Spring Football Photo Gallery
Wayne State College concludes 2010 spring football drills on Saturday with a scrimmage on the practice fields north of the WSC Recreation Center starting at 10:00 a.m. The Wildcats are coming off an 8-3 season in 2009, going 7-3 in the Northern Sun Conference to finish in a tie for third place overall. WSC returns six starters on both offense and defense, but will have to replace several key players lost to graduation. The list includes four year starting quarterback Silas Fluellen, the NSIC's all-time leader in total offense and passing yards, four-year starting wide receiver Logan Masters, who caught at least two passes in an NCAA Division II record 46 consecutive games and All-American linebacker Ryan Reeves, who led the NSIC in tackles the last two seasons.
“Overall, it's been a good spring with the exception of a couple of late injuries to our offensive line,” said WSC head coach Dan McLaughlin. “We know we have some holes to fill and we've had a lot of competition for positions and that's what you want. You don't want to rely on just one guy at each position due to injuries...you want two or three guys at each spot.”
On offense, redshirt freshmen Evan Johnson (Scottsdale, Arizona) and Cyle Schultz (Plainfield, Illinois) have been getting the reps at the quarterback position. Coach McLaughlin says both quarterbacks have played well and the quarterback battle is really close and will remain competitive heading into fall.
At running back, everyone returns and the position received an added boost this spring with the return of senior Eric Meyer (Logan View HS), who redshirted in 2009 after suffering a knee injury last spring. Nick Pulscher (Sheldon, Iowa) had a strong finish to the 2009 season as a redshirt freshman, rushing for 445 yards on 93 carries (4.8 avg.) with four touchdowns. Mario Melvin, a junior from Land O'Lakes, Florida, rushed for 292 yards last season and is one of the quicker backs for the Wildcats. Junior college transfer Vincent Patterson (College of the Canyons, Calif.) adds depth to the running back position and looks to contribute in the fall as well. “No one back has jumped up but all four have looked good this spring,” said McLaughlin.
The wide receiver position features All-American Frederick Bruno (Miami, Florida), who hauled in a team-high 77 receptions for 1,163 yards last fall as a junior while also rushing for another 396 yards averaging 11.3 yards per carry. Ralston's Mitch Montgomery expects to take the spot of Logan Masters at wide receiver and has looked good this spring according to McLaughlin. Montgomery had 21 catches for 359 yards and six touchdowns last fall. Redshirt freshmen Ethan Stutzman (Grand Island Northwest) and Chris Schultz (Plainfield, Illinois) are seeing reps at the third wide receiver position this spring. At slot back, Northwest Missouri State transfer Tommy Warren along with redshirt freshmen Michel Mikaya (Lincoln NorthStar) and Justin Hart (Laurel-Concord) are gaining experience in spring drills.
The offensive line returns four of five starters from last season, but was hit with several injuries toward the end of spring drills. Keith Bieber, a transfer from North Dakota State College of Science, will take over at center for Jake Runyon, the lone starter lost to graduation. Left tackle Nehemiah Blackburn, left guard Mike Scherer, right guard Joe Bundy and right tackle Shane Winter all return as starters, but the quartet has been separated due to several injuries. Converted defensive lineman Cody Guffey has been getting reps as center while backup guard Brad Wright (Ewing) has missed spring ball with a foot injury.
Omaha Central graduate Andre McIntyre, a junior, and redshirt freshman Brady Nicholson of Wakefield have been seeing time at the H-Back/Full back position this spring.
The defense is paced by a defensive line that returns all four starters from last season, and according to Coach McLaughlin, “has a chance to be outstanding” while being the strength of the team in 2010. McLaughlin says all the players on the defensive line have played well this spring, but added that rush end Richard Daniel, a sophomore rush end from Papillion-LaVista, has jumped out this spring and looked really strong. Returning starters on the defensive line include Mark Janssen (Sioux Falls, SD) at defensive end and Kirkland Grant (Bloomington, Ill.) and Michael Bazata (Howells) at nose guard/defensive tackle.
Anthony Hale is the lone returning starter at sam linebacker while Cody Swanson, a starting defensive end last fall, has been moved to middle linebacker this spring. McLaughlin says Daniel Leacraft is also seeing time at the sam linebacker position while sophomore Eric Burenheide (Howells), sophomore Tanner Gebers (Holstein, Iowa) and redshirt freshmen Josh Riggle (Des Moines, Iowa) and Kyle Bertelsen (Waterloo, Neb.) are all getting time at middle linebacker. The will linebacker position is open with the loss of Kyle Gardner to graduation. Sophomore Ben Perry and redshirt freshman Brock DeVries (Jefferson, SD) have looked good this spring and are competing for the spot.
Although WSC graduated three of four players in the secondary, Coach McLaughlin has been pleased with the development of several underclassmen and redshirt players and says the group has the chance to be really strong. Cole Fischer of Leigh is the lone returning starter in the secondary at cornerback while Javal Jones, who was a key contributor last season, missed spring ball with shoulder surgery. Sophomore Kyle Chander (Houston, Texas), junior Thomas Owens (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) and redshirt freshman Ben Radel (Papillion) have all seen time at the corner position this spring. The safety positions have been up for grabs this spring with sophomores Henry Livingston (Miami, Fla.) and Brett Pribnow (Scribner) and redshirt freshmen Andrew Bauer (Elgin) and Austin Pomajzl (Grand Island Northwest) all battling for playing time.
The kicking positions look to be strong for the Wildcats as junior Jacob Bell (South Sioux City) and sophomore Randy Weich (Pierce) shared time last fall as the punter. Also in the mix is redshirt freshman Sean McClure (Lincoln East), who has looked strong this spring. The place kicking position finds Beatrice redshirt freshman Nick Bell of Beatrice taking over for Nick Hope, a three year starter who graduated as the Wildcats' all-time leading scorer.
Wayne State College opens the 2010 season at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, August 28th at 6:00 p.m. The Wildcats' first home game is Saturday, September 11th when WSC hosts Minnesota, Crookston at 1:00 p.m.
