2009 Saint Anselm College Season Outlook

Information Provided by Saint Anselm Sports Information

The 2009 Saint Anselm football team enters this season following a 2-8 campaign in 2008 under head coach Patrick Murphy. Entering his second season, coach Murphy welcomes nearly 50 freshmen to the program to compliment a solid group of returners from last season, including 2008 Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year Marc Wilson. In addition to Wilson, the returning group is also led by senior linebacker Dan Bohenek, who led the team in tackles and has been named as a CDS Preseason Honorable Mention All-American. When asked what the team goals are for the 2009 season, coach Murphy answered with a simple statement.

“We want to get better every week and play up to our potential as a team,” said Murphy. “As we open camp, we are enthusiastic, and optimistic that, should we live up to our potential, we can compete with anyone.”

A big part of this year’s potential is the talented group of freshmen that have joined the program at nearly every position. These players will be given the opportunity to step in right away and make a difference on both sides of the ball.

“The strength of our team this year is our youth,” said coach Murphy. “I know that is usually a liability, but in this case I hope youth will be served. Because of our freshmen, we are bigger, stronger and faster than we were a year ago. Now, that said, our youth has to play with savvy beyond their years for us to be successful. I know that’s asking a lot, but I believe they are capable of doing just that.”

The season starts on August 29th with a visit to Grappone Stadium by the PSAC’s Kutztown University, followed by a meeting with in-state rival Plymouth State University. After the non-conference schedule is completed, it is on to the always challenging Northeast-10 schedule, starting with a Friday night clash with Bentley University on September 11th. When asked his thoughts on the league and how it would shape up, coach Murphy felt it would be much of the same from 2008.

“I think it will be the usual suspects at the top with AIC, Southern Connecticut, Merrimack, Bentley, and I wouldn’t be surprised if New Haven made a run in their first year in the league,” said Murphy. “While I think the remaining teams all have the potential to get to that top tier, they must overcome graduation losses or some other kind of adversity to do so.”

The Hawks have a mix of youth and veteran leadership at nearly every position on both sides of the ball. Below is a breakdown of the team by position and the players that should compete for playing time right away in 2009.

Quarterback
Marc Wilson and Michael Pierce will compete for time at quarterback this season, with each bringing something different to the position. Wilson, who set the Saint Anselm single-season rushing record with over 1,100 yards as a freshman, is one of the most dangerous runners in the Northeast-10 and the region. His offensive spark last season led the Hawks to a pair of victories, including a thrilling 48-42 road win at Merrimack for the team’s first win of the season.

“Marc Wilson was the offensive straw that stirred the drink a year ago and I think you’ll see more of the same this year, and maybe a little more,” said coach Murphy. “He will be fun to watch, believe me.”

Pierce, a transfer from the University of New Hampshire, is a former Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic who enrolled at Saint Anselm in the spring semester and has a full spring season under his belt. An accurate passer, Pierce will give the team a consistent deep threat.

Running Back
Joe Tran is the veteran in the backfield in 2009 and is coming off a 389-yard, three-touchdown season on 84 rushing attempts. Joining Tran in the backfield will be a trio of newcomers in Treavor Jeanson, Austin Wakinekona and Kadeem Gaither. Jeanson, a graduate of Acton-Boxborough High School, was the DCL Player of the Year in high school, as well as a Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic. Wakinekona, a native of Hawaii, was a two-time All-State selection in both football and soccer and was selected to play in the senior All-Star game. Gaither, a graduate of Garret Morgan Academy, was an All-League and All-Area selection in both track and football.

Offensive Line
The offensive line is led by the veteran trio of captain Anthony Murray, Cedric Ashley and Mario Pirolozzi. All three players started every game in the 2008 season and helped lead the Hawks to the program’s best rushing season in history.

Wide Receiver
Marcel Bouie leads a talented group of wide receivers and is coming off a team-high 27 catches in 2008 to go along with a team-best four receiving touchdowns for 195 yards. Joining Bouie will be three newcomers in Craig Dennis, Chris Chapman and Joe Robichaud. Dennis, a 6-3 native of Atlantic City, N.J., was a 10-time varsity letter winner in high school in basketball, football and track. Chapman, a graduate of Cardinal Hayes High School who stands at 6-4, was a five-time Student-Athlete of the Year and an honor roll student. Robichaud will see time both as a wide receiver and a punter.

Defensive Line
On the defensive line, Mike D’Angelo leads the group after playing in six games in 2008 with six tackles and one fumble recovery for 40 yards. Moses Acloque and Mike Hobbs are the two newcomers who will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact. Hobbs, a native of Medford, Mass., was a three-sport athlete at Malden Catholic. Hobbs was his football team captain, a Catholic Conference All-Star and an Agganis All-Star.

Linebacker
At linebacker, the Hawks will be young with two freshmen and one sophomore to go along with returning senior Kevin Flynn. Flynn played in seven games as a junior, making 28 total tackles, including three tackles for a loss and a pair of sacks. In addition, he also had one interception and a forced fumble. The other returner is sophomore Sean Morris, a native of Melrose, Mass. Morris appeared in two games as a rookie, making one tackle.

The rookies set to impact the team at linebacker are Shane O’Donnell and Chris Bent. O’Donnell and Bent are both natives of Dracut, Mass., who played for coach Murphy while in high school when Murphy was the head coach at Dracut High School. O’Donnell was a two-time team captain, the team co-MVP and an MVC All-Conference selection in 2006. Bent, who was captain of the basketball and football teams as a senior, was a Lowell Sun All-Star and a Boston Globe All-Scholastic.

Defensive Back
The Hawks are talented in the defensive backfield and deep in leadership with a pair of captains playing a key role in the position. Junior Mark Colantonio and senior All-America candidate Dan Bohenek are the two leaders.

Colantonio, who started all 10 games last season, was the team's leading kick returner with 21 returns for 409 yards. In addition, he finished up with 49 tackles, including 30 solo stops and 19 assisted tackles. He also had a pair of sacks for a loss of seven yards, a team-leading three interceptions for 23 yards and a team-best five pass breakups. In last year's season opener at Kutztown, Colantonio had a 10-tackle performance to go along with one interception late in the first half for a return of 20 yards.

Bohenek, a Consensus Draft Service (CDS) Division II Preseason Honorable Mention All-American, led the Hawks with 91 tackles last season, ranking among the conference and national leaders. He started all 10 games for the Hawks as a junior, finishing with 56 solo tackles and 36 assisted stops for 91 total tackles. In addition, he had 10 tackles for a loss of 26 yards, three pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, one sack and one interception. Bohenek was ranked fifth in the Northeast-10 and 40th in the nation in tackles per game with 9.1 and was fourth in the NE-10 in total tackles with 91. In addition, he led the Northeast-10 and was 16th in the nation in fumble recoveries and 16th nationally with 56 solo tackles. Bohenek will be counted on for another strong season and coach Murphy is pleased with what he’s seen so far in preseason.

“What ‘Bo’ is, is a football player who plays every down smart, hard, fast and physical and on top of that is proving to be an exceptional leader,” said Murphy. “If he does those things all year, that’s all I, or anyone, can ask for.”

Sophomores Kyle Hayes and Nate Dolan are the other returners in the backfield. Hayes is coming off a freshman season that saw him earn Northeast-10 All-Rookie team honors as he finished his freshman season with 50 tackles, including 26 solo stops, to lead all Saint Anselm rookies in total tackles. He had 10 tackles for a loss, two sacks and one pass breakup and ranked seventh on the team in total tackles. Dolan appeared in two games with one tackle during his rookie season.

Freshman Dale DeGraw, a six-foot native of Jamesburg, N.J., was a two-time All-Division honoree, a First Team All-Area and All-Conference player and a Second Team All-State Group III player. He was also a North/South All-Star Game participant and the Red Zone Player of the Year.

Special Teams
The Hawks look to improve their kicking game in 2009 and have four placekickers on the roster. Devin Kelley is the lone returning kicker and he will be joined by newcomers Zach McCabe, Ryan McQuaid and Shea Cerio. Michael Pierce and Joe Robichaud will also contribute as punters this season.