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For the first time in four years, the Fighting Bees will not be coming off of a Mid-States Football Association Midwest Division championship. Last season also marked the first time in four years the Fighting Bees weren’t in the NAIA playoffs. It’s a new year and eleventh year head coach Todd Sturdy isn’t worried about the past. “We didn’t reach our goals that we set last year as a program, but I think our kids had a great off-season, and they are hungry. It’s a new year,” Sturdy said. “We are just going to be really young. We have a lot of new faces in there.” In order for Sturdy and his crew of coaches to accomplish the goals set out by the program, they will have to do it with a new look team. Gone are 25 players to graduation from last year’s 7-3 team. That list includes two-time All-American and 2003 MSFA Player of the Year running back Joe Schimmel and two-time all-MSFA running back Larry Williams, as well as the teams’ top two receivers, its tight end, the entire defensive line, half of the linebackers and half of the secondary. Sturdy feels he has the right guys in place, but says depth could be an issue. “I am really excited where we are at. I think we have a good chance to be a good football team,” Sturdy said. “We’re young. It’s just going to be how fast we come out of the gates. “Really, across the board we need to build depth. When you lose that many seniors, a lot of starters, a lot of key role players. I don’t think we have to find who are starters are, we have to find who is going to play behind them.”
Quarterback “I feel real good about our quarterback position,” Sturdy said. “Jim has really progressed and Jeff had the best spring he has ever had. Jeff worked his butt of this year and should have a great senior year.” Running back Replacing Schimmel and Williams will be no small task. Schimmel ranks third in career rushing yardage. “Larry and Joe, that’s a pretty good 1-2 punch,” Sturdy said. “We were very fortunate to have two quality players like that. Big hole and big shoes to fill.” Looking to fill those awfully big shoes is Tyler Driscoll (6-1, 185, So., Central DeWitt). Driscoll saw action in nine games last season and rushed for 184 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown. Alongside Driscoll will be Adam Norland (5-11, 185, Jr., Tri-County). “Tyler got his feet wet last year. He had a great off-season. He’s a big physical kid that can run, and we’re excited. He is going to have a chance to make a mark on his name and on this program,” Sturdy said. “Our big deal is that we have to build depth at this position.” Wide receiver Similar to the running back position, the 1-2 punch of Andy Ford and Joe DuPage have graduated. Chris Burhans, who was third on the team in receiving in 2004, has moved to tight end, leaving the door open for a new core or receivers to shine. Brandin Smith (6-3, 190, Jr., Rock Island) returns after getting his feet wet a year ago. Also back are Tim Turkowski (6-4, 180, Jr., Providence), Brett Van Hove (6-2, 180, Jr., North Tama), Shane Jones (6-1, 180, Sr., Princeton) and Nic Gieselman (5-10, 165, Sr., West Burlington). “I am not really concerned about this position,” Sturdy said. “These guys have done a great job for us. Those guys all came in the spring and stepped it up. I am really excited with where we are with this group of guys.” Tight end Chris Burhans (6-1, 210, Jr., St. Rita) will step into a new role for the 2005 season when he moves from wide receiver to tight end. Burhans will replace the departed Jason Lynch, and looks to give the Fighting Bees some options in the passing game. Burhans will have Russ Monk (6-1, 250, So., Monticello) in the number two slot behind him. “Chris is probably going to do a little of both (receiver and tight end),” Sturdy said. “Again, this is another position where we need to build depth.” Offensive line Another position that returns some experience is the offensive line. Both Brad Cook (6-1, 250, Jr., Bettendorf) and Greg Ford (6-0, 285, Jr., Rock Island Alleman) have a plethora of experience as both started as true freshmen in the 2003 playoff victory over MidAmerica Nazarene and all of the 2004 season. Also back are Dru Filkins (6-4, 270, So., Downers Grove South) and Jonah Mergen (6-2, 265, Jr., Edgewood). Battling for the fifth spot on the line are Sean Dominick (6-4, 245, So., Providence), Matt Kron (6-1, 245, Jr., Holy Cross), R.J. Johnson (6-3, 235, So., Bettendorf) and transfer Cary Yarbourough (6-0, 270, Fr.). “That’s the nucleus of our offensive unit,” Sturdy said. “We have the majority of the line back. Those four guys are going to be a big part of what we are doing. We just have to find a fifth guy, but I am excited because I think we have a good chance to build some depth there right away.” Defensive line A brand new look overcomes the defensive line, as all four starters from a year ago graduated. Looking to step in are: Ryan Lincoln (6-2, 230, So., Joliet Catholic), Andy Wulf (6-0, 250, Jr., Tipton), Nathan Shultz (6-4, 260, Jr., Cedar Rapids Washington) and Matt MacCrindle (6-0, 300, Jr., Crystal Lake). Ben Sacco (6-4, 240, Jr., United Township) made the switch from linebacker to defensive end and is looking to add to his totals (40 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, and three sacks) of a year ago. “You look at the guys we graduated and there’s seven kids who took the majority of the snaps,” Sturdy said. “One position group, seven guys, I don’t know if we have ever had that happen before. Basically our two-deep graduated. “We have all new faces, but I am very excited about what we have going there.” Linebackers The teams top two tacklers – Kevin Hopkins (second with 86) and Matt Seidel (fourth with 57) – will be tough to replace, but looking to fill that void are Chad Otdoerfer (6-1, 220, Jr., Olwein), Jesse Weygand (5-10, 185, So., Crystal Lake South), Kevin Linn (6-1, 200, So., Pleasant Valley). Spending time as the third linebacker and cornerback is Ryne Foster (5-11, 185, Sr., Manchester West Delaware). Last season as a cornerback, Foster recorded 36 tackles, had two interceptions and three pass deflections. Secondary Looking to frustrate opposing quarterbacks passing games will be a new core of cornerbacks and safeties. At corner, Justin Thompson (5-9, 160, So., Pleasant Valley), Corey Overton (5-9, 165, So., Davenport North), DeQuinn Watford (5-6, 170, Fr., Hardin County, Tenn.), and Travis Montgomery (5-10, 190, Jr., Elgin) all bring experience to the table and will look to continue to improve. After a stellar freshman campaign, Matt Hunt will not return to the football program because of injury reasons. Looking to step in where Hunt left off are: Kellen Driscoll (6-4, 240, Jr., Southwest Minnesota State), who transferred in from Southwest Minnesota State, Matt Kurtz (6-0, 180, Fr., Davenport West) joins the team after a solid high school career, Dan Eble (5-9, 165, So., Brother Rice) returns after a solid 2004. “We have two rookies at the corner spots,” Sturdy said. “I think our defense will be real athletic and we can put a defense on the field that can compete.” Special teams Another position that will be tough to replace will be kicker. All-American Matt Webster graduated after posting St. Ambrose records. Last season, he connected on 45 of 47 extra points and made 12 of 13 field goals to set a new St. Ambrose single-season kick scoring record (81 points). Competing for the number one spot are Eddie Ochoa (Fr., Muscatine) and Evan Gutierrez (5-11, 165, Fr., Linn Mar). Punter Jon James (5-10, 160, Jr., Oelwein) returns for his third season in that role. Last season he averaged 37.5 per punt and had 11 fall inside the 20-yard line. “I thought that Jon had a great season last year, and I just see him getting better,” Sturdy said. “He really has a chance to do some big things.” The aforementioned Ford spent the majority of the time in the role of kick returner. He averaged 16.2 yards per return. Who will replace him is still being worked out. “Andy had some awesome returns the last couple of years,” Sturdy said. “We haven’t really identified anybody yet. We are working some different combinations, but those are some key losses that we are definitely going to have to work out.” Schedule The road to another MSFA Midwest title and the NAIA playoffs will be another challenging test for the Fighting Bees. The non-conference schedule includes the season and home opener against long-time rival Loras on Sept. 10, a trip to Waldorf the following weekend and a visit from Taylor (Ind.) on Sept. 24. The road does not get much easier from there. Playing in arguably the toughest conference in the NAIA, the Fighting Bees will have to hit the road to play preseason ranked McKendree (No. 9) on Nov. 5, Saint Xavier (No. 17) on Oct. 22 and Trinity International (No. 16) on Oct. 8. The home schedule includes William Penn, a rematch against Olivet Nazarene and the first night home game since 2001 when Iowa Wesleyan visits Brady Street Stadium on Oct. 15. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. “It’s one of those things where we have to play all of the top teams in the conference on the road,” Sturdy said. “But really, in our conference, every weekend is a battle. We try not to look down the road at all, just take it one game, one week at a time.” Return to the Football Homepage |
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