2008 Record 1-9 .100 Overall 0-0 .000 Conference Location: Latrobe, PA Head Coach: Bob Colbert (Maryland '71) Stadium (cap.): Chuck Noll (1050) Conference: PAC Region: South 2009 Schedule

Though accumulating just a 1-19 record over the past two seasons, hopes are high at Saint Vincent College as the Bearcats enter their third season as a varsity football program.

Over the past two seasons, the Bearcats, composed almost solely of freshmen and sophomores, took their lumps against PAC foes, but head coach Bob Colbert says the time of his team using youth as an excuse is over.

“We’re out of excuses in terms of being young,” Colbert said. “I just feel we’ve had a built-in excuse for losing because we were so young, and I just don’t want our players to rely on that anymore.”

Entering the 2009 preseason, the Bearcats are slated to return over 80 players from 2008, including 21 of last season’s 22 regular starters. While the returnees are all a year older, Colbert also believes they are also much better.

“Our kids are grown up now,” he said. “We’re not a new team. We have the same number of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors as anybody else in the league. We’ll be better, and we will be more competitive.”

Offense
Ten starters are set to return on the offensive side of the ball, including a trio of two-year starters on the line and a pair of sophomore quarterbacks who split playing time a year ago.

The offensive front will be led by junior center Kelly Knepshield. A 2008 PAC Coaches Award recipient, Knepshield has started all 20 games over his first two seasons in a Bearcat uniform, including the past 17 at center. He will be flanked by a pair of junior tackles, Joe Mylant and Steve Shore, who have 33 career starts between them. At right guard, junior Shane Smith (Richmond, VA/Moacan) returns, after starting all 10 games a season ago.

Juniors JR Creese and sophomores Jeff Achezinski and Sean Sieg all saw significant time at the varsity level a season ago, while sophomore Jeremy Shultz is slated to make the switch to the offensive front after seeing time in six games at defensive tackle in 2008.

Under center, strong-armed sophomores Kevin Corona and Jake Smith return, as each saw time in all 10 games in 2008, with Corona making five starts and Smith three. Corona led the team in passing, completing 74 throws for 871 yards and six touchdowns, while Smith, a classic drop-back passer, notched 49 completions for 422 yards.

In the backfield, the Bearcats return the one-two punch of tailbacks Jairus Marlow and Zach Mihalko. Arguably the PAC’s most explosive player in 2008, Marlow, a PAC Coaches Honors recipient, finished with 458 yards on just 59 carries, good for a conference-leading 7.8 yards per carry. Marlow also is the owner of the longest play from scrimmage in the PAC last year, scampering for a 93-yard touchdown against Waynesburg in week three. Also a pass-catching threat, the speedy Florida native made nine receptions for 150 yards, with a pair of touchdowns.

Mihalko saw extensive time in all 10 games a year ago, gaining 285 yards on the ground. Also the team’s primary kick returner, he averaged 22.7 yards per return, including an 89-yard touchdown scamper against Washington & Jefferson in week seven. He finished the year with 1,131 all-purpose yards, good for fifth in the PAC.

Sophomore Chris Brown saw time in six varsity contests a season ago, while junior Jim Rockovich, who served as the team’s main punter in 2008, will also fight for an increased role on offense.

Leading the way for Marlow and Mihalko looks to be second-year fullback Joe Yezovich. The bruiser started all 10 games, gaining 113 yards on 33 carries while also making nine receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown. Senior Marc Gonzales, who started all 10 games in 2007, returns after an injury-riddle ’08 campaign, while a pair of third-year fullbacks in Joe Strickland and Scott Miller have also seen extensive varsity time at the position.

The Bearcat receiving corps also returns virtually in tact from a year ago, and is arguably the squad’s deepest position. Senior Dan Blaszkowski has appeared in 19 of SVC’s 20 games over the past two seasons, and again looks to have a big role in the team’s offense after making 15 receptions in 2008.

Junior Phil Masciantonio made the move from the Bearcat basketball team onto the gridiron last year, and immediately impressed, grabbing 12 balls for 158 yards. Masciantonio’s classmate, sure-handed Rob Minjock, saw time in nine games last season, making 11 receptions, while sophomore Jeremy Drischler is coming off of an impressive freshman campaign, as he led the squad with 183 receiving yards on 12 catches. Drischler’s classmate Marvin Daney appeared in nine games a season ago, averaging 16 yards on five catches, while 6-3 senior Jeff Woodring brings size to the receiving corps and will battle for increased roles.

The Bearcats also return a pair of gifted tight ends in senior Jake Gabelt and junior Sheldon Loughner. Gabelt earned PAC Coaches Honors a season ago, and evolved into a primary target for Bearcat signal callers, as he hauled in 14 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Loughner, a 2007 PAC Coaches Honors awardee, made nine grabs for 115 yards and a touchdown, and may also see time at wide out.

Defense
Ten of 11 starters return from a 2008 season in which the Bearcats made marked improvement, surrendering an average of 70 fewer yards and 14 fewer points per game from the ’07 campaign.

The Bearcat defensive line returns eight players who appeared in every game a year ago, including all four starters. Junior tackle John Jackson started ever game in ’08, tallying 38 tackles, including eight for a loss, en-route to receiving PAC Coaches Award honors. Six-foot-two, 300 pound sophomore nose tackle Taofik Amokomowo started nine games, finishing with 22 tackles, including 2.5 for loss.

Junior end Joe Titler made a home in the opponents’ backfield, leading the Bearcats with 8.5 tackles for loss while adding 3.5 sacks. Titler’s classmate Calvin Demillion has appeared in all 20 games over the past two seasons, making 15 starts at defensive end, and finished 2008 with 27 tackles, including two sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Sophomore end Mike Nadeau proved to be extremely effective in the Bearcats’ blitz schemes, leading the squad with 4.5 sacks to go with a total of 19 tackles. Sophomores Alan Wolfe and Evan Lucas both saw extensive time in all 10 games a season ago, combining for 19 tackles and three sacks, while senior Nick Burgo brings experience to the line, as he has made 16 appearances over the past two years.

Junior Jeff Graham, who has appeared in all 20 games over the past two years, making 93 career tackles, is slated to rotate between linebacker and defensive end in the upcoming season. In addition to Graham, three other starters return at the linebacker spot.

Senior Mike Speal made the successful switch to the defense after quarterbacking the 2007 squad, finishing 2008 with 57 tackles, including 5 TFL’s and one sack. Juniors Alex Rowan and Tom Quirin also made the switch to defense a year ago after spending their inaugural seasons at receiver. Rowan, one of the fastest players on the roster, made nine starts at linebacker, finishing with 54 tackles, two sacks, and 9.5 TFL’s. Quirin started all 10 games in the middle, and ended the year with 32 tackles.

Junior Jacob Kiefer has appeared in 19 of 20 games over the past two years, bringing 75 career tackles and 10.5 TFL’s into the new year. Sophomore Armando Fortunato will also see extensive time in 2009 after posting impressive an impressive freshman campaign, battling through injuries early to finish the season with 16 tackles (three for loss) over the final five games.

Junior Quillian Reid, a two-time PAC Coaches Honors recipient, will lead the Bearcat cornerbacks. He has started every game over his two-year career, bringing 82 career tackles and four career interceptions into the upcoming season. Sophomore Roscoe Barber, a Coaches Honors pick as a freshman, will man the other corner spot after a breakout year in which he recorded 60 tackles and a team-high three interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.

Senior Rob James, the team’s leading receiver over the past two seasons, is slated to make the move to the defensive backfield, a spot at which he starred during his high school career at perennial powerhouse Jeannette. Sophomores Drew Owusu and Chaz Coleman appeared in all 10 games at corner a season ago, combining for 30 tackles.

Junior Josh Diamond, who finished fifth in the PAC with 82 tackles while adding an interception, returns at free safety, as does classmate Sean Hufgard, who posted 18 tackles through the first two games of 2008 before missing the remainder of the season due to injury.

Sophomores Mike Kale, Terry Kernan, Matt Lomire, Josh Walters, and Zara Wallace all put together solid JV seasons a year ago, and look for increased roles in the defensive backfield in 2009.

Special Teams
Junior Aaron Jones returns for his third season as SVC’s placekicker, after converting six of nine field goal attempts in 2008, including three over 30 yards. Nadeau, who served as kickoff specialist in 2008, also returns.

Rockovich, who doubles as running back, returns as the team’s incumbent punter, after an impressive 2008 campaign in which he averaged 35.1 yards on 68 kicks, placing 14 inside the opponent’s 20-yard-line. He also blasted the longest punt in the PAC a season ago, booming a 68-yarder at Thomas More in week five. Sophomore Ben Pastorek also has varsity experience, appearing in three varsity contests and averaging just under 27 yards on four punts.

In addition to the numerous returnees, the Bearcats also have their deepest recruiting class, as the team’s preseason roster includes 65 first-year players, and Colbert feels that being able to attract so many newcomers is a testament to the direction of his team.

“Right now,” he said, “we’re coming off of a 1-19 record over the past two years, and we were still able to recruit more than 60 players. We’re up to more than 140 players total, so I think the program is healthy in that regard. It shows that the players believe in what we’re trying to do, and in where the program is headed.”

The Bearcats begin the 2009 season on September 5th, traveling to non-conference foe McDaniel College for a 1pm kickoff. The team’s schedule also includes an anomaly, as the Bearcats will face fellow NCAA provisional member Geneva College twice in a unique home-and-home series, hosting the Golden Tornadoes on September 12th before traveling to Beaver Falls for an October 24th night contest.