CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . Defending league champion Wartburg College, which captured its 12th league title in 2010, is a slight favorite over fellow 2010 NCAA participant Coe College to win the 2011 IIAC football title. The Knights received five of eight possible first-place votes and was ranked first or second on all eight ballots (coaches are not allowed to rank their own team) for a total of 69 points. The Kohawks picked up the four remaining first-place votes, were picked second on three other ballots and placed third on a fourth for 67 points.

 

Perennial title contender Central College took third with 59 points after receiving three second-place votes and five third-place votes. University of Dubuque is fourth with 49 points followed by Luther College in fifth with 45 points. The complete 2011 IIAC football coaches’ poll follows:

 

Rank	School (1st place votes)	Points	2010 Record
1	Wartburg (5)	69	10-1, 8-0 IIAC
2	Coe (4)	67	9-2, 7-1 IIAC
3	Central	59	8-2, 6-2 IIAC
4	Dubuque	49	4-6, 3-5 IIAC
5	Luther	45	5-5, 4-4 IIAC
6	Buena Vista	34	3-7, 2-6 IIAC
7	Simpson	29	2-8, 2-6 IIAC
8	Loras	28	5-5, 4-4 IIAC
9	Cornell	16	0-10, 0-8 IIAC

 

Preseason National Polls: Defending Conference Champion Wartburg, 2009 IIAC Champion Central, and 2009 and 2010 NCAA participant Coe are included in multiple preseason national polls. Wartburg is ranked eighth by Lindy’s, ninth by USA TODAY Sports Weekly, 12th by The Sporting News, and 15th by D3football.com. Coe is ranked 10th by D3football.com, 13th by USA TODAY Sports Weekly and 23rd by The Sporting News. Central is ranked 15th by Lindy’s, received votes from D3football.com, and is among The Sporting News’ list of other teams to watch.

 

Preseason All-Americans: A number of Iowa Conference football players have been named to preseason All-America teams. Two-time defending IIAC MVP Brad Boyle of Coe was a first-team pick by both Lindy’s and D3football.com and was tapped as Lindy’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Luther linebacker Kyle McGivney was a first team pick by the D3 Senior Classic, Consensus Draft Services (CDS), D3football.com and The Sporting News, and a second team pick by Lindy’s. Wartburg punter Robby Salmon received first-team plaudits from The Sporting News, Lindy’s, CDS, and D3 Senior Classic and was named to the D3football.com second team.

 

Dubuque wide receiver Michael Zweifel was named to the first team by D3 Senior Classic and was a D3football.com second team pick. Coe defensive lineman Tyler Hemry was selected by The Sporting News, was a second-team pick by D3 Senior Classic, and received honorable mention from CDS. Cornell linebacker Tyler Bailey received first team mention from CDS and D3 Senior Classic. In addition, Lindy’s selected Wartburg cornerback Josh VanDenHul to its second team and Coe defensive end Frank Weymiller landed on D3football.com’s second team defense.

 

Games to Watch: Two games on the 2011 schedule were singled out by national publications as games to watch. Coe’s season-opening matchup at Hardin-Simmons University on September 3 was one of five tabbed by Lindy’s, while The Sporting News selected the September 24 matchup between Coe and Wartburg at Walston-Hoover Stadium as one of nine that Division III followers should keep their eyes on.

 

Number Crunching: Coe’s Brad Boyle and Luther’s Chris Reynolds enter the 2011 season ranked among the active leaders in Division III career passing yardage, according to information compiled by various Division III sports information directors in the offseason. Boyle ranks fifth with 6,083 yards, while Reynolds is ninth with 5,127. Alex Tanney of Monmouth (Ill.) is Division III’s active leader with 10,382 yards.

 

Additionally, Dubuque wide receiver Michael Zweifel enters the season with 323 career receptions, good for third on the Division III career receptions list. Granted a fifth year of eligibility due to a medical hardship, Zweifel needs five receptions to pass Blake Elliott of Saint John’s (327 receptions, 2000-03) for second place. Scott Pingel of Westminster (Mo.) is the current leader in the category, hauling in 436 passes from 1996 to 1999. Along the way, Zweifel could also break the Iowa Conference record for career receptions currently held by Spartan receiver Matt Plummer, who made 258 of his 271 career receptions against Iowa Conference opponents from 1996 to 1999. Zweifel, who spent the first two years of his career at Wisconsin-River Falls, has 147 receptions in 14 games as a Spartan.

 

New Coaches: Paul Mierkiewicz is the new head coach at Loras, taking over for Steve Osterberger. Mierkiewicz, a 1989 and 1995 Loras graduate, spent the last ten years as head coach at Hastings College. He was a four-year member of the Duhawk football team playing for legendary Loras coach Bob Bierie. He also served as an assistant coach under Bierie from 1992 to 1998.

 

Season Openers: The season begins Thursday, September 1 with Dubuque traveling to Rock Island, Ill., to face Augustana College under the lights. The rest of the league takes to the field Saturday, September 3. The 2010 Iowa Conference season begins September 17 with four games – Buena Vista at Wartburg, Luther at Central, Simpson at Coe, and Loras at Dubuque. Cornell has the opening weekend of league play off before making the trek to Storm Lake to visit Buena Vista on September 24.

 

Team-By-Team Preview: A brief preview for each Iowa Conference team follows.

Buena Vista returns 15 starters and 29 letterwinners from last season’s 3-7 team that tied for seventh in the Conference with a 2-6 record. The Beavers will be looking for improvement from a unit that ranked sixth in the league in total offense at 277.5 yards per game. A key will be the play of the offensive line where only two starters from 2010 – junior center Michael Wiegmann and senior tackle Andrew Barksdale – return.

 

Some of the inexperience up front should be offset by the group of seasoned veterans at the skill positions. Starting quarterback Bo Darrow returns, as do the top three rushers and top three receivers from 2010. Darrow, now a junior, threw for 1551 yards and seven touchdowns and was the team’s third leading rusher with 268 yards and five touchdowns. Running back John Hall, also a junior, led the Beavers last year with 411 yards and three scores on the ground and also caught four balls for 44 yards and a touchdown. Junior Logan Lehrkamp led the team in receiving in 2010 with 39 catches for 463 yards and two touchdowns, ranking seventh in the league in receptions per game and ninth in receiving yards per game. Lehrkamp also figured into the return game, averaging 8.4 yards per punt return and 13.1 yards per kick return. Senior Larry Marcel hauled in 23 passes for 444 yards and three scores last year, while junior Gunnar Wyatt caught 21 balls for 355 yards and three touchdowns. Wyatt, who also doubled as the Beavers’ placekicker to open last season, ranked second behind Darrow on the team in scoring with 10 extra points in addition to the three touchdowns.

 

The Beavers return eight to a defensive squad that finished fourth in the Iowa Conference in total defense (327.3 yards per game). Senior strong safety Alan Bladt leads the unit after finishing fourth in the Iowa Conference with a team-high 101 tackles last season. Bladt, a two-first team all-IIAC selection, also had 4.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, four forced fumbles, and one blocked kick. Senior cornerback Danny Pattee ranked third in the league with a team-high five interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. He also ranked third in passes defended at 1.3 per game and was fifth on the team with 41 tackles. Senior linebacker Travis Forkner ranked ninth in the league in tackles, averaging 8.5 per game, while also posting 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, one interception, two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

 

Up front, senior Aaron Giese anchors the defensive line. Giese, a second team all-league pick, had 38 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and broke up a pass.

 

Buena Vista head coach Jay Anderson says, “We are excited to get started with the 2011 season. We have some questions entering camp, getting those individuals reps in camp is our focus. I think the conference will be very competitive once again this fall. The quarterback play in our league will be very solid this year.” 

 

Central returns 14 starters and 37 letterwinners from last season’s 8-2 team that placed third in the Iowa Conference with a 6-2 record. The Dutch returns five of 12 All-Conference picks from a year ago, including four first-teamers, plus three honorable mention selections. The answer to the question “Who will lead the Central offense in 2011?” is an easy one – Snead. The only question is which one – Nate or Jeremy? The only sure way to answer that is to say that both will figure prominently into Coach Jeff McMartin’s plans. Both are two-time first team all-conference picks and multiple-time letterwinners and both, to the delight of the rest of the conference, are finally seniors.

 

Big brother Nate, who received a fifth year of eligibility courtesy of a medical hardship from the 2008 season, led the Dutch in passing and rushing last season with 1,510 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air and 642 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground to rank sixth in the conference in both categories. Snead became the first Central quarterback to lead the team in rushing in a season. His 215.2 yards of total offense per game ranked third league-wide, while his 90 points ranked second behind only league Offensive MVP Brad Boyle of Coe. Not to be outdone, little brother Jeremy led Central in receiving with 597 yards and seven touchdowns, ranking fourth in the IIAC in receiving yards per game and eighth in receptions per game.

 

Along with the Sneads, Central returns not one, but two, first team all-IIAC kick returners who double as wide receivers. Seniors Brett Wilkin (2009) and Mike Furlong (2010) each hauled in their share of passes in addition to their return duties. Wilkin caught 18 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns, while also averaging 19.1 yards per kick return and 8.8 yards per punt return. Furlong made 14 catches for 260 yards and averaged 23.6 yards per kick return and 9.4 yards per punt return to rank 64th and 54th, respectively, in Division III.

 

A co-captain this year and already a two-year starter at center, senior Casey Tanner is Central’s most experienced lineman. A 2010 all-IIAC honorable mention, he will anchor a unit that will look to fill the void left by the graduation of a pair of first team all-IIAC players and a third that received honorable mention. Seniors Nate Rouse and Colton Smith both have starting experience and should provide some leadership in the trenches.

 

Central must replace six starters from a defense that led the IIAC by allowing only 255.5 yards per game in 2010 – an average over 50 yards better than anyone else in the league, and only gave up an average of 78.7 yards on the ground. Up front, the Dutch are led by senior nose guard Brady Hill. Hill, a two-year starter who was named second team all-IIAC in 2009 and honorable mention in 2010, posted 29 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss last year.

 

At linebacker, juniors Keith Rush and Seth Carson will provide direction. Rush, another honorable mention all-league pick, ranked fourth on the team with 44 tackles with 9.0 for loss and a quarterback hurry from his weak-side position. On the strong side, Carson posted 33 tackles with 5.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

 

A pair of senior cornerbacks will lead the Central effort in the defensive backfield. Jake Peterson earned first team all-IIAC honors after posting 43 tackles, a team-high three interceptions and blocking a kick. He picked off two passes against Loras, returning one 58 yards for a touchdown. Ryan Schmidt, an all-IIAC second-teamer in 2010, ranked second on the team with 54 tackles including 3.0 for loss and a sack. He also intercepted one pass, broke up seven others, forced a fumble, and blocked a kick.

 

While Wilkin and Furlong have a virtual stranglehold on return duties, the question of who will kick the ball in 2011 is wide open as the Dutch graduated a pair of four-year starters in punter Kurtis Brondyke and placekicker Jake Viggers. The pair combined for five first team all-IIAC honors, and six all-IIAC honors overall, in their careers.

 

Central head coach Jeff McMartin says, “We have begun the preseason preparation for the upcoming year. Our players have a lot of work to do, but we are looking forward to a challenging schedule. Everyone in the IIAC will be improved and many teams have a lot of starters returning, which will make for an exciting year.”

Coe returns 14 starters and 33 letterwinners from last season’s 9-2 team that finished second in the Conference with a 7-1 record and advanced to the NCAA Division III Football Championship. Two-time reigning league MVP Brad Boyle returns under center to direct a Kohawk offense that led the Iowa Conference in scoring (36.8 points per game), total offense (458.0 yards per game) and passing offense (281.4 yards per game). Boyle completed 63.4 percent of his passes (192-of-303) for 2,972 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 232 yards and 19 scores, leading the league in passing (270.2 yards per game), passing efficiency (167.9), total offense (291.3 ypg), and scoring (114 points; 10.4 per game). He ranked seventh in Division III in passing efficiency, 12th in total offense and 17th in scoring.

 

Junior running back Brendan Leiran, another first team all-IIAC pick, will be the workhorse in the backfield after leading the league and ranking 27th in Division III in rushing in 2010. He totaled 1,225 yards on 209 carries for average of nearly six yards per carry and nine touchdowns. In addition, Leiran proved to be a very capable receiver out of the backfield with 27 catches for 254 yards and three more scores, leaving him ranked third in the league in scoring with 72 points and tops in the IIAC in all-purpose yards (1479 yards; 134.5 ypg).

 

Also back for Coe on offense are wide receivers Jared Kuehner and Nick Ratchford. Kuehner, a junior, caught 35 passes for 675 yards and four scores, leading the team in receiving yards and ranking third in receptions. Ratchford, a senior, hauled in 20 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown in only seven games.

 

Junior left tackle Jacob Deaton also earned first team all-conference honors and should be the anchor of an offensive line that returns three starters (Deaton plus seniors Sam Wright at left guard and Joel Brockmeyer at right tackle) and another (Carrington Daniel) with starting experience that was injured during most of the 2010 season.

 

The key to the Kohawks’ possible ascension to the top of the Iowa Conference ladder may lie in how much their pass defense improves from 2010. Coe allowed a league-high 216.7 yards per game through the air last season. Missing are both starting safeties from a year ago, but the rest of the starting defensive secondary returns as does the entire starting linebacking corps.

 

Senior Jake Breitbach returns at one cornerback position after posting 41 tackles with 1.0 for loss, intercepting two passes and breaking up 12 others. He should be balanced by junior Bryce Sampson, who posted 39 tackles, 1.5 for loss, one interception and three pass break-ups a year ago.

 

Seniors Ben Carr and Connor Worthington both started all 11 games and ranked 1-2 on the team (and 14-15 in the league) in tackles last season. Carr, playing primarily out of the middle, led the team with 83 stops, 7.5 for loss and 1.0 sack. He also broke up a pass, notched three quarterback hurries and recovered two fumbles. Worthington added 82 tackles, 5.5 for loss, with 2.0 sacks and five pass break-ups. Senior Jake Lower and junior Zach West split starts at the final linebacker position with Lower starting six games and West five. Lower ranked fifth on the team 51 tackles, 1.0 for loss. He added an interception, two quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. West made 42 stops with 5.0 for loss and 1.5 sacks. He added a pick against Cornell and two quarterback hurries.

 

Up front, the defensive line will be anchored by senior Tyler Hemry and sophomore Frank Weymiller, who missed the 2010 season with an injury. Hemry, an honorable mention all-IIAC pick, posted 43 tackles while ranking third in the IIAC with 15.0 tackles for loss and fourth in the league with 8.5 sacks. It is hoped that Weymiller can return to the form he showed in 2009 when he earned first team all-IIAC and D3football.com honorable mention All-America honors after ranking in the top-20 in Division III with league-leading totals in sacks (15.5; No. 3 nationally) and tackles for loss (21.0; tied for 16th nationally).

 

Also back for the Kohawks is junior punter Chase Cooling, who ranked third in the league last season with an average of 38.6 yards per kick.

 

Coe head coach Steve Staker says, “The Kohawks are looking forward to the 2011 football season with cautious optimism. Based on last year’s offensive stats and the number of returning starters, the offense would appear to be our strength this season. The defense with key people returning from last year’s squad looks to improve across the board in all categories. Looking at the conference race, it would appear that Wartburg, Central and Coe will be in the thick of the battle with strong challenges coming from Dubuque, Luther, Loras and Buena Vista. I also look for Simpson, and Cornell to be much improved.”

Cornell returns 13 starters and 30 letterwinners from last year’s 0-10 team that finished ninth in the Conference with an 0-8 record. With only 62 players on the preseason roster, the Rams are not big in numbers, but they do have eight sophomores who started at some point during the 2010 season.

 

Despite ranking ninth in the league in total defense last season, the Rams return a core on defense that received ample respect from the league’s coaches in 2010. Defensive lineman Aaron Spickermann, linebacker Tyler Bailey, and defensive back Nick Brautigam each earned second team all-league honors from the coaches, while linebacker Geoff Miller was one of two Cornell players to receive honorable mention.

 

Bailey, a senior, ranked third in the league and tied for 21st in Division III with a team-high 110 tackles. Of those, 8.5 were for loss along with 2.0 sacks. He also broke up a pass and forced a fumble. Miller, a sophomore, ranked second on the team, fifth in the league, and tied for 94th nationally with 90 tackles, 8.0 for loss. He also returned an interception for a touchdown against Luther, broke up four other passes, and forced three fumbles. Brautigam, another freshman, ranked third on the team and seventh in the conference with 78 tackles from his free safety position. He intercepted one pass and broke up five others during the season.

 

Up front, Spickermann, a senior, posted 40 tackles with 9.0 for loss and 3.0 sacks.

 

Offensively, seniors Jeff North and Zach Schwarz and junior Sean Langan will anchor an offensive line that produced a passing offense that ranked sixth in the league last season. North and Schwarz started all 10 games last season while Langan played in six with two starts after starting all 10 games at left guard in 2009. North was also an all-league honorable mention selection.

 

Behind the line, the Rams have an experience signal caller in junior Andrew Burdick. In 2010, Burdick started seven games, throwing for 1,354 yards and six touchdowns and rushing for 168 yards and three touchdowns. He enters the season ranked among Cornell’s career leaders in completion percentage (third, 56.1), completions (fourth, 294) and pass attempts (fourth, 524) and needs only 95 completions and 187 pass attempts to become the school’s career leader in both categories.

 

Wide receivers Thomas Connor and James Scully look to be two of Burdick’s primary targets this season. Connor started nine games, pulling in 30 balls for 255 yards and a touchdown. He also figured into Cornell’s return game, averaging a league-high 21.6 yards per kick return, and led the squad in all-purpose yards with 843, a figure which ranked fifth in the IIAC. Scully caught 12 balls for 194 yards and a touchdown in seven games.

 

Sophomore punter/placekicker Anthony Bridges hit five of 10 field goals with a long of 42 yards and was 13-of-14 on extra-point attempts. He also punted 52 times for 1,839 yards to rank seventh in the league with a 35.3-yard average.

 

Cornell head coach Vince Brautigam says, “I would like to see us progressively get better each week. With a majority of our team being either freshmen or sophomores I’m excited to see how far we can mature. As in years past, I think the conference championship could be won by three or four teams. A lot will be determined by who can stay healthy and win during the last three weeks of the season.”

 

Dubuque returns 15 starters and 60 letterwinners from last season’s 4-6 team that finished sixth in the Conference with a 3-5 record. The Spartans’ offense returns virtually intact from 2010 and, as a bonus, will benefit from the return of record-setting wide receiver Michael Zweifel for another year after he was the granted a medical hardship for last season. Zweifel played in only four games before being shut down for the year but still finished second on the team with 36 receptions for 512 yards and two touchdowns.

 

Junior quarterback Wyatt Hanus will lead the offense. In 2010, he threw for 1,622 yards and eight touchdowns in seven games. Joining Hanus in the backfield will be senior running back Justin Spaulding. Spaulding, a two-time all-league selection, ranked second in the Iowa Conference in rushing with 782 yards on a league-high 212 carries with seven touchdowns. He also caught nine passes for 43 yards and returned eight kickoffs, averaging 21.5 yards per return. Spaulding ranked fourth in the IIAC in all-purpose yards (99.7 yards per game), tied for ninth in scoring among non-kickers (42 points) and 10th in the IIAC in total offense (78.2 yards per game)

 

In addition to Zweifel and Spaulding, Hanus will also have senior wide receiver DeMacus Fleming and junior tight end Miles Hookstead as options in the passing game. Fleming, a second team all-IIAC pick last year, led the team with 52 receptions for 860 yards and seven touchdowns, leading the IIAC in receiving yards per game (86.0) and ranking second in receptions per game (5.2). He also returned a team-high 17 kickoffs, averaging 19.1 yards per return, ranked third in the league in all-purpose yards (121.1 yards per game) and tied for ninth in scoring among non-kickers (42 points). Hookstead played in all 10 games, catching 31 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns.

 

Junior center Richard Skaife, an all-IIAC honorable mention pick in 2009, will anchor an offensive line that returns intact from 2010. As a group, the Spartans offensive line allowed only 15 sacks last season, second only to IIAC champion Wartburg (5).

 

Junior middle linebacker Trevor Runkle, a second team all-league pick in 2010, will anchor a defense that ranked fifth in the IIAC last year (355.0 yards per game) and third against the pass (182.4 yards per game). Runkle ranked second on the team and 18th in the league with 65 tackles, including 2.0 for loss. He also recorded one interception.

 

The defensive line will be led by junior Stephen Vassalotti, a 2010 IIAC honorable mention pick. Vassalotti ranked eighth on the team with 40 tackles, including 9.0 for loss and 4.0 sacks, to rank 12th and 18th, respectively, in the IIAC in the latter two categories.

 

Sophomore cornerback Dylan Ramsey will lead the charge in the defensive backfield in addition to returning starter Jeff Moise. Moise, a junior, posted 36 tackles, 1.5 for loss, and had one pass break-up and a fumble recovery.

 

Sophomore punter/kickoff specialist Steve Jones punted 28 times in 2010, averaging 33.1 yards per kick. He also placed nine kicks inside the 20-yard line. Jones also averaged 57.6 yards on 47 kickoffs. Fellow sophomore Tyson Carter, ordinarily an offensive lineman, will handle long-snapping duties.

 

Dubuque head coach Stan Zweifel says, "We have to stay healthy. If we do, we will be a factor in the IIAC."

Loras returns 14 starters and 52 letterwinners from last season’s 5-5 team that tied for fourth in the Conference with a 4-4 record. The Duhawks return five starters offensively, but three are offensive linemen who are juniors – Sam Ross, Nick Holeton, and Alex Lehmann. The trio forms the foundation of a unit that will look to improve on last season’s offense that ranked seventh in scoring offense (15.6 points per game) and rushing offense (105.9 yards per game), eighth in total offense (259.5 ypg) and ninth in passing offense (153.6 ypg).

 

The Duhawks will also have an experienced signal-caller at the helm in senior quarterback Vaughn Gesing. Gesing, who has started every game of his collegiate career, threw for 1,536 yards and 10 touchdowns last year to rank fifth in the IIAC in passing average (153.6 yards per game) and seventh in pass efficiency (101.6). He also ranked eighth in total offense at 131.6 yards per game.

 

While Gesing’s two favorite targets from last year have moved on, he will not be without options in 2011. Senior Gavin Kaiser hauled in 19 passes for 211 yards and two scores last season. He was also the Duhawks’ primary kick returner, averaging 20.3 yards on 25 returns to rank third in the league. Kaiser led the team and ranked 10th in the IIAC in all-purpose yards, averaging 75.6 per game. Sophomore wide-out Joe Walker also looks to have an impact offensively. Walker, who spent the last eight games of 2010 as the Duhawks punter, averaged 36.0 yards per punt, dropping 14 kicks inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and booming four 50-plus yards.

 

On the ground, junior running back Ryan Baez returns after rushing for 532 yards and two touchdowns in 2010. He also made 10 catches for 76 yards out of the backfield.

 

The Duhawks ranked third in the league in total defense (313.3 ypg) and second in pass defense (178.7 ypg) last season, but increased pressure up front will need to make up for the loss of three-quarters of the defensive backfield as new starters get their feet wet. Seniors Frank Pereiro and Aaron Strong will provide some of that pressure at defensive tackle and end, respectively. Pereiro posted 34 tackles with 8.0 for loss and 4.0 sacks. He also broke up a pass and forced a fumble. Strong charted 37 tackles with 4.0 for loss and 3.0 sacks. In addition, he broke up four passes and recovered a fumble.

 

The linebacking corps will be led by a trio of juniors – Zack Myers, David Zoeckler, and Brandon Ronan. Myers, a second-team all-league pick, ranked second on the team with 65 tackles with 7.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. He added an interception, seven pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Zoeckler, an IIAC honorable mention selection, was third on the team with 60 tackles, including 2.0 for loss and 1.0 sack. Ronan was fifth on the team with 54 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and a sack. He added three pass break-ups and a forced fumble.

 

Loras head coach Paul Mierkiewicz says, “We are excited as we enter the 2011 season. We expect to play hard-nosed physical football all season long. We feel there is great potential on this team and if we pay attention to details and get better each week we will have a good chance to meet our team goals. When you look at the quality of players and coaches in this league from top to bottom, I feel this is one of the strongest conferences in the country. You better be ready to play every Saturday because there are no weeks off. 

Luther returns 11 starters and 34 letterwinners from last season’s 5-5 team that finished tied for fourth in the Conference with a 4-4 record. Senior linebacker Kyle McGivney continued to be a thorn in opposing offenses’ sides in 2010, breaking the Division III single-season record for tackles with 198 en route to completing the trifecta with D3football.com, AFCA and Associated Press Little All-America honors. A two-time first team all-league pick, McGivney added 6.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, four pass break-ups, one quarterback hurry, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Junior linebacker Trent Kerrigan posted 89 tackles, 6.5 for loss, and 3.0 sacks to rank sixth in the league in tackles.

 

Up front, junior Obi Ukabiala returns, as does senior nose tackle Shane McGuire. Ukabiala recorded 28 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks, while McGuire, an honorable mention all-league pick in 2010, added 25 tackles with 3.0 for loss.

 

Whether it be through the air or on the ground, the primary objective for most IIAC defenses when playing Luther the past couple of years has been to find quarterback Chris Reynolds. The versatile two-sport athlete who is also the starting second baseman for the Norse baseball team is now a junior and was a second team all-IIAC pick last season. A dual threat, Reynolds completed 59.5 percent of his passes (188-of-316) for 1,843 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. He also led the Norse in rushing with 691 yards and four touchdowns and even caught a touchdown pass in 2010. Reynolds ranked third in the league in passing (184.3 yards per game), fourth in rushing (69.1 ypg), and fifth in pass efficiency (120.1), while his 2,534 yards of total offense ranked second only to IIAC offensive MVP Brad Boyle of Coe.

 

On plays where Reynolds does relinquish control of the ball in 2011, he will have some experienced folks on his side. Senior wide receiver Dalen Dirth, a 2010 IIAC honorable mention pick, hauled in a league-high 65 passes for 590 yards and three touchdowns. He ranked fifth in the IIAC in receiving yards per game. Steven Thompson, a fellow senior wide-out, caught 40 passes for 513 yards and eight touchdowns to rank sixth in receptions per game (4.0), eighth in receiving yards per game (51.3) and seventh in scoring (4.8 points per game). Junior running back Dan Ridenour rushed for 544 yards and four touchdowns and caught 15 passes for 96 yards out of the backfield last season.

 

Senior Alex Tomesch and junior Ian Naatz, an honorable mention all-IIAC pick last season, will be looked at to anchor a line that returns three of five starters from an offensive unit that ranked third in rushing offense (181.3 yards per game), fourth in total offense (366.9 ypg) and scoring offense (23.5 points per game), and fifth in passing offense (185.6 ypg).

 

On special teams, placekicker Seth Streeter returns. Streeter, a junior, made nine of 11 field goals and was 22-of-28 on PATs for a team-leading 49 points. He ranked 10th in the IIAC in scoring, averaging 4.9 points per game. His total ranked fourth among the league’s kickers.

 

Luther head coach Mike Durnin says, "We are excited about the progress our players have made during the course of the past years and looking forward to seeing them take another step forward. I am confident these players will give everything they have on the field of play this fall. The IIAC is once again a great conference and every Saturday will be a big game! There is no doubt we have a number of teams who are capable of vying for a conference championship. Kyle McGivney provides great leadership and a great skill set at linebacker, along with the proven ability to make plays on the field.  It will be fun watching him play from sideline to sideline for his senior year. 

Simpson returns 25 starters and 50 letterwinners from last season’s 2-8 team that tied for seventh in the Conference with a 2-6 record. With nearly everyone back, expectations are high for a Storm squad that ranked in the lower third of most statistical categories in 2010.

 

Center Brian Tjossem should be the anchor of a line that returns all five starters, including 2010 all-IIAC honorable mention pick Rory Hennessy, and sees the return of junior tight end Alex McCarty to the mix. While his blocking ability will be a welcome addition, McCarty also caught a team-high 33 passes for 318 yards in 2009 before missing last season with an injury.

 

Sophomore Taylor Nelson took the majority of snaps under center last year, completing 53.3 percent (129-of-42) of his passes for 1,301 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also the team’s second-leading rusher with 201 yards and two touchdowns on 102 carries. The return of McCarty only adds to a receiving corps that returns intact. Sophomore wide receiver Brad Vogel, a 2010 honorable mention all-IIAC pick, led the team with 36 receptions for 383 yards and four touchdowns, while junior Taylor Rogers added 25 catches for 273 yards and two scores and senior Ben Coy had 16 catches for 166 yards and a score.

 

Sophomore running back Michael Chia rushed for a team-high 430 yards and three touchdowns and caught six passes last season out of the backfield.

 

A key for the Storm defensively this year will be the squad’s ability to limit big plays and create stops. That effort will begin in the middle with senior inside linebacker Braden Everding. Everding, an honorable mention all-league pick in 2010, posted team-highs with 82 tackles, 8.0 for loss, and 5.0 sacks to rank 12th in the league in tackles, eighth in sacks and 17th tackles for loss. Up front, Simpson will be led by defensive tackle Joe Sorenson and defensive end Ty Larsen, both seniors. Sorenson recorded 18 tackles, 1.5 for loss, and 0.5 sacks, while Larsen added 12 tackles, 1.0 for loss, and 0.5 sacks.

 

Vogel also made his mark as a return specialist ranking second in the IIAC in both punt return average (6.9 yards per game) and kick return average (21.2 ypg). That combined with his receiving yards left him ranked second in the league in all-purpose yards (121.1 ypg). Elsewhere on special teams, both senior placekicker James Gale and junior punter Cameron Oviatt return. Gale converted 17 of 19 PAT attempts and was 2-for-4 on field goals for 23 points. Oviatt averaged 37.1 yards on 61 punts with 19 landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

 

Simpson head coach Jim Glogowski says, “I expect another competitive season within the IIAC. Several teams are returning veteran signal callers which should make for an exciting year. I am excited about our senior class and look forward to them providing leadership throughout the 2011 campaign.” 

Wartburg returns 14 starters and 40 letterwinners from last season’s 10-1 team that ran the table in the Iowa Conference en route to the program’s 12th league football crown. A total of 10 of Wartburg’s league-high 15 2010 all-conference picks are back in camp this fall, including seven first-teamers.

 

Back to direct the Knights offense for a second year is senior Dan Stiefel. Stiefel completed 55.5 percent (147-of-265) of his passes for 2,123 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed for 70 yards and six touchdowns. Stiefel ranked second in the IIAC in passing average (193.0 yards per game), and fourth in pass efficiency (130.9) and total offense (199.4 ypg). The unit protecting Stiefel has undergone some changes, though. Gone are four-year starters Morgan O’Connor and Spenser Herkelman, leaving senior left guard Jon Orr, a first team all-league pick, as the remaining all-conference player up front. The entire right side of the line returns, however, with senior twins Kyle and Kevin Huss at right tackle and right guard, respectively.

 

Joining Stiefel in the backfield is a pair of juniors in Reese Thompson and Brandon Sims. Thompson, a two-time all-league pick, led the team in rushing with 828 yards and 11 touchdowns over 11 games. He also caught 11 passes for 77 yards. Sims, a second team all-IIAC pick last year, was second on the team with 604 yards and eight scores on the ground in 10 games. In addition, he added eight catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Thompson ranked third in the IIAC in rushing with a 75.3-yard-per-game average, while Sims ranked seventh, averaging 60.4 yards per game. The pair also finished 7-8 in the league in all-purpose yards (Thompson–82.3 ypg; Sims–80.2 ypg) and tied for sixth in the league in scoring at 6.0 points per game.

 

First team all-conference pick Levi Helbling, a senior, leads the Wartburg receiving corps after hauling in a team-high 52 passes for 832 yards and six touchdowns a year ago. He ranked second in the league in receiving yards per game (75.6) and third in receptions per game (4.7).

 

The Knights’ defense will be led by senior defensive backs Garrett McGrane and Josh VanDenHul. Both were first team all-IIAC picks on defense in 2010. McGrane, a safety, was one of the league’s top tacklers, ranking eighth with an average of 8.5 tackles per game. He picked off a league-high six passes, returning two for touchdowns, had seven pass break-ups, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. VanDenHul added 36 tackles from his cornerback position and matched McGrane with six interceptions. In addition, he broke up nine passes and recovered two fumbles. VanDenHul ranked second in the league with 15 passes defended. McGrane ranked sixth with 13.

 

Leading the linebacking corps will be senior Ben Rector, a second team all-IIAC selection. Rector finished 2010 with 51 tackles, 7.0 for loss, and 4.0 sacks. He also broke up a pass, forced a fumble, and blocked a kick. Up front, senior defensive lineman Matt Tschetter will anchor the line. Tschetter, a first team all-league pick, ranked sixth on the team with 45 tackles, 11.0 for loss, and 9.0 sacks. He ranked second in the IIAC in sacks, averaging 0.82 per game, and sixth in tackles for loss (1.00 per game). Tschetter added a pass break-up, a quarterback hurry, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.

 

VanDenHul was also a major contributor on special teams where is a three-time All-Iowa Conference selection. He led the league in kickoff returns, averaging 24.2 yards per try, and fourth in punt returns at 5.5 yards per clip. The Knights also return two-time all-league punter Robby Salmon, a first team pick in 2010. Salmon, a senior, posted the IIAC’s top average last season at 42.7 yards per kick. He pinned opponents inside the 20 on 20 occasions and had 12 kicks of 50 yards or greater.

 

Wartburg head coach Rick Willis says, “Our players and coaches understand the expectations in our program and the challenges in the Iowa Conference. We are excited to again have the opportunity to meet both the expectations and the challenges.”