The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps football team's season gets underway on Saturday, Sept. 5 with a home game against Puget Sound. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Below is a positional breakdown of the 2015 Stags.
2015 Defensive Preview
Defensive Line
The defense will be led by a strong defensive line unit returning all three starters from the 2014 season. Senior defensive end, Andrew Sova (Carpinteria, CA) looks to anchor the unit and junior, Henry Wei (Saratoga, CA) is expected to have a breakout season after switching from linebacker and starting seven games at defensive tackle. Paul Slaats (Jr. Malvern, PA), a unanimous First Team All-Conference nose guard looks to be a stalwart in the middle, helping the Stags in their hopes to repeat as the number one defense in the conference in rushing yards allowed and most sacks. Other defensive linemen that saw action last season include Andrew Frick (So. Palo Alto, CA), Wyatt Rouser (Jr. Menlo Park, CA), Jake Glasser (Jr. San Diego, CA) and Anthony Tung (So. Cupertino, CA).
Linebackers
The Stags return two starters at linebacker; A.J. Herrera (Sr. Los Alamitos, CA) and Eduardo Ramirez (Sr. Montclair, CA). Gator Adams (Jr. Houston, TX), Brendan MacDonald (So. Davis, CA), Jared Schattenkerk (Jr. Fall City, WA), Jon Finkelstein (Jr. Mill Valley, CA) and Ryan Haughton (So. Irvine, CA) will also compete for significant playing time and starting roles, as will a group of six incoming freshmen linebackers. The linebackers look to build upon the success of the defense that led the SCIAC in fewest yards and points allowed per game in 2014.
Defensive Backs
The "Back Row" return all four starters and seven of their top eight from 2014. The Stag defense led the SCIAC in interceptions and defensive touchdowns. Griffin Lazarus (Jr. Dallas, TX) was an All-Conference safety in 2014 and James Ingram (Sr. Austin, TX) earned the same honor in 2013. Sophomore cornerback, Victor Bunce (El Dorado Hills, CA) led the team with 10 pass break-ups and also tallied four interceptions and a touchdown in 2014. Several other returners, Will Shannon (Sr. Lake Oswego, OR), Tiger Brown (Jr. Atlanta, GA), Robby Weissenfels (So. Coronado, CA) and Geno Quaid (So. Lake Forest, IL) also look to compete for starting jobs and significant playing time.
Special Teams
The Stags return both their kicker, Matthew Aven (Jr. Bellaire, TX) and their punter, Tyler Stanek (Sr. Irvine, CA).
Stanek returns after a standout year where he was chosen on the SCIAC All-Conference team as a punter and a wide receiver. During his sophomore year, Stanek broke a 55 year old CMS record for longest punting average in a game with punts of 75, 57 and 45 yards for an average of 59.0. Last season, as a junior, Stanek led the SCIAC in punting average and most punts placed within the 20 yard line (11), while getting no kicks blocked.
In 2013, Aven tied the NCAA record with a 62 yard field goal against Cal Lutheran. He also broke or tied school records in most FGs made in a game (three) and most FGs made in a season (11).
2015 Offensive Preview
Quarterbacks
Trey Reynolds (Jr. Renton, WA) returns for his junior year and third year as the starting signal caller for the Stags. Reynolds led the Stags in 2013 and 2014 and was also the leading rusher in 2013. Sam Healy (So. New York, NY), in addition to leading the punt team and handling some of the return duties will look to compete for playing time.
Offensive Line
The offensive line returns four starters from 2014 including four year starter and team captain Austin Crist (Canoga Park, CA). Other returning starters include Spencer Drazovich (Jr. Palo Alto, CA), Alex Ohlendorf (So. Chula Vista, CA), and Garrett Myers (So. Austin, TX). This unit of players was named to the D3Football.com Team of Week last season after racking up 544 yards of total offense in their 40-24 win over La Verne. Several outstanding freshmen will immediately compete for starting roles along with sophomores Mickey McFall (White Oak, TX) and Owen Morrison (Encinitas, CA) as well as Sean Pyne (Jr. Mercer Island, WA), who started all nine games at OL his freshman season.
Running Backs
The Stags' running backs had a three headed attack in 2014 and return all three players. Nick Gott (Jr. Santa Monica, CA) led the team in rushes and yards. Andrew Segre (So. Burlingame, CA) led the team in rushing touchdowns. Shane Pico (So. Canyon Lake, CA) led the team in yards per carry and had a career high 160 yards rushing versus Chapman before missing time due to an injury.
Tight Ends
Chris Cziesla (So. Wheaton, IL) led the tight ends last season with 146 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Team captain Patrick Dixon (Sr. El Cajon, CA) also added 80 yards and a touchdown besides being heavily involved in the run game. Matthew Orehek (Jr. Mercer Island, WA) will move to TE after playing DB/WR last season.
Wide Receivers
Senior captains Tyler Stanek and Ryan Farney (San Rafael, CA) will lead the Stag receiving corps. Sophomore Trey Smith (Colleyville, TX) had a breakout freshman season last year, catching for 300+ yards and four TDs. Other returners, Andrew Scott (Jr. Santa Clara, CA), Connor Stastny (Jr. San Carlos, CA), Juan Perez (Jr. Houston, TX) and Lucas Owan (Jr. Folsom, CA) also look to make an impact.
Incoming Stags
CMS brings in 15 talented freshmen from across the country. The states represented include Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Oregon and Texas,. Overall, the group includes two defensive backs, six linebackers, four offensive linemen, two wide receivers, and one quarterback.
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