2010 Preview

Over 130 players will report to Cameron Stadium for Washington & Jefferson’s eighth preseason camp under Head Coach Mike Sirianni. With a pair of Top 20 opponents during the first three weeks of the season, Sirianni is leaving little doubt that this training camp will be the most important of his tenure.

“We must have a good camp and that falls on my shoulders,” said Sirianni, who owns a 70-12 record as a head coach. “We have to improve in many areas from our spring drills. We also need to prepare for a great team in week one which makes these upcoming three weeks so important.”

W&J opens its schedule on Sept. 11 at Delaware Valley, a consensus preseason top 10 team. The Presidents face Bethany a week later for the home opener and then travel to Kentucky for a battle with Thomas More on Sept. 25. The Saints have defeated Washington & Jefferson in each of the last two seasons. Both losses were by seven points or less, but the balance of power in the PAC has shifted in TMC’s direction.

“Our program is determined to win a national championship and we are proud of what we have accomplished in the NCAA playoffs (two NCAA quarterfinal appearances under Sirianni: 2004 and 2008), added Sirianni. “But, before we even focus on that goal, we need to take care of business in the conference, something we haven’t done since 2007. Thomas More established itself as the team to beat in the conference. They earned the championship the last two years, but we are determined to bring that trophy back to our campus.”

Despite coming up just short in the last two conference races, the Presidents have still compiled 26 consecutive winning seasons. W&J joins Mount Union and Mary Hardin-Baylor as the only programs to make six-straight appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Washington & Jefferson, which has racked up nearly 34,000 yards and 341 touchdowns through the air during Sirianni’s 11 years with the program, will rely on a steady defense which has improved each year under third-year Defensive Coordinator Matt Caponi. The Presidents boasted the nation’s 10th-best scoring defense a year ago (13.8 ppg) and limited opponents to 271.9 yards per game (24th of 235 teams).

“Coach Caponi deserves a lot of credit for turning this defense into one of the nation’s best units,” said Sirianni. “He has put us in position to win games. We didn’t play well on offense last year, but we won nine games because of what our defense was able to accomplish. We had the nation’s sack leader and despite that loss, we feel our defense can be even better this year.”

Leading that charge will be senior safeties Craig Sedunov and Nathan Harmotto. Sedunov compiled 77 tackles last fall and added five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. With 228 career tackles, he is on pace to become just the fourth defender in school history to reach 300 stops. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Harmotto is a talented athlete who recorded 64 tackles and four interceptions. He plays a linebacker-safety hybrid role in the defense and is counted on to provide big plays.

“Craig loves football and with improvement in some techniques, he could be an All-America player for us,” noted Sirianni. “Nathan is a versatile, all-region player. He switches positions and can become a leader for this team. It is nice to have veteran guys in our secondary, because our alignment requires them to make a majority of our tackles.”

Sirianni is also excited about returning starting cornerbacks, senior Mike Trunzo and junior Josh Buckley, in addition to junior safety Matthew Gal. Underclassmen Jimmy Thompson, Nathan Melhorn, Larry Cekella, Pat Fening, Jake Wilson as well as senior Jim Kuntz provide the Presidents with plenty of talent in the secondary. Sophomore Ian Hennessy will serve as Harmotto’s backup in the linebacker/safety role.

“Mike and Josh are top-notch corners on the outside, but they know they are going to be pushed by these young guys,” said the eighth-year head coach. “We have a lot of talent in our sophomore and junior classes, especially in the secondary. Matt (Gal) stepped up and played well last year. He was given an opportunity and he proved he can be a full-time player. I expect some of these younger players to make that same jump.”

Seniors Nick Resnik and Zach Pugliese and juniors Neil Sorice and Mitch Rose return at the linebacker spots. Sorice posted 54 tackles last season and the coaching staff feels he can emerge into a game-changing player. Pugliese (48 tackles) and Resnik (37) are steadying forces in Caponi’s 4-2-5 scheme.

The biggest holes to be filled are on the defensive line where all four starters from the final game of 2009 were lost to graduation, including Jacob Bloomhuff and his 26.5 career sacks. Senior Alex Patterson (17 tackles, 1 sack) has the most experience, while junior Frank Gigler and sophomores Gavin Donathan and Andy McGill have shown the ability to attack the quarterback. Juniors Phil Dern and Darrick Dominick and sophomores Andrew Booth and Justin Conley will have opportunities during camp to earn playing time.

“When you lose quality veterans, you always have a concern,” said Sirianni. “Our goal is to stop the run, first and foremost. We did that very well, except for one game last year. We can’t afford letdowns.”

One of the most dramatic improvements came in the kicking game. Senior Joe Kelly will once again handle the punting and placekicking duties after an all-region season. He averaged 38.7 yards on 46 punts and made 48-of-49 extra points. Kelly was W&J’s first All-PAC first-team punter since 1996.

“Joe had an excellent year and it is nice to have a reliable leg on special teams,” added Sirianni. “We need to be more consistent on our field goal attempts and kickoffs. I expect another great year from Joe.”
The 2009 offense ranked 48th in the nation in scoring, but the 31.4 points per game was the lowest average since Sirianni’s first year in 2003. W&J averaged only 3.0 yards per rushing attempt, a statistic the coaching staff is determined to change.

"We need to be multi-dimensional against the best teams on our schedule and that starts with the running game,” exclaimed Sirianni. “First, we must improve our offensive line play. We need to open holes and with three returning starters up front, I expect to see better blocking. From an overall standpoint, we need to put more emphasis on the running game. That starts on the first day of camp.”

The offensive line returns three starters: seniors Paul Jefferis and Adam Zampatti and junior Gary Flavion. Senior Ed Hirsh, juniors Anthony Natale, Justin Cole, Taylor Potts and Jered Peretic and sophomores Mike Mastellino and John Tokarski will all battle for the other two starting positions.

Senior Gino Rometo took over as the starting quarterback on a full-time basis late in the 2009 season after classmate Steven Shumaker suffered an injury. Rometo completed 65 percent of his pass attempts for 1,750 yards and 17 touchdowns (6 INTs). Shumaker (587 yds., 3 TD, 5 INT) provides a dual threat after adding 228 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Sirianni will also not count out playing time for three young signal callers, sophomore Andrew Cappucci and freshmen Zack Sopak and Matt Bliss.

“Whoever emerges as the starting quarterback, we will have 100 percent trust in him,” noted Sirianni. “We may rotate like last year based on the opponent. There is no favorite. Gino had a solid spring and we were happy with his improvement. Steven has worked hard to return from the injury. Andrew had a great junior varsity season and our two freshmen quarterbacks are terrific players.”

The winner of the quarterback battle will have plenty of weapons at his disposal, especially in the backfield. Senior Derek Taylor has rushed for 694 yards and four touchdowns and classmate Nick Puckett has improved each year in hopes for more touches this fall. The duo will be pushed by a stable of sophomores, Brian Baldrige, Tim McNerney and DeAndre Simmons. Baldrige was second on the team with seven touchdowns last year, while McNerney and Simmons sparkled on the junior varsity team. Sophomore Jorden Kraus also provides the Presidents’ with an option as a fullback.

The wide receiving corps will be bolstered by the return of senior Jordan Roycroft, junior Adam Dominick and sophomore Zach DeCicco. The trio all saw significant action last year and combined for 63 receptions and eight touchdowns. Senior Bryant Cappelletti returns after sitting out last season due to injury, while senior Andrew Tutino, juniors Brett Axner, Mike Roesch, Dreadless Stubbs and sophomores Ben Hoffer, David Bassi, Hunter Creel, Jared Jones and Bruce Maldonado all could see passes thrown in their direction.

“Jordan and Zach have a chance to become superstars in this offense,” said Sirianni. “Jordan has been overshadowed in his first three years, but he is a dynamic wide receiver.”
Sirianni knows what it takes to have his team prepared for the nationally-ranked, week one showdown in eastern Pennsylvania.

“The entire staff is ready for the upcoming camp and eager for the first month,” concluded Sirianni. “We need to be ready from the opening kickoff. All of our players and coaches are excited for the challenge.”