April 30, 2007

Editor's Note: The following is the first in a three-part series of team capsules for the 2007 NAIA Spring Football Preseason Top 25 Coaches' Poll. The poll's Top 10 teams will be highlighted Monday, April 30, with teams ranked No. 11 through No. 19 appearing Thursday, May 3. On Friday, May 4, the series will close with capsules on No.'s 20-25 along with notes on select teams that are also receiving votes in the poll.

 

Sioux Falls (S.D.), Great Plains Athletic Conference

2006 Record: 14-0 | GPAC Finish: 1^st, 10-0

Led by a host of returning players from its 2006 National Championship team and reigning Coach of the Year Kalen DeBoer, Sioux Falls (S.D.) ends the spring as the top rated NAIA football team after spending much of the 2006 season in the No. 2 position prior to winning the title in December. A key to the Cougars' title-game success was kick returner Trey Erickson, who ran back an 89-yard kick return for a touchdown in the first quarter that shifted momentum back to USF and tied the game at 13-13. Erickson, who will return for his senior season in 2007 was named the 2006 College Male Honor Athlete given by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Sioux Falls also returns four of its five starting offensive linemen from the 2006 Championship Game, while quarterback Chad Cavendar and tight end Josiah Fenceroy also return for the defending champion Cougars. The Cougars will have to make up for a pair of big losses, however, as USF must replace wide receiver Dusty Hovorka and tailback Mike Dvoracek.

 

Saint Francis (Ind.), Mid-States Football Association (Mideast Division)

2006 Record: 13-1 | MSFA (Mideast) Finish: 1^st, 6-0

Saint Francis returns eight starters on the offensive side of the ball, including running backs Daniel Carter (sophomore) and Doug Wasylk (junior), who combined for more than 1800 yards on the ground during the 2006 season. The Cougars, who finished runner-up to Sioux Falls in the 2006 NAIA Football Championship Series, also return a pair of receivers in Bo Thompson (892 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Zach Rainey (729 yards, 5 touchdowns) that should lighten the load on a quarterback that will step under center as a starter for the first time in 2007. Jeff Wedding heads into fall camp as the odds-on starter at quarterback for USF, passing for 614 yards in 2006 with six touchdowns and a 63.2 percent completion mark in limited action. Of its five starters lost on the defensive side of the ball, the loss of NAIA Player of the Year Brian Kurtz  at the inside linebacker position will be a key for USF in 2007. Kurtz left USF as the school's leading all-time tackler and finished atop the NAIA tackling list in 2006.

 

Missouri Valley, Heart of America Athletic Conference

2006 Record: 13-1 | HAAC Finish: 1^st, 11-0

Missouri Valley returns 17 of its 22 starters from a year ago, eight on the offensive side of the ball and nine on the defensive end. Two defensive returners will pace Missouri Valley, led by HAAC Player of the Year Larry Wentzel at the defensive end position and senior linebacker Reggie Singletary, who has twice been named First-Team All-HAAC in a Viking uniform. On the offensive side of the ball, First-Team All-HAAC member and senior Kris Vasquez anchors an offensive line that will be expected to shoulder the load for a new starting quarterback, as Missouri Valley loses departed senior Jason Shoulders, who was a first-team all-conference performer under center a year ago. The Vikings also lose first-team tight end Ryan Ross and second-team linebacker Bruce Thomas from the 2006 NAIA semifinal squad.

 

Carroll (Mont.), Frontier Conference

2006 Record: 11-2 | Frontier Finish: 1^st, 9-1

Senior quarterback John Barnett will lead the fourth-ranked Saints into 2007 after starting in 13 games and passing for 1,644 yards with seven touchdowns in 2006. Barnett also ran for 592 yards on the year, topping the team in total offense with more than 2,200 all-purpose yards in 13 games. One of Barnett's top targets will be junior tight end Marshall McKewen, a second-team all-conference performer from a year ago that averaged 15 yards per reception on the season. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Owen Koeppen (101 tackles, 6.5 sacks) and defensive end Phil Lenoue (63 tackles, 10.5 sacks) return as First-Team All-Frontier Conference honorees to lead a defense that led the NAIA in Scoring Defense at 5.8 points per game. Carroll must find answers for a pair of departed First-Team All-Americans,a s linebacker Seamus Molloy and punter Ben Chaet concluded their careers in 2006 along with first-team all-conference performer Ryan Grosulak at running back and starting wide receiver Bryce Doak.

 

Saint Xavier (Ill.), Mid-States Football Association (Mideast Division)

2006 Record: 10-3 | MSFA (Midwest) Finish: 2^nd, 6-1

After finishing second in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest Division in 2006, Saint Xavier will move to the Mideast Division for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, bringing with it a pair of first-team MSFA selections in quarterback Billy Yeo and linebacker Sean Kenney. SXU also returns Second-Team All-MSFA performers Jason Banning at running back and Justin Tuffs on the defensive line. In the 2006 playoffs, Saint Xavier downed Georgetown (Ky.) and Carroll (Mont.) before falling in the semifinal round to National Runner-Up Saint Francis (Ill.). From its semifinal team, Saint Xavier will lose NAIA All-American wide receiver Andy Ricca in addition to First-Team All-MSFA selections Greg Gerritsen (wide receiver) and offensive lineman Charlie Russ. SXU also must replace linebacker John Klupshas, and honorable mention all-conference selection from a year ago.

 

Bethel (Tenn.), Mid-South Conference (West Division)

2006 Record: 10-3 | MSC (West) Finish: 1^st, 6-0

Bethel (Tenn.) will attempt to replace its starting quarterback in 2006 - First-Team All-Mid South performer Brent Dearmon - with 6-5, 255-lb. senior Ronnie Jankovich a season after winning its second-straight Mid-South West Division Championship. The Wildcats return 15 starters, nine of which are on offense including a pair of all-conference running backs in Adrian Smith (Mid-South Offensive Player of the Year) and Terrance Bell. Mid-South First-Teamer Buck Reed also returns for Bethel at Tight End, while on defense, defensive tackle Cliff Barna returns after a First-Team All-Mid South season on the defensive line to anchor a unit that returns six starters from a year ago. In addition to the loss of Dearmon, Bethel must also replace three first-team defensive starters from 2006, including Mid-South Defensive Player of the Year Hunter Pingston at safety. The Wildcats must also replace starting linebackers Terrance Cheatham and Darren Adderly.

 

Northwestern (Iowa), Great Plains Athletic Conference

2006 Record: 11-2 | GPAC Finish: 2^nd, 9-1

With the loss of four First-Team All-GPAC members, including the GPAC Player of the Year in linebacker Austin Janssen, Northwestern will turn to three second-team performers and a first-team defensive lineman to pick up the pieces for a team that returns five offensive starters and seven defensive starters for the 2007 season. Craig Hector will step under center for his senior season with a top target in wide receiver Tyler Reichle, as both players earned Second-Team All-GPAC honors a year ago. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Nathan Jansen returns as a second-team all-conference performer, while GPAC first-teamer Tim Martin comes back for his sophomore season on the defensive line, leading a unit that comes back with seven starters from an NAIA playoff team in 2006. Of its lost first-team players from 2006, two were defensive starters and two started on the offensive side of the ball.

 

Georgetown (Ky.), Mid-South Conference (East Division)

2006 Record: 9-2 | MSC (East) Finish: 1^st, 6-1

With the departure of last year's starting quarterback Jeff Smith, who earned First-Team All-MSC honors in 2006, head coach Bill Cronin and his Georgetown Tigers are expecting senior Andy Ahrens to step in and take the reigns at the quarterback position. Ahrens will have a main target to go to in the form of second-team all-conference selection Brian Piper at wide receiver, while senior fullback James Brown returns as well for his senior season after earning First-Team All-MSC during the Tigers' 2006 playoff campaign.  Along with the loss of Smith, Georgetown will be forced to replace offensive lineman Mike Polly and linebacker Matt Shansky, who both earned first-team honors last season. Shansky's counterpart in the linebacking corps, first-teamer Gabe Guthrie, will anchor the defense along with AFCA All-American and MSC Defensive Player of the Year Clay Hamblen at cornerback.

 

St. Ambrose (Iowa), Mid-States Football Association (Midwest Division)

2006 Record: 10-1 | MSFA (Midwest) Finish: 1^st, 7-0

Behind six starters returning on both sides of the football, St. Ambrose is poised to make another run at the Mid-States Football Association's Midwest Division title in 2007. Vernon Reed returns at running back for SAU after gaining 1,418 yards and scoring 16 touchdowns in 2006, while Kyle Forth also returns for the SAU offense at wide receiver after pulling in 27 catches for 385 yards and four scores last year. On defense, defensive backs Chance Jenkins and Dan Eble both return in 2007 after combining for 83 tackles a season ago. Eble had five sacks from his defensive back spot last year, while Jenkins had seven picks from the free-safety spot. SAU loses both of its starting defensive ends from a season ago in Andy Wolf and Ben Sacco, while linebacker Chad Otdoerfer and offensive lineman Brad Cook also depart from a team that won 10 games and returned to the NAIA Football Championship Series in the 2006 season.

 

Morningside (Iowa), Great Plains Athletic Conference

2006 Record: 9-3 | GPAC Finish: 3^rd, 8-2

With 14 returning starters, including eight on defense, the Mustangs expect to challenge for a fourth consecutive NAIA National Playoff berth. Morningside has a 29-7 record for a .806 winning percentage over the past three seasons to make it the winningest college football program in Iowa in terms of total victories and percentage. Morningside returns its entire starting defensive unit aside from the linebacking corp, where it must replace three of its four starters. The defensive leader is first-team All-America defensive back Chad Hustedt, the Mustangs' leading tackler each of the past two seasons. Offensively the Mustangs return the three-headed running back tandem of Nick Reigle, Pete Lewis, and Tyler Childress, who combined to rush for 1,484 yards and 16 touchdowns, and starting quarterback Tim Richard, who threw for 1,971 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman.