2009 American International Season Outlook

Information Provided By American International Sports Information

The American International College football will look to win back-to-back conference championships for the second time in program history and return to the NCAA Championship Tournament in 2009 after winning the Northeast-10 title and going to the NCAAs for the first time in school history last year. The Yellow Jackets return 75 players from last season, including six all-conference selections.

“We match up well with a lot of strong teams,” said head coach Art Wilkins, who is entering his 14th season at AIC and is the winningest coach in program history with a 92-60 career record. “Our schedule is always a challenging one and if we can address some of the question marks heading into the year we could have another good season.”

2008 RECAP: The Yellow Jackets posted a 9-2 record last season and won the Northeast-10 title after registering a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play. AIC also made its first-ever NCAA playoff appearance, falling in a first round game to Seton Hill, 14-7. The Yellow Jackets had 13 all-conference selections, including Northeast-10 Most Valuable Player Travis Poole, who put together one of the finest seasons of any wide receiver at AIC after catching 66 passes for 1,209 yards and a school-record 15 touchdowns. Jean Simeon was named the NE-10 Defensive Lineman of the Year.

KEY LOSSES: AIC lost 12 starters and seven all-conference selections from last year’s squad. Poole may prove to be the most significant loss after catching 66 passes for 1,209 yards and a school-record tying 15 touchdown catches. The Harlon Hill candidate was the recipient of numerous conference, regional and national honors last season, as was Simeon who tallied 49 tackles and led the defense with 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Marcus Cameron was a three-time all-conference pick at full back and Marek Przybylek was an all-conference and all-region pick after converting 11 of 14 field goals and 43 of 45 PATs. Offensive linemen Tony Dilello and Tyke Spaulding and defensive lineman Brian DeStephano earned all-conference honors after starting all 11 games last season.

QUARTERBACK: The Yellow Jackets return each of their three QBs from last season, making it perhaps the deepest position on the field. Junior Rob Parent (Warwick, R.I.) started all 11 games last season, earning first team all-conference honors and was a New England Football Writers (NEFW) Division II/III all-New England pick. He completed 169 of 293 passes for 2,298 yards and a school-record 28 touchdowns. Senior Shane Murphy (Bogota, N.J.) and sophomore Preston Trites (Williamstown, Mass.) also return this season.

“Rob was excellent as the starter last year and Shane is just as good,” said Wilkins. “Preston adds another dimension to the offense since he’s a good runner as well. Having the three of them gives us a lot of options.”

RUNNINGBACK: Senior Amadeus Guerrero-Pou (Westwood, Mass.) enters the season as the featured tailback this season after serving as a backup in 10 of his 11 games played in 2008, in which he totaled 98 carries for 405 yards. Guerrero-Pou carried the ball 39 times for 207 yards, both career-highs, in his only start of the year at Merrimack. Redshirt freshmen David Cooke (Teaneck, N.J.) and Anthony Enderie (Gloucester, Mass.) will be the featured fullbacks this season.

Wilkins said “we’re going to rely on Amadeus to take a majority of the carries this year. We have some talented players behind him, but only time will tell who will be able to play a significant role for us as the season progresses. Replacing Marcus at fullback won’t be easy, but Anthony and David both played very well in the spring and we have high expectations for them.”

WIDE RECEIVER: Senior Kertis Hussey (Paterson, N.J.) is coming off an outstanding 2008 campaign in which he caught 45 passes for 608 yards and 11 TDs, earning him second-team all-conference honors. Junior Davon LaGrier (Paterson, N.J.) appeared in all 11 games last season, catching 20 balls for 186 yards.

“We have a lot of talented players that can complement our quarterbacks, but we need someone to step up a as a third option,” said Wilkins. “Replacing the production we got out of Travis will be tough if this group can’t step up.”

TIGHT END: Junior Andy Fresia (Lee, Mass.) and sophomore Trevor Perryman (Centereach, N.Y.) will replace Mario Avocato, who started all 11 games last year. Perryman appeared in 10 games last year, making four catches for 25 yards with one TD. Cooke could also seem some action at tight end this season.

“This is the most talent we’ve had at this position in probably four or five years,” said Wilkins. “Andy and Trevor played very well in the spring and will really help in the passing and running games.”

OFFENSIVE LINE: The Yellow Jackets have three starters returning on the o-line this year in seniors Durrell Harris (Paterson, N.J.) and Rich Page (Morristown, N.J.) and junior Paul Skarka (Ballston Spa, N.Y.). Junior Collin James (Springfield, Mass.) played well in a backup role last year and had a strong spring, as did sophomore John Kasprowicz (St. James, N.Y.). Junior Harold VanDermark (Dunellen, N.J.) and sophomore James Hensley (Palmer, Mass.) will also challenge for a starting roles.

Wilkins added “this was a unit that surprised us during spring practice and played very well. The only issue is that it’s not a very deep unit at the moment, so staying healthy will be a huge factor for how well the unit performs.”

DEFENSIVE LINE: AIC returns five veterans on the defensive line in seniors Lee-Austin Johnson (Framingham, Mass.), Terrance Mercer (Bridgeport, Conn.), Daniel Rodriguez (Suffern, N.Y.), Nathaniel Thompson (Elizabeth, N.J.) and Jashawn Williams (Roosevelt, N.Y.). Mercer tallied 31 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks and Thompson notched 31 tackles, eight tackles for loss and four sacks. Redshirt freshmen Kushtrim Hakanjin (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Akeem McFarlane (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Irving Williams (Staten Island, N.Y.) will see significant time on the D-line as well.

“These are all very strong players,” said Wilkins. “Nate and Jashawn are all-conference caliber players and Daniel and Terrance have the potential to be all-conference players if they continue to build on how well they performed in the spring.”

LINEBACKER: What was one of the Yellow Jackets’ strongest and deepest positions last season will be again in 2009 with five returners from last year in seniors Nick Abraham (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Rich Reichert (Nesconset, N.Y.), juniors Darius Evans (Linden, N,.J.), C.J. Fresia (Lee, Mass.) and George Hudson (Philadelphia, Pa.). Reichert led the team with 77 tackles and was second on the team with 12 tackles for loss. Hudson was second with 59 tackles and fourth with 10 tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks, while Abraham racked up 54 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. As if that wasn’t enough, AIC will welcome back junior Terrence Holley (Bronx, N.Y.), a two-time all-conference selection and the 2006 Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year who had to miss all of last season for personal reasons.

“This is arguable our strongest position as a whole and arguably the best group of linebackers in the conference,” added Wilkins. “We have a lot of excellent players that will allow us to do a lot of different things on the defensive side of the ball to keep our opponents off balance on offense.”

DEFENSIVE BACK: The Yellow Jackets have several talented returners at the cornerback and safety positions. Senior Allen Bush (Newark, N.J.) was a first-team all-conference selection and a second team all-region pick by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette after registering 37 tackles and four interceptions in 2008. He was named a preseason all-American by Consensus Draft Services. Senior Brian Kelly (Springfield, Mass.) and sophomore Max Brown (Paterson, N.J.) registered 40 tackles each and combined for five picks. Seniors Nathaniel Ricks (Clinton, Md.) and Marquis Tripplet (Roselle, N.J.) and junior Wausa Onigbanjo (Paterson, N.J.) will add depth to the position.

Wilkins said “Allen had a stellar season for us last year and Brian played very well while recovering from an injury and should be even better this year. Max also had a good year last season and Marquis and Wausa played well during the spring and will look to carry that over this season.”

KICKING: Sophomore Justin Sokoloff (Cherry Hill, N.J.) will look to replace Przybylek as the team’s place kicker, while sophomore Chris Surgento (Warren, R.I.) will replace Jon Thorpe as the punter. Surgento could also be used as the place kicker this season.

SCHEDULE: The schedule will not be an easy one for the defending Northeast-10 champs as they open the season at C.W. Post August 29. AIC will then travel to Merrimack (September 5) and Stonehill (September 11) before playing their first game and the all-new John Homer Miller Field September 19 against Southern Connecticut. The Yellow Jackets will also host Merrimack (October 24) and Assumption (November 7) and travel to Bentley (September 25), New Haven (October 10) and Pace (October 31).

“This is a very challenging schedule for us, especially the first five weeks,” said Wilkins. “Not only will we play four of our first five games on the road but they’ll be against a lot of very good football teams that are very similar to us.”