Football News

2007 GAME PREVIEW - THE IONA GAME

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - The Delaware Valley College football team will open its 2007 season on Saturday, September 1 when the Aggies travel to New Rochelle, New York to battle Division I-AA Iona College. Kickoff at Mazzella Field is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Delaware Valley is battling a higher division team for the first time since 1998 when the Aggies downed Division II West Virginia Tech (25-7) and Division I-AA La Salle University (29-0). It is also the start of the one of the most demanding schedules in all of Division III as the Aggies will not only take on Iona, but also four teams that reached the Division III postseason (two NCAA and two ECAC).

Following the Iona game, Delaware Valley travels two-time NCAA Division III semifinalist Wesley College. Then after a bye week, Delaware Valley travels to Maryland to meet a Salisbury University team that registered a 15-9 victory over the Aggies in Doylestown in last year's ECAC South Atlantic Bowl. The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) portion of the schedule begins on Saturday, September 29 when Delaware Valley hosts King's College for its home opener.

The Aggies will look to continue their recent success as they have registered a 41-7 over the last four years (eighth-highest winning percentage in all levels of NCAA play during that time). Included in that run are a pair of MAC championships, two NCAA Division III quarterfinal appearances, two ECAC appearances and one ECAC Southeast championship. Last year, rookie head coach Jim Clements and his squad went 8-3 overall (7-2 and second place in the MAC), including a berth in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl Game.

This year, Clements will lean on his 29 returning letterwinners, including 10 starters, to continue the run. Six of the returning starters are from a defensive unit that blanked its final three regular-season opponents, finished fourth in Division III in scoring (9.1 avg) and placed in the top 15 in two other categories.

2006 Don Hansen's Football Gazette honorable mention All-American linebacker John Pursell (Middletown, DE/Middletown) heads the unit. The senior and two-time all-MAC honoree tied for the team lead in tackles with 81 and also added two sacks.

Up front, Delaware Valley must replace a two-time All-American and its all-time sacks leader in Anthony Silver. However, three starters are back, including second-team all-MAC honoree Travis Albanesius (Green Lane, PA/Upper Perkiomen). The senior nose guard is coming off his finest campaign as he racked up 53 tackles 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.

The Aggies lost a pair of all-conference cornerbacks to graduation, but seniors Kyle Mancuso (Thorofare, NJ/West Deptford) and Quincy Thaxton (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) return at their safety positions. Mancuso had 36 tackles in 2006 while Thaxton had 25 stops and two interceptions.

On the offensive side of the ball, 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 while also catching 30 passes for 184 yards.

Quarterback Mike Isgro (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) started all 11 games as a freshman and had the unenviable task of replacing one of the top signalcallers in Division III history. He responded by completing 148 of 248 passes for 1,749 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also rushing for 367 yards and three scores.

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 in '05.

Junior and two-year starters Mike Cebrosky (Lehighton, PA/Lehighton) and Ralph Stambaugh (Westminster, MD/Francis Scott Key) return to the offensive line.


IONA COLLEGE

Head coach Fred Mariani has 63 letterwinners, including 15 starters back from a Gaels squad that went 3-7 last season. Their wins came against Stonehill (24-7), La Salle (28-0) and Duquesne (17-13). One of their losses was 21-7, Opening Day setback to Division III Montclair State.

Senior quarterback Dustin Croick heads an offensive unit that averaged 14.7 points and 297.9 yards last season. Croick started seven of the nine games he played in and completed 135 of 236 passes for 1,474 yards and five touchdowns. He was also intercepted nine times.

Croick's top three targets from last year are gone. Fellow senior DeMarcus White is the top returnee after he hauled in 20 passes for 232 yards.

Iona's ground attack will be led by the senior duo of Dane Samuels and Rudy Arcara. Samuels played in all 10 games with two starts last year and carried the ball 158 times for 760 yards and four trips to the end zone. Arcara started eight games and netted 317 yards on 85 touches.

Ten starters, including the top six tacklers, are back for an Iona defense that allowed just 17.4 points and 232.1 yards per game in '06. Leading the unit is senior defensive back Ed Loscalzo who registered a team-high 69 tackles and also added two interceptions.

Linebackers Andrew Lipski and Jared Scotto tallied 52 and 47 tackles respectively a season ago. Lipski, a junior, also notched an interception while Scotto, a senior, had 8.5 tackles for loss.

Another player to watch is defensive back Reggie Dorsainvil. The senior led the Gaels with four interceptions and five pass breakups while also contributing 31 tackles.