TERRE HAUTE —
When first-year Rose-Hulman football coach Jeff Sokol examines the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2011, he anticipates defending champion Franklin being a top contender for the title again.
“We expect Franklin to be very tough,” he stressed. “Defiance has everybody back from a very good team. Hanover will be very good. Mount St. Joseph will be really good as well.” Regarding his own Engineers, Sokol said: “I voted for us last [in the preseason coaches poll], but I expect us to win the championship, if that makes any sense.”
Hmmm. Maybe, maybe not.
“We expect to win every game,” he continued. “If we’re not HCAC champions by the end of the year, it will be a disappointing season.”
Sokol doesn’t like being disappointed, so he described how he plans to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“We look to play a fast-tempo, hard-nosed style of football,” he mentioned. “We try to play fast. We try to be exciting. But at the same time, we try to be great blockers and tacklers … a hard-nosed, blue-collar style of team.
“I think a lot of people associate our style of play with being a little more finesse. But that’s not what we try to instill in our players. We try to make sure that we’re tough and physical. Hopefully, we’ll be very exciting to watch.”
And that includes the offense.
“We’ll run a shotgun, no-huddle offense,” Sokol explained. “We will always to try to do what we need to do to take advantage of what a defense is giving us, so we can exploit it.”
Handling the quarterback duties will be returning starter Mitch Snyder, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior from Casey, Ill.
“Mitch is a pretty versatile guy,” Sokol said. “He’s a solid pocket passer, he moves pretty well and he’s a big, strong guy. He doesn’t have a lot of shake, but he’s a very good north-south runner.”
Backing up Snyder will be 6-5, 225-pound sophomore Ryan Landwehr .
“He brings a similar skillset to the table that Mitch does,” Sokol remarked. “He’s a north-south runner, solid pocket passer. Ryan’s a very competent backup.”
Kyle Kovach, a 5-8, 185-pound junior, is back to serve as the Engineers’ primary ball carrier after he led the HCAC in rushing yards with 1,056 and rushing touchdowns with 11 last season. He posted six games with at least 100 yards on the ground in 2010.
“I’m tremendously happy to have Kyle,” Sokol mentioned. “He’s had a great work ethic. He’s been a leader in the weightroom. He’s one of our captains. He’s taken a big leadership role with our offense and our team in general.”
Also expected to get carries and provide Kovach with occasional breaks are sophomore Danya Francis (5-9, 180) and freshman Greg Lee (5-8, 170).
Seniors Sutton Coleman (6-2, 160) and Jordan Nielson (6-1, 175) and junior Parris Gray (5-9, 185) are veterans who will be counted on to haul in a large percentage of Snyder’s passes as the wide receivers.
“Sutton’s a great athlete, an All-American hurdler [at the NCAA Division III level],” Sokol emphasized. “He’s really kinda embraced our new offense. He’s really made a commitment to get better as a football player, so we have pretty high expectations for him.”
With Gray and Nielson splitting time at one of the other positions, Sokol named freshman Dominic Sena (5-6, 170) — “whom we have the highest of expectations for,” Sokol said — as a third starting receiver.
Splitting time at tight end are junior Alex Sonneberger (6-1, 205) and sophomore Joel Stiffler (6-2, 200), both inexperienced at the collegiate level.
Anchoring the offensive line are returning starters Jeff Ketchum (6-4, 285, senior) at tackle and Trey Cahill (5-10, 240, junior) at center, plus 2010 key reserve Kie Bates (5-11, 225, sophomore) at another tackle.
“Jeff is a very big, physical kid,” Sokol noted.
Rose’s new coach said the starting guards will be converted defensive lineman Deron Calbert (5-10, 260, junior) and Eric Taylor (6-1, 280, freshman).
“We were really concerned about the O-line coming in [to preseason camp], but we’ve plugged some holes and we feel that we’ve got a lot better unit going out there than we originally thought we were going to have,” Sokol assessed. “I’m very happy with what’s happened during camp at that position.”
The Engineers list sophomore Eric Schaible and senior Nick Schneider as their punter and field-goal kicker respectively. Schneider already is the school’s all-time leader in extra points with 111, while Schaible averaged 36.9 yards per punt last season.
Turning to defense, Sokol said he plans to use a 4-2-5 base scheme.
“Our front four should be a big physical group,” he pointed out, referring to South Putnam High School graduate Ben Parker (6-4, 235, senior), Josh Yoder (6-0, 235, sophomore), Dean Griffing (6-2, 210, sophomore) and Andy Hunkeler (6-2, 220, sophomore).
Also hoping to make immediate contributions on the D-line are sophomores Marcus Tucker (5-9, 240), Mark Fitz (5-8, 215) and Spencer Chestnut (5-10, 220).
Rose-Hulman’s linebacking corps is a mix of youth and experience. The two starters provide most of the experience — junior Ryan Gallagher (5-9, 190) and sophomore Chad Compton (6-1, 210). Sokol said sophomore Cody Rivers (6-0, 195) has missed most of camp with a concussion, but he should be able to fill in soon, as should sophomore D.J. Lawson (6-0, 225).
Starting defensive backs should include seniors Brad D’Agnillo (5-8, 190) and Matt Green (6-2, 200) and junior Jordan Martin (5-11, 190) at the three safety spots along with senior Bobby Short (6-0, 180) and either sophomore Marcus Washington (5-10, 180) or junior Shane Boschert (6-1, 180) at cornerbacks.
Martin led the team in interceptions last season with five. Washington is recovering from a concussion that was suffered on the same practice play that injured Rivers. Sokol added that sophomore Craig Voges (5-11, 190) is one of the top reserves at safety.
Staff-wise, Brian Vaughn (defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach) and Tony Karras (defensive-line coach) are the only assistants who remain from last season. New to the crew are Brian White (recruiting coordinator and offensive line), Sam Bauman (linebackers), Erik Personius (running backs) and Greg Webster (wide receiver).
Sokol said he will serve as offensive coordinator.
Rose will open its season Saturday against longtime rival DePauw at Cook Stadium, starting at 6 p.m.
“We know exactly what we’re getting ourselves into,” Sokol admitted. “We know they’re going to provide a great challenge… We’re putting everything we’ve got into trying to get off to a great start.”
Rose-Hulman
Related Photos
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Number one: Mitch Snyder (center) will be the starting center for the Rose-Hulman Engineers this football season.
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Got it: Rose-Hulman coach Jeff Sokol watches one of his players make a catch during Tuesday's practice.
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Starter: Rose-Hulman quarterback Mitch Snyder will start for the Engineers this football season.
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Receiver: Rose-Hulman's No. 1 hauls in a pass during drills at Tuesday's practice.
Discussion
New coach ready to lead Rose
Jeff Sokol anticipates Franklin to be a top contender for title again
- Rose-Hulman
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Rose-Hulman swimmers flying to nationals
Rose-Hulman swimmers John Craig Huster and Orion Martin have qualified for the Division III national meet in the 100 butterfly
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Despite four NCAA Division III titles, Rose-Hulman’s Liz Evans remains as driven as ever
Even though Rose-Hulman senior Liz Evans has won four NCAA Division III titles in the women’s high jump, getting motivated is still easy for her.
Ultra-competitive athletes find ways. -
Balsbaugh’s late-season scoring giving Rose-Hulman a lift
If someone were to predict before last weekend that Rose-Hulman would capture its second straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship in men’s basketball and that senior Brenton Balsbaugh would be named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, fans probably would believe the first statement but consider the second as wishful thinking.
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Rose-Hulman baseball team kicking off season in Florida
Jeff Jenkins is serious about his baseball.
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Rose-Hulman men clinch conference title
Rose-Hulman will host the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament and claimed the league’s regular-season title with a 59-57 win at Hanover College on Saturday.
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No. 23 Rose-Hulman takes down No. 22 Transylvania on the road
No. 23 ranked Rose-Hulman claimed a two-game lead in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball standings with a 54-49 victory at No. 22 Transylvania University on Saturday.
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Rose-Hulman 18-2 after pulling away from Anderson
Rose-Hulman opened the second half on a 20-3 run to pull away and earn a convincing 71-40 men’s basketball victory at Anderson University on Wednesday night.
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Freshman paces Engineer women to HCAC win
The Rose-Hulman women’s basketball team improved to 10-10 for the season and 6-7 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play with a 52-44 win over Anderson on Wednesday in Hulbert Arena.
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Rose men top Franklin
Rose-Hulman improved to 14-2 overall and kept its Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference lead at 8-1 with a 58-42 men's basketball victory at Franklin College on Wednesday night.
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Rose men run winning steak to 11 games
Anderson arrived in Terre Haute with a 7-6 record and a scoring average of 76.5 points per game.
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Anderson holds off rally by Rose women
Rose-Hulman rallied from an 11-point deficit to close within three points late, but Anderson University held on to earn a 64-57 victory in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball Wednesday night inside O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.
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Rose-Hulman men ranked 26th in Division III
Rose-Hulman’s men’s basketball team is ranked 26th nationally in the d3hoops.com national weekly poll released on Thursday.
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Gerken hits game-winner to put Rose-Hulman at 9-1 on season
Making the game-winning shot, with what turned out to be seven-tenths of a second to go, was probably the easy part for Jon Gerken on Saturday afternoon in Hulbert Arena.
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Rose women struggle from field in loss to Hanover
In the Rose-Hulman women’s college basketball game, frigid shooting undermined good work the Engineers did in other aspects of the game against Hanover.
The Engineers came out on the wrong end, 55-43. -
Efficient Engineers stifle Millikin
The word that probably best describes the Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team is efficiency.
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Rose-Hulman women's basketball regains Clabber Girl Trophy
Rose-Hulman reclaimed the Clabber Girl Trophy for the first time since 2009 with an 80-74 women’s basketball victory over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on Tuesday night in Hulbert Arena.
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Balanced Rose tops Fontbonne
Senior forward Nate Gissentanner came off the bench to deliver 14 points for balanced Rose-Hulman in a 72-54 men’s basketball victory over Fontbonne University on Wednesday night in Hulbert Arena.
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Rose-Hulman men's basketball preview: Engineers looking to follow up last year’s success
It’s pretty safe to say that expectations for the Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team have not been this high since the late 1990s when the Engineers reached the NCAA Division III tournament three times within a four-year period.
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Rose-Hulman women's basketball preview: Engineers continuing to improve
The Rose-Hulman women’s basketball team didn’t dominate many opponents last season when it ended up with records of 9-18 overall and 6-12 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
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Earlham tragedy leads to Rose football cancellation
Little did Rose-Hulman’s football players and coaches know, their 42-8 home victory over Anderson University last Saturday turned out to be their final game of the season.
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This weekend's Rose-Hulman vs. Earlham football game canceled
Due to Friday's tragic events involving three Earlham College students, the football game between Earlham and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has been canceled.
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Anderson squeaks past Rose-Hulman
Anderson University scored in the 11th minute and held off a Rose-Hulman charge to earn a 1-0 men's soccer victory in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference semifinal match on Wednesday night at the Engineer Intramural Field.
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Rose swimmers near top because of vets, youth
Rose-Hulman swimming depth is at an all-time high, putting the Engineers at No. 15 in the NCAA Division III national rankings.
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A bigger taste?
On the night of Oct. 14, Rose-Hulman basketball fans were treated to something described by a couple of men’s players as “spectacular” and “epic” when they all jammed into Hulbert Arena for the insititute’s first “Midnight Madness” to tip off a season.
The memorable site wasn’t a 360-degree dunk or a no-look, behind-the-back pass.
It was Rose men’s coach Jim Shaw performing the “Bernie Dance,” based on the deceased character from the 1989 movie “Weekend At Bernie’s.”
“For a second, I thought he was having a seizure,” senior starting guard Austin Weatherford said with a straight face later. -
Rose women picked for 6th
The Rose-Hulman women’s basketball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference this season, according to a preseason poll of league coaches released Tuesday.
Hanover and Franklin were selected for first and second respectively, with just two poll points separating the two squads. -
Rose-Hulman no match for Franklin
Franklin showcased its No. 23 NCAA Division III ranking from d3football.com in a 56-0 victory over Rose-Hulman in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football Saturday.
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Rose blanks Woods 3-0 in women’s soccer
Rose-Hulman women’s soccer coach Amy Helliwell is riding a youth movement to what she hopes could produce a strong turnaround in this 2012 season.
It has so far.
Led by freshman Hayley Gilliam, a Zionsville native, the Engineers improved to 5-4-1 for the season with a dominant 3-0 victory against cross-county rival St. Mary-of-the-Woods College on Wednesday at Jim Rendel Field. -
METRO ROUNDUP: Engineers dominate HCAC honors
Rose-Hulman Institute student-athletes earned three Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards, in results released by the league office on Monday.
West Vigo graduate John Burt was named HCAC Defensive Player of the Week and Eric Schaible the Special Teams Player of the Week in football, and B.J. Thompson earned Player of the Week honors in men’s soccer.
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Snyder throws for two early TDs in Rose-Hulman victory
Rose-Hulman scored 33 points in the middle two quarters and held off a Defiance rally to earn a 33-20 victory in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football opener for both schools Saturday.
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Rose’s record setter
Kyle Kovach got off to a great start in Rose-Hulman’s football season opener Saturday night in what turned out to be a heartbreaking 29-28 home loss to Kalamazoo College at Cook Stadium.
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