Football 9/3/2010 1:43:59 PM

Football Opens 2010 Season This Saturday Against Geneva

Frostburg (0-0)
vs.
Geneva (0-0)

Saturday, September 4
7:30 p.m.
Bobcat Stadium
Admission is FREE to all fans

* Season opener for both schools

Series - Geneva leads 10-8-1
Directions to Frostburg
Frostburg Facilities and Campus Map

Frostburg State Games Notes

Live Stats

Listen Live - Geneva Broadcast

Media Contacts
Frostburg State
Noah Becker - nzbecker@frostburg.edu
Office Phone - 301-687-4371
Internet web address - www.frostburgsports.com

Geneva
Van Zanic - vgzanic@geneva.edu
Office Phone - 724-847-6886
Internet web address - www.geneva.edu/athletics

Setting the Scene
The Bobcats look to start 1-0 with a victory over the Golden Tornadoes. A victory would hand FSU its first season opening victory since the 2004 season. Frostburg looks to revenge a 41-28 loss to Geneva in last year's season opener. The game is the second-straight season-opening contest between the two teams.

The Series
The meeting against the Golden Tornadoes will be the 20th in the series while Geneva leads the all-time series 10-8-1 with a handful of three-game winning streaks (3).

This Week in the ACFC
Sept. 4
Apprentice at Alfred 11:00 am
Christopher Newport at Wesley 1:00 pm
NC Wesleyan at Salisbury 6:00 pm
Geneva at Frostburg State 7:30 pm

Coaching the Cats
The Bobcats are led by Tom Rogish in his third season as head coach in the program’s 49-year history. Last season, Rogish guided FSU to a 1-9 overall record against arguably the nation's toughest schedule. The Bobcats led the ACFC in interceptions (12) and turnover margin (+2) and finished second in red zone offense (81.8), pass offense (182.7) and pass efficiency (138.1).

Rogish brought over 30 years of coaching experience to Frostburg State including 29 years in the collegiate ranks. He spent the last 22 years at the Division II level at perennial powers Indiana (Pa.) and Shepherd (W.Va.).

Prior to his arrival in Frostburg, Rogish spent two years on the defensive staff at Shepherd College. The Rams made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2007 including a run to the NCAA Division II Northeast Region championship this past fall.

New Additions
Frostburg State University head football coach Tom Rogish welcomes four new additions to the coaching staff for the fall 2010 season. Gabe Luvara joined the staff last April and will serve as the program's offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Aaron Hirtzel, Andrew Rebello and Jamie Schumacher have joined the Bobcat staff as graduate assistants late in the summer prior to the start of preseason camp.

Luvara arrived at FSU from Ithaca College where her served as the offensive coordinator for the last three years. He helped the Bombers to a pair of NCAA Playoff appearances and a 24-8 overall record. Joining the Bobcat coaching staff reunites Luvara and coach Rogish, who were both previous members of the Indiana (Pa.) football program. Luvara was a four-year player and All-PSAC selection at IUP while Rogish served as the team's associate head coach (1994-2005).

Hirtzel will work with the FSU defensive line after serving as an assistant coach at Juniata College last year, also helping with the defensive line. The Eagle defense created 15 turnovers and 10 sacks on the season. Prior to JC, Hirtzel played four years on the offensive line for Grinnell College and earned Honorable Mention All-Midwest Conference honors as a senior in 2008. He graduated from Grinnell in May 2009 with a 3.0 GPA in economics.

Rebello, who will work with the Bobcat defensive backs, comes to FSU after a four-year playing career for the Merrimack College football team. A three-year letter winner, Rebello helped the Warriors to a pair of Northeast-10 Conference Championships (2006 & 2009) and a total of 25 wins over his four years. He finished third on the team with 66 tackles and second with three interceptions as a senior in 2009, while helping MC to a 7-3 record. He was a Dean’s List and Commissioner’s list student and graduated this past May with a degree in psychology and a 3.2 GPA.

Schumacher will direct the running backs in his first year with the Frostburg football program after coaching the same position at Thiel College in 2009-10. While with the Tomcats, he assisted with the weekly game plans, the special teams units and the strength and conditioning plans for the team. Thiel posted three wins on the season and the team rushed for a season-high 172 yards in a 20-10 win over Albion.

Schumacher played four years of college football at Marietta from 2005-08 prior to his stop at Thiel. He was a three-year letter winner at linebacker, garnering All-Academic Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Honorable Mention honors in 2008 and Scout Special Teams Player of the Year honors in 2005. Marietta posted 16 wins during his four years.

Frostburg State Football History
Frostburg State is 225-238-8 all-time in the programs 49-year history.

Home Grown Talent
FSU’s roster consists of 113 players from four different states. The largest number coming from Maryland (106) while neighboring Pennsylvania (4) comes in second.

Here is a breakdown of the FSU roster:
Maryland - 106
Pennsylvania - 4
Washington, D.C. - 2
Illinois - 1

Jump Right In
The Bobcats open their season at home for the first since 2006 when they hosted Apprentice on Sept. 9. FSU dropped the game 20-10 and looks to pick up its first home-opening win since a 14-0 win over Apprentice on Sept. 11, 2004.

New Faces
Frostburg State is projected to start three freshman on the offensive side of the ball, one on the defensive line and brings on two new kickers on special teams. Thomas Anderson (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point), Sam Murphy (Prince Frederick, Md./Huntingtown) and Darius Arrington (Jessup, Md./Suitland) will hold down the three new stops on the offensive line while Devin Mackey (California, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) takes over at defensive end. Chris Karolenko (Finksburg, Md./Calvert Hall) and Jonathan Adams (Hagerstown, Md./Williamsport) will take over as the Bobcat kickers for the 2010 season.

Welcome Back
The Bobcats welcome back junior quarterback Josh Volpe (Germantown, Md./Northwest) who threw for 1,358 yards, eight touchdowns and set a school record with a 59.4 season completion percentage last season. This is the first season in the last three that FSU will not break from its primary starting quarterback from the previous season.

Leading the ACFC...
FSU is returning key players who ranked among the best in the ACFC last season. Senior Anthony King (Germantown, Md./Northwest) ran for a team-best 636 yards on 152 carries and three touchdowns and was awarded Second Team All-ACFC honors. He finished second in the league in yards per game (63.6), third in yards and fourth in carries.

Junior Travis Blair (Upper Marlboro, Md./Oxon Hill) led the ACFC in tackles, racking up 93 total on the season to put him 39th in the country playing in just nine games. Classmate Jim Lohr (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) finished his 2009 campaign with 70 total tackles, fourth in the ACFC.

I'll Take That...
The Bobcats have caused a turnover in 25 of their last 28 games, including a forced fumble and an interception that junior Michael Ezeani (Glenn Dale, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) ran back for 28 yards in FSU's final game of 2009 against Salisbury on Nov. 14.

A Win for Frostburg State Would ...
- Lift FSU to 226-238-8
- Give the Bobcats their first win over the Golden Tornadoes since 1989 and just their second win over GC in the last seven meetings
- Hand Frostburg State its first season opening win since FSU defeated Apprentice 14-0 in 2004
- Give the Bobcats their 22nd season opening win in 49 years
- Give FSU its first win over a team from Pennsylvania since 2006, a string of seven consecutive losses
- Hand the Bobcats their first win over a PAC school since FSU downed Westminster 14-6 in 2006

A Loss for Frostburg State Would ...
- Drop FSU to 225-239-8
- Give Geneva a 11-8-1 series lead
- Hand GC a two-game winning streak that dates back to the final game of last season, which was a 29-28 win over Greenville for a NCCAA Victory Bowl championship
- Give the Golden Tornadoes their third-straight win against the Bobcats

2010 Season Preview (As of Aug. 6)
Head Coach Tom Rogish returns for his third season at the helm and has more to work with this year as 14 starters return to the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, the most he has had since he took over the program prior to the 2008 campaign. Last year’s offense and defense both struggled at times, but with seven starters returning on each side, key reserves filling in the gaps and with the return of some veteran leadership, coach Rogish and the 2010 Bobcats might just have what it takes to turn the corner and steer the program in the right direction.

Defense
A successful campaign must begin this season with the Bobcat defense and coach Rogish will be leaning on the shoulders of seven returning starters to step up and direct the unit. The Bobcats also welcome back nine of their top 11 tacklers and coupled with their second year under the direction of defensive coordinator Bill Minard and the FSU defense should prove to be one of the top units in the Atlantic Central Football Conference

FSU returns all four starters in the secondary led by seniors Terryl Monroe (Temple Hill, Md./Dematha) and Ian Turner (Hanover, Md./Meade) and coach Rogish is counting on their speed and experience to make game changing plays this season. The defensive backfield combined for nine interceptions and 27 passes defended last fall and the four returning starters have made a total of 52 combined starts throughout their careers

Monroe, a two-time All-ACFC selection, finished second in the league in tackles per game (7.7) and was third in total stops (77). Monroe intercepted three passes last year and led the league in forced fumbles (3). Monroe has started all 28 games during his FSU career and has a knack for getting his hands on the football as he has five career interceptions, 12 passes defended and three recovered fumbles

Turner, a Second Team All-ACFC selection in 2009, had a breakout year last fall posting 26 tackles, including 21 solo stops and seven pass breakups. Turner started all 10 games at defensive back and should further improve on his numbers during his final season.

Junior Jim Lohr (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) also had a breakout season last fall starting all 10 games and garnering All-ACFC honorable mention honors. He finished third on the team and fourth in the league in tackles per game (7.0), was second on the team in solo stops (50) and was third on the roster in total tackles (70). He was fourth in the conference in interceptions (5) and was fifth in passes defended (8). Lohr has posted 101 tackles and seven interceptions over his first two years with FSU.

Junior Rashad James (Washington, D.C./Anacostia) made four starts and appeared in six games last fall despite battling an injury (???). He made 20 stops, broke up three passes and made a career-high 12 tackles against nationally ranked Wesley in early October.

Adding to the depth of the secondary will be junior Marcus Wilson (Woodstock, Md./Randallstown) and a handful of sophomores that include Brandon Blanchette (Westminster, Md./Francis Scott Key), Dominic Toquinto (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) and Cory Bishop (New Market, Md./Linganore).

The other area of the defense coach Rogish will be counting on for strength will be at linebacker. The Bobcats return arguably the deepest group in the ACFC, led by the toughness of juniors Travis Blair (Upper Marlboro, Md./Oxon Hill) and Gideon Obamwonyi (Frederick, Md./Thomas Johnson).
Blair led the ACFC and finished 39th in the country in tackles per contest (10.33) despite playing in just nine games. Blair reached double-digits in tackles in five games including a career-high 15 tackles against Salisbury in the Regents’ Cup. Blair added four tackles for loss, two forced and two recovered fumbles.

Obamwonyi was fifth on the team in tackles (54) and fourth in tackles for loss (5.5). He made eight stops, including two for loss against nationally ranked UNC Pembroke.

Junior Michael Ezeani (Glenn Dale, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) will make the move from the defensive line to linebacker this year. He transitioned well during spring practice and should be ready to go for the fall. Last year, he paced the Bobcats and finished seventh in the ACFC in tackles for loss (11). He totaled 42 stops and tossed in 2.5 sacks.

Sophomore Dwayne Washington (Germantown, Md./Northwest) will provide depth to the linebacker corps. After playing in five games and making seven tackles last season.

The major area of concern for the defense this season will be the young guys up front on the line. Junior Ryan Simmons (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) and sophomore Patrick Black (Glenwood, Md./Glenelg) are the only returners on the line heading into the season. Simmons, a 2009 Second Team All-ACFC selection, made 14 stops and 4.5 for loss while Black made 15 total tackles and scooped up one fumble.

Offense
As tough as FSU’s defense is, the offense is a very intriguing aspect of the 2010 team with seven returning starters and a new offensive coordinator. Coach Gabe Luvara joined the FSU coaching staff last spring and has spent his time with Frostburg instilling his multiple I offense.

This year’s offensive squad features two of the best running backs in the ACFC in seniors Anthony King (Germantown, Md./Northwest) and Anton Wade (Baltimore, Md./Patterson). The duo provide a one-two punch seldom seen in college football and the pair compliment each other very well. Last season, they combined for 854 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. King and Wade also caught 23 passes for 214 yards.

Individually, King ran for a team-best 636 yards on 152 carries and three touchdowns and was awarded Second Team All-ACFC honors. He finished second in the league in yards per game (63.6), third in yards and fourth in carries. Last season, he eclipsed the 1,000-yard barrier for his career with an 84-yard rushing effort against Salisbury in the Regents’ Cup game.

Wade finished 2009 with 247 yards on 91 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Like King, he also surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau for his carrier against Widener.

Junior Derek Sheely (Germantown, Md./Northwest) started all 10 games last season at fullback. Aside from his blocking duties, Sheely caught a touchdown pass against SUNY Brockport in week two. However, with the install of the multiple I and the need for several fullbacks, both juniors Brian Nance (Columbia, Md./Atholton) and Grant Wilson (Jefferson, Md./Brunswick) should see plenty of time this season.

The offensive line returns a pair of starters from a year ago and significant reserves that should fill in nicely without skipping a beat.

Senior Patrick Fears (Washington, D.C./Archbishop Carroll) emerged as one of the top offensive lineman in the ACFC and was awarded all-conference second team honors at the conclusion of the season. He started all 10 games and blocked for an offense that put over 2,800 yards in offense.

Junior Derek Baney (Milton, Pa./Milton) started eight of 10 games on the line last season and helped the line allow the second lowest number of sacks (28) in the ACFC. Both Fears and Baney will provide both leadership and guidance to the younger players battling for time.

The tight end position will see a rejuvenation of sorts in Coach Luvara’s multiple I offensive formation. The Bobcats return four players who will see time at tight end and also recruited four players who could potentially push for time later this season.

Sophomore Kevin Gordon (Columbia, Md./Atholton) returns to the roster after starting the final seven games of the 2009 campaign. He hauled in two passes for 28 yards and should see more opportunities to catch passes this season.

Senior Lyndon Harris (Forestville, Md./Largo) has made the switch from quarterback to tight end and should push Gordon for playing time. Harris attempted five passes last season and appeared in three games.

Sophomore Cory Shank (Funkstown, Md./South Hagerstown) provides a big target on the field at 6’4’’ and should compete for times as well.

The 2010 season marks the first time in three seasons that FSU won’t have to break in a new quarterback as junior Josh Volpe (Germantown, Md./Northwest) enters the season as the projected starter. He started the final seven games last season in replace of then injured starter Phoenix Butler-Poole. Volpe threw for 1,358 yards, eight touchdowns and set a school record with a 59.4 season completion percentage. He threw for over 200 yards in three games, including a season-high 288 yards and three touchdowns against nationally ranked Wesley. Volpe has done an excellent job of learning the new offense and should see increased numbers this season.

The big question on the offense this season is who will step up and fill the void at wide receiver. The Bobcats will need to replace their top four receivers from last year who totaled 126 receptions and 14 touchdowns.

Leading the way is sophomore Anthony Young (Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern). Young has deceptive speed and looked the best out of the young corps of receivers during spring practice. Last year, Young caught five passes for 58 yards, 51 of those yards against Salisbury in the Regents’ Cup game.

The coaching staff is also expecting big things from junior Fred Ramsey (Baltimore, Md./Dunbar) and sophomore AJ Jones (Baltimore, Md./Randallstown). The pair saw limited time last season but could work their way into a starting role during camp. Ramsey has snared two receptions in each of the last two seasons while Jones saw a majority of his time on the junior varsity team.

Sophomores Tobias Jenifer (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) and Lucas Adolph (Bel Air, Md./Calvert Hall) and senior Greg Simmons (Capital Heights, Md./Central) will also battle for playing time at receiver this year.

Special Teams
The special teams are also a major area of concern for Coach Rogish and his staff as that unit is without a returning starter from a year ago. The unit will be filled initially with the best players from across the roster and will focus on fundamentals.

For the first time in five years, the Bobcats will look for a new punter as former All-Region punter Nick Payne graduated. Payne is the school’s all-time leader in punt yards (7,468) and consistently ranked as one of the nation’s best.

Last season’s kicker Zachary Beukers will also not be returning to the team after making the fifth most field goals (7) in a single-season in school hstory.

To complete the trifecta, Frostburg will look to fill the void at kick return left by 2009 ACFC Special Teams Player of the Year Avery Willie. Willie is also the school’s all-time leader in kick returns yards (1,363).

This season, the Bobcats will look to fill the kicker and punter spots with freshmen while a whole host of players will compete for kick and punt return, led by Terryll Monroe, Anthony Young and Fred Ramsey.

Last Time Against the Golden Tornadoes
Freshman quarterback Phoenix Butler Poole (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) and senior wideout Makiha Cooper (Baltimore, Md./Forest Park) connected on two fourth quarter touchdowns as the Frostburg State football team rallied from a 20-point deficit and came within six points late in the game before Geneva added a late score to seal a wild 41-28 victory in the season opener for both teams, Saturday evening.

The Bobcats (0-1) trailed 34-14 heading into the final quarter, but Butler-Poole found Cooper for a five-yard touchdown with 7:32 to play and the duo hooked up again on a seven-yard scoring strike with 5:18 showing to bring the Bobcats to within six points, 34-28. The FSU defense then came up big, holding the Golden Tornadoes (1-0) to five yards and a punt on their ensuing possession. However, Geneva's punt pinned the Bobcats at their own two-yard line and on the first play, FSU fumbled the ball and Geneva recovered at the eight-yard line. Five plays later, GC quarterback David Girardi scored from two yards out to seal the final score at 41-28.

FSU got on the board first in the opening quarter (12:25) when senior return specialist Avery Willie (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) returned a punt 43 yards for a touchdown as the Bobcats moved ahead 7-0. Geneva tied the ballgame on its next possession when Gerard Muschette scored from three yards out.

Willie scored again early in the second quarter (12:58) when Butler-Poole found him for an 80-yard touchdown reception, the eighth longest in school history, that capped a five-play 96-yard drive that started on the Bobcats' own four-yard line.

Geneva then scored three-straight touchdowns over the next 5:30 to take a 27-14 lead into halftime. Matt Dean found the endzone from two yards out and the Golden Tornadoe defense scored twice, a 23-yard fumble recovery and a 97-yard interception return.

With 11:40 left in the third, AJ Delmonico caught a 10-yard scoring pass from Girardi to give GC a 34-14 lead. Both teams struggled over their next three possessions, until FSU scored with 7:32 left in the fourth.

Butler-Poole finished his collegiate debut with 232 yards and three touchdowns on 14-of-33 pass attempts. Cooper led all receivers with seven receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Wilie finished with 164 all-purpose yards, including two receptions for 86 yards and that 80-yard score in the second. He also finished with 46 punt return yards, aided by the 43-yard touchdown to open the game's scoring.

On defense, sophomore defensive back Jim Lohr (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) led the team with nine tackles followed by junior Michael Joseph (Hyattsville, Md./Northwest) and sophomore Travis Blair (Upper Marlboro, Md./Oxon Hill) with eight stops each.

Girardi led the Geneva offense with 200 yards passing (19-of-32), a touchdown through the air and the two-yard scoring run late in the fourth.

Both teams scored four offensive touchdowns, but Geneva's two defensive touchdowns proved to be the difference in the game.

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Football Opens 2010 Season This Saturday Against Geneva