Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh seeks fifth league title in six years
9/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
When a team concludes an eight win season and is disappointed with the end result, that program’s bar has been set pretty high. Such is the case at Lehigh University, where the Mountain Hawks have been looking forward to the fall of 2003 and the opportunity to climb back to the top of the Patriot League – where they have won league titles and advanced to the postseason in four of the last five years.
Despite facing one of the toughest upcoming schedules in recent years, there is good reason for optimism on South Mountain. Five all-league players and 13 total starters return from last year's team, which ranked second in the Patriot League in both scoring offense and scoring defense. In addition, many other young players gained valuable experience in 2002 as Lehigh endured injuries to several veterans throughout the course of the season. Set to enter his third season, head coach Pete Lembo is excited about the work ethic, attitude and camaraderie that exists with his returning group of student-athletes.
DEFENSE
Lehigh’s defense has consistently been among the best in the Patriot League. Last season, the Mountain Hawks were tied for second in the league in scoring defense, and Lehigh was tops against the pass, allowing 20 yards fewer per game through the air than any other Patriot League defense. 2003 should be no different, as Lehigh returns seven of its defensive starters.
Defensive Line
All four starters from last year's defensive line return this season for the Mountain Hawks. The leader of this group is three-year starter Mike Gregorek at defensive end, who earned first team all-league honors in 2002. Senior Matt Cappelletti and juniors Tom Alfsen and Ramses Cloud are all returning lettermen that have provided outstanding situational play and depth for the Mountain Hawks at defensive end.
Senior Tyler Hart leads a predominately young group of interior defensive linemen for Lehigh. Hart is a three year starter at nose guard who spent the majority of his junior season on the injured reserve. Junior Jim Norris and sophomores Josh Cooney and Chris Zambrano all shared time at the nose guard position in Hart's absence last year. At defensive tackle, sophomore Royce Morgan started the first three games before going down with a shoulder injury. Junior Tristan Lawrence and sophomores John Hatchell and Will Mitchell also expect to compete for playing time.
Linebackers
Seniors Mike Taggart and Tom McGeoy are returning all-league performers that lead the Lehigh linebacking corps. A season ago, the two team leaders also led the defense in tackles with 84 and 79, respectively. They combined for 20 tackles for a loss and Taggart added three fumble recoveries last season. Fellow senior Jared Breidinger hopes to return from a neck injury that sidelined him for much of the 2002 campaign. Junior Jon Guynes is expected to line up at the third linebacker spot in Breidinger's absence, as he did last fall. He will be pushed for playing time by junior Jason Murray, sophomore Matt Purdy, and sophomore converted safety Anthony Graziani, among others.
Secondary
The Lehigh secondary should once again be strong this season, despite the loss of some very experienced players, including two-time captain and all-league selection Matt Salvaterra (strong safety), Sam Perryman (free safety), and all-league cornerback Ken Pitter.
The returning group is led by three year starting cornerback Lawrence Williams. Williams, an all-league selection last year, ranked second in the league with four interceptions, and was fourth with 13 passes defended. He is the Patriot League’s all-time leader in interceptions returned for a touchdown with four. At 5’11, 200 lbs., he is drawing interest from pro scouts.
Several talented underclassmen will vie for the other starting corner spot opposite Williams. Among them are sophomore David Snell, junior Neal Boozer-Gallman, and junior Duane Smith.
At safety, junior Karrie Ford and senior Trevor Micklos look to move into starting roles after seeing significant playing time last season. Ford played a great deal in nickel situations while Micklos has been one of the Mountain Hawks top special teams performers in recent years. Sophomores Kaloma Cardwell, Andrew Nelson and junior Mike Moore have all impressed the coaches with their athleticism, and should compete for playing time this fall.
OFFENSE
Lehigh’s offense has traditionally been a well-balanced attack, and that should be the case in 2003 as well. The Mountain Hawks were second in the league in both rushing offense and scoring offense (over 26 points per game) a season ago, and Lehigh’s proven ground game and more seasoned air attack will likely give opponents fits once again.
Quarterback
Over the course of the 2002 season, the Mountain Hawks used four different quarterbacks under center. This was due in large part to a lack of experience in the offensive system and various injuries to different players. Senior Chad Schwenk took the bulk of the snaps last year and looks to play with greater consistency in 2003. Schwenk enters his second year in the program after transferring from Rutgers. The local product from Whitehall High School threw for over 1600 yards and 11 touchdowns in ten games last year.
Junior Kyle Keating plans to challenge Schwenk for the starting position. Keating entered the 2002 campaign as the fourth stringer and ended up leading the Mountain Hawks to victories against Yale and Holy Cross by mid-season. Keating also serves as the team's punter. Senior Matt Shiels played in several games last year as well, including the team's opening victory at Division I-A Buffalo.
Also look for sophomores Mark Borda and Kevin Hannan to compete for playing time in 2003. Like Schwenk, Borda is a local product from Bethlehem Catholic High School while Hannan has impressed the coaching staff with him arm strength at the junior varsity level. Sophomore Mike Connor recently transferred to Lehigh from Delaware, but will have to sit out the 2003 campaign due to NCAA rules.
Running Backs
Without question, the ground game should again be one of the strengths of the Lehigh attack again in 2003. Last year’s team ranked second in the league in rushing yards per game. This season, the bulk of the carries again figure to fall in the hands of seniors Jermaine Pugh and Dave Wilson. In his junior season, Pugh rushed for 1,339 yards and eleven scores, and ranked among the Patriot League leaders in rushing yards per contest. Despite his 5’4 size, Pugh earned the respect of the competition and was named to the all-league team for his efforts.
Senior Dave Wilson had an outstanding sophomore campaign that was cut short by a knee injury. He returned in 2002 and made an impact, particularly in goal line and short yardage situations. Wilson has looked impressive in the off-season and figures to carry a bigger load in 2003. Marques Thompson, Pierre Bowers, and Ryan Hluschak are all freshmen that will vie for spots on the travel squad.
Sophomores Jason Beck and Greg Fay will compete for the starting fullback position. Both have impressed the coaching staff in the off-season. Look for incoming freshmen Eric Rakus and Chris McGinn to compete for playing time as well.
Offensive Line
Lehigh will need to replace three-fifths of an experienced offensive line from a year ago. The most notable departure is two-time All-American Jeff Santacroce, who handled the snapping duties for the last three years. Junior Justin Terry will likely move from tackle to center to replace Santacroce. Terry has the physical and mental tools to be a leader up front. Senior Oscar Guerrero was on course for an all-league campaign in 2002 before an ankle injury slowed him down late in the year. The 325-pounder can play both tackle and guard for the Mountain Hawks.
Juniors Jason Morrell and Rob Sandie both saw action in 2002 and look to move into starting roles this fall. Sophomores Travis Olesh, Adam Selmasska, Shawn Strickland, Tom Toth, and Eric Anderson will all jockey for playing time and provide depth for the Lehigh offense.
Tight End
Despite the loss of two year starter Darin Henry to graduation, the tight end position appears to be one of the strengths of the Lehigh offense heading into the 2003 season. Junior Adam Bergen has lettered since his freshman year. The 6'5, 260-pounder has soft hands, runs well, and is a physical blocker that must be accounted for by opposing defenses. Bergen had 246 yards receiving as a sophomore. Fellow junior Mike Feaga also saw action as a sophomore and will give the Mountain Hawks the ability to jump in and out of two tight end sets. Feaga runs very well and also has impressive size at 6'4, 240. Junior Evan Gilham as well as several talented incoming freshmen including Pete Morrelli and Charlie Giacomarro will compete for a spot on the travel squad.
Receivers
The Lehigh receiving corps had to get used to life without All-American Josh Snyder in 2002. Senior Dave Crockett appeared to be the most likely candidate to fill the void left by Snyder, particularly when he began the season with a seven-catch, 100 plus yard effort in the win at Division I-A Buffalo. However, he was lost for the season on the opening play of the very next game against league rival Georgetown. Back for another season, Crockett is excited to return to the playing field and finish his eligibility on his own terms. With a 3.8 GPA and excellent leadership skills, he is likely to be up for Academic All-American honors this fall.
Crockett will be joined by two other seniors that have seen substantial playing time in recent years: Steve Hluschak and George Evans. Both are undersized, but Evans, who possesses blazing speed, is a legitimate deep threat and Hluschak (257 receiving yards) has the toughness to go over the middle. Sophomore Aaron Argenta started several games last fall and looks to improve in his second season with the team. The 6'1, 200-pounder had 27 catches as a freshman.
Several other young receivers have impressed the coaching staff in the off-season. Juniors Allen Jefferson (6'3, 200) and Adam Kovacs (6'0, 190) have excellent size. Sophomores Bo Tkach, Kevin Zebluim, Winfred Porter, Gerran Walker and Greg Petrosky all run very well, are gaining confidence, and learning Lehigh's detailed schemes. Pre-season camp should determine the Mountain Hawks depth in three and four wide receiver sets for the season opener against Holy Cross.
Special Teams
Lehigh’s special teams unit is bolstered by the return of both parts of the kicking game. Senior Matt Douglas is back in Bethlehem to handle the kicking duties once again. Last year, Douglas connected on all four field goal attempts – including the game-winner in overtime – as the Mountain Hawks won at eventual league champion Fordham. However, Douglas needs to improve on his field goal consistency. Sophomore Mike Niccols will push Douglas for time as the place kicker.
Junior Kyle Keating returns in 2003 as the team’s punter. Keating averaged over 35 yards per punt last season, and pinned 21 of them inside the opponent’s 20 yard line. Sophomore Josh Mann is a capable backup to Keating, and is ready to step in on punting duties should the need arise.
Lehigh boasts some explosive return-men that will be called upon to make some noise again this year. Jermaine Pugh returned 25 punts last season, averaging over 10 yards per return. Lawrence Williams also proved valuable on special teams, returning two kicks for an average of 19.5 yards apiece.
The Mountain Hawks also wreaked havoc on their opposition’s kicking game last season, and will look to do more of the same this year. Lehigh blocked four kicks a season ago, returning two of those for scores.
The Schedule
Lehigh once again has a difficult schedule set before it in 2003. The Mountain Hawks kick off the slate with two league contests, including a visit from league champion Fordham. Lehigh will also take on a Division I-A opponent for the second straight year, as the Mountain Hawks visit future Big East member Connecticut. The Ivy League champion Penn Quakers will also come to Bethlehem, as part of Lehigh’s challenging 11-game slate. For the second straight season, the Mountain Hawks will play six home games at Goodman Stadium. Lehigh has led the Patriot League in attendance in each of the last 12 years. The Mountain Hawks open their 2003 season at home on September 6 vs. Holy Cross.
