LVC optimistic for opener
Preview article from the Lebanon Daily News:
LVC optimistic for opener
By JEFFREY FALK
Daily News Sportswriter
Lebanon Daily News
The Lebanon Valley College football team’s primary goal doesn’t change from year-to-year. The Flying Dutchmen always want to do something they’ve never done before.
This year is certainly no exception. Despite a 4-6 mark in 2007, optimism abounds in LVC camp.
And the die-hard Dutchmen faithful should get an idea of whether or not that optimism is founded in reality tomorrow at 1 p.m., when LVC opens its campaign by hosting Gettysburg.
“We talk about the initial goal being winning the Middle Atlantic Conference,” said Lebanon Valley head coach Jim Monos. “There was a statement made: ‘To get what we’ve never had, we must do what we’ve never done.’ What that means is that we had a really tough camp. We really got after it, and the kids responded.
“I don’t know if we talk about specific goals,” Monos added. “The goal is to win every football game, every week. That’s been our attitude.”
LVC returns eight starters on defense and six starters on offense from a team that started last year 1-5 and finished it 3-1. In the circuit’s annual preseason poll, the eight MAC coaches picked the Flying Dutchmen to finish sixth.
“In our league, I think we can compete with everybody,” said Monos, who’s in his 16th season as the head Dutchman. “Competing is one thing, but winning is what it’s all about. Winning close football games will be the key to having a successful season. We don’t have a dominant team, so we’re going to be in a lot of close football games. And we’ve got to win our share.”
The Flying Dutchmen do return starting quarterback Caleb Fick and leading rusher Charlie Parker. Parker was the only back in the MAC to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau last year and finished with a program-record 1,105 yards.
Early in his freshman season, Fick made some poor decisions with the football. But he seemed to grow as the year wore on and ended it with 1,097 yards on 93-for-186 passing, seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Fick has proven targets in senior receiver Sean Donovan and senior tight-end Scott Klein. But he’ll need to get time from an offensive line that features three new starters.
“I like to think we can run the football,” said Monos. “Up front we’re young, but we’re pretty good. And with Charlie, if we just block the right people, he’s going to make things happen.
“The other big thing offensively is Caleb Fick is a year older,” Monos continued. “He’s managing the offense a lot better. He’s a bit of a gunslinger. He sometimes feels like he can complete every pass, and it got us in trouble. But I think he’s managing that a little better.”
Monos said that his squad gave a good account of itself during Friday’s scrimmage against Dickinson, but that if a score had been kept, the Devils would’ve won.
“I think you have to relearn about winning, what it takes to win,” said Monos. “It just doesn’t happen. You have to execute in all three phases of the game to win.
“There’s two things we have to improve on,” continued Monos. “We’ve got to take some steps to defend the run better. And we’ve been emphasizing third-down conversions. We spent a lot of time in practice putting ourselves in those situations.”
LVC optimistic for opener
By JEFFREY FALK
Daily News Sportswriter
Lebanon Daily News
The Lebanon Valley College football team’s primary goal doesn’t change from year-to-year. The Flying Dutchmen always want to do something they’ve never done before.
This year is certainly no exception. Despite a 4-6 mark in 2007, optimism abounds in LVC camp.
And the die-hard Dutchmen faithful should get an idea of whether or not that optimism is founded in reality tomorrow at 1 p.m., when LVC opens its campaign by hosting Gettysburg.
“We talk about the initial goal being winning the Middle Atlantic Conference,” said Lebanon Valley head coach Jim Monos. “There was a statement made: ‘To get what we’ve never had, we must do what we’ve never done.’ What that means is that we had a really tough camp. We really got after it, and the kids responded.
“I don’t know if we talk about specific goals,” Monos added. “The goal is to win every football game, every week. That’s been our attitude.”
LVC returns eight starters on defense and six starters on offense from a team that started last year 1-5 and finished it 3-1. In the circuit’s annual preseason poll, the eight MAC coaches picked the Flying Dutchmen to finish sixth.
“In our league, I think we can compete with everybody,” said Monos, who’s in his 16th season as the head Dutchman. “Competing is one thing, but winning is what it’s all about. Winning close football games will be the key to having a successful season. We don’t have a dominant team, so we’re going to be in a lot of close football games. And we’ve got to win our share.”
The Flying Dutchmen do return starting quarterback Caleb Fick and leading rusher Charlie Parker. Parker was the only back in the MAC to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau last year and finished with a program-record 1,105 yards.
Early in his freshman season, Fick made some poor decisions with the football. But he seemed to grow as the year wore on and ended it with 1,097 yards on 93-for-186 passing, seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Fick has proven targets in senior receiver Sean Donovan and senior tight-end Scott Klein. But he’ll need to get time from an offensive line that features three new starters.
“I like to think we can run the football,” said Monos. “Up front we’re young, but we’re pretty good. And with Charlie, if we just block the right people, he’s going to make things happen.
“The other big thing offensively is Caleb Fick is a year older,” Monos continued. “He’s managing the offense a lot better. He’s a bit of a gunslinger. He sometimes feels like he can complete every pass, and it got us in trouble. But I think he’s managing that a little better.”
Monos said that his squad gave a good account of itself during Friday’s scrimmage against Dickinson, but that if a score had been kept, the Devils would’ve won.
“I think you have to relearn about winning, what it takes to win,” said Monos. “It just doesn’t happen. You have to execute in all three phases of the game to win.
“There’s two things we have to improve on,” continued Monos. “We’ve got to take some steps to defend the run better. And we’ve been emphasizing third-down conversions. We spent a lot of time in practice putting ourselves in those situations.”
posted by Pat McConnell | 8:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home