2008 Record 7-3 .700 Overall 5-3 .625 Conference Location: Northfield, MN Head Coach: Kurt Ramler (St. John's '97) Stadium (cap.): Laird (7500) Conference: MIAC Region: West 2009 Schedule

This fall the Carleton College football roster has a much different look than it did a year ago. With only four seniors on the 2009 squad, the Knights might be the youngest football team in America that is not a startup program. Graduation claimed a dozen starters from last fall’s nationally-ranked squad that went 7-3 and smashed school records in numerous categories.

“We lost a bunch of really great seniors from last year’s team,” head coach Kurt Ramler said. “This gives us a year in which some other players are going to have to step up. We’ve got some good players, and it will be fun to see how things come together.

“The big step we made as a program last year came in learning how to be a winning team. We stayed together throughout the season, overcame some adversity, and had guys buy in across the board. We were truly a team.”

The challenge this year is the same thing. Ramler and his staff need to continue the development of the team and the individuals on the roster without losing the team concept.

“We have more quality football players in our program than in any year that I’ve been here,” he said. “Across the board, we’ve got more kids that can play.”

That group includes two returning veterans who received accolades for their play last fall: offensive tackle Brad Eckelmann (Jr./Portland, Ore./Lincoln) and punter Erik Fabry (So./Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview). Eckelmann was an all-region pick in ’08 and has already been twice tabbed a 2009 pre-season All-American. Fabry, who also saw time at wide receiver last season, was one of only five first-year players in the nation to receive All-Region status as he was named to the third team.

More than two-thirds of this year’s 63-man roster is comprised of underclassmen, including 22 newcomers to the program.

“That’s going to be a challenge, but that group really fits Carleton,” said Ramler. “They are going to do well on and off the field. They are all incredibly intelligent, passionate football players, who are also passionate about learning. They’ll get lots of experience, and we’ll need some young kids to step up and some of the savvy veterans to do their thing.”

SENIORS

With such a youthful team, the most important thing the squad’s four seniors can provide is leadership.

Running back Phil Blue (Sr./Northbrook, Ill.Glenbrook North) proved in 2008 that when he was Carleton’s featured back, he could be among the conference’s top performers at the position. He was second on the team in rushing and tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns while his 40 receptions ranked third on the roster.

After previously spending time at linebacker and on the offensive line, Adam Hallbeck (Sr./Anoka, Minn.) will now be looked upon to fill one of the open defensive line spots.

“Phil is the consummate leader,” noted Ramler, “and epitomizes in many ways what this program is all about. Adam is one of our more explosive big athletes. If he can stay healthy, we expect great things from him.”

Quarterback Spenser Williamson (Sr./La Crosse, Wis./Luther) is the quintessential “team-first” guy and has captained the scout-team offense the last few years.

“We wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what we did last year if it wasn’t for Spenser,” explained Ramler. “He takes his role seriously and helps our team win as much as anybody, you just won’t see it in the box score. It’s difficult to explain just how much a guy like Spenser means to the program. I have an incredible amount of respect for young men like Spenser.”

John Schlaefer (Sr./St. Paul, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) is the fourth senior on the roster. He returns to the program after spending last year in studying in China and will compete for time on special teams and at defensive end.

OFFENSE

Last year, the Knights paced the MIAC in scoring and total offense. With five starters gone from last year’s lineup, Carleton’s offense must replace its quarterback, left guard, and the top three receivers in the aerial attack.

Jacob Anderson (Jr./Ramsey, Minn./Anoka), Vaughn Schmid (So./Mahtomedi, Minn.) and Brian Kaletka (So./Belle Plaine, Minn.) lead the competition for the starting quarterback spot. Anderson appeared in seven games in 2007, while and Schmid (three games) and Kaletka (one game) both saw action last year. A talented group of rookies will also push the trio for playing time.

The familiar faces of All-American Matt Frank ’09 and 2007 leading receiver Chris Gardner ’09 may be gone, but the cupboard is hardly bare of quality wideouts for Ramler’s pass-happy offense.

Dylan Bothun (Jr./Rosemount, Minn.) leads the returnees, appearing in 19 games during his first two seasons. Owen Demke (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine Township South), Anthony Kemper (Prior Lake, Minn.), Bill Moritz (Hutchinson, Minn.), and Billy Shapiro (Bronx, N.Y./Fieldston School) join Fabry in forming a very talented group of sophomores at the position.

The offense should also benefit from the size and athleticism of Tyler Palin (Jr./Mequon, Wis./University School), who transitions from defensive end to tight end in 2009.

The strength of this year’s team could be the offensive line, but with a new quarterback and new receivers, the O-line will have to provide extra time. “They need to be better, individually and collectively, than they were last year,” said Ramler.

Eckelmann and Ted Longabaugh (Jr./Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette) return at the tackle spots with Will Taylor (Jr./Missoula, Mont./Loyola) and Tanner Martin (Tempe, Ariz./Brophy Prep) coming back at guard and center, respectively. Zach Delpier (So./Marquette, Mich.) entered camp with a great chance to secure the open guard spot, and a quartet of first-year players will compete for playing time across the line.

The Knights also welcome the return of their top two rushers from a year ago—Blue and Jon Lien (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes)—giving Carleton a very explosive backfield combination. Andy Lee (Jr./Fegus Falls, Minn.) and Jordan Butler (Fy./El Mirage, Ariz./Dysart) give Carleton added depth at the position in 2009.

DEFENSE

The defense was hit equally hard by graduation as the entire D-line and three-fourths of the secondary received their diplomas in the spring. Just like on offense, the Knights have candidates chomping at the bit to fill the vacancies.

Defensive Coordinator Bob Pagel is expecting good things from Hallbeck, Schlaefer, and Zach Armstrong (Jr./Eden Prairie, Minn.) at defensive end. Nate Doremus (Jr./Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska), who had a great start to the 2008 campaign before a knee injury halted his year, returns at tackle as does junior Aaron Maurer (Swarthmore, Pa./Strath Haven). The Knights also added six new defensive line recruits, providing significant depth.

“We had a really great recruiting class for defensive linemen,” Ramler said. “We’re hoping that a couple of them can play this year, and that we can sprinkle them in with our cagey old-timers.”

The Knights secondary was one of the team’s strengths in 2008 but brings back only one starter: safety Neil Kolstad (Jr./Saint James, Minn.)

“That’s definitely going to be a big challenge for us,” Ramler admits. “We’ve got some talented kids in the program, and we’re going to have to have some guys step up.”

The leading veteran who could end up playing alongside Kolstand is junior Tim Bielecki (Pengilly, Minn./Greenway).

Meanwhile, Dirk Dijkstal (Jr./Cheyenne, Wyo./Central), Kyle Jacobs (So./Mequon, Wis./University School), Tsubasa Matsui (So./Ellicott City, Md./Centennial), and DeAngelo Williams (So./Minneapolis, Minn./De La Salle) are in competition for the two vacant cornerback positions. Additionally, the Knights’ incoming rookies could impact the lineup.

The only defensive position that didn’t undergo much turnover was at linebacker, where the Knights played with three new starters last fall, making this suddenly the most stable spot on this side of the ball.

Juniors Tim Mulso (Welcome, Minn./Martin County West), Kilian Murphy (Eau Claire, Wis./Eau Claire Regis), and George Zeon (Edina, Minn./Richfield) all spent time in the starting lineup last year. Sophomores Mark Skoglund (Murdock, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg), Erin Jones (Ruckersville, Va./William Monroe), Justin Rotman (Minnetonka, Minn.), Tyler Richards (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North) and Dylan Gessner (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) each saw action throughout the year.

“The competition we have at linebacker is exciting. We haven’t had anything like this—at any position—since I’ve been here. It’s a sign of our program getting better. We’d like to have something like this at every position, every year,” Ramler said. “Then you throw in a couple of really good freshman, and this is awesome.”

Graduation also claimed the Knights place kicker from a year ago. Filling that void could be Eric Murphy (So./Stillwater, Okla.), who comes over from the Knights’ soccer program, or first-year David Miller (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood).

“Coach Pagel is the best in the business at what he does and there’s no question that (defensive backs) Coach Marty Hoffman will get his guys going,” Ramler said. “There are a number of intricate variables and possibilities, but if things come together the right way, we’ll have a chance to be pretty good.”

In its season opener, Carleton hosts Cornell College on Sat., September 12 at 1:00 p.m.

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