Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks complete first week of preseason camp
8/16/2014 11:38:00 AM | Football
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With three weeks remaining before its season opener, head coach Andy Coen has been pleased with what he has seen from the Mountain Hawks in their first week of  preseason camp. The Mountain Hawks held a total of ten practices over the first eight days of camp, beginning August 7 and running through Thursday.
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Following a scheduled off day for the Mountain Hawks on Friday, the team marked 21 days until the September 6 opener against James Madison with their annual team photo day at Goodman Stadium on Saturday. Lehigh will return to the practice field for a Saturday afternoon workout.
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"I like the approach the kids have taken," Coen said. "They've given great effort. I'm not surprised. We're still making quite a few mistakes with all the youth we have, but I see the kids working hard each day to try and improve on that."
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Coen was quick to credit Lehigh's freshman class which has impressed the coaching staff through the first week of practice.
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"I've been very pleased with our freshman class," Coen said. "There will be a handful of kids who will probably have an opportunity to travel with us. I think they can help us early in their careers which is great to see."
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Coen noted the freshman wide receiver group; including Troy Pelletier, Sasha Kelsey, Gatlin Casey and Nico Munley are off to a strong start. Tim O'Hara has done well on the offensive line while on defense, inside linebacker Cal Coffman and cornerbacks Quentin Jones and Marc Raye-Redmond have impressed.
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"I feel a good vibe about the group and how they're competing now as young kids," Coen said of the freshman class. "I'm looking forward to seeing them continue to grow during their time here."
Â
Much of the preseason focus has centered on the quarterback position where six signal-callers are battling it out. The two quarterbacks who saw time last season, sophomore Nick Shafnisky and senior Matt McHale, appear to be the top two but Coen has been encouraged by the work and competition among all six through the first week of camp.
Â
"Nick has played well and Matt, coming off his injury, has had some good days," Coen said. "Gerard Poutier is also back healthy and has had days where he's looked good. Freshman Matt Timochenko hasn't had a ton of reps but I'm starting to see things click for him.
Â
"I like where that group is at," Coen continued. "There's been some good competition. Right now we're looking to get guys more reps and just keep working at it."
Â
Offensively, Coen has liked what he's seen from the skill position players. Lehigh boasts a deep wide receiver corps led by seniors Josh Parris and Derek Gaul and juniors Derek Knott and Stefan Sansone, with sophomores Mike Anderson and Trevor Socarras among those emerging into larger roles.
Â
The Mountain Hawks' tailbacks have done well although practices have not featured a lot of tackling. Senior Rich Sodeke and sophomore Brandon Yosha have looked good and freshman Chris Leigh is another first year newcomer who has showed up early on.
Â
The offensive line has been limited some due to some minor injuries but the coaches have a pretty good idea of who the top guys are going to be. Senior Ned Daryoush anchors the line at left tackle and seniors Wenner Nunes and Shane Rugg, junior Matt Ford and sophomore Brandon Short have received most of the first team reps with two juniors and three sophomores pushing the top group. In the next three weeks the focus will be on getting players healthy and getting the line to gel as a unit.
Â
On the other side of the ball, Coen has been very pleased with the development of Lehigh's defense through one week of camp.
Â
"We're much more physical and stout along the line of scrimmage," Coen said. "I think we will have a very solid run defense and our secondary is growing up. I like our two starting corners and we have a little more depth at safety."
Â
Lehigh's defensive line has its largest group in terms of numbers in quite some time. Captain Tim Newton is the top performer of the group, while senior nose guard Arturo Gyles continues to build off a strong spring. Junior Greg Palma is playing well and classmate Matt Laub has done well in his transition to playing with his hand on the ground as a defensive end.
Â
At linebacker, sophomore Colton Caslow has continued to play well while classmate Pierce Ripanti continues to improve in his transition from outside linebacker to the inside.
Â
The secondary appears solid with junior Olivier Rigaud and sophomore Brandon Leaks at cornerback and seniors Jamil Robinson and Stephen Wilmington and junior LaQuan Lambert leading the safeties.
Â
While Coen has been pleased with the defense through one week of camp, he says the offense has held its own in practices, creating a good give-and-take between the units.
Â
"There have been days when the offense has stepped up and run the ball with efficiency and made some big plays in the passing game," Coen said. "I don't feel like it's been one sided. From what I've seen from the defense I don't think we'll always have to go and score a lot of points to win games."
Â
Following Saturday's workout and a single practice on Sunday, the Mountain Hawks will hold their first scrimmage of preseason camp Monday morning at Goodman Stadium. The scrimmage will be beneficial for the coaching staff, serving as a dry run in terms of game day play calling and procedures. For the players, Monday's scrimmage is an opportunity to showcase their talents in game situations.
Â
"I need to see guys compete because there's certainly competition still out there to see who the first tier guys are going to be," Coen said. "I'd like to see it be as clean as possible from the offensive side in terms of procedural things and turnovers. We've secured the ball pretty well during camp. Coming into a live type of drill it's important to see how those guys handle that.
Â
"Some guys had an opportunity to play in Goodman Stadium in the last few years or in the spring but for some guys it will be new," Coen continued. "How they handle the whole game-type process will be interesting."
Â
With three weeks until the season opener, Coen is pleased but realizes there's still plenty of work to be done.
Â
"I like how it has been going," Coen said of camp. "I wish it were a little hotter out there. We need to keep getting in the work that we need to get done and really concentrating on keeping guys healthy. Hopefully we'll be able to do that through the next several weeks. We're not any worse off, but we've got a way to go."
Â
The Mountain Hawks will open the 2014 season on Saturday September 6 when they host the James Madison Dukes at Goodman Stadium. Kickoff is set for just after 12:30 p.m. Tickets to the James Madison game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
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NOTES FROM CAMP… Lehigh will hold single afternoon practices on Saturday and Sunday before Monday's scrimmage… the Mountain Hawks will hold their final double session of camp on Tuesday with morning practices set for Wednesday and Thursday… the team will have another scheduled off day on Friday before a second scrimmage Saturday afternoon… the Mountain Hawks' freshmen will be sent through University orientation next Thursday and Friday … classes for the fall semester begin on Monday, August 25 … the annual Alumni Steak Fry is set for Sunday, August 24… once classes begin, Lehigh will revert to its normal in-season practice schedule leading up to the September 6 season opener.
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Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With three weeks remaining before its season opener, head coach Andy Coen has been pleased with what he has seen from the Mountain Hawks in their first week of  preseason camp. The Mountain Hawks held a total of ten practices over the first eight days of camp, beginning August 7 and running through Thursday.
Â
Following a scheduled off day for the Mountain Hawks on Friday, the team marked 21 days until the September 6 opener against James Madison with their annual team photo day at Goodman Stadium on Saturday. Lehigh will return to the practice field for a Saturday afternoon workout.
Â
"I like the approach the kids have taken," Coen said. "They've given great effort. I'm not surprised. We're still making quite a few mistakes with all the youth we have, but I see the kids working hard each day to try and improve on that."
Â
Coen was quick to credit Lehigh's freshman class which has impressed the coaching staff through the first week of practice.
Â
"I've been very pleased with our freshman class," Coen said. "There will be a handful of kids who will probably have an opportunity to travel with us. I think they can help us early in their careers which is great to see."
Â
Coen noted the freshman wide receiver group; including Troy Pelletier, Sasha Kelsey, Gatlin Casey and Nico Munley are off to a strong start. Tim O'Hara has done well on the offensive line while on defense, inside linebacker Cal Coffman and cornerbacks Quentin Jones and Marc Raye-Redmond have impressed.
Â
"I feel a good vibe about the group and how they're competing now as young kids," Coen said of the freshman class. "I'm looking forward to seeing them continue to grow during their time here."
Â
Much of the preseason focus has centered on the quarterback position where six signal-callers are battling it out. The two quarterbacks who saw time last season, sophomore Nick Shafnisky and senior Matt McHale, appear to be the top two but Coen has been encouraged by the work and competition among all six through the first week of camp.
Â
"Nick has played well and Matt, coming off his injury, has had some good days," Coen said. "Gerard Poutier is also back healthy and has had days where he's looked good. Freshman Matt Timochenko hasn't had a ton of reps but I'm starting to see things click for him.
Â
"I like where that group is at," Coen continued. "There's been some good competition. Right now we're looking to get guys more reps and just keep working at it."
Â
Offensively, Coen has liked what he's seen from the skill position players. Lehigh boasts a deep wide receiver corps led by seniors Josh Parris and Derek Gaul and juniors Derek Knott and Stefan Sansone, with sophomores Mike Anderson and Trevor Socarras among those emerging into larger roles.
Â
The Mountain Hawks' tailbacks have done well although practices have not featured a lot of tackling. Senior Rich Sodeke and sophomore Brandon Yosha have looked good and freshman Chris Leigh is another first year newcomer who has showed up early on.
Â
The offensive line has been limited some due to some minor injuries but the coaches have a pretty good idea of who the top guys are going to be. Senior Ned Daryoush anchors the line at left tackle and seniors Wenner Nunes and Shane Rugg, junior Matt Ford and sophomore Brandon Short have received most of the first team reps with two juniors and three sophomores pushing the top group. In the next three weeks the focus will be on getting players healthy and getting the line to gel as a unit.
Â
On the other side of the ball, Coen has been very pleased with the development of Lehigh's defense through one week of camp.
Â
"We're much more physical and stout along the line of scrimmage," Coen said. "I think we will have a very solid run defense and our secondary is growing up. I like our two starting corners and we have a little more depth at safety."
Â
Lehigh's defensive line has its largest group in terms of numbers in quite some time. Captain Tim Newton is the top performer of the group, while senior nose guard Arturo Gyles continues to build off a strong spring. Junior Greg Palma is playing well and classmate Matt Laub has done well in his transition to playing with his hand on the ground as a defensive end.
Â
At linebacker, sophomore Colton Caslow has continued to play well while classmate Pierce Ripanti continues to improve in his transition from outside linebacker to the inside.
Â
The secondary appears solid with junior Olivier Rigaud and sophomore Brandon Leaks at cornerback and seniors Jamil Robinson and Stephen Wilmington and junior LaQuan Lambert leading the safeties.
Â
While Coen has been pleased with the defense through one week of camp, he says the offense has held its own in practices, creating a good give-and-take between the units.
Â
"There have been days when the offense has stepped up and run the ball with efficiency and made some big plays in the passing game," Coen said. "I don't feel like it's been one sided. From what I've seen from the defense I don't think we'll always have to go and score a lot of points to win games."
Â
Following Saturday's workout and a single practice on Sunday, the Mountain Hawks will hold their first scrimmage of preseason camp Monday morning at Goodman Stadium. The scrimmage will be beneficial for the coaching staff, serving as a dry run in terms of game day play calling and procedures. For the players, Monday's scrimmage is an opportunity to showcase their talents in game situations.
Â
"I need to see guys compete because there's certainly competition still out there to see who the first tier guys are going to be," Coen said. "I'd like to see it be as clean as possible from the offensive side in terms of procedural things and turnovers. We've secured the ball pretty well during camp. Coming into a live type of drill it's important to see how those guys handle that.
Â
"Some guys had an opportunity to play in Goodman Stadium in the last few years or in the spring but for some guys it will be new," Coen continued. "How they handle the whole game-type process will be interesting."
Â
With three weeks until the season opener, Coen is pleased but realizes there's still plenty of work to be done.
Â
"I like how it has been going," Coen said of camp. "I wish it were a little hotter out there. We need to keep getting in the work that we need to get done and really concentrating on keeping guys healthy. Hopefully we'll be able to do that through the next several weeks. We're not any worse off, but we've got a way to go."
Â
The Mountain Hawks will open the 2014 season on Saturday September 6 when they host the James Madison Dukes at Goodman Stadium. Kickoff is set for just after 12:30 p.m. Tickets to the James Madison game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
Â
NOTES FROM CAMP… Lehigh will hold single afternoon practices on Saturday and Sunday before Monday's scrimmage… the Mountain Hawks will hold their final double session of camp on Tuesday with morning practices set for Wednesday and Thursday… the team will have another scheduled off day on Friday before a second scrimmage Saturday afternoon… the Mountain Hawks' freshmen will be sent through University orientation next Thursday and Friday … classes for the fall semester begin on Monday, August 25 … the annual Alumni Steak Fry is set for Sunday, August 24… once classes begin, Lehigh will revert to its normal in-season practice schedule leading up to the September 6 season opener.
Â
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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