Wilmington College QUAKERS

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14 2009 Wilmington College Football Wilmington College enters the 2009 season looking to build upon the success of last fall. The Quakers were 4-5 in Ohio Athletic Conference play in 2008—a season that featured a 3-1 record at Williams Stadium. “We’re a better football team,” said WC head coach Barry Wulf, the 2008 OAC Co-coach of the Year. “We’re becoming the football team that we envisioned four years ago when we took over. We haven’t progressed as quickly as we’d like, but we’re taking the right steps. We’re going to continue working on getting better every day.” —oFFense— The Quakers will be looking to fill the void created by the graduation of wide receivers Marque Jones and Brandon Hiatt, and tight end Wes Anders. Re-loading on the run, Wulf said, is a way of life in the OAC. “We lost some great players, but we have a lot of solid players coming back,” Wulf said. “Our entire offensive line is back, and we have two experienced quarterbacks and three running backs returning. There is a lot of experience, talent and knowledge coming back. We think we are going to be able to put a dynamic attack together.” —QUArterBACk— Back to lead the Quakers’ attack is senior quarterback Billy Blackburn, who ranks No. 4 on the WC all-time passing yardage (4,713) and passing touchdowns (48) lists. 2009 Season Preview “Billy has gotten better every year and is growing both on and off the field,” Wulf said. “It’s exciting to watch a young man grow as a player, a leader and a person. Our players have unwavering confidence in Billy Blackburn Billy. They know that he is a get-it-done guy, that there are no shortcuts with him. They know that he will do whatever it takes to win. They see that and they respect it.” Also expected to see time at quarterback is sophomore Adam Reynolds, who was the team’s second leading rusher, playing in six games last season. —RUNNING BACK— An All-OAC selection as a freshman, Marc Otte is looking to rebound from an injury-shortened sophomore season. Also back is junior Astin Laury, who led WC with 482 rushing yards last season, 185 of which came in the Quakers’ win at Heidelberg. www2.wilmington.edu/athletics “Marc and Astin have proven what they are capable of doing, and we are excited to see more from them,” Wulf Astin Laury said. “We also have several other players who are capable of lining up in or near the backfield and making an impact. We think we have a lot of weapons.” —WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END— Jeremy Stuckey will be a key aerial target. The senior receiver snagged five TD catches a year ago and also is a special teams standout. “Jeremy is just guts. He’s a highenergy kid. I just love his intensity and enthusiasm,” Wulf said. “He can go over the middle and he can go deep. We will have to find ways to get him the football.” Among the list of anticipated Jeremy Stuckey role players out wide is senior Luke Green, who has been a special teams standout and shown the ability to make big catches. Rex Pitsinger, Brett McEvoy and Darren Howard are expected to be components in the Quakers’ tight end by committee plan. “We have a lot of weapons at tight end,” Wulf said. “Our challenge is to put everything together and make this thing go.” —OFFENSIVE LINE— Center Randy Swain, guards Luke Harris and Matt McCabe, and tackles C.J. Potter and Adam Salyers form one of the most experienced offensive lines in team history.
2009 Wilmington College Football “Your offense is only as good as the experience of your offensive linemen,” Wulf said. “When you have five guys that know each other inside and out, there is complete continuity. This group knows our offense; they know each other. Those are big things for us.” —DEFENSE— The Quakers’ defensive mantra remains the same—hit, tackle and take the ball away. In 2008, the Quakers forced 21 turnovers while giving the ball up 15 times. “We are not going to change our philosophy,” Wulf said. “We’ve got to get our defense off the field, and one of the ways to do that is to give the football back to our offense. Our turnover margin was a big key to our success last year. Beyond that, we have to make offenses earn everything they get against us. It all starts with our ability to tackle and our ability to take the football away.” —DEFENSIVE LINE— Back to help WC’s battle for control of the trenches are defensive ends Kenny Marsh and Nathan Geers, who combined for 10.5 sacks in 2008. “Those two kids are just absolutely amazing,” Wulf said. “They will be two of the best defensive ends in the conference. Kenny was Kenny Marsh an All-OAC pick last year and Nathan plays the game with the same level of intensity. They make their own plays, which sets the table for our entire defense.” —LINEBACKER— Wilmington College’s tradition of strong linebacker play is expected to continue this season with the return of All-OAC selection Chris Medley and Bryce Martin, both of whom led the squad with 95 tackles last season. “Chris really developed as the season progressed,” Wulf said. “He was just tremendous. And as good as Bryce has been the past two years, we think he is going to be even more of a force for our defense this season.” 2009 Season Preview —DEFENSIVE BACK— Filling shoes will be key to the Quakers’ success in the defensive backfield. Gone through graduation are starting cornerbacks Brandon Porter and Brad Abner. www2.wilmington.edu/athletics “We took a big hit, but we do have experience at the corner,” Wulf said. “Tray’on Goodwin is back. T.J. Burbridge, T.J. Burbridge who was all-conference as a safety, can also play the corner. We think Jordan Dugger, a transfer, can be a phenomenal player. He can play corner and safety.” Perhaps no player epitomizes Wilmington’s defensive philosophy better than strong safety Donta’ Stone, who finished the 2008 season with 64 tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, an interception and five tackles for loss. —SPECIAL TEAMS— The Quakers kick return and coverage squads will be paced by Stuckey and last year’s WC special teams MVP, Derick Westfall. “If we’re going to win ball games, we have to, week in and week out, win at special teams,” Wulf said. “We took some steps in that direction last year, especially in our punt team.” Junior punter Rex Pitsinger averaged 35 yards per punt in 2008 Aaron Pohly while sophomore place kicker Aaron Pohly connected on three of four field goal attempts. —SCHEDULE— Wilmington opens the 2009 campaign at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5 at home versus Mount St. Joseph. After a Sept. 12 bye week, the daunting OAC schedule presents challenges for nine consecutive Saturdays. “The schedule is always tough,” Wulf said. “It starts with a very good Mount St. Joseph team and only gets tougher. Every team in the OAC is getting better and better. We’re going to take it one game at a time. That’s a cliché approach, but it has worked for us.” 15
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Wilmington College QUAKERS

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