Field Hockey '06: Going Bear Huntin'

The 10 other Centennial Conference field hockey teams are going Bear hunting this fall in hopes of ending Ursinus' 30-game regular-season CC win streak and UC's consecutive title run at two. Ursinus reached the national semifinals last season before being ousted by eventual champion Salisbury. Can the Bears' streaks continue? Here are some teams and players to watch as the new season begins Friday.

Returning 1st team All-Centennial players
B-Karen Wendler, Ursinus, Sr. (Burlington, NJ / Burlington)
F-Katie Austin (pictured), Dickinson, Sr. (Warwick, RI / The Wheeler School)
GK-Jess Lamina, Ursinus, Jr. (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks West)

Returning 2nd team All-Conference players
B-Nikki Rhodes, Muhlenberg, Jr. (Fleetwood, PA / Oley Valley)
M-Leah Horton, Johns Hopkins, So. (Wayne, PA / Upper Merion)
B-Katie Madron, Washington, Sr. (Rising Sun, MD / Rising Sun)
B-Summer Spicer, Swarthmore, Sr. (Laurel, DE / Laurel)
B-Allison Doutt, Ursinus, Sr. (Willow Street, PA / Lampeter-Strasburg)
F-Lindsay Cappa, Ursinus, Jr. (Oley, PA / Oley Valley)
GK-Karen Lorang, Swarthmore, Sr. (San Diego, CA / University)

Returning Honorable Mention All-CC players
F-Adair Landy, Johns Hopkins, So. (Montclair, NJ / Montclair)
M-Colleen Nugent, McDaniel, Sr. (Lancaster, PA / Lampeter-Strasburg)
F-Jess Rogers, Ursinus, Sr. (Selinsgrove, PA / Selinsgrove)
B-Amy Johnson, Bryn Mawr, Sr. (Bernardsville, NJ / Bernards)
M-Brenna Dolphin, Franklin & Marshall, Sr. (Wilmington, DE / Archmere Academy)
GK-Katherine Corkhill, Gettysburg, Jr. (Paoli, PA / Academy of Notre Dame)
GK-Erin O'Brien, Washington, Jr. (Havre de Grace, MD / John Carroll)

New Coaches
Beth Walkenbach takes over for Melissa Reiss at Franklin & Marshall. She was an assistant coach at Cornell in 2003 and 2004. Colleen Quinn takes over for Maryann Schiller at Haverford. She joins the Fords after serving for two seasons as an assistant at her alma mater, St. Joseph's. Finally, Melissa Miranda takes over the reins at McDaniel, replacing Muffie Bliss. She was an assistant at Washington and Lee from 2002-04.

Top Scorers
Ursinus' Lindsay Cappa scored 18 goals last season - 2nd best in the Conference ... teammates Karen Wendler and Jess Rogers added 15 and 13 tallies, respectively ... Dickinson's Katie Austin also notched 13 goals a year ago.

Miss Assist
Ursinus' Kait Sutherland (Perkiomenville, PA / Perkiomen Valley) led the CC with 13 assists last fall.

Right Place, Right Time
Cappa and Wendler were tied for second in game-winning goals with five ... Muhlenberg's LisaAnn Polt (Somers Point, NJ / Mainland Regional) had four game-winners to her credit.

Last Line of Defense
Gettysburg's Katherine Corkhill, Muhlenberg's Lauren Schram (Bethesda, MD / Winston Churchill) and Ursinus' Jess Lamina were 1-2-3 in goals against average last season at 1.28, 1.52 and 1.53, respectively. Corkhill had eight shutouts.

Notebook
Bryn Mawr's Amy Johnson was the winner of the Centennial Conference Women's Sportsmanship Award last spring ... Gettysburg is making the move from the grass field at Memorial Field to the turf at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium ... also making the move to turf is Washington, as the new Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium is complete ... seven of Johns Hopkins' opponents were ranked in the 2005 final top 20, including five teams that made the NCAA tournament ... F&M and Gettysburg renew their rivalry for the 39th time (longest in the CC) on Oct. 4.

Games to Watch
Sept. 13 - Salisbury at Johns Hopkins. The defending national champion comes to Homewood Field.
Sept. 30 - McDaniel at Ursinus. The Green Terror took the Bears to OT in Westminster before falling, 4-3.
Oct. 15 - Ursinus vs. Middlebury (at Skidmore). The Bears lost 2-1 to the Panthers last fall in Vermont and will be out for revenge.
Oct. 18 - McDaniel at Gettysburg. The Orange and Blue defeated the Green Terror twice last season with both games determined in overtime.
Oct. 21 - Ursinus at Gettysburg. The Bullets lost just six games last season, including two to the Bears.

Are You Ready for Some Foot-Ball?

The 2006 men's soccer season begins on Friday with Johns Hopkins, the preseason coaches poll favorite, and defending champion Muhlenberg looking for an unprecedented sixth Centennial title. The Blue Jays have captured the championship in each of the last five even-numbered years (1996-98-00-02-04), while the Mules won the last two odd-numbered year seasons (2003-05). Here is a team-by-team preview:

Dickinson: The Red Devils are coming off their best season since 1998 (12-5-1). Senior F Andy Rowek and junior F Bobby Malek were second-team All-CC selections a year ago. Rowek scored five of his team-high six goals in the final five matches, including two in the win over Gettysburg. Malek was the team's third-leading goal scorer with five tallies. Soph Rodrigo Barboza is the heir apparent to the goalkeeper position. He had an 87.1 save percentage and an 0.67 goals against average in eight matches a year ago.

Franklin & Marshall: The Diplomats return four All-CC selections from their 8-5-3 campaign of 2005. Junior F Brandon Corday was a third-team All-Region performer after leading the team in points with 5-6-16. Junior M Chris Campbell, senior B Alex Shuptar and senior GK Ed Stelz are also back in the fold. Stelz posted an 0.96 goals against average a year ago.

Gettysburg: The Bullets entered the 2005 CC tournament as the No. 5 seed, but knocked off Johns Hopkins and McDaniel to reach the Centennial final before succumbing to Muhlenberg. Senior M Garrett Bruno returns after earning first-team All-CC honors last fall with six goals and an assist. Sophomore F Chris Bayon added five goals. Soph Adam Finkel is one of the candidates to replace Nick Bundtzen-Wells in goal.

Haverford: The Fords are hoping that a nine-day preseason trip to Brazil will pay off in improving upon last season's 5-11-1 record. Sophomore F Josh Price is the leading returning goal scorer (3), while junior Charlie Rubin, and sophs Panos Panidis and Eric Kissinger each had two goals and two assists. Soph Adam Care is the front-runner for the keeper job.

Johns Hopkins: The Blue Jays received six of a possible nine first-place votes to earn the preseason favorite label in the CC. Hopkins returns six starters from a squad that went 14-2-5 and won the ECAC South championship. Sophomore F Nicholas Gauna is the leading returning scorer (9-4-22), while classmate Matthew Carlson was third in scoring with 5-0-10. Senior Dan Coble started 18 matches in net last season with eight solo shutouts and an 0.77 goals against mark.

McDaniel: The Green Terror (14-4-3) had an outstanding 2005 regular-season, earning the top seed in the CC playoffs. But the season came to a skidding thud with an OT loss to Gettysburg in the semis and a loss to Grove City in the ECAC South semis. Graduation hit the Green and Gold hard as three first-team All-CC performers received their sheepskin. Donzell Tate is the leading returning scorer with three goals, while junior Bill Druckenmiller added a pair. Senior B Scott Morrow (pictured) was the 2005 CC Player of the Year and returns to acnhor the defense.

Muhlenberg: The Mules won their fifth Centennial championship last season, knocking off Swarthmore and Gettysburg in the CC tournament. Muhlenberg graduated eight seniors from a squad that fell in OT to Wesleyan in the NCAAs. Junior M Jonathan Kliewer tied for the Conference lead with seven assists and will be a key to the Mule offense. Junior GK Peter Bennett back-stopped a defense that allowed just three goals in Berg's final six CC contests.

Swarthmore: What does the Garnet do for an encore? All Swarthmore did last season with equal its best-ever Centennial record (6-2-1) and qualify for the CC tournament as the No. 2 seed. Although its playoff run ended with a loss to eventual champ Muhlenberg in the semis, the Garnet announced it was a team to be reckoned with in 2006. A strong defense returns with juniors Brendan Grady and Darren Johnson. Junior M Patrick Christmas was a honorable mention All-CC performer, while F Stu Leon will pace the attack.

Ursinus: The Bears failed to win a Conference match last season, but will turn to a host of talented players in their quest to reach the Centennial playoffs. Sophomore F Donald Reilly led the team with four goals a year ago, while senior M Corey Goldberg handed out a pair of assists. Michael Norris and Ed de Gottal will battle for the goalkeeping position.

Washington: There's a new coach and a new facility in Chestertown, as the Shoremen look to return to their winning ways. Drew Hoffman comes to the Shore after serving as the top assistant coach at Army since 2000. Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium is ready for play this fall, complete with new turf and lights. Senior F Josh Todd, an honorable mention All-CC pick last season, will lead the offense after tying for the CC lead in goals with 10. Soph Brian Schultz added five goals in his rookie campaign. Senior GK Sean Ferri returns after posting an 80.8 save percentage in 2005.

Football's Cherished Myths

I was browsing today's Wall Street Journal "Pursuits" section and came across a story by Allen Barra on "Pro Football's Cherished Myths." His premise was that compared to baseball, pro football analysis is still in the Stone Age, and revealed some truths to pro football's top 10 cherished myths. I thought I'd take a few moments to look at these myths through Centennial football eyes and see what we find.

1. "Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships."
McDaniel led the CC in points (210) last season and finished 5-5. Dickinson, F&M and Gettysburg each averaged over 300 yards per game but failed to finish above .500. Muhlenberg led the Conference in total defense (253.6) and was second in scoring defense (14.2), but posted a 3-7 mark.

2. "You need a strong running game."
In 2002, 2003 and 2005, Gettysburg led the Centennial in rushing yardage, but has not reached the .500 mark in any of the three seasons. In 2004, McDaniel topped the CC by nearly 87 yards per game and finished 6-4. That said, none of the teams that finished last in the Conference in rushing over the last four years reached .500 either.

3. "A turnover is a turnover."
The article mentions that bad teams don't really fumble any more often than good teams and, on the whole, the odds of recovering any fumble are about 50-50 (as teams that excel in either fewest fumbles lost or most fumbles recovered in one season generally revert to the norm the next). Interceptions are always indicators of strength (on defense) and weakness (on offense). Last season's CC numbers don't reveal much, but a 14-year history of turnover margin indicates that the CC annual leader in the category has won 10 or more games seven times (50%) and finished with a winning season on 12 occasions (80%).

4. "Great teams are built around the kicking game."
Last season, Johns Hopkins led the CC in punting yardage (37.3) and net yardage (34.6) on its way to the Conference championship. Franklin & Marshall, who finished second to JHU in the standings, led the Centennial with 14 field goals, while the Blue Jays were second (13). The previous year, F&M, Johns Hopkins and Muhlenberg were 1-2-3 in punting and field goals and combined for a 25-8 overall record. (Ben Scott, Johns Hopkins, pictured)

5. "The draft creates parity."
Obviously, not applicable here.

6. "You have to control the ball."
A sacred belief of coaches, according to the article, is that controlling the ball is the key to victory. Yes, Hopkins (8-3) led the CC last season with 30:58 but Muhlenberg (3-7) was close behind at 30:21. In 2004, the Mules (8-3) led by a wide margin at 34:05, but F&M (9-2) was sixth at 28:15. In 2003, Dickinson led in time of possession (32:05) on its way to a 4-6 mark and Ursinus topped the category in 2002 (31:43) but finished 2-8.

7. "Dome teams have the advantage."
Once again, not applicable.

8. "The pass sets up the run."
Last fall, Ursinus was second in yards per pass (6.1) and sixth in yards per rush (2.5). Muhlenberg was third in passing (5.8) and last in rushing (2.3). Dickinson topped the passing category (6.2) but was just fourth in rushing (3.2).

9. "Pass completion percentage is a key stat."
In 2005, Hopkins' Zach DiIonno led the Conference by completing 56.5 percent of his passes in leading the Jays to an 8-3 record. In 2004, Doug Hiltner (56.4) helped lead F&M to a 9-2 mark, while in 2003, JHU's George Merrell's 54.5 accuracy guided Hopkins to a 10-1 slate. So, the last three CC completion percentage leaders combined for a 27-6 record.

10. "This is the age of the running quarterback."
Yes, a running quarterback can pose problems for defensive coordinators, but the last four leaders in QB rushing yards have just one winning season among them (McDaniel's Brad Baer in 2004). The quartet combined for a 20-21 record.

Training Camp Notes - QB

Football season is just about a week away ... and here is some of the QB buzz around the Conference.

Matt Torchia is the man at QB for Dickinson this season, but there is some buzz surrounding freshman Ian Mitchell from Malvern Prep ... Mitchell ran for 655 yards a year ago while completing 50 percent of his passes for another 914 yards ... his completions went for an average of 19 yards and he rushed and threw for 24 TDs ... the Philadelphia Inquirer named him to their All-SE Pennsylvania second team as a defensive back.

Franklin & Marshall turns to junior Kyle Turner to run the offense in John Troxell's first season ... he completed 56 percent of his passes for 330 yards and a TD, while also running for two scores.

Keep an eye on the QB battle at Gettysburg, as head coach Barry Streeter has declared the job open ... junior Hunter McMillan started last season, but he is being challenged by senior Mark Campo and freshmen Matt Flynn and Kyle Barnett ... Flynn threw for 1,818 yards and 21 TDs a year ago at Mainland Regional and was also recruited by UMass, Delaware and Hofstra, among others ... Barnett threw for over 2,000 yards in his final two seasons at Mount Hebron with a school-record 36 career TDs.

Adam Waddell is the heir apparent at Johns Hopkins after his performances at the end of the 2005 season ... freshman Mark Zamorski from Cranford, N.J., threw for 1,832 yards and 19 TDs on his way to Newcomer of the Year honors in Union County from the Newark Star-Ledger ... fellow rookie Eric Callocchia threw for 1,695 yards and 17 TDs with just five picks.

McDaniel welcomes the return of Brad Baer (pictured) from the ranks of the injured ... he is one of six QBs in Centennial history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a career ... backing him are seniors Tom Wenrich and Brett Gibson.

Muhlenberg is turning to one of two sophomores at QB - Jim Jeffers or Eric Santagato ... "Our quarterback will be a sophomore," said head coach Mike Donnelly to the Easton Express-Times ... Santagato completed 15-of-25 passes a year ago for 194 yards and one score.

Ursinus will turn to sophomore Nick Dye who spelled Vince Gallagher in 2005, completing 52 percent of his tossers for 565 yards and six TDs.