FOOTBALL: Scouting Hillsdale's Chargers

Hillsdale College has some talent returning on both sides of the football as it enters this Friday evening's 7:30 p.m. season opener against Ferris State University at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids. This will be a non-conference game, but do not expect this battle to be any less intense as these two long-time rivals will be going at it as if there is a conference championship on the line. Besides, with the way college football is, a conference championship may not be on the line, but post-season dreams are certainly hanging in the balance.

Coming into Friday night's game in Big Rapids, against the host Bulldogs, the Chargers have some major holes to fill at quarterback, receiver and on the offensive line, but there is some talent stepping into those positions - even if that talent is young.

The nature of college football is that players come and go. As the veterans leave, following the end of the eligibility, younger (or theoretically lesser-experienced players) come in to take their spots. That is the case for Hillsdale in some places as they fill holes left by standout players who have moved on since the end of the fall 2010 campaign.

The Bulldogs will have a big challenge, however. Even with the departure of some strong players, Hillsdale returns a top-notch roster for Ferris to battle.

Some are not giving the Bulldogs much of a chance, but on paper this looks like a closer battle than some people think.

On the other hand, games are not played on paper (or on the Internet).

Here are some thoughts about how Hilsdale looks coming into Friday night's game:

QUARTERBACK

Anthony Mifsud is expected to step in as the starting quarterback for the Chargers this season as the replacement for the decorated Troy Weatherhead, who enjoyed an outstanding career in the Hillsdale backfield. Those are some big shoes to fill, but it's not easy to climb up the ladder of a Keith Otterbein depth chart unless you have proven something along the way. Observers can expect him to be well schooled and to not make too many mistakes. The hallmark of Hillsdale teams, under Otterbein, is to play mostly mistake-free football. One of the keys will be can Ferris' front seven apply the pressure to the new quarterback by getting into the offensive backfield and by keeping the running game from chewing up time and yards through long drives down the field.

RUNNING BACK

Joe Glendening returns as the man who will be carrying the rock out of the backfield for Hillsdale early and often this season. He is a workhorse-type back who is very durable. If he stays injury free then the Chargers will see big numbers from him from start to finish. A big key from him will be the big guys up front that will open the holes. Glendening will be up to the challenge as he and a young offensive line will face an experienced and talented front seven for the Bulldogs. He will help ease the transition for a new quarterback working to ease into playing in a top Division II conference. It's a little easier to play mistake-free football when you can turn and hand the ball off to a back the caliber of Glendening.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Sophomore (Tim Hornak), sophomore (Nick Landry), junior (D.J. Loy), sophomore (Patrick Ryan) and senior (Reid Meador) are the projected starters across the line for the Chargers this season. These are players who have been around a winning tradition, who understand the system and should be ready to perform when the lights pop on at Top Taggart Field. They will be challenged by a tough Ferris defensive line, however. This is the strength and the guts of any good offense. If this unit can perform well and hold up under the pressure it will see from the Ferris defensive line, then Hillsdale's offense will have a chance to perform well on the road in Big Rapids. If the Bulldogs' D-Line is able to get into the backfield often then, obviously, it will be tough sledding much of the night for Hillsdale.

SPECIAL TEAMS

One of the key members of special teams will be Nick Hixson, who is a local kid from the east side of Mecosta County having prepped at Chippewa Hills High School. So, this game will be a homecoming for Hixson, who also is a factor on the defensive side of the football as a top-notch defensive back. Glendening also is listed on the depth chart in the returns game.

DEFENSIVE LINE

The Chargers are fairly experienced with the players returning on the line on the defensive side of the football and. The defensive line has some experience and will be right there at the point of attack looking to contain the Ferris running attack that includes guys like Skyler Stoker, Dwayne Williams and even quarterback Tom Schneider.

LINEBACKERS

Hillsdale has a trio of sophomores (Devin Moynihan, Brett Pasche and Steven Embry) at linebacker patrolling that second level of the defensive for Otterbein's unit. This unit will help with holding down the FSU running game led by Stoker and Williams. Ferris has worked to strengthen its running game and the HC linebackers will be part of the group looking to control that running game on Friday night.

SECONDARY

This could be the strength of the Hillsdale defensive led by Hixson and Ben Karaba at the corners along with Joe Vear and Tyler Sandner at the safeties. This secondary will test the Ferris receiving corps led by Mike Ryan and Damien Miller. There will be some interesting battles from start to finish between the Bulldog receivers and the Charger DBs.

COACHING

Otterbein always has his teams well schooled and ready to play. This will be an interesting challenge for the veteran head coach. He has a younger team, but a team that comes into the season with national rankings and high expectations. As a coach who has been through it before, however, expect Otterbein to have his guys ready to shoulder the pressure and perform up to its capability. Don't expect the coaches or players to be awed by the moment or the circumstances.

FOOTBALL: Ferris Will Have To Watch Hillsdale's Running Game With Glendening

One of the major areas of concern for Ferris State, coming into Friday's season-opening football contest against Hillsdale, is controlling the line of scrimmage and the running game led by ace Chargers' back Joe Glendening.

Glendening, who earned honorable mention All-American honors last season as he rushed for 1,485 yards and 15 touchdowns, will test the Bulldogs' front seven early and often. The line and the linebackers will have to do a good job of holding their own - which means the secondary will have to hold its own to keep the passing game honest. Last fall, Hillsdale had quarterback Troy Weatherhead and receiver Andre Holmes as a big-time pass-catch combination. This year, there is a little less experience. That could mean a heavier dose of Glendening running the football. Anthony Mifsud, a big 6-4 passer, is expected to be the new starting QB for the Chargers, and he should do well for their team, but part of his success will be handing the ball off to Glendening.

That means guys like Jordan Morgan, Muneer Bawayeh, Brad Iskow, Tayo Moss, Mike Elias, Alex Brajak and others will have to be on their game.

The Bulldogs and Chargers will battle at Top Taggart Field, under the lights, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Big Rapids. This will be a special non-conference game between the long-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rivals.

HOCKEY: WCHA Is Best Option For Ferris State

There has been all kinds of talk about what direction that Ferris State University should take its hockey program in the wake of what has happened with the Big Ten and National Collegiate Hockey Conference damaging - to a greater or lesser degree depending on your perspective - the long-term health of the sport with their moves.

Ferris moving its program to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the 2013-14 is a sound decision that makes sense. Honestly, it was the best option for the Bulldogs to stabilize the program. Now, it was not just the best option for Ferris. It was the best option for all of the schools left in the WCHA and the schools that are making the move from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (so far: FSU, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and Lake Superior State University).

Ferris' program is now on stable footing, but it will not be complacent. To stay competitive with its future peers/foes in the WCHA, FSU must continue to upgrade and enhance its program and its facility: Ewigleben Ice Arena. I am sure Ferris will as its commitment to hockey has been illustrated this week with the move to the WCHA.

Moving to the WCHA, as of right now, maintains rivalries with in-state rivals Lake Superior and Northern Michigan University and renews a rivalry with Michigan Tech University. That is very healthy for FSU and for those schools as well. In these challenging times, with te University of Michigan and Michigan State University likely to avoid heading on the road much in the state, the so-called small schools must band together and protect each other. If this turbulent hockey summer has taught us anything, it's that there are increasingly more and more people motivated by arrogance and money.

Ferris has come out in solid shape under challenging circumstances. It will never be the same, but this may be the best case scenario in what looked like a scary situation not all that long ago.

VOLLEYBALL: Brecht Named One Of Ferris' Captains For 2011

Aly Brecht has been has also been named as one of Ferris State University's volleyball captains for the 2011 season.

Brecht, a 5-foot-10 junior outside hitter from Alma, had a breakthrough campaign last fall as she totaled 196 kills for the Bulldogs and had a career-high 11 kills on three different occasions during the 2010 season. She also totaled 118 digs as she elevated her game between 2009 and 2010.

She could be in store for even bigger things as we look ahead to the 2011 season.

Career Match Highs
Kills - 11, three times, last at Wayne State, 11/11/10
Attempts - 40 at Northern Michigan, 10/22/10
Assists - 3 vs. Mercyhurst, 9/4/10
Service Aces - 5 at Michigan Tech, 10/24/10
Block Solos - 1, three times, last at Hillsdale, 11/13/10
Block Assists - 4 at Grand Valley State, 10/23/09
Digs - 14 vs. Ashland, 10/8/10
#Neutral Site

Year	MP	SP	K	E	TA	Pct.	A	SA	Dig	BS	BA	TB
2009	12	20	17	10	58	.121	0	7	10	1	5	6
2010	28	105	196	121	660	.114	9	26	118	2	26	28
Career	40	125	213	131	718	.114	9	33	128	3	31	34

VOLLEYBALL: Video Interviews With Ferris State Players

Here are some clips of video interviews conducted with Ferris State volleyball players Ashley Huntey, Aly Brecht and Lisa Tobiczyk following a recent practice.

The Bulldogs are preparing for their season opener and are excited about the progress they have made during preseason practice.

FOOTBALL: Video From First Ferris Scrimmage Of Preseason

Here is some footage from Ferris State's football scrimmage on Saturday at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids.

The Bulldogs had a chance to dodge some tough rain/thunderstorms to get in their full scrimmage for fans at FSU.

VOLLEYBALL: Ferris Captains Are Top Notch

Ferris State University, from a leadership standpoint, should be in good hands with its trio of captains to begin the 2011 fall season.

The Bulldogs' captain trio consists of seniors Lisa Tobiczyk, a libero, and Ashley Huntey, an outside hitter, and junior setter Samantha Fordyce. Tobiczyk and Fordyce are not new to their roles as captains as they served in the same roles last year.

Any team would be hard pressed to find three better quality leaders for a team.

This is a new season, however, and the Bulldogs hope the leadership of their captains and the experience gained in recent years will begin to pay off in what sho

uld

be a strong Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Confere

nce for volleyball.

Ferris knows full well it will be in for a major battle every time out once conference play begins. The team also will have its hands full against some of the regional competition it will face as it builds its portfolio to hopefully qualify for NCAA Tournament play.

The Bulldogs finished the 2010 season with a record of 18-10 overall. Ferris will have a great opportunity to build on the success of last year and turn it into a positive this season. The Bulldogs have a chance to climb the ladder in the standings of the GLIAC to do some positive things - even if it is against stiff competition.

Ferris will open its 2011 season on Sept. 2-3 when it hosts the Ferris State Invitation

al in the Ewigleben Sports Arena and Jim Wink Arena. The Bulldogs will play four matches d

uring the two-day event - beginning with a 3 p.m. contest on Sept. 2 against regional opponent Drury (Mo.).

For more information, visit here.

FOOTBALL: Pierce's Comments From GLIAC Media Day 2011

Ferris State was picked to finish sixth in the GLIAC in the preseason poll that was released on Thursday by the league offices.

The Bulldogs, who finished 5-6 last year under head coach Jeff Pierce, hope to prove a lot of the doubters wrong. The doubters are among the coaches and among some of the fans, but the Ferris coaches and players are working hard to show that the Bulldogs are a better team than this preseason projection suggests.

This a video of comments from Pierce that was released today along with the preview of the conference's football season.

FOOTBALL: Coach Pierce Talks Defense

FOOTBALL: Coach Pierce Talks Offense

FOOTBALL: Ferris Looking To Be Precise In Its On-Field Performance

The Ferris State football defensive line unit works on drills during practice on Saturday morning in Big Rapids at Top Taggart Field. Below, offensive drills were a part of practice as well. (Photos/Sandy Gholston)

The coaching staff is focused on the fundamentals. And, with the season opener against a very good Hillsdale College team on Sept. 2 in Big Rapids looming on the horizon, Ferris State University knows it has little time to waste to be as well-prepared as possible.

In early practice sessions in Big Rapids this season, the team is focusing, early on, to strengthen the fundamentals.

That means the Bulldogs want to be precise in catching the football, throwing the football, running routes, blocking techniques, tackling techniques and more.

The FSU coaching staff, a veteran staff embarking on another fall preseason practice camp, wants to defy what likely will be lowered expectations when the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference releases its preseason poll (probably next week).

In the GLIAC, the margin for error is relatively small and thus the difference between victory and defeat can be the matter of a few plays in a game.

Ferris will work to iron out the kinks early in preseason practice as it looks to begin putting on pads soon and getting more and more focused on what it will face in week one when the Chargers visit Big Rapids for the season opener at Top Taggart Field on Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m.

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FOOTBALL: Hancock Talks About Being From Big Rapids

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HOCKEY: Former Bulldog Matt York Talks About His Memories of Playing At Ferris

VOLLEYBALL: 2011 Roster Set For Bulldogs

The Ferris State University volleyball team has its volleyball roster out for the 2011 season. The Bulldogs are gearing up for the start of practice as it gets set to begin practice.

The Bulldogs are coached by Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, who is in her 16th season. She has a squad that is a mixture of experienced players (such as seniors Lisa Tobiczyk, Ashley Huntey and junior Samantha Fordyce) and several newcomers who could make immediate impacts with this year's team.

2011 Ferris State University Volleyball Roster

No.	Name	Pos.	Cl.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown/High School
17	Aly Brecht	Outside Hitter	Junior	5-10		Alma, Mich./Alma
11	Samantha Fordyce (C)	Setter	Junior	5-11		DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt
9	Claire Grawburg	Middle-Outside Hitter	Freshman	6-0		Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester
3	Brianna Grover	Outside Hitter	Junior	5-9		Brownstown, Mich./Romulus
14	Caroline Heitzman	Outside Hitter	Freshman	6-1		Newaygo, Mich./Fremont
1	Kara Hess	Outside Hitter	Sophomore	5-11		Grand Rapids, Mich./Grandville
8	Ashley Huntey (C)	Outside Hitter	Senior	5-10		Stanwood, Mich./Morley-Stanwood
18	Angi Kent	Middle Hitter	Sophomore	6-2		Lansing, Mich./Waverly
16	Mallory Kopa	Middle Hitter	Senior	5-11		Marysville, Mich./Marysville
2	Brandie Merren	Setter-Defensive Specialist	Sophomore	5-7		Hopkins, Mich./Hopkins
10	Lindsey Miller	Middle Hitter	Junior	6-2		Granger, Ind./Mishawaka Penn
15	Courtney Rehm	Middle Hitter	Freshman	6-2		Portage, Mich./Central
7	Anne Sutton	Middle Hitter	Junior	6-2		Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview
12	Lisa Tobiczyk (C)	Libero	Senior	5-8		Marysville, Mich./Marysville
6	Paige Wyers	Setter	Junior	5-9		White Cloud, Mich./White Cloud
Head Coach: Tia Brandel-Wilhelm (16th Season) Assistant Coach: Jesse Ortiz (1st Season) Volleyball Operations Coordinator: Robin Young Athletic Trainer: TBA Equipment Manager: Ben Mumah, E.M.,C. (C) -- Denotes team captain

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HOCKEY: Former Ferris Assistant Lalonde Gets Head Job In Green Bay

Former Ferris State University hockey assistant coach Derek Lalonde, most recently an assistant at the University of Denver for the last five seasons, is in the news.

Lalonde has been named the new head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League, according to several published reports, including the Green Bay Gazette. This position with Green Bay will be the first time that Lalonde has been a head coach, but there is little doubt that he will be up to a challenge after working on college staffs with some strong coaches at Ferris and at Denver.

Congratulations to Coach Lalonde, his wife Melissa and their family. Maybe this could be a case of Derek taking a version of the Jeff Blashill road to success as he looks to become the next hot head coaching commodity at the college level and someday a coach in the National Hockey League.

More on Lalonde's hiring in the Green Bay Gazette:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110805/GPG0209/110805116/Gamblers-hire-University-Denver-s-Lalonde-new-head-coach?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|GPG-Sports

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HOCKEY: Too Early To Get Excited About CCHA-WCHA Merger Talks

A major buzz was created in the college hockey world when there was talk of a meeting between the commissioners of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, Fred Pletsch, and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, Bruce McLeod, in Chicago.

One report surfaced, from the Sentinel-Tribune in Bowling Green, Ohio, that the meeting included talk of a potential merger between the two leagues.

Discussions regarding a merger of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association were held Tuesday in Chicago.

Representatives of the two leagues met for "exploratory talks" about a merged 10-team league, CCHA commissioner Fred Pletsch said Tuesday.

Pletsch said the league commissioners will go back to their respective athletic directors to determine if further talks will take place.

It is interesting talk indeed, but I am skeptical of merger talks. I am mainly skeptical because merger general means someone has to allow their ego to take a step back.

This is from U.S. College Hockey Online, in interpretation of the article:

Most likely, according to the article, a merged league from the CCHA and the WCHA would consist of Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State and Alaska of the CCHA and Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, Northern Michigan and St. Cloud State.

A lot of chips still have to fall before anything moves forward between the two leagues. Notre Dame and Western Michigan are still out there waiting to make moves. Actually, the Fighting Irish are waiting to make a move and the Broncos move will likely be determined by what Notre Dame decides.

Stay tuned.

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