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Fighting Scots
football reloads with more than 45 recruits
Release Date: May 30, 2006
MONMOUTH, Ill. — After
reaching the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history, the
Monmouth College football program has reloaded for a return trip by
adding more than 45 incoming recruits, including several who coach
Steve Bell believes can make an immediate impact.
Bell said while he and his staff “feel that we addressed every
position well in regard to future talent,” they did focus on two
positions – defensive line and wide receiver.
“Offensively, we know that we’re going to lose our top three guys at
wide receiver to graduation after next season, so we wanted to
address that,” said Bell. “You like to have kids start for three
years, and we definitely recruited some kids who we anticipate doing
that. Some will also contend for our fourth and fifth receiver spot
this year.”
The wide receiver crop includes Fisher’s Kyle Wantland, Grant’s Joe
Barczak, Lemont’s Andrew Jay, Carthage’s Blake Smith, Pekin’s Chad
Steinborn, Canton’s Nick Wright, DeKalb’s Zach Phelps, Heyworth’s
Sean Wells, MacMurray transfer J.D. Holeman and St. Joseph’s Ryan
Hardman.
“Because we lose our top three tackles, defensive line was our big
focal point on that side of the ball,” Bell said.
That group includes Moline’s Nick Hoffman, Gurnee-Warren’s Jamal
Malone, PORTA’s Marc Wozniak, Casey-Westfield’s Alex Dane,
Hillcrest’s Christopher McLoyd, Charleston’s Nick Davis,
Jacksonville’s Blake Chatham, Morton’s Kyle Popadzink,
LaSalle-Peru’s Giovanni DiRosa and Bushnell-Prairie City’s Dan
Switzer.
Switzer is part of a local recruiting class that also includes
B-PC’s Clay Bricker (RB), Knoxville’s Austin Lockwood (RB) and
Keegan Jones (QB) and Macomb’s Jordan Powell (OL). The recruit who
is coming the farthest is from Olathe, Kansas, but linebacker Matt
Morgan actually has strong local ties, as he attended elementary
school in Monmouth.
Rounding out the defensive recruits are defensive back Casey Ryczek
of Hononegah and linebackers Jake Peters of PORTA, DeMarkco Butler
of Rantoul, Nick Dyson of Jacksonville, Sean McWilliams of
Charleston, John Gambrel of Heyworth and T.C. Olson, a transfer from
Loras.
Other offensive recruits are quarterbacks Jared Mundt of Ottawa and
Brandon Davis of Pekin, running back Alex Gordon of West Leyden,
tight ends Alec Harrison of Jacobs, Mat Wood of Dunlap and
Jeff Senica of LaSalle-Peru and linemen Josh Kotecki of
LaSalle-Peru, Jake Harper of Ashton, Seth Hill of Jacksonville,
Steve Phillips of Charleston, Austin Lewis of Iroquois West and Dan
Schwindenhammer of Peoria Notre Dame.
Bell and his staff also recruited kickers Kyle Tuor and Nick
Kendzora of Lemont.
“Even though you really can’t evaluate a recruiting class until two
or three years have passed, we’re confident that this group will
help us continue the success we’ve had in the past,” said Bell,
whose has guided the Scots to victory in 32 of the past 36 games.
“We think our top kids from this class are pretty darn good, and
four or five of them may end up starting for us at some point this
season."
That could include players such as Barczak, Bricker, Butler,
Wantland and Wozniak, who were named to All-State teams in Illinois,
and also Morgan, an All-Stater in Kansas.
Monmouth opens the 2006 campaign at Wartburg College in Waverly,
Iowa, on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.
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