CAA SPRING FOOTBALL WEEKEND RECAP -- MAY 3
RICHMOND, Va. (May 3, 2008) -- CAA Football and CAASports.com plans to follow the 2008 spring action which leads up the to the second year of CAA Football. Recaps from spring games, as well various notes on players and teams, will be available at CAASports.com throughout the offseason. Various student-athletes will be contributing to the second edition of the CAASports.com Spring Football Blog throughout the offseason. Log on each Wednesday beginning March 26 to get a behind-the-scenes look at what CAA Football student-athletes are doing leading up to and during their spring practice seasons. CAASports.com is your place to stay abreast of all the action leading up to another exciting season of CAA Football in 2008.
NEW HAMPSHIRE SPRING GAME RECAPThe University of New Hampshire football team held its annual Spring Blue/White scrimmage and several new players received opportunities to shine.
At quarterback, sophomore R.J. Toman (Mission Viejo, Calif.) solidified his position as the starter going into the 2008 season. Toman, who faced an improved first string defense, completed 13 of 22 passes for 115 yards and one TD, with one interception. However, 10th-year head coach Sean McDonnell also was impressed by the play of backup redshirt freshman Kevin Decker (Armonk, N.Y.) who completed 13 of 20 attempts for 192 yards, one TD and no interceptions.
The story of the day on offense was the play of sophomore running back Sean Jellison (Amherst, N.H.) who carried the football 15 times for an impressive total of 82 yards and one 13 yard TD. He also grabbed seven passes for 62 yards for an all-purpose total of 144 yards. Jellison had the long rush of the day for 29 yards. Also running well for the ?Cats was senior running back Robert Simpson (Brockton, Mass.) with 15 carries for 64 yards and a 4 yard TD run.
The offense spread the ball around to the receivers, a group that was led by junior tight end Scott Sicko (Stillwater, N.Y.) who caught three passes for 15 yards, one a 5 yard TD reception. Also catching a TD pass was Mike Green (Stonington, Conn.) who made two catches for 50 yards, including the 33 yard TD catch. Starting wide receiver J.T. Wright (Agoura Hills, Calif.) also made a solid showing, grabbing two passes for 51 yards, including the long reception of the afternoon, a 47-yarder.
Junior kicker Tom Manning (Rome, N.Y.) kicked the lone field goal attempt through the uprights, a 20-yarder.
For the afternoon, the offense compiled 356 yards passing, and rushed for 232 yards on the ground for a total of 588 yards.
On the defensive side of the football, senior linebacker Matt Parent (Long Beach, Calif.) led all tacklers with 10, including a tackle for a 3 yard loss. Some of the younger players also led the way in tackles, including redshirt freshmen James Jenkins (Patron, N.J.) with nine tackles at linebacker and defensive back John Duffey (Tarentum, Pa.) with eight.
The big play for the defense was an interception by junior defensive back Ryan Hinds (Toronto, Ont.) who also had a pass deflection. The defense, which put good pressure on the quarterbacks, got a sack from redshirt freshman Shawn MacNevin (Strafford, N.H.) for a loss of 6 yards. The defensive backfield was also credited with five pass deflections on the day.
McDonnell also announced the tri-captains for the 2008 season. Parent will be the leader of the defense, while senior wide receiver Mike Boyle (Plymouth, N.H.) and senior Eric Cumba (Paterson, N.J.) will lead the offense.
The UNH football team will kick off the 2008 campaign on Sept. 6 at Army. The team will play its home-opener on Sept. 20 vs. Albany. Game time is 12 p.m. at Cowell Stadium and tickets are available online at www.unhwildcats.com.
TOWSON SPRING GAME RECAP
After watching the Towson University offense battle with the Tiger defensive unit in the Black-Gold Game at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium on Saturday, Coach Gordy Combs found plenty to like on both sides of the ball.
While the Tiger offense edged the Tiger defense by 32-30, there was some noteworthy performances from some expected sources and a few surprises as well.
Quarterback Sean Schaefer (Northern H.S./Dunkirk, Md.) spent the game throwing to some new receivers and a few very familiar ones. He completed 16 of 20 passes for 129 yards and threw three touchdown passes. He was also intercepted twice.
To the surprise of no one, veteran wide receiver Marcus Lee (St. John’s College H.S./Silver Spring, Md.) caught three passes for 24 yards, including a seven-yard TD toss from Schaefer.
However, the emergence of wide receivers David Newsom (Elizabeth H.S./Elizabeth, N.J.) and Tamba Tongu (Milton Hershey H.S./Rockville, Md.) was somewhat of a surprise to the nearly 1,000 fans attending the game.
A transfer from Nassau Community College, Newsom caught seven passes for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He caught 15-yard TD pass from Schaefer and a 12-yard TD toss. Tongu had five receptions for 36 yards. Tongu also had one carry for ten yards.
“To anyone who has been with us during the spring workouts, those guys aren’t really a surprise,” said Coach Combs. “They are both good football players who are going to help us. With the offense we run, we need a lot of depth at the wide receiver spot. David and Tamba give us quality depth.”
Sophomore Steve Holmes (Old Mill H.S./Severn, Md.) also caught two passes for 30 yards while Hakeem Moore (Courtland H.S./Fredericksburg, Va.) had two receptions for 19 yards.
Sophomore Damien Kinchen (Annapolis H.S./Annapolis, Md.) led the Tigers’ running game with four carries for 29 yards. Matt Castor (Linganore H.S./Mt. Airy, Md.) had eight carries for 21 yards and a touchdown.
Linebackers Josh Root (Fort Hill H.S./Cumberland, Md.) and Alex Butt (Hereford H.S./Parkton, Md.) were two of the Tigers’ defensive standouts. Root made five tackles and intercepted a pass while Butt had three tackles and an interception.
“We’ve been really pleased with the way Josh and Alex have played all spring - not just today,” said the Tiger coach. “We have two inside linebacker positions to fill and they have gone a long way towards earning those spots.”
Linebackers Chris Patterson (Northwest H.S./Germantown, Md.) and Joshua McCants (Gaithersburg H.S./Rockville, Md.), a pair of “red shirt” freshmen, also did well in the Black-Gold Game. Patterson made five tackles and intercepted a pass while McCants made two tackles, broke up a pass in the end zone, and intercepted a pass. McCants returned his interception 57 yards for a TD.
Defensive back Ollie Thomas (Potomac H.S./Oxon Hill, Md.) had a very busy afternoon from his cornerback spot. He made five tackles, broke up a pass, blocked a punt and intercepted a pass.
Linebacker Jordan Manning (St. Joseph H.S./Mays Landing, N.J.), one of the Tiger co-captains, made four tackles, including a pair of sacks.
Place kicker Mark Bencivengo (Steinert H.S./Hamilton, N.J.) contributed to the afternoon by kicking a pair of field goals, a 22-yarder and a 26-yarder.
The only injury the Tigers sustained during the Black-Gold Game was a knee injury suffered by defensive end Ben Hunolt (Ironwood Ridge H.S./Tucson, Ariz.).
“Generally speaking, we accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish this spring, so we feel good about it,” said Coach Combs. “We did hold some guys out of the game because of nagging injuries. It was a situation where they would have played if this were a real game.”
He added, “It was good to get Sean (Schaefer) working with some new receivers. As a coach, it’s great to have someone like Sean around for his fourth year. However, over the next six months, we need to develop a back-up quarterback so that someone will be ready to step into the spot when Sean graduates.”
At the conclusion of the Spring Season, Coach Combs and the coaching staff gave out their annual “Lean and Mean Awards.” On offense, the “lean award” went to Tongu while offensive guard Chris Ritter (Fort Hill H.S./Cumberland, Md.) was the winner of the “mean award.” On defense, Thomas was the winner of the “lean award” while linebacker Donte Blakey (Milton Hershey H.S./Lebanon, Pa.) won the “mean award.”
In addition, the Tigers handed out their Iron Tiger awards for work in the weight room. Defensive lineman Scott Bullock (St. Augustine Prep/Egg Harbor, N.J.) was the winner of the Iron Tiger Award in the heavyweight division while Thomas won the award in the lightweight division.
Castor was the overall winner of the Iron Tiger Award.