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Previous Editions: None |
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Mules Report |
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Hello from the great State of Texas! Or should I say…Howdy ya’ll! For those of you who don’t know me, I am a former Army ROTC Instructor at CMSU from the late 90’s. Since that time, some of you have come to know me as the fanatical Mule Fan on D2Football.com. A very brief background on what got me to the point of writing the “Mules Report”… Head Coach Willie Fritz and I arrived at Central within weeks of one another in the winter of 1996. I recognized very quickly that Willie Fritz is a man of character. Being a U.S. Army Officer, at the time, and witnessing Willie’s leadership style, first-hand, was a clear signal to me to support him, his staff, and the young men he mentors in whatever way my God-given abilities would allow. My passion for CMSU Football (and Central Athletics in general) has grown ever since. I am blessed with a wonderful wife, Brenda, and five healthy sons; Brad, Bob, Ben, Beau, and Brian. The boys range in age from 15 down to age one, respectively. The oldest, Brad, is a sophomore starting at DE for the Wichita Falls High School JV; a 4A school here in Texas. Enough about me and my family, let’s talk Mule Ball! * * * * * FANTASTIC FINISH: Before we talk 2006, I would be remiss if I failed to recall, one last time, the incredible finish to the season in 2005. Not only did the Mules defeat long-time nemesis Pittsburg State, but did so in Warrensburg in a way that will be ingrained in the memory of Mules Fans for the rest of their football lives. The 83-21 victory over Pittsburg State was the worst defeat in the modern history of Gorilla Football and many say an omen of things to come in Warrensburg? So many Herculean efforts went into that outcome but for those of us on the field that day, including the guys who actually scored the points, I’m sure we would all echo, in unison, that there was no way that happened without the “Union”. The way the Mules played, they could have beaten the Division 1A Pittsburgh Panthers that day. The atmosphere was simply electric as most of you already know.
THE SITUATION GOING IN: In 2006, there are still plenty of unknowns, but let’s do our best to preview the upcoming season with what we know at this point. Several months ago, the buzz among Mule fans was how will we make up for the loss of key players like, current San Francisco 49er, Delanie (D-Love) Walker, All-American Tackle Darryl Grace, and DT Mo White? Well the guess-work may be over. Read on… To be sure, the Mules have lost a lot of talented players in the past. We won’t even bother to go into that long list. Yet, Coach Fritz and his staff have always managed to find a way to bring a competitive team back to Vernon Kennedy Field. Honest questions still remain about how the program has fared in replacing some of the most key losses. To be even more specific, WR and O-Line (where Walker and Grace played) were the two biggest question marks just a few months ago back in the spring. There was also some concern about depth at LB, but we’ll get more into all these shortly. Here’s are two lists of the guys the coaching staff has brought in. The early signees… http://www.cmsu.edu/athletic/football/05-06%20News/2006Footballsignees.pdf …and the late signees… http://www.cmsu.edu/athletic/football/index.cfm?pg=05-06%20News/late_signees.htm And here’s the updated 2006 roster… http://www.cmsu.edu/athletic/football/2006%20news/2006%20Mules%20Roster.pdf Got it? Great! We have plenty of talent, we win the conference championship, eat a lot of great barbeque along the way, and everyone is happy, right? Okay, so it’s not that simple. We also lost some guys in the off-season that were expected to return and play some key roles. WR Imani Butler – focus on track. TE Zach Zwilling – personal reasons RB Jim Bouknight – personal reasons I have news for some of the newer Mules Fans. This kind of thing happens every year! The roster has over 100 young men on it and stuff happens. We all wish Imani, Zach, and Jim the very best in their endeavors and will always consider them a part of the Mule Family. We’ll address how the staff will address these specific losses later, but let’s start, as promised, with the O-Line and WR. * * * * * I had done a long, drawn out, by position, write-up for you and lo and behold, the Athletic Department came up with an excellent one at… http://www.cmsu.edu/athletic/football/06media_guide/2006FBGuide_13-48.pdf …so I’ll simply condense it some and give you some added perspective more in the form of a “Players to Watch” list. Let start with my favorite group, “The Union”. O-LINE: Center, Mike Pope. At 6’, 280, Mike is on track to finish his career by leading an O-line comprised of guys who will all be back except for him. Right Tackle, John Books, 6’ 5”, 290. Books should gain some “All-Something” honors this year, but don’t look for him to be focused on that. This ”Union” will play for one another, not themselves. Left Guard and “Super-Sophomore”, Mike Gunselman, at 6’ 3”, 304 has set Mules Strength records in the off-season. Also slated to start… at Right Guard, A.J. Baugh, 6’3”, 290 and protecting TK’s Backside will be Left Tackle Matt Oschner, 6’5”, 290. WIDE RECEIVER: The top returning receiver is Senior Matt Jacobsen who is ready to step into a prominent role for the Mules. Talk about stepping into prominence, former signal caller and team leader, Mike Spiegel plans to have an impact at WR this fall and looks to be used in several roles during games this season. Okay, we’ve talked about the loss of Delanie, or “D-Love”, as he now calls himself. Let’s talk about a gain, who is projected to start. Delta State transfer, Chad Ridley. Ridley, although not listed on the 2006 roster yet, is a rising Junior and was instrumental in the Statesmen’s defeat of the Gorillas to start the 2005 season. Jason McCartney, at 6’2’, 215, should give TK another option as well. RUNNING BACK: Two words. Will Caldwell. Will made his MIAA debut last season as the leading ground-gainer for the Mules. While his numbers didn’t lead the league, among a conference full of great RBs, he never-the less amassed over 1,100 all purpose yards with over 970 yards rushing and the rest in receiving. Jeremy Braden and Doral Thompson both return giving the Mules depth at RB. Word on campus is Freshman Justin Gore has looked good in practices and may get to demonstrate his talents some on game day? QUARTERBACK: Two letters…“TK”. Have we been in a better position at QB in the Willie Fritz era? There have been some good ones… Paul Kaiser, Dennis Gile, etc… but as good as they were, have we ever had the kind of threat at signal caller that we have in Pre-season All-American Toby Korrodi? This guy is simply phenomenal, but not just for the reasons you might expect. Sure he has, arguably, the best arm in DII. Sure his release more than makes up for what he lacks in mobility, but let’s be sure to point out his real strengths. He has two things going for him that are not arguable one way or the other with statistics. #1, he’s smart! He makes incredible decisions. Despite not having been the starter at the beginning of last season, he ended up throwing for an incredible 23 TDs with only two (2) picks; and he avoids the sack. Halleluiah! #2, he’s tough! Okay, so he doesn’t break any record in the weight room, but he has the respect of his linemen as a guy who can take a lick, get up, and ask the tackler if that’s “all he’s got”? Toby isn’t the only reason we are sitting pretty at QB in 2006. Don’t be surprised if you see a “true freshman” step in and get some snaps when games are “in hand”. Willie and his staff were busy in the off-season recruiting the two best QBs in the state of Missouri. Freshman Eric Czerniewski broke nearly every passing record in the state of Missouri last year while Tommy Corwin led his team to the 6A state title while breaking the record for passing yards in that game with 482. Taking his share of snaps in August also is David Mazar. If all else fails, WR Mike Spiegel has the experience (and the leadership) to step back in under center and keep the offense running. TIGHT END: The Mules may have the most underrated player in the MIAA at Tight End. Teddy Maxwell is simply an enigma. With plenty of tight end talent in the conference, Teddy has stayed under the radar the last couple of years. Expect big things from him in his senior season. He may have the best attitude on the team. At 6’4’, 250, he is thought to be one of the strongest TE’s in NCAA DII Football? He has set school records in the weight-room having power cleaned 372 pounds!!! That’s a record for all weight classes, including guys bigger than him. You would think Teddy, strong as he is, would be reserved for a blocking role, but he has exceptional hands and is fast too! Like Maxwell, Cody Raithel steps in at 6’4”, 250 and is a two time letter winner. Expect to see some two TE sets with Raithel serving as mostly a blocking TE while Maxwell gets the bulk of the scoring opportunities. Well that wraps up the offense. On to the defensive side of the ball… D-LINE: In a word; SOLID. At “the Hammer”, Central has 6’2”, 265lb DE Andrew Jilles. He is more than ably supported by 6’5”, 255lb Nose Guard Freddie McGowan. The Mules look to be in very good shape on the D-Line. Joining them on the D-Line will be returning lettermen DE Dallas Bryant, 6’3”, 265, and DT Derrek Lampkin, 6’3”, 275. The Mules are very athletic at this position and speed (rather than size) will be evident among this group; although there is no lack of size among them. The list of backups is deep here too. LINEBACKER: The word on the street is that we’ve really done well here in the off-season. Not only are season veterans returning at Linebacker, but the off-season has seen some additional depth added. Look to Senior Rodrick Washington and Sophomore Adrian Singletary to be the 1st team guys, but look to Senior Jake Weishaar and Sophomore Mike Dillon to get plenty of playing time as Coach Fritz will again run the linebacking corps by committee, just now with more depth and experience. Coach Fritz has commented that this may be the strongest corps unit on the Mules Roster? What a difference a year makes… DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: The Mules have talent to burn at Safety and plenty of depth there too. Free Safety and Pre-season All-American, Kendall Ricketts, is just a junior and returns having led the team in tackles in 2005. What’s really nice is that Kendall is just a Junior this year. One can only imagine what kind of defensive records he’ll break should he stay healthy through his senior year. Senior Kellen Nesbitt will play the bandit role and Sophomore John Samia will get plenty of playing time. Redshirt freshman, Adrian Chapman, is another one of Willie’s athletes that’ll be sure to impress in the defensive backfield as time goes on. At Cornerback, Bruce Williams represents perhaps the fastest player in the MIAA. He is also big enough to handle any receiver either at the line of scrimmage or battling for a jump ball. Also at corner will be red shirt freshman Randy Shepherd. There’s not much depth after these two, but Willie has been recruiting athletes for several years and you can expect to see some new faces at the corner at times. The Mules return the top punter in the conference in Junior Matt Frankel and for the first time in years, there is no clear player at the kicker position as several will battle it out for these duties. The biggest question mark, perhaps for the first time in the Willie Fritz era is who will return kicks? I could speculate, like the rest of you, but let’s just say it’ll be an “athlete”. J Well, Mules fans, I’ll close this first ever edition of the “Mules Report” with a personal request, which is two-fold.
Meet ya’ll
on the High Ground! |
| Bill Steinke is a contributing writer for MulesCentral.com. His Mules Report will appear every Tuesday throughout the season. Bill resides in Wichita Falls, Tx. |
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Copyright © 2006 MulesCentral.com. All rights reserved. This website is an independent source of news and information, and is not affiliated with CMSU or the NCAA. |
Greetings
Fellow Mules Fans,
