Season Preview: Sea Gulls look to continue winning ways
SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University football team enters the 2007 season with an impressive five-year run that has seen the Sea Gulls capture two Atlantic Central Football Conference championships (2004 and '05), two straight ECAC Bowl Championships and five consecutive winning seasons.

The Sea Gulls, who went 6-5 last season, graduated eight all-conference performers but won’t have to worry about a drop off in '07 as the maroon and gold returns seven starters on defense and eight starters on offense.

"We expect to win every game. That’s the bottom line," said SU coach Sherman Wood, who is entering his ninth season at the helm of his alma mater. "I fully believe that we are more than capable of accomplishing that goal."

Offense
The Salisbury University offense has solidified itself as one of the premier rushing attacks in the country. Over the past five seasons the Gulls have consistently ranked as the top rushing team in the ACFC and finished ranked No. 6 in the country in '04 and No. 4 in '05. The Gulls had a drop off in '06 as they ranked No. 18 in the nation.

The option attack will be lead by incumbent quarterback Ronnie Curley (Ellicott City, Md.) who went 5-3 as a starter after taking over the reigns in week four. The junior signal caller totaled 1,205 yards of offensive and accounted for a team-high 11 touchdowns. Curley was named honorable mention All-ACFC and was named the Regents Cup MVP with a 178 yard rushing performance.

"For this offense to be run successfully you have to be good at quarterback," said assistant head coach-offense Doug Fleetwood. "Curley has been in this system for two years and has gotten better every week. He has all the skills to run it the way we want. How good we are depends on how well he plays."

Protecting Curley and opening the holes for the offensive will be an offensive line that returns three starters from last year's team. The Gulls have produced two All-America linemen in the past five years and the top candidate to join that elite group is junior David Preston (Beltsville, Md.). Preston started at right guard and was one of the most consistent linemen in '06. 

"David has had a great off-season and spring workout session," said Fleetwood. "He has excellent strength, great quickness and all the tools to fit him in the mold with our other All-America linemen."

Senior Michael Hedlesky (Woodbine, Md.) and junior Dustin Renner (Gambrills, Md.) are the other two returning starters on the line. Junior Bryan Burdalski (Lumberton, N.J.) is the preseason favorite to fill the void at center while fellow juniors Josh Berman (Westminster, Md.), Tim Hackmann (Severna Park, Md.) and Jeremy McKinney (Gaithersburg, Md.) will all vie for the final spot on the line.

"Our line this year isn't going to be as big as we've had in years past but they are going to be a lot more athletic," said Fleetwood. "Right now, we have eight or 10 players that can play and the more depth we have on the line the better off we are going to be."

Returning from injury is junior superback Ronnie Shockley (Berlin, Md.) who missed the final seven games of '06 with a season-ending knee injury. Shockley broke onto the scene in the first game of the season as he rushed for a game-high 118 yards in a reserve role and finished the season with over 200 yards on the ground.

Junior Shelby Fisher (Baltimore, Md.) and sophomore Alesandro Valentino (Cherry Hill), among others, will add much needed depth to the position.

"The superback position is the key to the offense. They're the guys that establish our inside game." said Fleetwood. "Shockley is back and healthy and with guys like Fisher behind him we have an opportunity to be pretty good at superback."

A mixture of experience and youth describes the Salisbury slots. Seniors Chris Newton (Glen Burnie, Md.) and Jamar Garner (Frederick, Md.) have been three-year starters and will be looked upon to lead the group. Newton was one of eight players to rush for over 100 yards in '06 and he found the endzone four times. Garner, one of four team captains, was the third leading rusher on the team last season and scored three touchdowns.

Senior captain David Leonard (Upper Marlboro, Md.) bounced around between superback and slot last year but will primarily run from the slot this season. Leonard rushed for nearly 300 yards in '06 and the combination of his speed and size could cause difficult matchups for opposing defenses.

Sophomore Valdase Morris (Salisbury, Md.) might be the fastest of all the slots as he found his groove late in the season. Morris finished the season with five total touchdowns and 298 yards of offense which includes a team-long 75 yard touchdown run against Wesley.

The receivers welcome back last year's leading target, Kevin Tillage (Woodbridge, Va.). Tillage has big play capability as he proved in SU's week nine win over Widener. The junior caught three passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. A host of sophomores, which includes D.J. Nelson (Mullica Hill, N.J.) and Jeremy Harris (Forestville, Md.), will look to add depth at receiver.

Defense
The Sea Gulls unveiled the 'Odd Stack' defense last season and over the final seven games of the year gave up a mere 12 points per contest and allowed on average 229 yards of total offense. The defense got stronger as the season went on and will return its top three tacklers from ’06.

"Last season it was almost as if we went into [the Odd Stack] blind," said assistant head coach-defense/defensive coordinator Robb Disbennett. "We had an idea of what we were going to see but we didn't know for sure. This season we should be able to teach it better. We've seen what we need to prepare for and hopefully that will help us in our preparation."

The linebacker core should be one of the strengths of the defense. Junior Matt Barnes (Ijamsville, Md.) returns after leading the team in tackles with 56. Barnes began the season as the middle linebacker but gave way to senior captain Chris Loveland (Bayville, N.J.) part way through the season. Barnes shifted to outside linebacker and Loveland patrolled the middle where he made 46 tackles, six coming for a loss of 18 yards. Barnes finished with one interception while Loveland recovered one fumble.

"With both [Loveland and Barnes] on the field we have a lot of experience," said Disbennett. "They both have great football IQ's and are able to put people in the right situation to be successful."

Junior Ryan Hesnan (Brick Township, N.J.) tied Barnes for the team lead in tackles with 56. Hesnan also picked off one pass and recovered one fumbled from his 'dog' position. Opposite Hesnan at 'dog' could be one of three juniors, Tom Fontaine (Philadelphia), Matthew Bookard (Lanham, Md.) or Ravi Nastvogel (Columbia, Md.), or senior Ricardo Spriggs (Owings, Md.).

Fontaine and Bookard combined to make 36 tackles last season to go along with two tackles for loss, while Nastvogel will makes his return to the field after breaking his hand early in the season last year. Spriggs appeared in five games and recorded four tackles.

The quarterback of the defense will be junior safety Greg Miletic (Catonsville, Md.). Miletic emerged as one of the top defensive backs in '06 as he finished with 18 tackles and two pass breakups.

"Miletic is going to be a key player for us on defense," said Disbennett. "He is a tough kid that has the ability to fill an alley and make a tackle. The free safety is one of the most important positions in the Odd Stack. We are really expecting him to be a leader."

The corners return experience in junior Justin Acker (Bowie, Md.) and sophomore Antione Cuff (Landover, Md.). Cuff appeared in 10 games, made 12 tackles and picked off one pass while Acker recorded a fumble recovery and broke up two passes in eight games.

The heart of the defense lies in the three men in a three-point stance. Senior captain Joe Galloway (Pasadena, Md.) and junior Jarrell Chandler (Salisbury, Md.) will spearhead the defensive line. Galloway, an honorable mention All-ACFC selection in '06, and Chandler were the backbone of the line last year as they made 39 and 34 tackles each, respectively.

"Joe is the key," said Disbennett. "You want your best defensive linemen at nose and that’s Joe. He is a great athlete too. He could play the end if we needed him to. He is the kind of nose guard that draws double and sometimes triple teams."

Chandler returns as the leader in tackles for loss and sacks as he accounted for 7.5 and five in those respected categories. Galloway finished with four tackles for loss which includes three sacks.

"Jarrell is a specimen," said Disbennett. "He is the type of player that can create problems for defenses athletically."

Sophomore Paul Cynewski (Moorestown, N.J.) played in limited action last year but is expected to have a break out year for Salisbury while sophomore nose guard Alex Bresner (Marblehead, Mass.) is a big body that will add even more depth to the defensive line.

Special Teams
Andrew Geisert (White Plains, Md.), week-three ACFC Special Teams Player of the Week, is the lone returning kicker in '07. The sophomore punter averaged over 35 yards per punt as a freshman, had 19 kicks land inside the 20 and had a long punt of 58 yards. Geisert also connected on his only field goal attempt of the season against Morrisville (17-yards).

"Andy is our guy," said Wood. "It’s his job to lose in both punting and kicking. He did a great job as a freshman punting for us and was about a yard away from being named all-conference."

Junior Nick Soussanin (Upper Marlboro, Md.) will resume his duty as the No. 1 punt returner. Soussanin had a 7.7 yard return average on 16 attempts with a long of 22 yards. Morris saw limited action as a returner and had a team-long 44-yard return. Both Soussanin and Morris are expected to return kickoffs for the Sea Gulls this season.

Schedule
The road to the playoffs features three postseason teams from a year ago which includes two teams that advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament. SU will be tested early in its schedule as the month of September features the 2006 USA South Conference champions and the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl runners-up.

Salisbury kicks off its 2007 season on September 1 as it plays host to Albright College. This will be the first meeting in over a decade between the Lions and Sea Gulls as Albright defeated SU, 20-10, in the 1995 ECAC Southwest Bowl Championship. The opening to the season will also mark the first regular-season game to be played on the new A-Turf that was put in Sea Gull Stadium this summer.

The Sea Gulls' next two games are on the road as they open up ACFC play and square off against a neighboring rival. On September 8 the Gulls travel to upstate New York to face SUNY Brockport. The last time SU played at Special Olympics Stadium, the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 23-7 lead at halftime before Salisbury scored 28 unanswered points en route to the 35-30 win in 2005.

SU then travels to Newport News, Va., to face Christopher Newport on September 15. The Captains and Sea Gulls needed overtime in '06 as CNU escaped Sea Gull Stadium with a 23-17 victory. CNU finished as USA South Conference champions for the fifth time in the past six years and made its fifth overall appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Salisbury returns home on September 22 to face Delaware Valley in a rematch of last year's ECAC South Atlantic Bowl Championship. SU snapped the Aggies three-game shutout streak as the maroon & gold won 15-9 in front of a crowd of 1,500 on the road.

"We don't back down from anyone," said Wood. "If you look at our schedule, it speaks for itself. It is going to be a tremendous challenge for our program and our kids but it will pay dividends down the road."

The month of September is rounded out by a home ACFC game against the Apprentice School on Family Day. Salisbury has outscored the Shipbuilders 252-38 in the last six years, including a 25-0 shutout in '06 on the road.

Geneva, Morrisville State and Becker open up the October schedule for Salisbury. The three schools combined to go 6-23 in '06 with Morrisville State and Becker only winning a single game. SU hosts Becker on October 20 for its annual Homecoming game at Sea Gull Stadium.

The final two games of the regular-season pit the Sea Gulls against arch-rivals Wesley and Frostburg State. On October 27, Salisbury travels to Dover, Del., to face Wesley in the Route 13 rivalry. Wesley finished 13-1 last year and advanced to the NCAA national semifinals. The Wolverines narrowly escaped Sea Gull Stadium last year with a 13-10 win.

The final game of the regular-season is against in-state rival and ACFC foe Frostburg State in the Regents Cup. The ninth annual Regents Cup is being played in Annapolis, Md. at the United States Naval Academy on November 10 at 2 p.m.

"It's an amazing opportunity for our student-athletes to be associated with the United States Naval Academy," said Wood. "To be in that kind of setting is a great opportunity and hopefully the game is just icing on the cake to what is a great regular-season."

Summary
The success of the season will ride heavily on how well the Sea Gulls get out of the gate. The September stretch will be a test for the maroon and gold against conference and ranked teams to see where the Sea Gulls stack up. If Curley can make plays and use all the weapons around him to run the offense effectively opposing defenses could have difficultly stopping the option attack. The defense is solid up the middle and loaded with speed and athleticism on the outside to make this group have the recipe for what could be a very special year.

"Our team chemistry is better than I've ever seen in years. We are a close knit family and that will go a long way in the success of our season," said Wood. "The depth of our team is extremely important. We want the last guy on the roster to know that he is just as important as the first. The attitude of our team is going to determine how far we go."