September 2, 2006

Senior quarterback Shawn Mizro

GENEVA, N.Y.—Since the start of the 2000 season, the Hobart football program has won more than 75 percent of its contests (47-15), reached the postseason five times (4 NCAA Playoffs, 1 ECAC Bowl), and firmly entrenched itself as a regional football power.

The 2005 Statesmen won seven straight games and climbed as high as No. 11 in the American Football Coaches Association poll before suffering their only loss of the regular season. Hobart bounced back to win its regular season finale and earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Playoffs.

For the second straight season, the Statesmen won their NCAA opener, defeating SUNY Cortland on Boswell Field, 23-22. But unlike the 2004 squad that was overmatched in a 45-14 loss at East Region top-seed Rowan, Hobart’s 2005 club brought the fight to Delaware Valley, pushing the Aggies to the edge, before falling 21-14.

The disappointing loss taught the team a very important lesson: Not only did the Statesmen belong in the playoffs, but they were capable of competing with the best teams in the region.

This season, Hobart wants to carry that lesson through the East Region all the way to Stagg Bowl XXXIV in Salem, Va.

Head Coach Mike Cragg (73-37) will have a veteran team under his command. The Statesmen will welcome back 39 lettermen, including 15 starters (10 on offense, 5 defense). Despite the bevy of returning talent and another strong recruiting class, the 12th-year boss knows Hobart’s regular season schedule is loaded with teams capable of ending the Statesmen’s Stagg Bowl quest.

To ensure a fifth consecutive postseason berth, the Statesmen will need to rack up a 10th consecutive winning season, a string of success unmatched in the first century of Hobart football.

Here’s how the Statesmen are shaping up, position-by-position:

QUARTERBACK

Senior Shawn Mizro will run the offense for the third straight season. The two-time first-team All-Liberty League pick has thrown for 4,407 yards and 47 touchdowns. He’s on-pace to break every major career passing mark beginning with TD passes, a record he currently shares with Craig Swanson ’04.

The only question is who will back Mizro up?

Hobart doesn’t return a single quarterback who has thrown a pass during a Hobart game other than Mizro. Junior transfer Andrew Strom (Novato, Calif.), sophomore Rich Doyle, and first-year PJ Overdorf (Troy, N.Y.) will battle for the No. 2 spot.

RUNNING BACK

Senior running back Doug Blakowski

Senior All-American Doug Blakowski made people stand up and take notice last season, his first as a starter. With an explosive first step, he produced the third highest single season rushing total in Hobart history, amassing 1,364 yards and 17 touchdowns, leading the Liberty League with a 5.8 yards per carry average. Blakowski broke away for eight touchdown runs of 50 yards or more while matching the Statesmen season mark for 100-yard rushing games (9). Look for him to get 20-25 carries per game and fashion another spectacular campaign.

Sophomore Anthony Hobaica is Blakowski’s able backup. The Utica, N.Y., native is quick and elusive and may earn a few extra carries this season after making quality gains a year ago (4.6 yds/att).

Junior Don Gilardi could push for some of Hobaica’s touches. He had just seven carries last season, but took one of them 55 yards for a touchdown against Franklin & Marshall.

First-year Rob Nieves (Rye, N.Y.) could work his way into some playing time. At 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, he’s the biggest of the four backs and more of a threat to take on potential tacklers rather than evade them.

FULLBACK

With senior Chris Whipple and junior Dan Spinella returning, the Statesmen have two quality blockers who will share time in the backfield. They are similar athletes, capable of blocking inside or outside and both are threats out of the backfield. While neither player will have a lot of opportunities to touch the football (172 combined career yards), they offer an overlooked outlet for Mizro as opponents scramble to defend against Blakowski and a fleet of speedy receivers.

WIDE RECEIVER

Speaking of receivers, Hobart will feature, arguably, the deepest group of wideouts in the Liberty League, including four who caught 13 passes or more in 2005 and two who completed passes. The group will have to replace the lone offensive loss to graduation, Colby Feane, but there will be no shortage of volunteers willing to take up the slack to account for his 19 receptions.

Junior James Wright (35 rec., 554 yds., 3 TD), junior Steve Sorhaindo (33, 529, 6), and sophomore Ryan LiDrazzah (28, 476, 4) will be Mizro’s primary targets. While all three ranked in the top five in the Liberty League in yards per catch, none of them was listed in the top five in total yards or receptions because Hobart runs such a balanced offense.

Wright is the possession receiver of the bunch. He runs good routes, does a great job of catching the ball, and is tough enough to fight for the first down. Wright also showed off his arm last season, completing 75 percent of his throws (3 of 4) for 126 yards and a touchdown.

Sorhaindo and LiDrazzah are playmakers. Get them the ball in the open field and it’s highlights at 11. They stretch the defense, opening up things for Wright and Blakowski on mid- and short-range routes.

Seniors Nick Dyson and Kent Thorpe, sophomore Zach Schulz, and first-year Tyler Vincent (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) will battle behind the big three for playing time.

TIGHT END

Seniors Kyle Martin and Ryan McWalter give Hobart two quality tight ends. Martin (6-2, 245) is a strong blocker with solid hands. A converted quarterback, McWalter brings an added knowledge and athleticism to the tight end position. Last season, both student-athletes made crucial plays in Hobart’s triple overtime win against Rensselaer. Martin scored the Statesmen’s first overtime touchdown and McWalter set up the game-winner with a 24-yard reception to the 1 yard line.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Hobart returns all five starters, including three All-Liberty League picks, to its offensive line after helping break the Hobart season record for passing yards (2,420) and producing the second highest season mark for total offense (4,421).

Junior Phill Perkins (6-3, 265) will protect Mizro’s blind side at left tackle, while senior Mike DePersis (6-1, 260) will man the right side. Perkins played his way into shape last season, but came into camp in better shape this year, while All-Liberty League first-teamer DePersis is the team’s best pass blocker.

At left guard, second-team All-Liberty League pick senior Nino Giambrone (6-1, 280), the line’s strongest, most consistent blocker, is slimmed down which should help with his balky knees that have slowed him throughout his career. The other guard will be manned by senior Brian Ohman (6-3, 275).

The center of the line should be anchored by sophomore Mike Condon (6-2, 265). A smart lineman, he’s capable of playing all five positions.

The depth of the line—Offensive Coordinator Kevin DeWall prefers to use an eight-man rotation to keep his blockers fresh—will come from juniors Jerome Chambers (6-2, 260), Derek Peterson (6-3, 260), and Preston Wido (6-3, 255), sophomore Rick Riggi (6-5, 275), and first-years Brian Monaco (6-2, 285, Amherst, N.Y.) and Andrew Miller (6-2, 265, Washington, Pa.).

DEFENSIVE END

Defensive end was a spot the coaching staff felt didn’t meet expectations in 2005. The Statesmen return starters on both ends of the defensive line. Senior Andy Purdie, a three-year starter, will handle the strong side, while junior Jim Drury will start for the second straight year on the weak side.

Purdie entered preseason camp in the best shape of his career after working out in the weight room for countless hours during the offseason. He posted career-highs in tackles (37), tackles for a loss (6.5), and sacks (4.5, third on the team) in 2005, and is poised to build on those numbers.

Drury produced 28 tackles, including five for a loss, notched an interception, and recovered two fumbles in his first season as a starter.

They will be pushed from Day 1 by a pair of first-years who could break into the starting line up.

Brandon Card (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) was an All-Central New York pick by the Post-Standard and a Class AA All-Star after averaging eight tackles per game for the Bees at linebacker in 2005, while Kwame Lovell (Schenectady, N.Y.), a native of Trinidad and Tobago, possesses an exciting combination of strength and speed.

Right behind them is sophomore Alex Williams and first-year Tony Guidetti (Queensbury, N.Y.).

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

On the interior of the line, sophomore Ryan Aruck is Hobart’s top returning tackler. He was third on team as a first-year with 56 stops, including 10 for a loss. He is a monster against the run and continues to improve his pass rush techniques.

Senior Ryan Rapaport will line up next to Aruck for the first time as a starter. He begins the season with just 13 career tackles in limited playing time. Rapaport knows Hobart’s system well and is ready to make an impact.

First-years Mike Arduini (Hamilton, N.J.) and Mike Faracca (Williamsville, N.Y.) will round out the two-deep and could push for a spot in the starting line up. Arduini is a dogged run stopper, while Faracca is a balanced tackle working well against the run and pass.

Senior David Tivin will provide depth in the middle.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

Senior linebacker Nolan Robinson

Hobart has big shoes to fill at the strong side outside linebacker position. Jimmy Gradis recorded 249 career tackles, including a team-high 76 last season on his way to All-Liberty League honors.

Senior captain Nolan Robinson, a three-year starter, will move from the weak side to fill this void. He is the very definition of a student-athlete: a standout in the classroom and on the gridiron. Robinson is one of only two players on the roster to boast more than 100 career tackles (171, Jeff Sanders with 113, is the other).

On the weak side, senior Evan Hoffman has the inside track. A special teams contributor, he made 16 tackles in 2005. His time at linebacker was limited by the exceptional talent on the roster ahead of him, but 2006 is his time to shine.

Sophomores Micah Coger and DeWayne Smith (Holliston, Mass.), a transfer from New Hampshire, will serve as the back ups. Both players are devastating tacklers who pack deceptive power in compact frames.

First-year Ryan Robinson (Johnson City, N.Y.), Nolan’s younger brother, will add depth to this group.

INSIDE LINEBACKER

Junior linebacker Jeff Sanders

Two-time Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year Tony Clemente leaves an enormous void at strong side inside linebacker. Simply put, no one on this year’s roster is ready to take his place.

That said, junior Jeff Sanders is the man who will be tasked with doing just that. The second-year starter was fourth on the team in tackles last season, despite missing the NCAA Tournament due to injury. He registered 53 tackles and his first interception which ended St. Lawrence’s upset hopes.

The weak side job is up for grabs. Senior Tyler Mason and sophomores Matt Duliba, Justin Hager, and Tony Siravo will figure in the mix. Hager had the most success last season, recording 26 tackles and an interception, stepping into the starting line up when Sanders was injured. Mason has been the top back up in the middle for the past two seasons, spelling Clemente and Sanders. Duliba is a jack-of-all-trades who came to Hobart as a quarterback, played tight end and special teams last year and agreed to move to linebacker this year. Siravo is a big, strong backer who excels against the run.

CORNERBACK

The biggest questions on defense lie in the secondary. Hobart graduated all three starters: cornerbacks Jamie Anderson (126 career tackles, 13 INT) and Dyshawn Washington (130, 9) and free safety Ryan Smith (117, 9). While the Statesmen will be untested, the coaching staff is quick to point out that that does not necessarily equate to a lack of talent.

Sophomore James Alexander and junior Corey Cage, a converted running back, are the projected starters at the corners. Alexander was an astute apprentice to Anderson last year, seeing time as the nickel back and logging 35 tackles and eight pass break ups. Cage, who runs on the HWS club track team, has excellent speed and picked up the basics of the position quickly during spring practices.

First-years Jonathan Marich (Dedham, Mass.) and Chris Szymanski (Williamsville, N.Y.) will bring depth to the position.

FREE SAFETY

Junior Mike Kaplun is an intelligent player who always seems to be in the right place and makes good decisions. Junior Brian Newcomb, sophomore Lance Boyington, and first-year Dan Pembroke (St. James, N.Y.) will compete for the second spot on the two deep.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Sophomore place kicker Kevin Olson and junior punter Dominick Ancona are the returning starters, but first-year Denis Avdic (Utica, N.Y.) will push both players for playing time.

Olson finished last season as the second most successful kicker on PATs, converting 37 of 38 (.974). He also hit 5 of 11 field goal tries, including a long of 47 yards.

Ancona was a workhorse last year, kicking more times than any other punter in the Liberty League. He averaged a solid 35.4 yards per punt and dropped 16 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Avdic has a very strong leg. He was selected to play in the Governor’s Bowl, a high school All-Star game between New York and New Jersey. Avdic holds the Section III record for longest field goal, booming a 55-yarder against Henniger last season.

The job of punt returner is wide open. Anderson did the job last season, not because of his electric returns (he averaged a solid 11.6 yards per return), but for his consistent ability to catch the ball with the kicking team bearing down on him. This year the coaches are looking for someone to step up and fill that role.

The same, at least in part, is true on kick returns. Sorhaindo and Blakowski did the job last year. Blakowski will not return kicks this year. Sorhaindo (25.6 yds/KR) may return kicks, but the coaching staff believes this is a job, like punt returner, best filled by first-years and sophomores hungry for playing time and ready to prove their worth.