In 2010, the Waynesburg University football team will look to reap the benefits of a 2009 season that saw a slew of young underclassmen gain valuable on-field experience. The Jackets finished the season at 5-5 overall and 2-4 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play under veteran head coach Shepas, who enters his sixth season as the helm of the team..

 

With quarterback Brad Dawson back after a record-setting junior campaign, the Yellow Jackets' high-powered passing game looks to be in good hands. Junior defensive tackle Darryl Moore, Jr. and junior defensive back Sean Hunt are back after productive campaigns in 2009 to lead the defense.

 

THE OFFENSE

The Yellow Jacket aerial attack gave their opponents fits in 2009. Routinely going with three and four receivers on the field, Waynesburg boasted the PAC's top passing attack with 272.9 yards per game. The Jackets turned those yards into points at a rate of 35.5 points per game, which also ranked first in the conference.

 

To keep the passing game humming, the Jackets will have to find a way to replace some high quality receivers from 2009, a move they are confident they can make.

 

QUARTERBACKS

It was a year to remember for Dawson, who not only set new career highs for himself, but also wrote his name into the Jacket record books on his way to being named an honorable mention selection to the All-PAC team.

 

His 2,718 yards through the air broke Jeff Dumm's previous single-season record of 2,534 yards, which was set in 2004. The third-year starter also produced two of the top 10 single-game passing performances in school history. A 362-yard showing against Hanover, which also netted him weekly honors from the PAC, the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) and D3Football.com, was the sixth-highest total in team history. The Pittsburgh native out-did himself at Westminster when he aired it out to the tune of 434 yards, which is the third-best showing by a Jacket quarterback in the program's 107 seasons.

 

Along with being effective, Dawson was consistent, throwing for under 200 yards just one time on the year. However, against Bethany, he still threw for 184 yards and four touchdowns  on 10-of-14 passing before being pulled for backup quarterback Ryan Williams just minutes into the third quarter. Dawson also eclipsed the 250-yard mark five times and played four games without throwing an interception.

 

Dawson was also a prolific scorer for the Jackets as he threw for 23 touchdowns, two shy of the school's single-season record, and rushed for five more.

 

While the depth chart still needs to be finalized heading into the season, Dawson's two primary backups appear to be senior Josh Graham and sophomore Doogie Sanner. Graham missed all of last season with an injury, but is ready to go for 2010. Sanner saw limited action as a freshman.

 

RUNNING BACKS

Waynesburg looks to stick with its running back-by-committee approach they have implemented over the last two seasons. Heading into the fall, three experienced backs will be counted upon to take some pressure off the passing game and add some variety to the attack.

 

Leading the group is junior Justin Falcon, who led the team in carries and rushing yardage for a second-straight season. He toted the rock 124 times for 491 yards and five touchdowns. Falcon's top performance came in a thrilling season-opening win over the College of Wooster during which he went for a personal collegiate-best 148 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. He also eclipsed the 100-yard mark at Grove City when he ripped off 119 yards and a season-high three touchdowns on 23 totes.

 

To go along with Falcon's grind-it-out style, Waynesburg also boasts a pair of speedsters in senior Troy Garove and junior Jamelle Bowers. During his debut season with the Jackets, Bowers showcased an impressive burst that allowed him to lead the team in yards per carry (8.1). For the season, he totaled 460 yards and two touchdowns on just 48 touches. Rounding out the veteran group is another speedster, senior Troy Garove. Garove has been relegated to mostly special teams during his first three seasons at Waynesburg, but he is expected to contribute more out of the backfield this year.

 

RECEIVERS

With wide receivers Josh Fisher and Ray Hightower II both gone, Dawson and the Waynesburg coaching staff will need to find some new targets to replace the combined 71 catches, 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns that the two provided. The top options, at least heading into the year, appear to be seniors Brent Heckel and Zach Fatigante.

 

Last year, both players enjoyed breakout seasons, in which they each set personal highs in catches, yards and touchdowns. Working from his tight end position, Fatigante pulled in 24 grabs for 356 yards and two touchdowns, while Heckel, a slot receiver, snared 22 catches for 296 yards and three scores. Heckel also hauled in the team's longest catch of the year, which went for 63 yards and a touchdown at Westminster.

 

The receiving corps will also get a boost thanks to the return of 6-5 Jeff Young, who missed the 2009 campaign. However, the athletic Young was able to showcase his abilities on the basketball court as one of the most productive members of the Yellow Jacket basketball team. Dawson will have another big target to throw to in 6-3 quarterback-turned-wide out Kyle Kyper. In his first year as a receiver, Kyper averaged 17.2 yards per catch on eight grabs. Seniors Dylan Davis and Mike Jones, along with sophomore Christian Jackson, help to fill out the depth at the wide receiver spot.

 

Moving back to tight end, the Jackets are excited about the potential of 6-3, 252-pound Adam Moses and 6-4, 240-pound Jesse Robinson, who are both going into their second season with the team and provide superior size at the position.

 

OFFENSIVE LINE

While the loss of three-time All-PAC right tackle Jared Bussard will be a tough one to overcome, the Yellow Jacket offensive line should be a team strength as two 10-game starters and a seven-game starter from last season are back to block for Dawson and the rest of the backfield.

 

All-PAC honorees Nick Hanley and Corey Dieterle, who man the center and right guard positions, respectively, are back after starting every game last season. Senior left tackle Melvin Warrick would have done the same, if not for some injury problems that forced him to miss three games in 2009.

 

Though there is a pair of starting spots without a returner to top the depth chart, the Jackets bring back several experienced linemen to duke it out for the spots.  Junior Nebojsa Nedic, who boasts good size at 6-2, 315 pounds, looks like the man to beat at left guard. Senior Mike Broda and junior Ben Chylinski are among the leaders in the race for the starting right tackle spot.

 

Sophomores Julian Pintola, Conor Brinkhoff and Anthony Giachetti look to fill out the depth on the offensive line, along with a slew of freshman and veteran returners.

 

THE DEFENSE

With only six starters back, the Waynesburg defense will feature plenty of new faces among the starters, particularly in the secondary, where only junior cornerback Sean Hunt returns. However, the unit literally gets more and more experienced as one looks closer to the line of scrimmage.

 

A pair of starters return in the linebacking corps, while the defensive line brings back a total of five players who saw starting experience in 2009.

 

DEFENSIVE LINE

After a year of breaking some new blood in on the gridiron, Waynesburg's defensive line is once again stocked with experience and production. Leading the group is led by senior tackle Darryl Moor, Jr., who leads all returners in tackles for loss (8.0) and sacks (3.0). Those numbers, along with his 44 total tackles, which ties for the most amongst returners, earned Moore second-team All-PAC honors.

 

After starting his freshman season as a reserve, sophomore Matt Krause worked his way into the starting lineup and never left it, starting the final five games of the season and tallying 36 total tackles, including 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. He was also honored as a member of the D3Football.com Team of the Week after racking up a game-high 12 tackles, with six of the hits being solo stops. He also recorded two tackles for loss and a sack, while making his first collegiate start against Geneva. 

 

The edges of the defensive line are also expected to be manned by a pair of experienced starters. Junior Josh Malenke (end) and senior Anthony Calcagni (anchor) both return and should start camp at the top of the depth charts. Senior Isaac Rosser returns for his final season with the Jackets after starting four of the nine games in which he appeared at the end position in 2009.

 

Second-year trenchers Ryan Pierson, Miles Underhill and Alex Smith make the defensive line perhaps the deepest group of athletes on the team.

 

LINEBACKERS

With junior Scott Bogdan (“sam” linebacker) and sophomore Alex Menton (“mike” linebacker) back after starting a combined nine games last season, the linebacking corps looks solid.

 

Menton started the final five games of the season as a true freshman and racked up 35 tackles, including 18 solo stops. Bogdan had an impactful sophomore campaign that included 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks an interception and the team's only safety of the season. Junior Nate Harr also brings starting experience with him from last season. Harr made his collegiate starting debut at Westminster and totaled nine tackles, five of which were solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss.

 

While the “will” linebacker spot is still up for grabs, a group of almost 20 returning and first-year linebackers will provide more than ample competition to fill the role. Included in that group are sophomores Miles Underhill and Jordan Helmick, who both saw the field as freshmen.

 

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The most questions to be answered on the defensive side of the ball come from the secondary, where three starters must be replaced. However, junior Sean Hunt is coming off of a breakout sophomore during which he started all 10 games at cornerback. As a sophomore, Hunt tallied 44 total tackles, which tied him for the third on the team. He also had 3.0 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and a pass breakup.

 

There promises to be some fierce battles in camp for the other three starting spots. No fewer than six players with varsity playing experience, along with over a dozen newcomers to the secondary, will battle it out for starting time. Included in the ranks are junior Spencer McKim, sophomore LaVance Turnage, Jr., junior Brandon Myers, junior Sam Byrne, sophomore Bryan Gary and sophomore Matt Czulewicz.

 

Also looking to make an impact in the secondary is junior Ryan Williams, who spent last year as Dawson's primary backup at quarterback and a speedy dual-threat signal-caller. A similar move paid dividends for the Jackets two years ago when the recently graduated Andy Lauterbach moved out from under center and into the safety position.

 

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

The Jackets lost one first-team all-conference special teamer in the offseason, but welcomes another one back in 2010. Waynesburg face the daunting task of trying to find a way to make up for the loss of graduated All-American returner Scott Cree, who was capable of taking a kickoff of punt back for a score at any time. However, the Yellow Jackets won't need to worry about who'll handle the kicking duties as first-team All-PAC and All-ECAC Division III Southwest kicker Jon Storck returns.

 

KICKER

After not attempting a field goal until the fourth game of the season, Storck connected on seven-of-eight tries, including a successful 48-yarder against Bethany. The native of Smyrna, Del. also hit on his first 42 extra point attempts of the season before finally missing on his final try of the season. Storck was also honored as a PAC Special Teams Player of the Week.

 

Junior Chris Marini is also back to provide depth at the position, along with freshman Jonathon Putman.

 

PUNTER

The Waynesburg coaching staff appears ready to turn the starting punting duties over to sophomore Zack Rogers, who spent last year as the backup to three-year starter Nate Feniello. Rogers attempted his first varsity punt against Saint Vincent.

 

RETURNER

As previously mentioned, finding someone to fill the shoes of Scott Cree on the return game will be a tall order. However, there are some experienced candidates.

 

Garove leads the group after averaging 16 yards per kick return on 13 run backs.