberg opener since 1972.
The Mules are also starting newcomers at running back, but have leadership at receiver, tight end and the offensive line.
Muhlenberg Defense
Muhlenberg has had a stingy unit in recent years and this season should be no different. It uses a 3-4 defense but has a six-man rotation on the D-line, consisting of nine sacks from a year ago. In the secondary, Cameron Ahouse has amassed 125 tackles, 18 pass breakups and 10 interceptions to lead all current Mules in those categories.
Keep an eye on
Senior wide receivers Gennaro Zangardi and Jordan D’Emilio combined for 45 receptions, nearly 600 yards and six touchdowns in 2008. For the running game to succeed, the passing attack needs to be viable. If these two continue on last year’s success, the Mules could be successful today and the rest of the season.
A pair of District 2 alums pace the Muhlenberg defense and could be a key to stopping the Wilkes running game. Abington Heights grad Frank Emmett and Riverside product Scott Gavin anchor the Mules’ linebacker corps. Emmett, a senior, tallied 53 tackles last , and Gavin, a junior, posted 48 tackles.
Coach Sheptock’s
Comments
“We have to play more consistently for 60 minutes. The biggest thing for us to start a season stronger is to come out of camp fundamentally strong. The chemistry and attitude here right now is outstanding. But we have to sustain that through a very difficult schedule.
“Last year we played pretty-mistake-free football for 52 minutes and then the game was in a very critical position and we started to press again. We just have to execute very well early and that will give some more confidence to our players.”
Notes: Muhlenberg begins the season ranked second in the Centennial Conference preseason poll and has received 22 votes in the D3football.com preseason poll, the most of any team in its conference.
King’s College at Randolph-Macon
Time: 1 p.m. today
Place: Day Field, Ashland, Va
Last
meeting: King’s posted a 34-13 season-opening victory in 2008.
On the air: The game will be broadcast via video Web cast at http://www.collegetvticket.com.
King’s Offense
Randolph-Macon allowed a startling 366 yards per game last season, including 160.6 a game on the ground. The Monarchs ran for 212 yards in last year’s meeting. Tailback Claude O’Connor and fullback Doug Mucha will try to exploit the Yellow Jackets defense once again, which could open up the passing attack for QB Corey Lavin and receiver Mike Verbitski.
King’s Defense
According to King’s coach Rich Mannello, the Yellow Jackets run the ball with power and the Monarchs will have to count on their line to minimize the run opportunities.
“They run the ball very well,” Mannello said. “It’s very similar to where we were years ago with the run package and the great running back and the great play-action pass because of that.”
Yellow Jackets Offense
Quarterback Austin Faulkner heads the group with his 283 rushing yards and five touchdowns and 1,747 passing yards and 17 scores from last year.
Yellow Jackets Defense
Gamal Alwan, end, and Christian Stahl, linebacker, pace the unit that returns six starters to the front seven.
Keep an eye on
King’s linebackers enter the season as the youngest part of the team with three sophomore, two freshmen and a senior making up the six men on the three-position depth chart.
Randolph-Macon tailback Steve Matthews is taking over for a 1,200-yard rusher from 2007 and 2008, Zak Thornton. Matthews saw limited playing time last year, netting 188 yards on 20 carries.
Coach Mannello’s
Comments
“I think you’re going to have to establish confidence by series and I think regardless of where you were a year ago – they’re the defending ODAC champs and we had two wins – but both groups are going to have to gain confidence drive-by-drive because they are both different football teams today; whether you have a lot of guys back or not, their personalities evolve and from spring and preseason camp and you just put those things together drive by drive and how well we handle it and the adversity.”
Notes: The Yellow Jackets won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament last year after beating out three other teams in a four-way tie for the conference title. They enter this season picked to finish fourth in the conference, according to the league’s preseason poll. The Monarchs are in search of their second consecutive season-opening win for the first time in school history.