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2001 Archives SARGENT FIRST TEAM ALL-UCAA (November 21, 2001)-Junior receiver Chris Sargent earned a spot on the All-Upstate Collegiate Athletic Conference first team as a return specialist while sophomore center Jared Bongo, senior linebacker Matt Wightman earned second-team honors and senior linebacker Jon Dupont and junior lineman Nick Ormasen were named All-UCAA honorable mention. Sargent finished third in the conference in all-purpose yards with 119.1 per game. He averaged 9.3 yards per punt return (2nd in the UCAA) and 16.7 on kickoff returns (6th). The junior wide receiver, who was named the UCAA Rookie of the Year in 1999, also earned a spot on second team as a wide receiver. He led the Saints with 33 receptions for 335 yards and was third in the conference with 4.1 receptions per game. Bongo earned second-team honors as an offensive lineman. Bongo had started 24 consecutive games and played 1,468 of 1,472 snaps until an injury held him out of the starting lineup against St. John Fisher. He has anchored the Saints line for three seasons. Wightman, the Saints second-year senior captain, was named All-UCAA second-team after leading the team in tackles for the third consecutive season with 98 total tackles. For his career, he amassed 304 tackles. As a senior, he tied for the team lead with three sacks and had eight tackles for loss after making the transition from safety to linebacker. He also had two interceptions and broke up four passes. Dupont led the Saints with 20 tackles for loss and was second on the squad with 86 total tackles to earn All-UCAA Honorable Mention. He led the team with 42 solo stops and also had two sacks and an interception as a senior. Junior tackle Nick Ormasen earned Honorable Mention as a lineman. Ormasen, a native of Richville, N.Y., made the transition from tight end to tackle in the middle of the 2000 season and has since become one of the conferences top offensive linemen. HARTWICK DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN ST. LAWRENCE (November 10, 2001)—The Hartwick Hawks held the St. Lawrence offense to just seven total yards while their offense tallied 565 yards on their way to a 47-0 win in Division III football action at Leckonby Stadium on Saturday afternoon. A couple of milestones were reached in the game as Ryan Johnson set the Hartwick school record for career touchdown receptions with his 44th. Saint linebacker Matt Wightman had 12 tackles in the game, pushing him over 300 career tackles. He finishes his four-year career with 304 total tackles. Hartwick (7-3) had 337 yards passing and 228 rushing. Quarterback Daniel Pincelli completed 23 of 40 passes for 309 yards and six touchdowns while Ryan Soule caught a game-high 11 passes for 129 yards and two scores. Clarence Welch carried the ball 19 times for 142 yards and a touchdown. Hartwick’s first six touchdowns were all through the air. Pincelli hooked up with Soule and Eric Hipsman in the first quarter for 27 and 12 yard scores. In the second quarter, Soule had a 12-yard TD, his second of the game, and Ty Smith hauled one in from 16 yards out. In the Ryan Johnson accounted for a three-yard TD reception and Smith caught his second of the game, a 10-yarder. Clarence Welch capped the scoring on a six-yard run with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Saints were held to –16 yards rushing on 26 attempts as a wild punt snap accounted for a 31-yard loss for the Saints ground game. Freshman quarterback Bret Conrad was 4-17 with two interceptions and six yards. Classmate Jon Blumhagen was 2-6 with an interception for 17 yards as the passing game accounted for 23 yards. Howard Alexander rushed 10 times for 36 yards to lead the offense. St. Lawrence finishes the season 0-10 and has lost 12 consecutive dating back to last season. 21 UNANSWERED POINTS LIFT RENSSELAER OVER SAINTS (November 3, 2001)-The Rensselaer Engineers scored 21 unanswered points after St. Lawrence pulled to within 14-10 midway through the third quarter as RPI took a 35-10 win in Division III football action at Leckonby Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Kevin Siska led the Engineers (7-0, 3-0 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association) offense with six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown while the RPI defense tallied 10 sacks for 66 yards. After Brian Dunn hit a 28-yard field goal with 7:19 left in the third quarter to pull the Saints (0-9, 0-4 UCAA) within four, 14-10, Flynn Cochran scampered in for a two-yard score with 37 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Mike Dodge then blocked a punt and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown at 14:17 of the fourth quarter. Just 1:38 later, Evan Cochran faked an end-around and threw a 46 yard pass to Kevin Siska to give Rensselaer a 35-10 lead. Flynn Cochran opened the scoring on the Engineers first drive of the game, capping a 10-play, 86-yard drive with a five-yard run at 8:43 of the first quarter. Dan Cole then kept the ball on a quarterback draw and scored from nine yards out to give RPI a 14-0 lead. Bret Conrad answered with just over three minutes left in the half with a one-yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper, ending the first half scoring with RPI leading, 14-7. St. Lawrence held Rensselaer, who was averaging 401.1 yards of offense, to 332 total yards. The Engineers managed 126 yards on 35 carries and 229 yards passing. For St. Lawrence, Bret Conrad was 16 of 33 passing for 222 yards. He also had two interceptions and was sacked 10 times. St. Lawrence was held to zero yards rushing on 43 carries and 256 total yards of offense. Back-up quarterback Jon Blumhagen completed two of four passes for 22 yards. Rensselaer's Flynn Cochran led all rushers with 61 yards on 15 carries while quarterback Dan Cole completed 14 of 27 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. Cole had three interceptions in the game after throwing just four in the first six games of the season. St. Lawrence closes out the season and a three-game homestand next weekend as they play host to the Hartwick Hawks at 1:00 p.m. at Leckonby Stadium. GETTYSBURG RUNS BY (October 27, 2001)—Gettysburg rushed the ball 59 times for 314 yards and two touchdowns as the Bullets beat St. Lawrence, 16-7, in Division III football action at Leckonby Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Nick Nocar led the Bullets’ rushing attack with 141 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. The St. Lawrence offense move the ball well, gaining 392 yards, their highest offensive total since they gained 478 yards on September 26, 1998 in a 35-14 win over Rochester. However, six turnovers including three inside the Gettysburg 15-yard line and another at the Bullets 24-yard line, prevented the Saints from putting points on the board. Freshman quarterback Bret Conrad tied the school record with 26 pass completions and upped his own school record with 48 pass attempts, gaining 299 yards through the air. However, he had four interceptions, two that were tipped. Gettysburg’s Keith Adams had two of the interceptions for a team that was 21st in the nation in pass efficiency defense coming into the game. Gettysburg scored on their first drive of the game as Pete Vincelli scored on a one-yard to cap a nine-play, 53-yard drive with 9:56 left in the first quarter. Gettysburg scored another first quarter touchdown as Nocar scored from two-yards out on a sweep right, finishing off a 12-play, 73-yard drive that took 4:58 off the clock. A delay of game penalty pushed the point after try back five yards, and Bullets’ kicker Sam Shipley pulled the kick wide left, leaving the score at 13-0. Neither team scored in the second or third quarter. However, St. Lawrence ended an eight-quarter scoreless drought when Eric Zerrahn, who had six receptions for a game-high 127 yards, roped in a Conrad pass at the Gettysburg 10-yard line, broke a tackle and rambled in for a 35-yard touchdown catch. The Bullets answered right back when Shipley hit a 28-yard field goal on the ensuing drive, giving them a 16-7 lead with 11:05 left in the game. St. Lawrence threatened, but an interception on the Gettysburg 15-yard line sealed the game for the Bullets. Saint junior receiver Chris Sargent led all receivers with 10 receptions for 93 yards. Bullets quarterback Gavin Beier was 3-8 with an interception for 27 yards. St. Lawrence falls to 0-8 overall and has now lost 10 straight. Gettysburg improves to 3-5. The Saints will host Rennselaer on Saturday, November 3, at 1:00 pm in Leckonby Stadium. TURNOVERS AND SULTON'EL DO IN SAINTS (October 20, 2001)-The St. Lawrence University football team had eight turnovers leading to 20 points in a 27-0 loss to Norwich University in Division III football action at Sabine Field. Saints quarterbacks threw six interceptions and the team lost two fumbles while Ed Sulton'El rushed for a career-high 212 yards on 33 carries to lead the Cadets. Saints rookie quarterback Bret Conrad had a tough day, throwing five interceptions, completing 10 of 23 passes for 98 yards. Classmate Jon Blumhagen also had an interception after taking over for Conrad in the third quarter and completed just 3 of 11 passes for 17 yards. St. Lawrence threatened to score on their first drive going 56 yards in 11 plays before Chris Dewey intercepted a Conrad pass at the Norwich eight-yard line to end the Saints best scoring opportunity in the game. Norwich took the lead with 3:44 remaining and never looked back as Rhett Soltas hit a 20-yard field goal, capitalizing on an interception. The Cadets would tack on another touchdown with 1:05 left before the halftime whistle as Ben Clark hooked up with Matt Tucker for a 31-ard touchdown pass to cap a six-play, 63-yard drive. Norwich put the game out of reach for St. Lawrence in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns and a field goal. Soltas hit a 37-yarder with 11:22 left in the game. Bryan Hagan then scroed from a yard out before Sulton'El capped his career day with a 15-yard touchdown run with just under three minutes left to play. The Saints fall to 0-7 with the loss while the Cadets improve to 3-5. St. Lawrence will host the Gettysburg Bullets on Saturday, October 27, with a 1:00 pm kickoff scheduled at Leckonby Stadium.
ST. LAWRENCE FALLS TO ITHACA, 56-17 (October 13, 2001)-The Ithaca Bombers jumped out to a 28-3 first quarter lead and never looked back as they cruised to a 56-17 win over St. Lawrence University in Division III football action at Leckonby Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Ithaca put up 556 yards of total offense, averaging 8.4 yards per play with a balanced attack of 280 yards rushing and 276 passing. Ithaca's starting quarterback Brian Young played just over one quarter, completing five of five passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for two scores with 18 yards on three carries. Saints' freshman quarterback Bret Conrad continued to impress in his rookie season, completing 14 of 32 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions. Ithaca scored on their first five possessions of the game. The first on a 23-yard pass from Young to Mike Marks, who had four catches for 88 yards, at 11:41 of the first quarter. Tommy Giorgio followed that up with a 51-yard run at 9:07. St. Lawrence interrupted the Bombers barrage when freshman Brian Dunn hit a career-long 32-yard field goal. However, Young scored two rushing touchdowns, a seven-yarder and a 15-yarder, before the end of the first quarter to give Ithaca a 28-3 lead after one quarter of play. Conor Mulkeen gathered in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Young just 19 seconds into the second quarter to extend the Bomber lead to 35-3. The Saints put together an impressive 16-play, 63-yard drive that took up 6:36 and saw them convert on three fourth downs. The drive was capped by Tim Gavin's diving catch of a Conrad pass on 4th-and-goal from the 19-yard line. Ithaca would respond, however, with three more third quarter TD's on their next three drives. Marks caught his second touchdown of the game from backup quarterback Greg Sheeler, this one from 30 yards out. Dave Maddi then rambled in from five yards and Caleb Greer-Carney took off for an 18-yard score to put the Bombers up 56-10. Gavin ended the scoring for the game when he hauled in his second touchdown catch of the game, this one a 22-yard beauty from Conrad with 42 seconds left in the third quarter. Gavin finished the game with four receptions for 63 yards. Freshman Brett Hughes led the Saints in rushing for the second week in a row with 67 yards on eight carries and also had a team-high five receptions for 45 yards. The Saints fall to 0-6 on the season while Ithaca improves to 5-1. St. Lawrence will take on Norwich University on the road next season in a 1:30 pm kickoff. ST. LAWRENCE COMEBACK ATTEMPT FALLS SHORT AGAINST ST. JOHN FISHER (October 6, 2001): St. Lawrence quarterback Bret Conrad threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, but the Saints ran out of time, falling to St. John Fisher 21-14 in Rochester on Saturday afternoon. The first half was a defensive half, with Matt Davis giving the Cardinals a 6-0 lead on a 6-yard run in the second quarter. Greg Roland, St. John Fisher's quarterback, quickly changed that, connecting on a 76-yard pass to Gabe Diaz less than two minutes into the third quarter to up the lead to 14-0 after another completion for the two-point conversion. Less than four minutes later, Roland completed another touchdown pass, this time to Ricky Fauth from 28 yards out. Mike Woods, whose first extra point attempt was blocked, converted the point after to give the Cardinals a 21-0 lead. Conrad got the comeback attempt started with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Eric Zerrahn, capping an 11-play, 71-yard drive. The Saints pulled to within seven when Conrad connected with Tim Gavin with 1:24 remaining, but could not add another touchdown before the end of the game. Conrad went 21-for-33 passing for 195 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The Saints gained 71 yards rushing, while St. John Fisher had 161. Roland went 7-for-18 for 194 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for the Cardinals. Davis gained 117 yards on 20 carries for St. John Fisher. The Cardinals improve to 1-4, while the Saints fall to 0-5. The team will host Ithaca on Saturday, October 13th on Weeks Field at 1:00 p.m. HOBART RUNNING GAME POWERS OVER SAINTS (September 29, 2001)-The Hobart Statesmen rushed for 442 yards and seven touchdowns as they defeated the St. Lawrence University Saints 47-0 in Division III football action on Saturday afternoon at Leckonby Stadium. Ty Godinho three Statesmen (2-1, 1-1 UCAA) with over 100 yards as he gained 150 yards on 13 carries and a TD. Brandon Thurman went for 106 yards and a touchdown while John Holleran had three scores and 102 yards on 10 carries. Hobart opened the scoring at 12:06 of the first quarter on a 35-yard run from Holleran. Godinho doubled the lead when he scored from 18 yards out to cap a 6-play, 51-yard, drive with just over eight minutes left in the opening quarter. Thurman got in on the action at 14:50 of the second quarter with a 54-yard draw on a third down and 20 from the Statesmen's own 46-yard line. Hobart would tack on two more touchdowns, both on 3-yard runs, before the end of the half, going into the locker room with a 34-0 lead after Eric Ampuja made four of five point-after tries. Hobart gained 285 yards rushing in the first half, 332 overall while the Saints could only churn out 72 total yards on 54 rushing and 18 passing. Godinho didn't return in the second half, but the Statesmen continued the scoring as Jerome Brown went on a 59-yard run with 7:45 left in the third quarter. Holleran then capped the game with a 37-yard scamper in the fourth quarter to give the Statesmen the 47-0 win. Hobart finished the game with 489 yards of offense while the Saints mustered 189 total yards, 135 rushing and 54 through the air. Howard Alexander carried the ball 17 times for 85 yards and Brett Hughes had 14 carries for 60 yards. Brent Conrad completed seven of 23 passes for 54 yards. St. Lawrence falls to 0-4 overall and 0-4 in the UCAA. The Saints will travel to St. John Fisher on Saturday, October 6, for a 1:00 pm kickoff. ROCHESTER PASSING GAME TOO MUCH FOR SAINTS Sept. 22: The University of Rochester threw for 299 yards en route to a 31-13 win over visiting St. Lawrence University on Saturday afternoon at Edwin Fauver Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. The Saints fall to 0-3, 0-2 in the UCAA while the Yellowjackets improve to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Senior quarterback Jeff Piscitelli completed 10 of 31 passes for 263 yards and touchdown. He also threw two interceptions. He also had a game-high 67 rushing yards on 14 carries. Brian Ferris caught four passes for 134 yards. The Saints Bret Conrad was 11-31 for 70 yards while backup Jon Blumhagen completed six of 13 attempts for 43 yards and his first collegiate TD pass. As a team, St. Lawrence completed 17 of 44 passes for 113 yards and ran for 102 yards, led by Howard Alexander's 60 yards on 23 carries. Rochester opened the scoring at 6:44 of the first quarter on a 29-yard draw from quarterback Piscitelli. The Yellowjackets stung again with 47 seconds remaining in the opening quarter as Gerard Hopkins rambled in from seven yards out. Rochester continued to pour it on in the second quarter as Piscitelli hooked up with Joe Spilman for a 21-yard TD pass to give the Yellowjackets a 21-0 lead at the half. Piscitelli threw for 220 yards and a touchdown, completing nine of 21 passes. Overall, UR racked up 296 yards of offense on 38 carries in the first half. Rochester went up 28-0 as Hopkins burst through the line for a 51-yard score. St. Lawrence broke up the shutout as Brett Hughes scored from a yard out at 6:03 of the third. However, Rochester answered right back as Chris Johnston connected on a 29-yard field goal. St. Lawrence scored with 51 seconds remaining on an eight-yard pass from Jon Blumhagen to Tim Gavin, making the final score 31-13. Jon Dupont was the leading tackler in the game with 10.5 tackles, including 4.5 for losses, and a sack. Howard Alexander ran for 60 yards on 23 carries to pace the Saint offense. St. Lawrence will play host to Hobart for the Family Weekend game on Saturday, September 29, at 1:30 pm. HOFFMAN ECAC AND UCAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (September 17, 2001)-Junior Jesse Hoffman (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville East) was named the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association Northwest and Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association football Defensive Player of the Week and freshman Brian Dunn (Lowville, N.Y./Lowville Academy) earned UCAA Rookie of the Week honors for their performances against Alfred over the past weekend. Hoffman (left), a linebacker, recorded a game-high 14 tackles, eight solo, in the Saints 31-12 loss to Alfred on Saturday. In the game, he also had an interception, which he returned 22 yards, and two pass break-ups. For the season, he is third on the team with 20 tackles. Dunn (right) was named the UCAA Rookie of the Week after nailing his first two field goals as a collegiate player. He hit from 22-yards and 26-yards. Dunn leads the Saints in scoring with eight points. The Saints are 0-2, 0-1 UCAA. Their next game is scheduled for Saturday, September 22, at 1:00 pm as they travel to the University of Rochester for a conference contest. ALFRED PULLS AWAY FROM SAINTS IN SECOND HALF, WINS 31-12 (September 15)— A defensive first half turned into an offensive second half as the Alfred University Saxons football team pulled away from St. Lawrence for a 31-12 win on Saturday afternoon at Merril Field. The Saxons gained 457 on offense, while the Saints came up with 357, including 233 through the air. Both defenses were stingy in the first quarter with neither team scoring. An interception by junior Jess Hoffman on Alfred's opening drive ended the Saxons best scoring chance of the first quarter at the St. Lawrence 28-yard line. Alfred scored first when Jesse Raynor capped a 15-play, 57-yard drive with a 32-yard field goal, giving the Saxons a 3-0 lead midway through the second quarter. A 64-yard screen pass from freshman quarterback Bret Conrad to sophomore Derek Buckingham set up the Saint offense at the Alfred 20. After stalling at the seven-yard line, freshman Brian Dunn kicked his first collegiate field goal, a 24-yarder, to tie the score with 49 seconds in left in the first half. The Saints defense allowed Saxon quarterback Todd Zandrowicz to go just 3-for-14 passing for 44 yards and an interception in the first half. What was a defensive battle in the first half turned into a shootout in the second half. Alfred regained the lead on their first possession of the second quarter as Raynor scored on a five-yard sweep around the left end. The touchdown was set up by a 42-yard pass to Raynor from Zandrowicz that gave the Saxons the ball on the St. Lawrence 22-yard line. The Saints answered with a scoring drive of their own. Freshman Aaron Blair (right) returned the ball to the Alfred 43. A 33-yard pass from Conrad to junior Chris Sargent led to a 22-yard field goal from Dunn when the Saints drive stalled at the five-yard line. Raynor went for his third touchdown, a 20-yard run, but was answered by junior Howard Alexander's 37-yard run. The Saints two point effort failed, making the score 17-12, Alfred, with 4:45 left in the third quarter. Fifty-two seconds later, Alfred scored on a 30-yard play action pass to a wide-open Mark Pierce and ended the third quarter scoring with the Saxons leading 24-12. After the teams combined for 30 points in the third quarter, Zandrowicz continued the scoring in the fourth for Alfred, scoring on a 27-yard quarterback sneak to put the game out of reach for the Saints. Raynor finished the game with 30 carries for 155 yards while Saints quarterback Conrad finished 17-for-43 for 233 yards and an interception. St. Lawrence falls to 0-2 on the season, while Alfred improves to SAINTS DROP OPENER TO UNION, 56-14 (September 8, 2001)-The St. Lawrence University football dropped their season opener to Union, 56-14, at Leckonby Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Union senior quarterback Ben Gilbert completed 11 of 21 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Dutchmen offense. Gilbert's three TD tosses gives him 51 for his career, third on Union's all-time list and just four short of tying the record of 55. George Beebe ran the ball 17 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Union scored on their first drive of the game after getting the ball on the St. Lawrence eight yard-line when Mike Chambers fumbled the long snap on a punt try. Gilbert capitalized two plays later hitting Matt Laporta for his first touchdown pass of the day. Laporta scored his second touchdown of the game with 3:42 remaining in the first quarter with a one-yard run. Laporta scored his third touchdown of the game at 12:55 of the second quarter, hauling in an 11-yard pass from Gilbert. Pat St. Denis scored with 59 seconds left in the half on a 57-yard catch-and-throw from Gilbert, his third passing TD of the game, to give the Dutchmen a 28-0 halftime lead. St. Lawrence broke up the shutout early in the third quarter as Tim Gavin collected a 12-yard touchdown throw from freshman quarterback Bret Conrad. The touchdown was set-up by a 52-yard reception by Eric Zerrahn. However, Union would extend the lead with three touchdowns in the last 4:56 of the third quarter on two TD runs from Beebe and 22-yard scamper by Sean Washington. Chris Sargent returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards to Union's 19-yard line, setting up Conrad's quarterback sneak from a yard out. Union closed the scoring when Chris Nappi rambled 70 yards with 8:11 left on the game clock to give Union the 56-14 win. The Dutchmen defense held the Saints to just 178 yards and only 53 through the ground game. On the offensive side, Union rushed for 340 yards and had 524 total yards. Conrad finished nine of 26 for 107 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Mike Rosenthal led the Union defense with six tackles, three for loss. Senior Matt Wightman led all tacklers with 15 tackles, including his first career sack. St. Lawrence travel to Alfred for a 1:30 pm kickoff next Saturday while Union will play their home opener against Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 2001 SEASON PREVIEW 2001 welcomes five new coaches, including head coach Chris Phelps `91, a recruiting class of 45, a state-of-the-art fitness center and high hopes for a team that featured 60 underclassmen, 31 sophomores and 29 freshmen, last season. That means the Saints return 15 starters from last year’s squad, nine on defense and six on offense, bringing invaluable game experience into the new season. St. Lawrence once again stares at a very tough schedule for the 2001 season. Over half of the teams on the Saints’ slate have qualified for post-season play in the last two seasons. “We have one of the tougher conference and non-conference schedules in the Northeast,” said Phelps. “There’s not one team on our schedule that we can have a letdown against and expect to win. We’re going to have to be focused week in and week out.” Opening opponent Union is one of those playoff teams, going 9-1 in the regular season and earning a berth in the NCAA Playoffs where they dropped a 33-26 decision to Widener. The Saints follow up the home opener by traveling to Alfred in week two and Rochester in week three. Hobart serves as the Family Weekend opponent the following week before the Saints hit the road again for a game at St. John Fisher. Ithaca visits Canton the next week and the Saints go calling on Norwich in week seven. A three game homestand against Gettysburg, Rensselaer and Hartwick closes out the 2001 regular season for St. Lawrence. OFFENSE The Saints return six players to the offense, including junior running back Howard Alexander, the team’s leading rusher in 2000. Missing from this year’s lineup will be receivers Ryan Audet and Dean Cirilla, along with three-year starter Matt Magrone on the line and David Perfield at fullback. Phelps, who will act as the offensive coordinator, plans on running a multiple formation offense. “The consistency of the offensive line and production from the quarterback position will dictate how well we will do offensively,” said Phelps. On the offensive line, four of five starters return. The offensive line corps suffered in the late season due to injury and looks to have more depth in 2001. Jared Bongo, a junior, returns to center where he has played every snap for the Saints in the past two seasons. A two-year starter, Bongo will be a strong anchor-point for the line. Sophomore Pat Sullivan returns at right guard while the graduation of Magrone leaves the left guard position open. A trio of juniors, Matt Bertholf, John Kane and Nick Ormasen, are the front-runners for the tackle positions. The Saints will need to find consistency in the quarterback position. Preseason starter Justin Wright went down in the first quarter of the opener last season and three different players stepped in from there. The only quarterback returning from the trio is sophomore Scott Wiley, who completed 35 of 75 passes last season with five interceptions in nine games. “We have three quality freshman quarterbacks, Jonathan Blumhagen, Bret Conrad and Randall Pifer, coming into camp this season,” said Phelps. “With the return of Wiley, plus those three, there will be a lot of competition for the QB position when camp opens.” Alexander highlights the running backs returning to the team. The junior tailback led the Saints with 653 yards and 172 carries in 2000, including a 46-carry, 196-yard effort in a 14-6 win over Gettysburg. Freshman Matthew Vahue is a talented runner from Canandaigua, N.Y., who played in the Eddie Meath game, an exhibition for all-stars in the Rochester area. Look for sophomore Derek Buckingham to also get more carries. Sophomore Tim Gavin, 14 catches for 220 yards, is the top returnee at receiver. 1999 UCAA Rookie of the Year Chris Sargent, a junior, should make an immediate impact at receiver for the Saints. Sargent caught 42 passes for 390 yards and three TD’s in 1999. Gary Gaines, Utica, N.Y., highlights a talented crop of freshman receivers, adding talent and depth to the position. “Alexander was a productive runner for us last season and we have some guys with good athletic ability at running back. The return of Sargent is exciting as well. He is a guy that has the potential to make some big plays for us this season,” said Phelps. DEFENSE Assistant coach Guido Falbo will act as the defensive coordinator this season, and will employ a multiple look defensive set like the offense. The defense returns nine players, including senior captains T.J. Kelley at nose tackle and Matt Wightman at safety. Kelley finished with 50 tackles last season, nine for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Wightman led the team in tackles for the second consecutive season, making 101 stops, 61 unassisted. Other players will need to make adjustments from their natural positions as the Saints will employ multiple looks on defense. “Kelley and Wightman will be good leaders on defense for us,” said Phelps. “Our goal is to put our hardest working, most athletic players on defense. We will attempt to find a way to put the best 11 players on the field.” Mark Van Dien was an All-UCAA second-team selection as a sophomore last year, leading the team with three interceptions, and was second to Wightman with 93 tackles from his free safety position. He also led the Saints with seven pass break-ups. On the defensive front, St. Lawrence will need to fill the void left by the graduation of Brian Doherty at defensive end. Matt Sexton, a junior, saw some playing time there last season, making 10 tackles in seven games. Senior captain Kelley will again anchor the middle of the defensive line while the coaching staff will wait for someone to win the other tackle position in camp. A young linebacking corps returns with a full season of college play under their belt. Junior Frank Civitella is the most experienced and had an impressive off-season after finishing fifth on the team with 60 tackles. A pair of sophomores, Will Horn and Mike Chambers, took little time in making their presence felt on the field last season. Chambers was third on the team with 86 tackles, five of which resulted in negative yardage. Horn made 59 stops in his rookie campaign. The secondary is the most experienced part of the defense with seniors Wightman and Jonathan Dupont returning and All-UCAA selection Van Dien back. Dupont, who plays baseball in the spring, made 22 stops last year and had two picks as well. Gio Guzman, a sophomore defensive lineman, and Jason Gross, a senior defensive back, both showed steady improvement during spring workouts and should have an impact this fall. SPECIAL TEAMS Junior Ben Clark has an explosive leg, and with more consistency, can be one of the top punters in the UCAA. He averaged 37.1 yards on 10 kicks last year, planting two inside the 20-yard line. Freshman Nicholas Thayer, Corfu, N.Y., has a good, strong leg and will add some needed depth to the kicking game. FRESHMAN CLASS The freshman class, made up of a pre-camp roster of 44 players, should have a significant impact on the field this season. “Not only is the recruiting class good in size and number,” said Phelps. “But, it draws from the best players in the Northeast, including New York, New Jersey, and the New England area, as well as Maryland.” Athleticism is also present in the class with several talented two-sport athletes dotting the roster. Vahue, defensive back Austin Weakfall, Rochester, N.Y., defensive lineman Brendan Dooley, Carthage, N.Y., and wide receiver/defensive back Brian Dunn, Lowville, N.Y., are all lacrosse players as well as standouts on the football field. Matthew Gulley from Brookline, Mass., is a talented linebacker along with Eddie Meath Game participants defensive lineman Kurt Salomon, Palmyra, N.Y., and linebacker Matthew Jones, Victor, N.Y. OVERVIEW Although St. Lawrence again fields a young team, it is a team that has valuable game experience. Only five seniors were lost to graduation last year, meaning sophomores and freshmen saw significant playing time in 2000, giving them the game experience of juniors and seniors. “A lot of the younger guys have been under the fire already,” said Phelps. “They create a great foundation and we hope that we can build on that foundation. The enthusiasm and excitement that surround St. Lawrence athletics and football is at a feverish pitch. The players and coaching staff have prepared diligently for the upcoming season, and we’re looking forward to the challenges that come with it.” CHRIS PHELPS NAMED HEAD FOOTBALL COACH Chris Phelps, a 1991 graduate of St. Lawrence University, has been named the new Saint head football coach. Most recently the varsity receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of New Hampshire, Phelps returns to his alma mater with an impressive coaching resume which includes the head football coaching position at Siena College in 1999-2000, plus experience as an assistant at Hobart College and the University at Albany. "We are excited to have Chris Phelps return to St. Lawrence as our head football coach," said St. Lawrence athletic director Margie Strait. "We had an excellent pool of candidates for the head coaching position, and Chris' familiarity with the university, plus his coaching experience at both the Division III and IAA level made him the ideal choice to rebuild our program." A native of Laconia, NH, Phelps was a four-year starter at St. Lawrence and still holds the career total offense record with 4,944 yards. He was ECAC Rookie of the Year in 1987 when he passed for 926 yards and rushed for 322, accounting for 1248 yards and 12 touchdowns. He passed for 1232 yards and 13 scores and accounted for 1590 total yards, an average of 176.7 per game as a sophomore and had his best season as a junior with 1537 passing yards and 1736 total yards, accounting for 19 touchdowns. He was Saint captain as both a junior and a senior and was a cum laude graduate of St. Lawrence with a bachelor of arts in history and education. "I am really excited about the opportunity to return to St. Lawrence as its head football coach," Phelps said. "It is a strong academic institution and a place where you can be successful athletically. "There is outstanding administrative support for the football program, and the facilities we can offer our athletes are top of the line. It's a whole different world from when I was here as a player. Phelps began his duties January 2 and his first priority will be recruiting for the upcoming season. His wife Kim and their daughter Bailey, 7, and son Ryan, 4, will move to Canton in mid-January. "I am looking forward to meeting with the players when they return to campus after winter break," the new Saint coach said. "I think they will be excited about what we plan to do from an offensive and defensive standpoint." Phelps hopes to run a no-huddle multiple-I offense which will feature a variety of different formations. "If it fits our available talent, we will try to challenge the opposing defenses with an audible-based system which puts a variety of formations on the field which are a little different. We'll run I formation, split backs and some one-back formations and run and throw out of all of them." Defensively he plans an even front 4-4 base defense. "The even front defense tends to fit the size and personality of the Division III level player and gives you the opportunity to get the most out of your personnel," Phelps added.
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