2007 CCIW Football Preview

NAPERVILLE , Ill. – Three teams sat atop the CCIW standings last season as North Central, Wheaton and Augustana all earned 6-1 conference records to take a share of the title.

All three teams are expected to compete again for the conference bragging rights in 2007 with Wheaton winning the recent CCIW Football Preseason Poll, released on August 1. The Thunder took home six of a possible seven first place votes, while Augustana and North Central placed second and third respectively.

Wheaton is favored due to a wealth of experience returning, especially on defense where defensive end Andy Studebaker is back for his senior season. Studebaker led the nation last season with 17 ½ sacks, earning him All-America status. Along with Studebaker, the Wheaton defense returns three starters at linebacker with seniors Jonathan Toal and Mike McKinney, as well as junior Steve Pagh. The defensive backfield returns all-conference cornerback Pete Ittersagen who recorded a team-high 11 pass deflections last season.

Fifth-year senior Zach Ullrich replaces graduated starter Jeremy Chupp at quarterback. He ran 124 plays for Wheaton last season, passing for 822 yards and rushing for 125 yards on the ground.

Augustana will be looking to win at least a share of the conference title for the third straight season after winning it outright in 2005 with a 7-0 record. Quarterback Ryan McGinnis is back for his senior season after taking over the starting role last year. He passed for 458 yards on 38-of-88 attempts and two touchdowns last season, and rushed for 391 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. McGinnis will have All-American guard Jon Verhelst blocking for him after the senior from Soldotna, Alaska earned first-team all-conference honors last season while anchoring an offensive line that allowed for the Vikings to average 261.8 yards rushing per game last season.

On defense, Augustana returns defensive end Justin Jacobs after an all-conference performance in 2006 where he led the team in quarterback sacks and tackles for loss. Junior Danny Hilby is also back and will play middle linebacker after leading the team in tackles last season.

Along with Wheaton, North Central was one of two CCIW teams to earn a spot in the NCAA Division III Football Championship in 2006 as the Cardinals earned the conference’s automatic bid. North Central returns all-conference running back Dominic Sulo after he ran for 1,065 yards a year ago. The Cardinals will look to replace graduated quarterback Kam Kniss who broke 14 of the school’s 16 passing records during his career. Jon Knapczyk, Aaron Fanthorpe and Kniss’ younger brother Kyle, a transfer from Eastern Illinois, will all look to start for the Cardinals this season. All-America guard Don Kasper is back to anchor the offensive line.

The North Central defense will feature linebacker Wes Kostellic who earned all-conference second team honors last season. In 12 games, Kostellic compiled 72 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, two pass breakups and three forced fumbles.

Carthage was the fourth-leading vote-getter in the CCIW preseason poll as the Red Men are coming off a 6-4 season (3-4 in conference play). The Red Men return only three starters to their offensive unit including quarterback Brennan O’Boyle, tight end Bryan Bergman and wide receiver Eric Haldeman. Bergman led the team with 25 catches last season for 291 yards and three touchdowns, while Haldeman caught 20 passes for 150 yards in 2006. O’Boyle passed for 1,267 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

Safety/punter Donovan Moore returns after missing the 2006 season with a severe hamstring injury. Moore earned all-conference recognition in 2004 and 2005. Second-team all-conference cornerback Aaron Miller is also back and will join Moore in the Carthage secondary in 2007.

Like Carthage, Elmhurst is also coming off a 6-4 record in 2006. The Bluejays will have quarterback Chris Kudyba back after a knee injury in the first game of last year ended his season. Ryan Freund will start at tight end after seeing time at both quarterback and tight end last season, while receiver Blake Veldhuis returns after catching 36 passes and four touchdowns in 2006.

With the graduation of all-conference linebacker Ward Brady, John Scardullo will lead the way after finishing at the top of his team and conference in tackles last season. Kyle Maple also returns to the defensive backfield after earning all-conference honors in 2006. Maple had 57 tackles last season.

Millikin will look to replace graduated running back Nathan Wallick who is the Big Blue’s all-time leading rusher. Junior Jeremy Stephen and sophomores Bobby Galichio and Emmanuel Minter will look to fill the void, while sophomores Justin Levingston, Andy Dicken and Travis Garrett are the leading prospects at quarterback. The offensive line returns four starters including Shareef Alabi, Sean Staffeldt, Brandon Marks and Mike Minton.

Senior Ryan Bailey returns to the defensive line for Millikin after registering 64 tackles and seven sacks last season, while linebacker Sam Jordan is also back after earning second-team all-conference recognition a year ago.

Senior running back Marcus Dunlop returns to Illinois Wesleyan in 2007 and will look to lead his team to an improvement of its 3-7 record last season. Dunlop rushed for 665 yards and two rushing touchdowns last season and is entering this season as the No. 9 leader at Illinois Wesleyan in career rushing yards. Also returning is junior wide receiver Martin Ceisel who led the Titans with 48 catches for 753 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Sophomore quarterback Nick Panno is back after throwing for 755 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

Senior defensive back Bo Osburn returns to the Titans after leading his team with 84 tackles last season, including six tackles for loss.

North Park head coach Scott Pethtel is back for his second season at the helm of the Viking program and will have sophomore quarterback Shelby Wood heading the offense. Wood started nine games as a true freshman last season and had the 15 th highest single game passing yardage total in North Park history against Wheaton last season as he threw for 287 yards against the Thunder, connecting on 21-of-40 passes.

On defense, second-team all-conference defensive lineman Ray Decatur returns and will look to build on his streak of starting in 30 consecutive games for the Vikings. Decatur has registered 17.5 sacks throughout his career and was fourth in the conference last season with six.