2002 Season Preview

BEES LOOK TO MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW
The St. Ambrose Fighting Bees roll into the 2002 season looking to build off of the last two seasons. Coach Todd Sturdy and his coaching staff have built one of the premiere programs in the Mid-States Football Association.

Coming off of back-to-back conference championships, which included a combined conference record of 14-0, the Fighting Bees once again set their goals high to repeat their performance. The 2002 edition of St. Ambrose football will look to come out strong and not bask in the glory of the prior two seasons.

“We can’t sit on what we have done in the past,” proclaimed Coach Sturdy. “The 2002 team has to have their own identity. The bar is set high for this group.”

The Fighting Bees expect nothing but the best for the upcoming season and have many goals set. The team is looking to do some extraordinary things this year.  The Fighting Bees are seeking their third consecutive conference championship and hope to throw up an amazing 21-0 conference record, in a three-year span.  The team is also striving for its  third playoff appearance in as many years, which will be a new record in Fighting Bee football history.

Coach Sturdy would love to coach this team to the Final Four, an achievement no other St. Ambrose football team has ever experienced.  He was a member of the first playoff win in the schools history, led the 2000 team to the Elite Eight as a coach and has the hopes of bringing the 2002 program to the Final Four.

One goal that is shared by many teams in college football is taking home the National Championship. This goal is not a very realistic one for many programs, but the 2002 Fighting Bees will take every opportunity they can to make this dream become a reality.  Stay tuned to see if this team will provide its school with a special season.

The Offense
The Fighting Bees jump into the 2002 season with high expectations for an offense that lost three All-American performers. So how does an offensive unit come back from losing Nathan Norman (2001 national rushing champion), Andre Banks (All-American Wide Receiver) and Derrick Nelson (All-American Left Tackle)? Coach Sturdy lends a hand with answering that question.

“This unit is a very deep one that has many strengths and a lot of experience,” said Sturdy.

Once again the Fighting Bees will look to John McDowell (6’2 –220, Sr.) to lead the offense at the Quarterback position. The Canton, IL native comes into the season as a huge strength to an experienced group of players. McDowell finished the 2001 campaign as Honorable Mention All-Conference, while throwing for 1451 yards on 97 of 188 completed passes and 17 touchdowns. McDowell brings excitement to the offense, by showing great mobility and knowledge of the game.  “Sky’s the limit for John,” raved Sturdy. “He is the complete package. John throws the ball as well as anyone I have ever coached.” High praises from a man who has coached the likes of record setter Chad Duffin and 2000 MSFA Player of the Year, Josh Schmidt.

McDowell will be backed up by Charlie Rogucki (6’3 – 215 Jr.). Rogucki had a good season last year, throwing for 519 yards on 49 of 77 passes and 3 touchdowns. The Fighting Bees will go into the season with two experienced quarterbacks.

The St. Ambrose backfield will have to make up for the loss of MSFA Player of the Year Nathan Norman. Brandon Adolphs (6’2 – 210 Sr.) has moved from fullback to tailback for the Fighting Bees.  Adolphs is described by Sturdy as “a physical specimen, one of the best in our program.”

Joe Schimmel (5’11 – 185 So.) out of New Lenox Lincoln Way, will be the backup to Adolphs. Schimmel is a player the coaching staff is excited about, he has many offensive skills.

The wide receiver position is one that is filled with great depth and experience. The Fighting Bees replace All-American Andre Banks with Matt Walker (6’2 – 190 Sr.), who will be the leader of the group. Walker, along with Joe DuPage (5’9 – 175 So.) and Andy Ford (5’9 – 160 So.), had a great off season and are expected to perform well this year. The Fighting Bees will also look to Jeremy Anderson (6’2 – 180 Sr.), Matt Ghiglieri (6’1 – 195 Jr.) and Aaron Washington who all have the potential to work in the offensive mix.

The tight end position once again will be held by Ryan Antonik (6’2 – 235 Jr.). Antonik, who attended Holy Cross High School in Chicago.  He played in 10 games a year ago as tight end and fullback. Jason Lynch (6’5 – 220 So.) out of Joliet Catholic Academy and Matt Pappocio (6’4 – 235 Jr.) from Sterling Newman, both performed well during spring ball and look to see valuable playing time.

“This offensive line has a great opportunity to be the best this school has ever seen,” said Sturdy. “The guys have played a lot of football together and can be a very productive unit.”

First team All-Conference performer Raul Blanco  (6’4 – 315 Jr.) will switch to left tackle to replace All-American Derrick Nelson. Right tackle will be occupied by Zac Harlan (6’5 – 295 Sr.), who displays amazing size and strength. Senior Rob Stazak  (6’2 – 317 Sr.)  will be back manning the line at center.  Paul Cagle (6’3 – 265 Jr.) will start at left guard and Gabe Barta (6’1 – 300 Jr.) has made the switch from defense to offense to help complete the offensive line. The Fighting Bees will also look to Joe Cox (6’3 – 270 Sr.), Kurt Gersch (6’0 – 265 So.), and Nathan Robe (6’2 – 235 So.) to add depth up front.

The Defense
The Fighting Bees defense, led by coordinator Rich Wright, look to shut down any opponent standing in their way. A defense that finished in the middle of the pack in the MSFA, hope to improve on its job from last season. The defense produced 33 turnovers in 2001, which ranked third in the MSFA, look to stand pat on that mark this season.

The defensive line will look to pressure opposing offenses in the coming season. Leading the way up front will be senior Chris Davies (6’1 – 240 Sr.). Davies, from Moline High School, is a former Western Big 6 Male Athlete of the Year. Brandon Graves (6’4 – 275 Jr.) will be looked at to produce big things on the outside. Shawn Giffin (6’1 – 255 Jr.) returns from a knee injury in which he has fully recovered and had a very strong spring. Newcomers Jason Kratt (6’5 – 260 So.) and Jacob Brower (6’4 – 225 So.) will also fit into the picture up front. Look for Nate Fisher (6’1 – 300 Jr.) to see the field as well.

With the loss of two All-Conference players, Aaron Mormann and Adam Clark, the linebacking core will try to rebuild itself into a powerful unit. The leader of the group will be returnee Lavill Figgs (6’0 – 225 Sr.), who will move in from the outside. Figgs has had two outstanding years and has been overlooked as far as awards go. Look for Figgs to shine and solidify the group. Travis Thomas (6’0 – 220 Sr.) will be holding down the outside.

The secondary will look to shut down the aerial attack its opponents may provide. Adam Panther (6’0 – 195 Jr.), who intercepted four balls last season, will again start at free safety and TJ Sheedy (5’11 – 190 Jr.) will move into the strong safety spot. Meanwhile, the cornerbacks will be Tyrell Newton (5’11 – 200 Sr.), who currently holds the number one spot, and Demon Baker (5’10 – 190 Sr.) will be back up.

Special Teams
A group in which Fighting Bee players and coaches pride themselves, is the area of special teams. Both players and coaches have made this a priority in recent years and have done a good job. Last year the special teams scored three touchdowns, one punt return and two kickoff returns.  The 2001 Fighting Bees were second in the MSFA in kick return average.

Josh Embretson (6’1 – 230 Sr.) will once again perform the punting duties. Embretson was First Team All-American as a sophomore and one of the best at his trade. Returning as kicker of the Fighting Bees will be Mark Whitlock (5’9 – 150 So.). Whitlock now has one year of experience under his belt and looks to improve from last season.

The Schedule
The 2002 schedule doesn’t get any easier for St. Ambrose. There are no cupcakes lined up this year, as Coach Sturdy has filled the schedule with some very tough opponents. The Fighting Bees begin the season at home with Kansas Wesleyan, who qualified for the National Playoffs last year. This match up is looked at as a “Clash of the Titans” and should be a tough, but thrilling opener.

The Fighting Bees will once again head to Angola, IN to face Tri-State, who also made the National Playoffs a year ago. The Thunder defeated the Fighting Bees the previous three seasons including an overtime heartbreaker last year.

Week three sends the Fighting Bees back to Brady Street Stadium to face Wisconsin River Falls, a Division III opponent. The Falcons play in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, which is a premiere conference in Division III football. This school is a known powerhouse and runs the rarely seen wishbone offense.

After three difficult non-conference games, the Fighting Bees will look for their third conference championship in as many years. The Fighting Bees side of the conference, the Mid States Midwest Division, will prove to be a tight race. St. Xavier will return the most talent in the conference and will prove to be a tough opponent. McKendree should be considered a strong program in 2002. Olivet Nazarene, St. Francis, Trinity International, Iowa Wesleyan and William Penn will also provide some good competition for the Fighting Bees throughout the season.        

Return to the Football Homepage