Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was selected the 2019 Liberty League football preseason favorite in a poll conducted by the league’s head coaches. The Engineers will open 2019 on the heels of a 10-2 campaign (4-1 Liberty League), a Liberty League title for the second straight year and a second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, where they advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in program history.
The Liberty League will have seven teams in football this season with the addition of Buffalo State College as an associate member. The Bengals were previously in the Empire 8 and join the league to help secure the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament (seven teams are the NCAA’s minimum requirement for an automatic bid).
It will once again be a battle in the standings as the conference’s top-four teams were only separated by one win in league games last year. RPI and Ithaca College, who were crowned the league’s co-champions for the second consecutive year, both finished at 4-1 against league opponents while Hobart College and Union College tied for third at 3-2. All four teams were recognized in the 2019 poll with at least one first-place vote (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team). RPI was recognized as the preseason favorite with 32 points and four first-place votes while Ithaca was right behind with 31 points and a first-place vote for second. Both teams were recognized by D3Football.com in their preseason top-25 with the Engineers checking in at number 19 and the Bombers receiving votes. Hobart with 26 points and a first-place vote was third, narrowly edging out Union by one point. The Dutchmen round out the top-four with 25 points as well as a first-place vote and they are followed by St. Lawrence University (13), Buffalo State (12) and the University of Rochester (5).
RPI will try to replicate its success from 2017 and 2018 heading into this season with the Engineers eyeing a third straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Last year, RPI paced the league in rushing in 2018 with an average of 145.1 yards per game. Running backs Marc Meislahn and Maliek Kelly will be key to the running game this season while Nick Smith will be a top target for quarterback George Marinopoulos. Smith had 13 receptions for 214 yards and four touchdowns last season. Marinopoulos returns for his junior campaign after playing in all 12 games for the Engineers in 2018. He was 193-of-357 for a 54.06 completion percentage and 2,513 yards. He also recorded 17 passing touchdowns. The RPI defense is headlined by All-Liberty League first team selections linebacker John Sadak and defensive end Amaechi Konkwo. Sadak was second on the team in tackles with 92 last season. He also recorded seven tackles for loss and a team-high five interceptions. Konkwo had seven sacks and seven tackles for loss along with 28 tackles. Antonio Rogliano will also be a key cog for the defense after producing 33 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 2018. Punter Zac Montrief and kicker Sanjay Krishnan are also back for the Engineers.
Ithaca (8-3, 4-1 Liberty League) opens 2019 with a fully loaded offense with nine starters returning. Will Gladney, the 2018 Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year is back for his senior season. In nine games, Gladney closed out his junior year with 68 catches for 870 yards (12.8 per catch) and nine touchdowns. Kendall Anderson is also back after earning All-Liberty League First Team honors last year. Anderson was Ithaca’s top rusher last season with 647 yards (58.8 per game) and five touchdowns. Andrew Vito is another offensive threat after producing 62 receptions, 691 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season. The defense will have its work cut out for them with only three starters back after holding league opponents to a league-low 12.8 points per game and 259.8 yards per game last season. The Bombers will also have big shoes to fill with the graduation of 2018 Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year and All-American Pat Minogue. Minogue led the team in tackles (85), tackles for loss (10.5), pass breakups (nine), forced fumbles (two), fumble recoveries (two), blocked kicks (two) and a defensive touchdown. All-Liberty League first team selection linebacker Nick Garone highlights the team’s defensive returnees. Garone was second on the team in tackles last season with 81 (32 solo, 49 assists) and was tops on the team in tackles for loss (10.5). John Hadac and Noah Hill are returning defensive lineman and the duo combined for 72 tackles and 10.0 tackles for loss last season.
Union has steadily improved over the last three years, posting seven wins in 2017 and 2018; including a 7-2 mark last season (3-2 Liberty League). The Dutchmen are led by quarterback Will Bellamy, who posted a 63.3 completion percentage (171-of-270) while throwing a league-best 2,037 yards and a league-high 22 touchdowns in 2018, which garnered him All-Liberty League first team honors. A pair of All-Liberty League first team selections in wide receiver Andre Ross Jr. and running back Ike Irabor are back as two of Union’s top offensive weapons after strong rookie campaigns. Ross, the 2018 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, paced all of the league’s receivers, totaling 929 yards (16.3 yards per catch; 103.2 yards per game) on the year and 14 touchdowns. Irabor was the league’s top rusher with 798 yards, averaging 88.7 yards per game and 10 touchdowns. The Dutchmen welcome back All-Liberty League second team selections linebacker Colin Lama and cornerback Paul Chambers to the defense. As a team, Union held opponents to 13 points per game and 263.8 yards per game, good for second among league leaders in both categories. Lama was tops on the team in tackles with 60 and Chambers recorded 26. Daniel Gioioso (43 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss) and Vincent DiCaterino (47 tackles, 5.0 sacks) are also back after playing in all nine games last season.
Hobart will look to improve upon a 5-4 overall record (3-2 Liberty League) and with 16 returning starters (8 on offense, 8 on defense) from last season’s squad, the Statesmen are poised to make some noise in 2019. Hobart led the league in scoring last season with 299 points (33.2 per game), thanks in part to kicker Kyle Hackett. Hackett, the 2018 Liberty League Co-Special Teams Player of the Year, was tops on the team and third among league leaders in scoring with 64 points. He was a perfect 9-for-9 on field goals and successful in all 37 of his point after touchdown attempts last year. Wide receiver Jacob Catalioto and quarterback Ryan Hofmann also return for the Statesmen. Catalioto led the team in receptions (53) and receiving yards (769) last season and he had six touchdowns on the year. Hofmann, a starter in seven games, threw for 1,696 yards and 19 touchdowns. Among league leaders, he was second in completion percentage (.616), passing touchdowns (19) and passing yards per game (242.3). Linebacker David McCarthy is back after pacing Hobart in tackles last season with 75. Cornerbacks Jayson Prince and Jared Leake are also back with the defense after combining for 72 tackles (36 apiece) a year ago.
St. Lawrence will have a veteran presence for the 2019 season with 19 returning starters from a year ago back in Canton. All-Liberty League first team pick wide receiver Anthony Ferraro headlines the offense after breaking two program records for the Saints last season—receptions in a game (18) and receptions in a season (77). He paced the league in receptions and his 7.7 catches per game was ranked 17th nationally. Ferraro amassed 802 receiving yards and he caught five touchdown passes. Quarterback Tyler Grochot returns for his sophomore campaign, after having a hand in breaking some program records of his own last season, becoming the first St. Lawrence quarterback to throw for over 400 yards in a game, which he did on three occasions. In eight games, he finished the season with 1,992 yards and 17 passing touchdowns. Linebacker Liam Murray (All-Liberty League second team) and defensive back Tyler Burns will bolster the defensive corps this season. Murray was the league’s top tackler with 94 (11.8 per game) last year, including 51 solo efforts. He also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Burns recorded a career-high 71 tackles in 2018, good for second on the team. He also had two interceptions and three pass breakups.
Buffalo State is not only starting a new chapter as an associate members of the Liberty League in 2019 as the Bengals also have a new interim head coach in Christian Ozlins. Ozlins is no stranger to Buffalo State as he has been a part of the coaching staff since 2003. In the team’s inaugural season with the Liberty League, two of the team’s three All-Empire 8 football selections from 2018 return in wide receiver Jordan Evert and offensive lineman David Lauer. Evert had 51 catches for 682 yards on the year and eight touchdowns (7 receiving, 1 via blocked punt). Lauer anchored the offensive line, starting all 10 games for the Bengals at left tackle. He helped the team total 2,944 yards on offense and 25 touchdowns. Defensive backs Gino Bonagura and Elo Tucker highlight the team’s defensive returnees. Bonagura paced the team with 104 tackles, including 56 solo, last season. He also had five pass breakups and 4.5 tackles for loss. Tucker had a team-high three interceptions and recorded 39 tackles as well as five pass breakups.
Rochester will open the year with a core nucleus of players from the 2018 squad and a year of experience on the field should translate well for the Yellowjackets. The duo of linebacker Caden Cole and defensive back Adam Baghi return after starting all 10 games for Rochester last season. Cole compiled 88 total tackles, which ranked him second in the league along with two tackles for loss and three pass breakups. Baghi had 49 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and five pass breakups. On the offensive side, wide receiver Noah Shinaman and running back Sean Mannion are back in Rochester. Shinaman was one of the team’s top scorers with four touchdowns last season and he paced the team with 548 yards (11.9 per catch; 54.8 per game). Mannion will guide the run game after ranking second on the team with 286 yards in 2018.
The 2019 season begins on Saturday, September 7 with all seven league teams seeing non-conference action in their first games of the year.
2019 Liberty League Football Preseason Poll
Place. Team, Points (First Place Votes)
1. RPI, 32 (4)
2. Ithaca, 31 (1)
3. Hobart, 26 (1)
4. Union, 25 (1)
5. St. Lawrence, 15
6. Buffalo State, 12
7. Rochester, 6