Simon Fraser Clan 2010 Football Season Preview

BURNABY, Canada – With only ten returning starters from 2009, and 59 new faces, the 2010 edition of the Simon Fraser University Clan football team has a completely different look when it pertains to personnel. Perhaps it is only fitting, as 2010 will serve as the Clan’s first season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and their first season back to playing American rules after eight seasons in Canadian Interuniversity Sport.

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SFU will make their GNAC debut on September 4, 2010, when they host Western Oregon on Fox Field (4 pm kickoff), and the lineup that takes to the field that day is still being determined. SFU head coach David Johnson addressed the move to the NCAA in the off-season by bringing in two coordinators with an understanding of the NCAA game. On offence, Brent Barnes brings a wealth of experience from Middlebury College and the University of Chicago, while on defence Jordan Malone joins SFU after serving as a defensive assistant with the University of Central Arkansas.

“We have been able to make this transition without any major hiccups, and really it’s a major credit to those two individuals and the rest of our staff,” said Johnson on the move back to American rules. “Offensively we are still discovering our identity, we are going to have a multiple set offence, and because we are very young we are going to use a lot of misdirection and quick hits. Defensively we are a little more established, we have more returning players, and we are very athletic, particularly up front on our defensive line.”

Last season the Clan finished with a 3-5 record in the Canada West with an overtime loss to Saskatchewan. The expanded GNAC schedule will see SFU play 10 regular season games, including five home games, while the Shrum Bowl will be played this year at UBC on October 8.

The Offence:

Quarterbacks:

Following the tragic passing of junior quarterback Bernd Dittrich in the off-season, the Clan turn to five quarterbacks on the roster with minimal university experience.

Santa Rosa junior college transfer Quinton Agosta (Bainbridge Island, WA) is expected to be the opening day starter and is described by the coaching staff as hyper-athletic. Ryan Schwartz (North Vancouver, B.C.) returns for his sophomore season with the Clan, however only saw time in one game last year. High schoolers Greg Bowcott (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Ben Allen (Winnipeg, MB) have both flashed their skills in training camp and provide depth, while Waterloo transfer Jonathan Roney (North Vancouver, B.C.) brings both his university experience and arm strength to the group.

“Quinton has a very strong arm, he is a wonderful kid with great character, and will fill part of the role of leader on the offence,” said Johnson. “Ryan brings the experience of working with our team, Greg has wonderful mechanics for a high school kid, while Ben is quicker than lightning, and has a really strong arm. Jonathan has a lot of potential, and is quickly picking up our offence.”

Running backs:

While Johnson attests that the 2010 SFU running game will be “by committee,” it was hard not to be impressed during the Clan’s Red & White scrimmage during training camp with the explosiveness of senior Gabe Ephard (North Vancouver, B.C.). The Windsor Secondary product, who averaged 7.7 yards per carry in 2009, broke the scrimmage’s biggest play, a 65-yard run that saw Ephard make only one cut to take it to the house.

Converted receiver Bo Palmer (North Vancouver, B.C.) has also turned heads with his slashing ability, while Alabama A&M transfer Ronald Young (Los Angeles, CA) is a bruising 235-pound back who will assist the Clan in the short yardage game.

Senior back Adam Johnson (Calgary, AB) will provide leadership to this group, and newcomers Cole Tudor (Whitby, Ont.), Stephen Spagnuolo (Vancouver, B.C.) and Brett Fabian (Edmonton, AB) are all expected to see the field at different points this season. Junior college transfer Willie Mickey (Warner Robbins, GA) is expected to make a dent in the return game.

Receivers:

Mathis Baumbach (Dusseldorf, Germany) is the Clan’s top returning receiver from the 2009 squad, and finished last season with 24 receptions for 340 yards. San Mateo transfer B.J. Bryant (Foster City, CA) is a precise route runner with solid hands expected to line up opposite Baumbach, while true freshman Aaron Watkins (St. Albert, AB) has made noise in training camp with his athleticism. Zach Young (Tigard, OR) has the potential to be Simon Fraser’s most explosive receiver, the 5-8 transfer from the College of the Siskiyous caught 50 passes in the junior college ranks last year.

Other newcomers vying for playing time include Andrew Torkelson (Oceanside, CA), a true freshman out the Tri-City Christian system, Bibake Uppal (Surrey, B.C.), who starred at Earl Marriott, former Notre Dame product Tore Corrado (Vancouver, B.C.), and junior college transfer Taylor Wilkinson (Cameron Park, CA), who is expected to be in the mix in the return game.

Offensive Line:

Moving left to right along the offensive line, Brad Erdos (Coaldale, AB) is the lone returning starter on the line and is expected to be the lynchpin at left tackle. Senior Kris Gluppe (Mission, B.C.) is expected to move into a starting role at left guard, while sophomore Aaron Harasimiuk (Sherwood Park, AB) currently has a hold on the starting job at centre. At right guard, redshirt freshman Tom Basso (Coquitlam, B.C.) is fighting with true freshman Matthias Goosen (Richmond, B.C.) for the starting job, while Ontario products Ben Thompson (Newmarket, Ont.) and Matt Hartnagle (Acton, Ont.) are battling for the job at right tackle. Two newcomers who have impressed during training camp, particularly due to their size, are 330-pound linemen Ethan Halvorsen (Nanoose Bay, B.C.) and Jeremy Pearce (Hamilton, Ont.), while former defensive tackle Connor Reh (Edmonton, AB) has moved to the offensive side of the ball to provide depth.

Tight ends and fullbacks:

Senior Daniel Stanzel (Vienna, Austria) appears to have the hold on the starting tight end job, however sophomore Jerod Zaleski (Kelowna, B.C.) is pushing the European product for playing time. Former Rick Hansen star Carlos Martinez (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Pacific Lutheran transfer Sean Snead (North Bend, WA) are also in the mix.

At fullback, Ronald Young’s former Alabama A&M teammate Dashiell Buntjer (Santa Rosa, CA) has the inside track, while converted linebacker Evin Polack (Kelowna, B.C.) has impressed the coaching staff with his work ethic.

The Defence:

Defensive Line:

The position with the least amount of changeover from the 2009 season is this unit, which returns all four starters. Defensive end Scott Puffer (Sydenham, Ont.) enters his senior year with the Clan, and finished 2009 as SFU’s leading tackler with 32.5 total tackles, including a team high six sacks. Bookended with Justin Capicciotti (Toronto, Ont.), the duo bring athleticism in spades. Capicciotti completed 2009 with two sacks and a forced fumble. Defensive tackles Blair West (Bellingham, WA) and Dan Martin (Pitt Meadows, B.C.) are expected to pressure up the middle. West posted 15.5 tackles last season, while Martin finished with 23.5 in 2009.

University of Hawaii transfer Aaron Rink (Phoenix, AZ) adds athleticism and depth at the defensive end position and is a pass rush specialist, while redshirt freshman Fabian Olaru (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) has stood out during training camp. York University transfer Kyle Bridge (Mississauga, Ont.) is a former middle linebacker who has bulked up to spell on the line.

Linebackers:

After starting the final four games of 2009 as a freshman, sophomore Andrew Marshall (Nanoose Bay, B.C.) is one of the young leaders on this unit, and will lineup at the middle backer position. Pushing Marshall for playing time in the middle is Azusa Pacific transfer and former Vancouver College product Matt Pauls (Vancouver, B.C.). A pair of New Westminster Hyacks are pushing for starting jobs on the outside, with true freshman Casey Chin (Port Moody, B.C.) currently battling Fresno City transfer Chris Nelson (Fresno, CA) for the weak side starting job, while Kevin Semenovich (New Westminster, B.C.) is fighting off University of Minnesota Crookston transfer Victor Nunez (Coquitlam, B.C.) on the strong side.

Defensive Backs:

The lone returning Canada West All-Star from 2009 will be making a position shift in 2010, when junior Nigel Palma (Vancouver, B.C.) lines up at the cornerback spot after playing halfback last season. Lining up on the opposite side of the field to Palma will be San Mateo transfer Chris Seminoff. Marc DesLauriers (Surrey, B.C.) has been injured during training camp with a bruised heel, and is expected to move into a safety spot when healthy. Redshirt freshman Cayde Coates (Calgary, AB) stole the show during the Clan’s training camp scrimmage with a pick-six and provides depth at corner, while true freshman Cole Spence (Peachland, B.C.) will see playing time this season.

At safety, former offensive recruits and Lord Tweedsmuir high school teammates Adam Berger (Surrey, B.C.) and Kyle Miller (Cloverdale, B.C.) have both converted to the defensive side of the ball after redshirting last season, and both appear to have a lead on the starting safety spots. Transfer Jordan Birch (Ajax, Ont.) and redshirt freshman Matt Isherwood (Abbotsford, B.C.) are pushing Berger and Miller for the starting spots.

Kicker/Punter:

Jeff Biles (Burnaby, B.C.) will return to the field for his senior season after missing the 2009 campaign due to a knee injury. Biles was the hero of the 2008 Shrum Bowl, beating UBC with a last second field goal, and will also handle the punting duties in 2010. Carlos Martinez will serve as the backup for the 2010 season.

Starting with the home opener on September 4, all five of Simon Fraser’s home games will be streamed on Clan TV. Visit http://athletics.sfu.ca for more details.