 |
 |
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
 |
 |
  
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
|
 |
|
||
The Sacred Heart University football team is ready to enter chapter six of its history in 2004. Paul Gorham, a man known for his novel ideas on the offensive side of the ball, was introduced as the sixth head coach in school history in June. He will be the character front and center as the story of Pioneer football continues to unfold this season.
Sacred Heart built its reputation as an offensive juggernaut when it began its rise to the top of the 1-AA Mid-Major ranks in 2000. Down the stretch last season, the Pioneers struggled to put points on the board, averaging just 15 points and 240 yards of offense in the final four games of the season, losing all four. Coach Gorham has been a part of coaching staffs at New Haven, Brown, and Massachusetts that had some of the most potent offensive attacks in the nation. As offensive coordinator at Brown, he helped the Bears average a hefty 434 yards per game.
The first challenge for the new coach was introducing a new system and new terminology to the Pioneers in a very short span of time. Gorham has been pleased with what he’s seen so far.
"They’ve picked it up much faster than I anticipated early on," he says. "It’s obvious to me that they have been working on their own time and studying to get up to speed."
A lot of the load of directing Gorham’s offensive scheme will fall on the shoulders of sophomore quarterback Dan Ammel (White River Junction, VT). Ammel was thrown into the fire early in his rookie season when he was thrust into the starting role after an injury to starter Joe Kroells. He would end up starting six games in 2003 and completed nearly 50 percent of his passes, while throwing six touchdowns and just four interceptions.
"Ammel’s got a lot of guts," says Gorham. "And while he’s just a sophomore, his teammates believe in him and that’s very important."
The coaching staff hopes to keep Ammel healthy, as the Pioneers are without a veteran backup. There are four freshman and one sophomore transfer vying for the number-two position. The early favorites for that job appear to be freshman Kyle Pierce (Cortlandt Manor, NY) and sophomore Marc Taylor (Asbury Park, NJ), a transfer from the University of New Haven.
After the graduation of Jason Bonadies, who led the Pioneers with 916 rushing yards last season, Coach Gorham is hoping junior tailback Ed Pricolo (Johnston, RI) can recover from an injury he suffered in 2003 and lead the Pioneer ground game in 2004. Pricolo suffered a serious hip injury in the fourth game of the season against Albany and was lost for the year. Prior to that, he had averaged over four yards a carry and had scored a pair of touchdowns. He was ready for the start of training camp in August, but Gorham and the coaching staff have been taking things slow with him.
"He’s looked very good, but he’s still got a ways to go before he’s 100 percent again," Gorham states. "We’ll take it easy early on and see what he can do. We have to look at things long term with him and make sure we can give him the time he needs to get back in shape."
Also returning at tailback is senior Jason Healy (New Milford, NJ), who was primarily a third-down specialist for the Pioneers in 2003, and sophomore Shaun Hunte (Shelton, CT). Gorham also hopes the freshmen Jason Payne (Cortlandt Manor, NY) and Jason Price (Norwalk, CT) can work their way into the rotation.
The Pioneer receiving corps lost Marlon Ward, who led the team in catches in 2003, but returns four who saw significant time last season and a couple of very promising first-year players. Senior Steve Clayton (Pontiac, MI) caught 15 passes last years and averaged almost 17 yards per catch. Sophomore Alvin Franklin started his rookie season with a bang in 2003, catching a TD pass in his first game and finished the year with 15 receptions. Also back is senior Nick Savino (Newtown, CT) who had ten receptions, and sophomore James Wright (New Haven, CT) who had four catches and a touchdown.
Gorham hopes that junior Bryan Butterworth (Hanover, MA), on the shelf all last season with an injury, came make a contribution. A big wildcard for the Pioneers this season is the addition of sophomore Joey Henley (Kent, WA) to the team. A scholarship men’s basketball player and a member of the Northeast Conference All-Rookie Team last season, Henley’s 6’4", 220-pound frame may cause problems for opposing defensive backs.
The tight end position has a pair of returning veterans in seniors Mike Peshler (Hopkinton, MA) and Glenn Kelloway (N. Andover, MA). Peshler was second on the team in receiving last season with 17 catches for 219 yards.
The offensive line is a veteran one and will be expected to cut down on the 24 sacks they allowed in 2003. The O-line will be anchored by a trio of seniors in Terrence White (New Haven, CT), Tom Denninger (Newtown, CT) and Tim Stone (Somerville, MA). The other two likely starters will be juniors Xavier Sanchez (Bridgeport, CT) and John DeCarlo (Lanoka Harbor, NJ).
"I think the offensive line is sound," says Gorham. "They have had to learn a lot of new terminology but we used a lot of the early-camp walkthroughs to get them comfortable with it."
The defensive frontline returns three starters from 2003 and will need to cut down on the average of 184 yards rushing it allowed each game last season. The line will be anchored by junior defensive tackles Dave Mihalov (Bridgeport, CT) and Kyle Warner (Sunapee, NH). Mihalov registered 54 tackles and four sacks last season. The starting ends will likely by sophomores Bill Hayden (Milford, PA) and Robert Occhiuzzi (Red Bank, NJ).
The starting linebackers are all veterans and made marks in 2003. Senior Dave Morson (Ocean, NJ), who was second on the team in tackles with 88 last season, will start in the middle. The outside linebackers will be junior Andy Grant (New Hartford, NY) and sophomore Jonathan Corto (Orchard Park, NY). Grant was the third leading tackler last season with 69 and led the team in fumble recoveries. Corto is making a switch from safety to linebacker this season, after registering 22 tackles in seven games in 2003.
Junior Scott Smiley (San Diego, CA), a transfer from Grossmont Junior College, has also impressed the coaching staff in pre-season and has a good chance to see a lot of playing time.
The secondary lost three starters from last season. The lone returning starter is junior safety Justin Mucci (Staten Island, NY), who led the team with 104 tackles. The battle for the other safety spot is between juniors Dave Kaloyanides (Reading, MA) and Dan Salvaggio (Lindenhurst, NY), and sophomore Jon Wilson (Bloomfield, CT).
The inside track on the starting cornerback positions belongs to senior Mike Scott (Groton, CT) and junior Zach Kepner (Largo, FL). Scott had 25 tackles last season and one interception that he returned 33 yards for a touchdown. Kepner played in ten games and had 15 tackles and blocked a pair of kicks on special teams.
On special teams, junior David Whalen (Clinton, CT) will again handle the punting duties, and will add kickoff chores to his list as well. He averaged over 34 yards per punt last season, and his excellent hang time forced 13 fair catches. He also nailed 20 punts inside the opponent’s 20 last season. The place kicking job is wide open, but the early favorite would appear to be sophomore Lars Anderson (Fairfield, CT).
The return game will likely feature Jonathan Corto prominently. Standing along side SHU’s all-time leading returner, Pete Athans, last season, Corto averaged over 30 yards per return in six kickoff attempts last season, while also returning five punts. Bryan Butterworth also has a chance to return some punts this season.
Overall, Pioneer fans can expect a different look on offense this season than they have seen the last two.
"I like to throw the ball," Gorham says. "I think it gives a team a lot of flexibility and it also insures that you are never out of a game. That is definitely the philosophy I plan to bring to this team."
