Lebanon Valley Week!

It's Lebanon Valley Week! With that in mind, following is preview information supplied by the D3Football.com Kickoff Edition:

Lebanon Valley Flying Dutchmen

Last playoff appearance: None

Last conference title: None

Head coach: Jim Monos, 13th year, 102-94-2

Starters returning: 19 (nine offense, eight defense, two specialists)

Position battle to watch: Running back and defensive end are both up for grabs entering camp. The later is critical since the Dutch got drilled for 223.6 yards per game rushing in 2004.

Pressure is on: Junior quarterback Dan Kelly. Monos believes this is the position where stellar play can take them to the next level. Kelly is athletic but needs to improve his touchdown-to-interception ratio (18 to 15).

Their season will be defined by: Oct. 22 vs. Lycoming. The Dutch didn’t play the Warriors last season so this is a game they need to win to stay in the MAC race.

Predicted record: 5-5, 4-5

Capsule: When asked how he felt about Leb Val’s status as a dark horse, Monos said the next step is to get over .500. He stresses that the program is beyond accepting tough loses as progress. On offense Kelly will have his two favorite receivers back, sophomore Adam Brossman (43 receptions, seven TDs) and senior Luke Rendine (52 receptions, five TD). The line returns right guard Tony Setley (5-10, 348-pounds) a workhorse for the Dutch in 2004. Leb Val’s passing defense, led by Dan Stauffer (five interceptions) and Jimmy Holzman (86 tackles), will be very tough again. But the Dutch must play better up front. Along with the running woes, they finished last in the MAC with 12 sacks.