ESU Football Media Guide - East Stroudsburg University Athletics

2013 OutlookDenny Douds, East StroudsburgUniversity’s head football coach since 1974,embarks on his 40th season this fall with ateam that has the potential to be one of thebetter clubs that the Warriors have fielded inhis four decades at Eiler-Martin Stadium.ESU returns the PSAC East Freshman ofthe Year in redshirt sophomore quarterbackMatt Soltes, and the PSAC East DefensivePlayer of the Year in redshirt junior defensivetackle Bryan Thomson, to lead 13 returningstarters (plus both kicking specialists) inDouds’ milestone season.Soltes heads a unit that ranked fourth inNCAA Division II in total offense (497.9 ypg)last year, was ninth in passing (327.6 ypg)and 18th in scoring (38.5 ppg). Seven startersreturn, including senior Dusty Reed, a twotimeAll-PSAC East first team wide receiver,as the Warriors bring back six of Soltes’ topseven targets.Defensively, Thomson is one of sixreturning starters and keys a defensive linethat could be one of the Warriors’ best, anddeepest, in years.Senior kicker Taylor Groff, a first teamAll-PSAC East and All-Region pick a year ago,enters his final season with every major ESUcareer kicking record within reach.After fielding a roster that featured67 freshmen or sophomores among its 85members during a 5-5 campaign last year,the 2013 Warriors are primed to return toa position of prominence in the PSAC. Awinning season would be ESU’s first since2009, which capped a run of nine in 10seasons from 2000-09 that included threeNCAA Playoff trips (2004-05, 2009).Douds’ 40th season as head coach atESU places him among elite company incollege football history.He will become the 16th man to coach40 years, the ninth to do it at one school -and just the fifth to spend his entire careerat that institution. He joins Eddie Robinson(Grambling, 1941-42, 45-97), John E. Dorman(Upper Iowa, 1905-06, 09-42, 45-59), JoePaterno (Penn State, 1966-2011) and JimMalosky (Minn.-Duluth, 1958-97) on that list.Douds, who was a defensive assistantfor eight years (1966-73) before taking thehead job, has reached several milestones inthe last few years. He set the PSAC record forcareer wins (currently 237) in 2008, the NCAADII record for career games (currently 407)in 2011, and is one of 15 men to coach 400games in collegiate history.Offensive coordinator Mike Terwilligerhas been alongside Douds for all 407 games- the first four seasons (1974-77) as theWarriors’ quarterback, and the last 35 as anassistant coach. Together, they have wonnine PSAC championships.OFFENSESoltes had one of the top seasons by afreshman quarterback in PSAC and DII historyin 2012 - on par with 2005 Harlon Hill Awardwinner Jimmy Terwilliger’s first season in2003 - after taking over as the starter in thefourth week of the season.In seven starts, Soltes averaged 402.7yards of total offense, which would have ledall of Division II. As it was, he led DII freshmenin total offense (315.8 ypg) and passefficiency (157.5) while becoming the fourthQB in PSAC history (and first non-senior) tothrow for 2,500 yards (2,622) and rush for 500yards (536) in a season.Soltes’ year was highlighted by anNCAA freshman record, PSAC record and DIIseason-high 666 yards of total offense (535passing, 131 rushing) at LIU Post. He gained1,907 yards over the last four games, had300+ yards of total offense in six of his sevenstarts, and two 100-yard rushing games.Redshirt senior quarterback NateDaniels opened the season as the starter andthrew for 355 yards and 4 TD in a 31-0 winover Lock Haven. He has thrown for almost1,000 yards and 9 TD in his career, giving theWarriors an experienced relief pitcher and aproven leader as a member of ESU’s ROTC.Redshirt freshman Bruce Campbell andfreshman Brandon LaVia, who led CentralDauphin to the AAAA state title in 2011 andhad a three-year record of 34-6, are waitingin the wings.Soltes will throw to a versatile stableof receivers that includes six players whocaught at least 10 passes a year ago - fourwide receivers, a tight end and a fullback.Reed headlines the group after catching50 passes for 787 yards and 5 TD as a junior.Through three years, he ranks 7th at ESUin career receptions (143), 9th in yards(2,093) and has 18 TD while playing withfour different starting quarterbacks - MattMarshall, Ray Wagner, Daniels and Soltes.Reed has been named to the All-PSACEast first team and Football Gazette All-Region third team in each of the last twoseasons. He had 62 catches for 929 yards and7 TD in 11 games as a sophomore in 2011.Redshirt senior Robert Bleiler has alsorecorded more than 600 yards receiving fortwo straight years - 37 catches, 609 yards and4 TD last season and 33 catches, 659 yardsand 4 TD in 2011. One of the top athletes inthe PSAC, Bleiler should have a standout yearand go over 2,000 career yards in 2013.Redshirt sophomore Jon Schnaars (16catches, 312 yards, 1 TD), sophomore TimWilson (11-167-2) and redshirt sophomoreBrandon Mercer (3 catches, 23 yards) alsocontributed as freshmen.Schnaars was 4th on the Warriors inreceiving yards and had 5 catches for 124yards in ESU’s 828-yard outburst at LIU Post.Wilson scored the game-winning TD with fiveseconds left on a 33-yard catch-and-run in a35-28 victory over West Chester, coming inSoltes’ second career start.A host of receivers will also competefor playing time, including juniors RayDominguez and Rich Irving, sophomoresJoe Welk and Gerard Wendowski, andfreshmen Zach Bogoly (All-State at WilsonHS) and Ira Hayes.At tight end, redshirt junior StevenJones is one of the PSAC’s top options. At 6-6and 250 pounds, Jones had 18 catches, 260yards and 5 TD last year - with 10 catches,135 yards and all 5 TD in the last three weeks.The Warriors graduated their top twotailbacks in Kendrick Williams, who ranks5th in school history in career rushing (2,177yards) and all-purpose yards (3,580), and EricDeery, who ran for 1,421 career yards.They will be replaced by a stable ofbacks that could go six or seven deep.Redshirt freshman Robert Healy, theThorpe Award winner as the top player inNassau County (N.Y.) in 2011, emerged fromspring practice as the top candidate. Otherreturners are redshirt sophomore CollinHegarty, sophomore Alex Brown andredshirt freshman Raul Quinones, alongwith three newcomers - junior Derrick Dyer(Seton Hill), junior Gerald Van De Cruz(Lackawanna CC) and freshman Alex Cooley,who was All-State at Eastern York.Redshirt senior fullback Thomas Tippett- a valuable rusher, receiver and blocker -has by far the most experience in the ESUbackfield. Tippett ran for 51 yards and 5TD on 19 carries, caught 19 passes for 288yards and a TD and blocked for three 500-yard rushers in Deery (551), Soltes (536) andWilliams (532).Two underclassmen will also see timein redshirt sophomore Sam Benson andredshirt freshman Anthony Lettieri.On the offensive line, ESU returns threestarters while replacing two four-yearstarters in guard Seve Rivers, a two-timeAll-PSAC East selection who made 41 careerstarts, and tackle Wrenton Wright II, whomade 43 career starts.Redshirt senior center Greg Blue is theveteran member of a young front five in2013. At the end of last year, the Warriors’line combined for 134 career starts, but only50 return in Blue (28), junior guard PeteWolmart (12) and sophomore tackle CodyLaubach (10).Blue has made 17 straight starts,including all 10 at center last year as hereplaced four-year starter and All-Regionselection Dan Caffrey. Blue has also started12 ESU Football Media Guide