Mt. St. Joseph Picked by Coaches to Claim Fourth Straight HCAC Football Title
August 3, 2007
GREENWOOD, IN – The College of Mount St. Joseph rose to the top of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings for the third straight season, posting a 7-0 conference mark last fall. The Lions have been selected as the favorite to win a fourth straight league crown in 2007, according to a poll of the HCAC’s eight head coaches.
Mt. St. Joseph, 9-2 overall in 2006, held off Franklin in the preseason poll, receiving 60 points and four first place votes.
Franklin College placed second in the voting with 58 points and the other four first place votes, while Defiance College finished third with 40 points. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (38), Hanover College (35), Anderson University (29), Manchester College (15), and Bluffton University (13) round out the poll.
The Mount will be looking for their fourth straight conference crown after never recording a winning season in the schools history prior to the 2003 season.
The Lions return the 2006 HCAC offensive player of the year in running back Mike Lovell ( West Chester, OH/Lakota West). Lovell dominated the conference on the ground last fall, racking up 1,318 yards and 17 touchdowns in 11 games for the Mount. In seven conference contests, Lovell averaged 131.7 yards per game and found the end zone 13 times via the ground. The MSJ offense averaged 24.5 points per game last season, ranking the Lions second in the HCAC.
Mt. St. Joseph relied on a very stingy defense in claming the school’s third straight conference title. The Lions D only surrendered 11.4 points per game last fall, but will have to duplicate that effort in 2007 without HCAC co-defensive player of the year in linebacker Matt Lawless (West Chester, OH/Lakota West). The graduate averaged 6.6 tackles per game in 2006 for the Lions, adding eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Kyle Prosser ( Cincinnati, OH/Oak Hills) will look to replace Lawless as the conference’s premier linebacker. Prosser averaged a team high 8.0 tackles per game last season, while adding 14.5 tackles for loss.
MSJ fell in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, 42-28 at Wheaton College, but will look to return to the tournament once again this fall. The Lions open up the season on the road against Wilmington College. The Mount knocked off the Quakers 24-0 last season.
Franklin College had a tremendous season last year, finishing 9-1 overall and 6-1 in HCAC action. The Grizzlies have some unfinished business in 2007 and will look to derail the Mount as the conference’s supreme team. Franklin’s football program has been on the rise since 2006 HCAC Coach of the Year Mike Leonard took over the FC program. The Grizzlies led the conference in scoring, averaging 31.2 points per game last year and return junior quarterback Chad Rupp ( Evansville, IN/Memorial) to lead the Grizzly attack. Rupp threw for 2,217 yards in 2006, including 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions. The Franklin quarterback ranked among the national leaders in passing efficiency (164.3) and total offense (232.4 ypg) as a sophomore. Also returning on the offensive side of the ball for Franklin is senior running back R.J Hartsfield ( Salem, IN/H.S.). Hartsfield ranked second in the HCAC in rushing with 82.9 yards per game and nine touchdowns. Senior linebacker Lance Pickrell ( Frankfort, IN/H.S.) returns to lead the Franklin defense. Pickrell recorded a team-high 74 tackles and added one sack last fall.
Defiance finished third in the conference last fall with a 5-2 conference record, finishing 7-3 overall. The Yellow Jackets ranked second in the conference in scoring defense, surrendering only 12.2 points per game. That defensive unit returns a trio of talented players in 2007. Senior linebacker Chris Tietje ( Deshler, OH/Patrick Henry) will look to improve on his 68 tackles, four sacks, and 16.5 tackles for loss last season. The Jackets will look to junior defensive back Keith Snyder ( Martin, MI/H.S.) and senior DB Nick Cass ( Roseville, MI/H.S.) to continue their efforts from last year. Snyder led the team with 69 tackles, while Cass recorded five interceptions and 12 pass deflections. Offensively, Defiance returns junior quarterback Hans Vetter ( Toledo, OH/ Springfield) and senior wide receiver Luke Dillon (Temperance, MI/Missouri Military). Vetter will look to better his 878 yards passing in 2006 and will have one of the top receivers in the HCAC in Dillon. Dillon led the conference with five receptions per game and ranked second with 63.0 yards per game.
Rose-Hulman finished their first year as a member of the conference finishing fifth with a 3-4 conference record. The Engineers return sophomore quarterback Derek Eitel ( Marshall, IL/H.S.) who had a successful freshman season filling in for the injured Cameron Hummel ( Dunkirk, IN/ Jay County). Eitel threw for 952 yards, three touchdowns, and only four interceptions in nine games behind center. Junior wide out Nate Richter ( Zionsville, IN/H.S.) returns for Rose. Richter led the team with 428 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Senior linebackers Steve Hawkins (Casey, IL/Casey Westfield) and Austin Hastings ( Santa Ana, CA/Foothill) will anchor the Rose defense. Hastings led the team with 66 tackles and 4.5 sacks last fall, while leading the conference with 17.0 tackles for loss. Hawkins racked up 64 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 11.5 tackles for loss last year.
Hanover finished 2006 with a 4-6 overall record and a 4-3 mark in HCAC action. Sophomore quarterback Alex Kiel ( Indianapolis, IN/Franklin Central) will take over full time as quarterback for the Panthers. Kiel shared duties with Rick Webster ( Carmel, IN/H.S.) last season appearing in nine games as a freshman, throwing for 691 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. Kiel will look to junior wide receiver Bobby Smart ( Coral Springs, FL/H.S.) who led Hanover in receiving last fall. Smart averaged 48.2 yards per game and caught seven touchdowns in 2006. Defensively, Hanover will look to replace HCAC co-defensive player of the year Jason Allen ( Cincinnati, OH/Colerain). Allen led the HCAC with 118 tackles in his senior season. Senior linebacker Alex Middendorf ( Okeana, OH/Badin) will look to pick up where Allen left off. The senior recorded 103 tackles and a sack last year as a junior.
Anderson was stricken with injuries in 2006 and struggled to a 1-6 conference record. The Ravens will need a big year from senior running back Denny Kimmel ( Markleville, IN/ Pendleton Heights) who only appeared in three games last year due to injury. Kimmel averaged 163.5 yards per game and scored 10 touchdowns in his last full season of play back in 2005. Junior Shane Nevers ( Marion, IN/H.S.) will take over as quarterback for AU. Nevers appeared in three games last fall, throwing for 331 yards and two touchdowns.
Manchester finished 2006 0-7 in conference play, 1-9 overall. The Spartans return junior quarterback Joel Hawkins ( Goshen, IN/ Fairfield) to lead the Manchester offense. Hawkins ranked second in the HCAC with 148.3 yards per game in the air, while also adding nine touchdowns. The Spartans will need to cut down on their turnovers to stay competitive this fall. Manchester turned it over 24 times last season, while only forcing 14 turnovers from their opposition.
Bluffton finished 3-7 overall last season with a conference mark of 2-5. The Beavers suffer a loss to graduation, losing quarterback Jared Owens ( Van Wert, OH/Crestview). Owens threw for 1,055 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. Junior Kyle Coleman ( Etna, OH/Watkins Memorial) is slated to replace Owens as quarterback this fall. On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Sam McCullough ( Bluffton, OH/H.S.) returns after recording a conference second-best 115 tackles last fall.
The first games of the 2007 season are on Sept. 1 with the conference season slated to begin on Sept. 29.