by Robert Youngs
New faces will step up this fall as the 2012 Kalamazoo College football team expects to compete as one of the top teams in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
"The expectation is that we improve," said fifth-year head coach Jamie Zorbo. "We also expect to compete for a league title."
Zorbo's team will feature plenty of players who have game experience from last year. Those players will be given larger roles this year.
"My hope is that they take the reins and run with them," said Zorbo. "I hope that they step up and relish the opportunity to be an everyday starter and elevate our team's play in the process."
Offense
The Hornets return most of an offense that tallied 3,891 yards last season at a clip of 5.3 yards per play. They also return All-MIAA running back Dimeko Price, who earned his second selection to the league's collection of its best players last year.
Price was the team's leading rusher last year, carrying the ball 184 times for 846 yards and seven touchdowns. He was also the team's leading receiver last year, collecting 55 pass receptions for 524 yards and four touchdowns.
"It's no secret we're going to try to get the ball to Dimeko as many ways as we possibly can," said Zorbo. "Whether it's in the run game, or in the passing game, we're going to get him the football."
Also returning are receivers Jimmy Frye, Mikael Lott, and Collin Leffert. The trio accounted for 49 percent of the Hornets' passing yardage in 2011.
"Jimmy Frye will definitely be the guy we look to really have a great year. Collin Leffert was extremely productive for us last year, and Mikael Lott was as well," Zorbo said.
Zorbo also praised the efforts and skill of Josh Wise, who will step in at receiver this year and also return punts for the Hornets this fall, as he did last year.
Stepping in to compete for the top quarterback spot will be sophomore Aaron McGuire, junior Mike Dziadzio and freshmen Justin Danzy and Kirk Thomas.
Zorbo expects McGuire to be the top signal caller in camp, but welcomes the competition.
"It's nice to know you have a guy coming back that's experienced. He's played college football before and started a game for us last year," he said. "It's nice to know we have a guy like that coming back," Zorbo added.
The Hornets offense won't go anywhere without a solid offensive line to lead it, and Zorbo is confident in his returning collection to lead K down the field this fall.
All-MIAA selection senior Eric Helfmann returns at guard and three-year starter senior Robert Relief will also take reps at guard. Senior Justin Peters will snap the ball and make line adjustments at center for the Hornets.
Zorbo expects sophomores B.J. Cagney and Clay Weisenborn, junior Nick Bolig and senior Justin Halcisak to compete for playing time this fall.
"We do have a veteran group. Eric is definitely going to be an anchor," said Zorbo.
He also expects the veteran leaders on the line to bring the younger guys along and create some great chemistry.
Defense
Up front for the Hornets, junior captain Ian Good and sophomore Alan Mencer will look to continue their strong efforts at defensive end from 2011. Good racked up 55 tackles and Mencer added 40 of his own while starting every game as a freshman.
Juniors Jake Larioza and Brett Thomas will also compete for playing time up front. Zorbo described Mencer as someone who should be an impact player this fall.
"We need to play a lot of guys up front. We've got to have guys that can play so we can keep people fresh and rotate people through," said Zorbo.
In total, Zorbo expects to play about eight men up front.
Junior Blake Simon and sophomore Connor Rzeznik will compete for time at linebacker with senior Logan Pickett, whom Zorbo is looking to for a great year.
"Logan Pickett's a guy who has been a backup for three years and now he's got an opportunity his senior year to be the guy," Zorbo said. "He certainly has the experience and now, he's got to put it all together on the field."
Rzeznik had 28 tackles in 2011, Simon had 25 and Pickett chipped in with 12. The trio will look to fill the graduation losses of Mike Page and Andy Herman.
In the secondary, sophomore Jake Gallimore is expected to lead at safety. Senior Ryan Rohatynski, junior Alex Burkholder, sophomore Austin McBee and senior Nick Sweda will all compete for time at safety.
Senior leaders Alex Minch and Brandon Casto will take charge at cornerback this fall, augmented with help from juniors Ryan Gregory and Kendal Dean. Gregory will also be able to play the safety position.
Special Teams
Special teams should be just as strong as last year. Kicker Travis Braun, a senior this year, will look to build off of a 2011 season that saw him connect on 10 of 14 field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards.
Braun will also handle kickoffs, having collected 3,183 yards in kickoffs last year 55 times for an average of 57.9 yards. He was an All-MIAA selection last season.
"Travis is a competitor and he'll do what's necessary to continue his high level of play," said Zorbo. "He's not your everyday kicker, he plays a little linebacker [as well]."
Sophomore Gray Vreeland will continue to handle punting duties this season and will look to build on a 34.1 yard average with seven punts inside the 20 yard line from last season.
Schedule
Kalamazoo College's Angell Field will open this fall following a 13-month renovation that included the installation of an artificial turf playing surface, brand-new locker rooms and a new press box. The Hornets will only host four home games this year, two in September and two in October.