The John Carroll football program experienced some hardships last season that led to some “firsts” that it did not want to accomplish -- such as a first ever finish outside the top four places in the Ohio Athletic Conference. 

But with 40 letterwinners back in the fold, including the return of 2008 preseason All-America defensive end Ken Bevington, head coach Regis Scafe is optimistic about the 2009 campaign. 

“There were a lot of factors that went into our finish last year,” said Scafe of last year's squad that finished 5-5 overall and 4-5 in the OAC. “But we want to turn the page on that and move forward. The silver lining in any season were injury counts are high is that a lot of guys get playing time and valuable experience. We may not have a ton of starters back, but we over 40 guys who saw significant action, and that will help us get where we want to go.” 

Taking a page from stadium namesake and John Carroll alumnus Don Shula, the “No Name” Blue Streaks are aiming high even if expectations outside of the JCU camp are not. 

“If you look at us on paper, the assumption would be that we are rebuilding,” said Scafe. “For instance, we graduated our quarterback, a thousand yard receiver and several key defensive players. But I prefer to think of us as reloading. That is the mindset of this group, and I have been very impressed with the leadership in the offseason. If we people want to down grade us or underestimate us based on what they see on paper, so be it. It will be our challenge to prove otherwise.” 

Of course, Shula's "No Name Defense" was a big reason why the 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the only undefeated team in NFL history. The Blue Streaks, with similar anonymity, hope to make some history of their own in 2009.


The Offense 

The quarterback and backfield jobs are wide open heading into camp, but the offensive line and receiver corps return almost virtually intact. 

Senior Jeff Javorek, an all-conference performer as a punter in 2008, is the most experienced signal caller in the program on the collegiate level. He has seen limited time behind center, passing for 68 yards last season, and scored his lone touchdown on the ground. 

The running attack by committee approach in 2008 was not by design as injuries wiped out the seasons of three of the top five backs. Senior Mark Elsaesser yielded some promise despite missing three games, gaining 135 yards and averaging 4.5 yards per carry to go with two touchdowns. Fellow injured listers and seniors, Kenneth Owens and Teree Harris, as well as sophomore Corey Castro, will also be back in 2009. 

Senior academic all-conference and all-district picks Joe Micca and Brian Stevenson head up the offensive line that also returns a pair of starting tackles in junior Philip Bokovitz and senior Kevens Dorsainvil. Adding the top tight end from a year ago – junior Nick Spahar -- gives the Blue Streaks as much experience up front as at any time in Scafe's tenure. 

Senior Breth Huth, senior Tim Heffernan and junior Adam Miller will also give John Carroll experience in the trenches. Sophomore Bob Schmitz was one of just two freshmen to letter last season, and will be a valuable asset at tight end once again. 

Frank Ross is an all-purpose threat as a member of the receiving corps, and that is based on the fact he can pass (a former high school quarterback), catch (nearly 1,000 career yards receiving) and run (he has over 700 career kick return yards). The senior headlines a unit that also features classmates Scottie Williams (307 yards, 3 TD in 2008), Chris Esparza and John Terwoord, and juniors Tim Lynch and Josh Rentz.


The Defense 

On the defensive side, Bevington and fellow pass rusher Chuck Iheama both missed the final seven games of 2008. The two seniors return in 2009 hoping to regain their form. In his 2007 All-American season, Bevington was ranked in the top ten in Division III in both sacks and tackles for losses. Iheama had 17 tackles and two sacks before he was sidelined last year – and still finished 14th on the team in total tackles. 

Cody Brady and Case Allin saw time in the absence of Bevington and Iheama, and will give John Carroll's defense two more playmakers coming from the outside. Stephen McGrath, a 2007 letterwinner, is also back with the squad. 

Senior Matt Hodges anchors the interior of the line as a returning starter, and will be joined by fellow senior Zac Hesketh 

Alex Mileskiewicz is the lone returning starter in the linebacker corps, but hardly the lone player with experience. Three-year letterwinner Jim Gilchrist, senior Marty Glose (whose 21 tackles in 2008 led all non-starters), junior special teams standouts Hayes Cooper, and Luke Whitworth, and sophomore Christopher Seitzinger all return, as does 2007 letterwinner Kevin Ryan who missed all of 2008. 

Defensive back Joe Cigas is the active leading tackler on the JCU roster (131 career stops), and will be the leader of the secondary. Junior Michael O'Neal, who was not a starter but was in a platoon situation last year and made 18 tackles, and fellow junior Jonathan Cooley are among the many hopefuls set to rebuild the cornerback position. Also look for senior Evan Wells. Safety candidates to join Cigas are  juniors Matthew Dee and Kyle Fiegel. 


The Special Teams 

Javorek will handle the punting duties, while the placekicker job will be up for grabs this year. The kick return game has been handled by Ross and Cigas, but new names may step in as Ross and Cigas expand their scope in the respective schemes of the offense and defense. 


The Overview 

With two home games to open up against Thomas More (a 2008 NCAA playoff team) and Baldwin-Wallace (crosstown rival), John Carroll has an opportunity to get off to a strong start. But the Blue Streaks are hoping for a strong start and finish. A year ago, JCU began the campaign with a 5-1 record and were two spots outside the D3football.com national top 25. The season ended, however, on a four-game losing streak – the longest by the program since 1986. 

“We could be a surprising team in the sense that we have the talent but not the name recognition,” said Scafe. “Based on how we finished, expectations will not be high. What we hoping for is that we have the potential -- if we stay healthy -- to finish strong.”