Football News

2007 SEASON PREVIEW

It's been quite a run for the Delaware Valley College football program over the last four years thanks to a 41-7 record (eighth-highest winning percentage in all levels of NCAA play during that time), two Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championships, two NCAA Division III quarterfinal appearances, two ECAC appearances and one ECAC Southeast championship.

Last year, rookie head coach Jim Clements and a veteran squad that included 22 seniors went 8-3 overall (7-2 and second place in the MAC), including a berth in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl Game.

Now with the winningest class in school history off to brighter endeavors, Clements will lean on his 29 returning lettwerwinners, including 10 starters, to navigate a challenging schedule and capture the Aggies' third MAC title in the last four years.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Delaware Valley must replace two-time All-American and all-time sacks leader Anthony Silver at one end position. However, three starters are back, including second-team all-MAC honoree Travis Albanesius (Green Lane, PA/Upper Perkiomen).

Albanesius is coming off his finest campaign as the senior nose guard racked up 53 tackles (15 for losses of 40 yards) and 5.5 sacks.

Fellow senior Sean Raftery (Ocean City, NJ/Ocean City) was a second-team all-conference selection in 2005 who played in just seven games last season due to injury. He had nine tackles and one sack prior to the injury.

Junior Greg Rissinger (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks West) replaced Raftery in the starting lineup after seeing significant time as a backup and finished with 26 tackles.

Senior Nick Lucas (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks West) is also back after notching six tackles in a reserve role last year.

LINEBACKERS

Three starters (A.J. Neal, Justin Porter, Joe Whitesell) wrapped up their standout careers, but the Aggies do return 2006 Don Hansen's Football Gazette honorable mention All-American linebacker John Pursell (Middletown, DE/Middletown) to head the unit. The senior and two-time all-MAC honoree tied for the team lead in tackles with 81 and also added two sacks.

With 226 career tackles, Pursell also has a chance at becoming just the fourth player in Aggie history to reach the 300-tackle plateau.

Kyle Reuter (Richwood, NJ/Clearview) played in all 11 games during his sophomore year and is expected to nab a starting role in '07. Reuter recorded 26 tackles and half a sack last season.

SECONDARY

The Aggies lost a pair of all-conference cornerbacks to graduation in Kevin Bliss and Matt Murphy, but seniors Quincy Thaxton (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) and Kyle Mancuso (Thorofare, NJ/West Deptford) return at safety.

Thaxton had 25 stops and two interceptions while Mancuso notched 36 tackles in a supporting role last season.

Delaware Valley also returns a lot of youth who gained valuable experience in the secondary and on special teams last year. Heading that crew are junior Joe Barnicle (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock) and sophomore Charles Squitiere (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic).

Barnicle tallied 14 tackles, five pass breakups and a blocked punt last year. Squitiere added 16 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

QUARTERBACKS

Mike Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) had the unenviable task, as a freshman, of replacing one of the top signalcallers in Division III history in Adam Knoblauch.

Isgro responded by starting all 11 games and completing 148 of 248 passes for 1,749 yards and 10 touchdowns while engineering a pair of fourth-quarter comebacks. He also rushed for 367 yards and three scores.

RUNNING BACKS

Jake Sheffield (Glenolden, PA/Interboro) enters his senior season as the school's eighth all-time leading rusher with 1,678 career yards.

In his first year as a full-time starter, Sheffield carried the ball 203 times for 712 yards and seven touchdowns. He also hauled in 30 passes for 184 yards and even completed a pair of passes for 51 yards and one score.

Sophomore William Whiteside (Folcroft, PA/Interboro) is back after seeing time at fullback in all 11 games last year.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Who Isgro will throw to is one of the biggest questions heading into the campaign as the Aggies graduated three of the school's top 10 all-time receivers in All-American David Carmon., four-time all-conference honoree Don Marshall and clutch performer John Kiphorn. That trio combined for 468 catches for 7,208 yards and 53 touchdowns in their careers.

Senior Joel Foreman (Bernville, PA/Hamburg) is the top returner after hauling in 14 passes for 130 yards in an injury-plagued season. Foreman did have 25 receptions for 404 yards and three scores (two in the NCAA playoffs) in '05.

Sophomore Chad Peterman (Hatboro, PA/Upper Moreland) will move over from tailback to wide receiver. Last season, he rushed 13 times for 42 yards and two scores and also caught a trio of passes for 13 yards.

TIGHT ENDS

Three players at the position wrapped up their careers and junior Brad Emmons (Marlboro, NJ/Colts Neck) is the lone returning letterwinner. Emmons saw time in seven games last year.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Three starters graduated, including two-time all-conference and all-region honoree Kevin Harrigan. However a pair of two-year starters return to their guard positions in juniors Mike Cebrosky (Lehighton, PA/Lehighton) and Ralph Stambaugh (Westminster, MD/Francis Scott Key).

Cebrosky (6-4, 280) will line up again on the right side while Stambaugh (6-2, 300), who started all 11 games last year, will be at left guard.

Ryan Bellerby (Croydon, PA/Harry S. Truman), a 6-foot-1, 280-pound junior, saw action in all 11 games last year to earn his first varsity letter.

The offensive line will also be bolstered by the return of Gordon Davis (Swarthmore, PA/Strath Haven). The 6-foot-2, 250-pound junior was slated to take over the starting center position last year, but suffered a season-ending injury prior to the campaign.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Delaware Valley will have to replace its all-time leading scorer and three-time all-conference honoree at placekicker in Bill Miller.

Last year's starting punter is not back as well. Junior Jim Rice (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) did not punt last year, but averaged 32.5 yards on 56 kicks in 2005.

Peterman averaged 25.9 yards on 13 kickoff returns while Squitiere returned five punts for 37 yards (7.4 avg).