SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2009-1

Preseason Review

By Bill Engelhardt
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The Mustangs of South Western return to gridiron action Friday night, September 4, as they visit the Warriors of Gettysburg to kick off the 2009 season. The Mustangs are looking forward to a successful season as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the football program. They have a career 314-195-8 record with a .617 winning percentage and a .623 non-losing percentage. They are 310-187-8 in regular season play. This year the Mustangs have a good group of returning starters and lettermen and promising new players to watch, and hope to continue the winning tradition, which includes ten league titles since 1990 and 14 in the history of the school.

Seniors Colby Fuhrman, Kyle King, Dan Laird, Kyle Mahorney, J.R. Mummert, Jake Myers, Jim Nicklas, Levi Sager, Jeb Shipley, Ian Smith, and junior Jake Shaffer are returning starters. Juniors Tyler Frederick and Ryan Seton are also returning lettermen. Seniors Mason Brady, Tyler McCleary, David Messinger and Billy Utz, juniors Aaron Bosley, Matt Funk, Tommy Nicklas, Woody Stetter, and Leonard Sturgis, and sophomore Michael Felton are up and comers to watch this year.

The graduation of key players Adam Day, David Sager, Andrew Sells, Drew Sneeringer and Derek Supel still leaves the Mustangs with a good group of seasoned players. Senior quarterback Ian Smith started five games last year when senior David Sager was injured and puts the Mustangs in good shape at that position. We look for King, Mummert, Myers, Sager, Sexton, Shipley, Shaffer, and up and comers McCleary and Felton to vie for playing time and continue the great running tradition of the Mustangs. Mummert led the Mustangs rushing attack last year with 868-yards and 7 touchdowns. We are looking for a solid receiving corps to emerge from among Mahorney, Jim Nicklas, and up and comer Tommy Nicklas. Mahorney had 14 receptions for 168-yards and 3 touchdowns and Jim Nicklas had 8 receptions for 92-yards and a touchdown last year. Mummert, Sager and Shipley also have experience at catching passes out of the backfield.

Frederick, Fuhrman, Laird, Mahorney, Mummert, Myers, Sexton and Shaffer all should figure prominently at the lines and line backer positions, with a lot of help from up and comers Brady, Messinger, Utz, Bosley, Funk, Tommy Nicklas, Stetter, and Sturgis. King, Jim Nicklas, Sager, Shipley, Smith and newcomers McCleary, and Felton should all see plenty of action in the secondary. Among the returning players, only Fuhrman (20 tackles) and Laird (22 tackles) have any appreciable experience on either the offensive or defensive line. Needless to say, the development of the rest of the trenches will be a key to the success of the Mustangs this year.

The punting game is in the capable hands of senior Jake Myers again. Last year he punted 37 times for an average of 32.87-yards. Kyle Mahorney has some experience in kicking off and should be able to replace the departed Zak Kruger.

Don Seidenstricker is going into his 32nd year with the Mustang program and has a 172-78-1 (.688) record as he goes into his 24th year as head coach. As always, Don is charged up and ready to lead the Mustangs against the Gettysburg Warriors. In his preseason outlook he said, “This is the 50th Anniversary of South Western Football and the players returning are anxiously waiting their turn to make their mark in the history book. The old cliché’ that ‘it all starts with the line’ has never been more applicable. The fate of the Golden Anniversary Team clearly rests up front. We will return a solid nucleus of skill position players with Levi Sager, Kyle King, J.R. Mummert, Kyle Mahorney, and Jimmy Nicklas all returning to starting roles. In addition, senior quarterback Ian Smith was called upon to “start” five games at that position last year when David Sager was forced to sit out with a fractured foot. The only players returning with playing experience on either line are Dan Laird and Colby Fuhrman who should provide leadership but little depth in the trenches.

Defensively we will return experience at 8 of 11 positions. Leading tackler Jake Myers returns as a three (3) year starter at inside linebacker and has been gaining some collegiate attention. Jake will be joined inside by junior Jake Shaffer who played a significant amount of time there last season. The “Two Jakes” will be accompanied by Fuhrman and Laird at defensive tackle along with college prospect Kyle Mahorney at defensive end. Outside Linebackers will see experience return with junior Ryan Sexton and Mummert, while the secondary welcomes back Sager, King, Nicklas, and Jeb Shipley who all started at times last season.

If the line develops to any degree we could experience one to remember in 2009.”

From here it looks like the South Western Mustangs are primed and ready to mark the 50th anniversary season with thrills and excitement for their faithful fans. The excitement and expectations are contagious and I can’t wait for the start of the 2009 season. GO MUSTANGS GO.