The Herald, Sharon, PA Published Tuesday, Aug. 26, 1997
Football '97

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  • PRESIDENTS' ATHLETIC CONFERENCE:
    THIEL COLLEGE
    1997 season preview


    Thiel, GCC hoping to improve, tap local talent

    1997 schedule
    Sept. 6 _ at Oberlin, 1:30 p.m.
    Sept. 13 _ Allegheny, 1:30 p.m.
    Sept. 20 _ at Bluffton, 1:30 p.m.
    Sept. 27 _ Grove City, 1:30 p.m.
    Oct. 4 _ at Waynesburg, 1:30 p.m.
    Oct. 11 _ at Alfred, 1:30 p.m.
    Oct. 18 _ Bethany, 2 p.m.
    Oct. 25 _ at Washington and Jefferson, 2 p.m.
    Nov. 1 _ Gannon, 2 p.m.
    Nov. 8 _ at Catholic, 1 p.m.

    While perennial Presidents' Athletic Conference power WASHINGTON and JEFFERSON (8-2, 5-0) looks to extend the nation's longest streak of consecutive conference championships to 12 in 1997, it appears locally Thiel and Grove City College are beginning to close the gap.

    Following is a brief look at each of the PAC schools:

  • THIEL (1-9, 0-5) _ One year after ending a 22-game losing streak, the Tomcats and second-year coach Dave Armstrong have their sights on more lofty goals.

    And with 15 returning starters and one of the strongest recruiting classes in school history, it appears the Tomcats are ready to roar. Among that recruiting class, which included 20 Mercer County-area products, was Sharon first-team all-state lineman Brian Griffin, and Farrell standout Qasim ``Sim'' Harrison.

    ``We are very happy with the kids who have come to camp so far and are extremely happy with their work ethic,'' Armstrong said via a press release.

    Seven starters return on offense, including senior Myron Bundrandt of Mercer, who was an all-PAC second-team pick for the second consecutive season. Sophomore quarterback Judd Allan, another Mercer product, is also back after passing for 844 yards on 53-of-174 passing, 4 TDs and 11 interceptions.

    Other returning starters are: junior fullback Scott Hoover (416 yards), junior tailback Clyde Morgan (208 yards), the Tomcats' top two ground gainers in 1996; junior split end Bob Calvin of Mercer, who pulled in a team-best 14 passes, and sophomore flanker DeAngelo Parker, who caught 12 passes. Greenville's Matt Doddo is expected to start at split end.

    The defense shows experience as well with eight starters back, including All-PAC second-team honorees, defensive linemen Jasen Diley and and strong safety Brad Yoder of Mercer. Diley led the team with 6 sacks and tied for second with 59 tackles; Yoder collected 57 tackles, including a team-high 30 solos. Also back is Reynolds High graduate Brian Scott, who started 10 games and recorded 32 tackles.

    Sophomore linebackers Donte Darby (team-high 64 tackles) and Dontell Morgan (59 tackles) also expect to provide a lot of power for the unit.

    Wilmington's Wyatt Campbell is in a tight battle with Chris Anthony for the placekicking job.

    Other locals on the roster are: Reynolds' Mike Winslow, Chuck Miller and Drew Macko; Hickory's Matt Passalinqua and Brad Kettering; Sharon's Cory Blough and Jeff Songer; Hubbard's Dave Gonder; Greenville's Scott Kaltenbaugh, Pat Turpack and Chuck Milford; Kennedy's Mike Pilipovich and Sean Marenkovic; Farrell's Bill Mercurio; and Grove City's Doug Wade.

    Assisting Armstrong are: Wally Gagric, Ed Klutcher, Kelley Moore, Frank Amato, Jason Ranone, Matt Nelson, Joe Korcinsky, Bill Frick and volunteers John Stegkamper, Chris Gaub and Pat McClearen.



  • GROVE CITY (2-8, 1-4) _ The Wolverines of coach Chris Smith (43-74-2 in 13 seasons) hope that eight returning starters on both sides of the ball is enough for them to improve on a season in which three losses were decided by less than five points.

    Senior running back Doug Steiner, an All-PAC second-team pick in 1996 who rushed for a school-record 1,073 yards on 238 carries, leads the return offensively.

    Back to clear a path for him is All-PAC second-teamer Mike Stone, a senior right guard, and senior left tackle Jim Donnelly.

    Senior quarterback Jeff Porter is healthy again after missing the last four games a year ago with a neck injury. He will have his favorite targets, sophomores Garret Schmidt and Matt Paylo, back.

    The Wolverines' defense, which ranked among the nation's beast in stopping the run and the pass, remains solid with the return of a pair of All-PAC first-team picks in senior linebacker Rich Mokros and senior strong safety John Neumann. Mokros had a team-high 71 tackles, while Neumann topped the league with 5 interceptions.

    Seniors Jeff Smalley and Jamey Palma also return to strengthen the defensive backfield. The linbacking corps is bolstered by return of juniors Corey Sarosy and Ed Fox.

    A late addition to the Wolverines is a name very familiar to Mercer County fans _ R.J. Bowers. The former West Middlesex standout, who played professional baseball for the last five years in the Houston Astros' organization, recently enrolled at the college and plans to play football.

    Bowers capped a stellar scholastic career with 3,264 yards, 8th-best in county annals, and was recruited by Akron but elected to play baseball.

  • ALFRED (4-6, 4-1) _ The Saxons had a successful debut in their inaugural season in the league under coach Jim Moretti (68-49-3, 12 seasons), who will resign as head coach at the end of the season to devote full time to his athletic director duties.

    Smethport's Ryan Woodruff, who passed for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns in just over 15 quarters of action, leads a crew of 16 returning starters. Woodruff was a second-team all-PAC selection in '96 despite starting only three games.

  • BETHANY (4-6, 3-2) _ Twenty starters are back to help the Bison celebrate their 100th season of football.

    Leading the way is Sharon High product Bob Fromm, who was named to the PAC second team after leading the league in total offense a year ago with 1,777 yards. Fromm completed 129 of 281 passes for 1,536 yards and 10 touchdowns.

    Coach Steve Campos enters his fifth season at the helm with an 18-19-1 record.

  • WAYNESBURG (2-7, 2-3) _ Coach Dan Baranik (11-16 in 3 seasons) returns 12 starters, including sophomore running back Mike Stout, who carried 189 times PV 3for 943 yards (104.8 per game) and senior quarterback Darren Elvey, who has had back-to-back 1,000-yard passing seasons.

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    Updated Aug. 27, 1997
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