August 21, 2008
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Season Preview: Malone Football To Feature Offensive Experience and Defensive Potential In 2008After having watched their favorite team tally a 15-8 record and appear in a pair of NCCAA Victory Bowls over the past two seasons, there is both good news and bad news for fans of Malone College football in 2008.
First, the bad news -- eight defensive starters and All-MSFA Mideast First Team running back Bernard Payton are gone from last year’s squad which tallied an impressive 8-4 record and ended the season ranked 25th in the final NAIA National Poll. However, despite the graduation of these talented players, there is still plenty of good news for the Pioneers as the 2008 campaign approaches. A total of eight starters return for the offense this fall after the unit set 14 new single-season team records in 2007, including most first downs (314), most total yards (5757), and most points scored (393). With all of last year’s success, third-year head coach Mike Gardner is looking forward to continued production this season. “Our strengths this year will come from our offensive experience,” said Gardner. “I feel confident that we’ll be able to give ourselves an opportunity to do some really nice things.”
In addition to the abundance of returning offensive firepower, the Pioneers will also be welcoming a large number of skilled high school and junior college recruits to the program. These exciting new players will look to make immediate contributions and help fill the void left by the departure of last year’s accomplished senior class. “We brought in a lot of guys with great potential but we need to make sure that they can execute,” commented Gardner.
Leading the large cast of outstanding offensive returnees is senior quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh (Eastland, Texas). A 2007 All-MSFA Mideast Honorable Mention selection, Orsagh completed 242 of 373 pass attempts (64.9%) a year ago for 3293 yards and 24 touchdowns. In just his first year at Malone after transferring from Highland Community College in Highland, Kansas, the 6’0” Texas native established new Pioneer single-season records for passing yards, touchdown passes and total offense (3350). Having a signal-caller of Orsagh’s caliber certainly brings a significant level of comfort for Gardner and his coaching staff. “Billy Bob has a complete understanding of the offense,” stated Gardner. “He knows what we want on offense and, more importantly, knows how we want to effectively move the football.”
Also returning in 2008 will be two of Orsagh’s favorite targets from last year, senior wide receivers Derek Deardorff (Kenton H.S.) and Josh Settlemire (Howland H.S.). Deardorff collected All-MSFA Mideast Honorable Mention accolades last fall after tallying 60 catches and setting new Pioneer single-season receiving marks with 1118 yards and 13 touchdowns. “Derek is arguably one of the most explosive receivers in the Mid-States (Football Association),” commented Gardner. “He wants to win and has the ability to score anytime he touches the ball. His competitiveness and confidence is the benchmark for what we look for when recruiting wide receivers.”
Settlemire also put together impressive numbers last season, posting 43 catches for 683 yards and two touchdowns. It is Settlemire’s all-around approach to the game, however, that Gardner appreciates the most. “Like Derek, Josh is everything that I look for in a wide receiver,” remarked Gardner. “He is unselfish, runs great routes, is competitive on every down, blocks, and wants to win.”
Providing Orsagh and his receivers with time to operate will be a veteran offensive line that is anchored by three 2007 All-MSFA Mideast Second Team performers -- senior center Bill Jones II (McKinley H.S.), senior guard Bryon Arena (McKinley H.S.), and junior tackle Donald Lees (Wooster H.S.). “Our offensive line will dictate much of the success we have this season,” said Gardner. “We have depth, we have experience and we have solid chemistry up front.”
With a potent passing attack and solid blocking in place, the only real question mark on offense will be finding a dependable ball carrier (or carriers) to fill the spot vacated by Payton, the MSFA’s leading rusher in 2007. Those battling for playing time at the running back position include sophomore returnee Kevan Morgan (Shaker Heights H.S.) along with newcomers Maurice Gore, a sophomore transfer from Grand Valley State (MI) University, Markus McFolling, a junior transfer from Monterey Peninsula (CA) Junior College, Joseph Peters, a junior transfer from Diablo Valley (CA) Junior College and three true freshmen -- Ilen Bell (Maple Heights H.S.), Brooks Milioni (Medina H.S.), and Justin Moree (Sebastian, FL). “It will be a tall order, but the key at running back is to find one or two players who will be able to effectively be as versatile as Bernard Payton,” stated Gardner.
New faces will also be found up and down the defensive lineup as just four starters return from last year’s unit. Two of these returning starters, juniors Ronell Lee (Collinwood H.S.) and Nick Rousher (Canfield H.S.), will lead the way for the defensive line. Lee was voted All-MSFA Mideast Honorable Mention last season after posting 82 total tackles, with 14.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and a team-high six sacks. Rousher also made a significant impact a year ago as he ended the 2007 campaign with 32 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks. However, with the loss of All-Conference interior linemen Jeff Jeffries and Tino Roland, Gardner knows that there is some work to be done up front. “We need to find help inside and we have got to do a better job this year of getting pressure on the quarterback,” commented Gardner.
The competition for the starting linebacker positions in 2008 will be wide open after the loss of all four of Malone’s 2007 All-Conference linebackers. Jamal Gambrell, Dan Hromada, Kevin Kapostasy, and Justin Murphy all graduated this past spring. While each will certainly be missed, their departure creates opportunities for a sizable group of returnees and newcomers at the position. “We are going to be very inexperienced at linebacker and we will need to find a group that can gel together quickly,” said Gardner. “They need to have an understanding of what we want to accomplish and must be able to play the run and pass effectively.”
Back to anchor the secondary are a pair of 2007 All-MSFA Mideast Honorable Mention selections in seniors Doug Alford (St. Peter Chanel H.S.) and Dennis Thornton (Shaker Heights H.S.). Alford notched 33 tackles, one interception and a team-high 12 pass break-ups from his cornerback position last year while Thornton, who saw time primarily at safety, posted 59 tackles with two interceptions and 10 pass break-ups. Much like with the rest of the defense, though, the remaining starting spots will be up for grabs. “We need to find leadership at the safety position as well as corner,” remarked Gardner. “Doug and Dennis understand what we do in the secondary but we have a lot of questions to answer back there as well.”
One position without any questions is at punter where Tyler Parry (North Loxahatchee, FL) returns for his senior season. Last year, Parry averaged 36.8 yards per punt and had 14 of his kicks downed inside the 20-yardline. These solid numbers are nothing new for Parry as he has averaged more than 37 yards per punt over the last three seasons. “I expect Tyler Parry to come in again and be his usual consistent self,” said Gardner.
Things are a little less certain at the place-kicker position as off-season knee surgery has sidelined senior Mike Skvor (Long Beach, CA) for an indefinite amount of time. Freshman Nick Allison will now look to step in and take over the kicking duties after putting together an excellent career at Lake High School.
Taking into account last year’s success and the abundance of returning and incoming talent, Malone received a #24 ranking in the 2008 NAIA Spring Football Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. The Pioneers will once again be challenged by a demanding schedule this fall that includes three non-conference road games in addition to a taxing conference slate that will be played over the final seven weeks of the season. The MSFA Mideast League’s reputation as one of the toughest conferences in the NAIA was reaffirmed in this year’s spring poll as three of the eight members earned spots in the Top 10 with the University of Saint Francis (IN) coming in at #4, Ohio Dominican University earning the #6 position, and Saint Xavier (IL) University securing the eighth spot.
When considering this tough schedule and the fact that several new players will be counted on to fill important roles this season, one of the biggest components for Malone’s success in 2008 will be developing team chemistry. “The key for me each year is how quickly this collection of kids can come together to have confidence and reflect the type of program we want at Malone College,” stated Gardner.
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