Stonehill Gears Up for Opener at #22 Glenville State

Skyhawks open year three of Talley era Thursday night in West Virginia

Week One Game Notes (PDF) 

BROCKTON ENTERPRISE: "Stonehill faces tough stretch to open football season"
BY JIM FENTON

EASTON, Mass. (August 26, 2009) - Stonehill College kicks off its 22^nd season of varsity football with a non-conference clash against Glenville State College, ranked 22^nd in the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) preseason poll, on Thursday night at I.L. & Sue Morris Stadium in Glenville, W.V., at 7 p.m.

Stonehill head coach Rob Talley (9-11 (.450)/2 seasons) returns 11 starters (six on defense, five offense) and 56 letterwinners overall for his third season at the helm. The Skyhawks, who also welcome 43 newcomers to the squad, are coming off a 2008 season which saw them post a 4-6 record overall, including a 2-5 mark in the Northeast-10 Conference, but won their last two games - including a rousing 35-7 triumph over arch-rivals Bentley University in the season finale - and three of their last four to close out the season. 

Junior Eddie Vachon, a second-team All-NE-10 pick in 2008, returns after leading the Conference in all-purpose yards last fall.

Junior running back Eddie Vachon (Newton, Mass./Blair Academy) and senior wide receiver David Pringle (West Haven, Conn./Westminster School) head the list of returnees on offense, along with returning senior offensive linemen Thomas Pfeifer (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) at left tackle, Brandon Joseph (Mattapan, Mass./Randolph) at left guard and Jay Norton (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) at right guard.

Vachon, a second team All-Northeast-10 selection last season, returns after leading the Conference with 1,209 all-purpose yards - finishing with 426 yards rushing on 110 attempts with two touchdowns, 365 yards receiving on 25 catches with four touchdowns and 418 combined return yards (384 on kickoffs). He is expected to move into a full-time role and will provide valuable leadership as a dual threat in his third season.

Pringle provides a true deep threat from the outside and is coming off a 2008 season which saw him haul in a team-high 32 catches for 411 yards, ranking eighth among NE-10 leaders in both receptions (4.0) and receiving yards (51.4) per game.

Junior Kevin Brooks (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) and sophomore Danny Sagan (Blairstown, N.J./Blair Academy) have been battling it out during preseason training camp to take over the starting quarterback job after the graduation of three-year starter Cruz Parsons who finished his career third all-time in Stonehill history with 3,756 career yards passing and second with 41 career touchdowns. 

Senior tri-captain Greg Sanzari, a first team All-NE-10 pick last year, returns after leading teh Skyhawks with 9.9 tackles per game.

Six starters return on a Stonehill defensive unit which finished 2008 ranked second in the NE-10 for scoring defense, allowing just 18.0 points per game (16^th nationally) and third in total defense (314.3 yds/gm) and rushing defense (120.6/gm). The Skyhawks also led the Conference with a plus-16 turnover margin (27^th nationally).

Heading the defensive returnees are senior linebacker Greg Sanzari (Centerport, N.Y./St. Anthony's), a first team All-NE-10 selection last season, and classmate Jon Penning (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) on the defensive line. Sanzari led the Skyhawks and finished second among NE-10 leaders with 9.8 tackles per game in 2008 to go with 7.5 tackles for a loss of 18 yards, two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble. Penning added 20 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss of 13 yards, and one sack last season. 

Seniors Clark Leger (Waltham, Mass./Trinity Catholic) and Andrew Lesko (Florence, Mass./Northampton) will also provide solid leadership on the defensive line, along with junior Brenden Taylor (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton). Sophomore Stephan Neville (Foxborough, Mass./Foxborough) is the lone returnee in the Skyhawks secondary after totaling 31 tackles and a team-best five interceptions (4^th NE-10) to go with three pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Neville, along with senior kicker Brendan Gorey (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) also anchor a Stonehill special teams unit which should be potent again in 2009. Neville, a second team All-NE-10 return man, averaged a Conference-best 29.7 yards per return as a freshman to lead a Skyhawks special teams which led the NE-10 and ranked 10^th nationally in average return yardage (24.8). Gorey led the NE-10 in PAT percentage, converting 94.6-percent (27-for-28) of his attempts, ranked third in field goals per game (0.60) and fourth in punting average (35.9/punt).

Sophomore Stephan Neville, a second team All-Conference returner as a freshman, is expected to provide an impact at both defensive back and on kick returns again this season.

Stonehill opens the 2009 season with four of its first five games away from W.B. Mason Stadium. After tomorrow night's visit to Glenville State, the Skyhawks head to NCAA Football Championship Subdivision foe Wagner College on September 5 before hosting defending Northeast-10 Champions American International College on Friday, September 11, at 7 p.m. The home opener is part of "Kickoff Weekend" at the College with lots of special activities planned surrounding the game.

Glenville State is the preseason favorite in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) and are coming off an 8-3 campaign in 2008 (7-1 WVIAC) after finishing the season winners of five-straight. The Pioneers must replace the nation's leading rusher in Jerry Seymour (WVIAC record 2282 yards in '08). 

Senior quarterback James McCants (Akron, Ohio) was efficient last season tossing 12 touchdown passes, while only allowing four interceptions for an offensive attack that averaged 33.9 points per game. Sophomore wide receiver Antwan Stewart (Washington, D.C.) grabbed 38 passes as a rookie, but senior Adam Adkins (Pulaski, Va.) is the only returning starting offensive lineman from a unit that helped GSC establish a league record with 282.2 rush yards per game in 2008.

Sixth-year head coach Alan Fiddler's Pioneers should be tough on defense. Seniors Terrell Parker (Baltimore, Md.), 18 tackles for loss, and Kaleb Lawrence (Mclouth, Kan.), 19 tackles for loss, head the returnees at linebacker, while classmate Scott Sears (Webster Springs, W.V.), 15 tackles for loss, can disrupt offenses from his defensive end slot.