Season Preview - by Jim Egan Concordia Sports Information Director

This can also be read at http://concordiacougarfootball.blogspot.com

Our Cougar football team takes the field at 1:00 tomorrow for the 2008 season opener against Blackburn College. Concordia will be looking for their third straight opening win over the Battlin' Beavers following last year's 33-14 win in Carlinville and a 13-3 win in 2006, the game that got Coach Lonnie Pries' CUC coaching career off to a roaring start. Coach Pries has moved the team forward in each of his first two years, and this year will look to be more of the same while dealing with the challenges of play in the new (for football) Northern Athletics Conference. Gone are the old Illini-Badger rivals Greenville and MacMurray (although Eureka will stay on this year as a non-conference opponent), and in their place will be new football rivals Wisconsin Lutheran (Oct. 4), Rockford (Oct. 11) and Maranatha Baptist (Oct. 25).
Tomorrow's game will feature the debut of several players while still retaining many of the familiar faces from last year. On offense, Mike Marotta will start at quarterback, having held off the challenges from a couple of newcomers in camp. Marotta will not be a stranger in the position, as he started five games in 2007 and led the team to wins over Benedictine and MacMurray. The junior QB will have plenty of targets, as is customary with the Cougars' offense of the last few years. Lukas Weeks and Savonte Hunt have earned starting positions at wide receiver and slotback respectively, while speedster Jamal Thomas (Weirsdale, FL/Lake Weir H.S.) will also figure prominently at receiver. A hearty "welcome back" goes out to Mike Egebrecht who sat out the 2007 season but has rejoined the team to contribute at slotback and possibly as a return man for special teams.Khyree Copeland will pose a threat to opposing defenses once again in the backfield. The 5'8" sophomore rushed for over 650 yards last year and enjoyed his best game against Blackburn with a combined 225 yards in rushing and receiving. Copeland's speed and elusiveness may become even more dangerous this year behind an offensive line that returns three starters (Francisco Vargas, Mason Thompson, Phil Klopke), a fourth-year veteran (John Lally) and a converted defensive lineman (Chip Wylie). The offensive line averages 6'1" and 280 pounds per man, and the combination of size and experience bodes very well for both the rushing and passing games.
On defense, the Cougars' three-man front will include two returning sophomore ends in Matt Boswell and Cory Howard, and they will flank freshman nose guard and Walther Lutheran grad Steven Campbell. The core of linebackers will feature an interesting mix of new and old - the newcomers are middle linebacker David Ewart (Ocala, FL/Lake Weir H.S.) and outside backer Terrence Miller (Jacksonville, FL/Potter's House Academy). Senior Ricky Lach, like Egebrecht, is back after missing the 2007 season, and he is expected to hold down the other outside position. The two inside positions are held by senior Steve Malok and sophomore Jason Talos.In the secondary, the experience and leadership of junior Jarin Davis will come into play at one of the corner positions. Cory Volkman will play at the other corner, while newcomer Jonathan Stephens (South Holland, IL/Thornridge H.S.) will step in at the free safety position. Stephens is another player that may have the ability to contribute on special teams.
The Cougars were picked to finish seventh in this year's pre-season poll of the NAC coaches, but Pries and the Cougars have higher expectations. "Lakeland and Concordia Wisconsin are always tough, and Rockford may be the best of our new conference opponents," allows Pries. "But our confidence has grown in leaps and bounds these past two years, and we are fully confident that we can compete and win against anybody if we take care of our business."