Hobart selected as unanimous preseason favorite in Liberty League football poll
TROY, N.Y. - Coming off a 12-1 season and a trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs, the Hobart football team has been selected as the Liberty League preseason favorite in a vote of the league's eight head coaches.
Hobart received seven first-place votes and 49 points (coaches cannot vote for their own teams). Union (41) edged Springfield (39) for second. The University of Rochester (29) was picked fourth, followed by RPI (22), Merchant Marine (21), WPI (14) and St. Lawrence (9).
Hobart ran through its regular season slate with an unblemished 10-0 record, winning by an average of 24.1 points per game. The program's first undefeated regular season since 1957 included the Statesmen's second straight Liberty League Championship. Hobart will welcome back 13 starters (6 offensive/7 defensive.) and 35 letterwinners.
The defense, which ranked fifth in the nation last season (241.0 yds/g), will be led by 2012 Liberty League defensive player of the year, defensive end Tyre Coleman (67 tackles, 30.5 TFL, 17.5 sacks, 4 FF) and All-Liberty League first team linebacker Devin Worthington (52 tackles, 21.5 TFL, 10.0 sacks, 2 INT).
The offense, which paced the Liberty League in total offense last year (414.3 yds/g) will lean on a pair of All-Liberty League first-team selections in junior offensive lineman Ali Marpet and senior running back Steven Webb. The offensive line returns three starters, including Marpet, after allowing the fewest sacks in the league (8) last year. Webb led the Liberty League in yards per carry (6.0, min. 10 carries/g), rushing (1,197 yds., 92.1/g) and all-purpose yards (1,525 yds., 117.3/g).
The Statesmen will have to overcome the loss of several key seniors from last season's Liberty League championship team. Running back Bobby Dougherty (1,024 yards, league-leading 19 touchdowns) was part of a one-two punch with Webb that enabled Hobart to wear down opposing defenses. Quarterback Nick Strang and top backup Kelly Olney, top receiver Junior Woodard and tight end Brett Matazinsky have all graduated, leaving the Statesmen with holes to fill in the passing game. Defensively, All-Liberty League lineman Nick Auriemma and linebacker Andrew Klindera have graduated.
Union entered the 2012 campaign with an inexperienced quarterback, but that will not be the case this season. Junior Connor Eck had a breakout season in his first year as a starter, throwing for 1,914 yards with 17 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Eck also rushed for 379 and four touchdowns. He will lead a potent offense that also welcomes back All-Liberty League first-team selections, senior running back T.J. Franzese and junior wide receiver Kyle Reynolds. The defense will look to replace seven starters from last season's unit that ranked second in the league (318.5 yards per game).
Springfield went 8-3 last season, including a 5-2 mark in its first season in the Liberty League. The Pride feature a punishing running attack that averaged a league-leading 340.9 yards per game last season. All-Liberty League senior fullback Joel Altavesta returns after recording 949 yards rushing along with 12 touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Jonathan Marrero, the 2012 Liberty League rookie of the year directs Springfield's high-powered running game. Marrero ran for 794 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games. The Pride don't throw the ball often, but Marrero was also efficient in the passing game as he completed 24 of 48 passes for 533 yards (22.2 yards per completion) with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Defensively, junior Max Nacewicz is one of the league's top pass rushers, having recorded 14.5 sacks as a sophomore.
Rochester continues to make competitive strides, moving up to fourth in the preseason poll. The Yellowjackets return a number of key offensive performers from last season's team that went 4-5 (3-4 Liberty League). Senior quarterback Dean Kennedy threw for 2,023 yards with 15 touchdowns and just nine interceptions, completing 57 percent of his passes. Kennedy, second in the league in passing yards per game, will have virtually all of his top targets back from last season. Senior tight end Ken Apostolakos (31 rec., 393 yds., 5 TD) and senior wide receiver Thomas Hayes (41 rec., 622 yds., 4 TD) are returning All-Liberty League performers. All-league senior linebackers Tony Ortega and Zach Cicero lead an experienced defense.
RPI boasted one of the league's top offenses last season, averaging 31.4 points and 406.4 yards per game. The Engineers will need to replace two-time Liberty League offensive player of the year in quarterback Mike Hermann who led the league in total offense each of the past two seasons. In 2012, Hermann totaled 2,366 passing yards and 510 rushing yards with 23 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns. RPI will have a new head coach this season as Ralph Isernia, former assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Division III Ferrum takes over. Dick Maloney, head coach at the University of Chicago for the past 19 seasons, joins Isernia's staff as defensive coordinator. All-Liberty League defensive linemen Ted Abriel and Wade Hansen will lead the Engineer defense.
Merchant Marine had a solid season, going 5-5 overall and 3-4 in Liberty League play in 2012. Quarterback Alex Coviello (711 yds., 9 TD) and fullback John-Leon Gosselin (531 yds., 8 TD) graduated after leading the Mariners' ground attack last season. Junior Luke Stidham, who split time with Coviello at quarterback last season, rushed for 349 yards and threw for 311. Senior running back Connor Kennedy leads a strong stable of running backs while an experienced offensive line includes Anthony Gonzales, Jake Margrey and Ben Runchey. Defensively, top tacklers, safety Tyler Washington and linebacker Michael Biehn are joined by outside linebacker Matthew Morse.
WPI was inexperienced on the offensive side of the ball last season, but the Engineers have a number of players returning at skill positions this fall. Senior quarterback John Antonopoulos (1,049 yds., 6 TD) and junior quarterback Jacob Grills (426 yds., 2 TD) shared time under center last season. The top three ball carriers, juniors Chris Turner (463 yds., 3 TD) and Zach Grasis (328 yds., 4 TD) along with graduate student Gallagher Hogan (201 yds., 3 TD) all return, giving WPI an experienced trio in the backfield. Senior defensive lineman John Kilfoil will anchor the Engineer defense up front.
St. Lawrence showed signs of growth last season with second-quarter leads against both Hobart and Union, the top two teams in the league. A year of experience should translate into a vastly improve Saint football team. Junior Danny Metzgar and senior Zane Fish split time at quarterback last season with Metzgar earning the bulk of the snaps over the final four games. Senior wide receivers Mike Tateosian (62 rec., 657 yds., 6 TD) and Evan Shifley (33 rec., 379 yds., 3 TD) form one of the top receiving duos in the league. Senior linebacker Andrew Cox and sophomore defensive back Leondre Simmon are St. Lawrence's top returning tacklers.
2013 Liberty League Preseason Football Poll
Place, Team, Points
1. Hobart, 49 (7)
2. Union, 41
3. Springfield, 39 (1)
4. Rochester, 29
5. RPI, 22
6. Merchant Marine, 21
7. WPI, 14
8. St. Lawrence, 9
(First-place votes in parentheses)