Catching up with Stevenson Football
- Dan Williams
Stevenson Football had a tough end to last season as they went 9-2, won there conference, but lost in the first round of the national playoffs. Losing guys like Austin Tennessee, who had a stint with the Minnesota Vikings in training camp, can be pretty detrimental to a defense. They not only lost Tennesse but safety Billy Lewis, and corner Jimmy Lauer. All three playmakers on a very dominate defense. As one may think there secondary got weaker, they added young guns to the roster to add speed and athleticism. Throughout this upcoming season Stevenson’s secondary will only improve.
Division III powerhouse, Stevenson University had a rough start to the season with a 33 to 7 loss against Frostburg State. The Mustangs, who were the number 18 school in the country to start the season, traveled to Bobcat stadium to take on the number 17 Frostburg State Bobcats.
Stevenson Quarterback and raining MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference) offensive player of the year, Dan Williams was off to what looked like a good start with a 31 yard touchdown pass to wideout Devin Salisbury. But he couldn’t keep his rhythm throughout the game as you saw the offense fall apart due to the lack of protection from the offensive line. The Mustangs finished the game with a ridiculous, -30 rushing yards, and 174 passing yards. Wide receiver Preston Addo totaled for 99 yards, 80 receiving and 29 on the ground. The Defense didn’t look terrible, but wasn’t getting much help, if any at all, from the offense in this game. While Frostburg was a team Stevenson looked forward to playing, it wasn’t there day to have a day.
Moving on to Kings. Stevenson bounced back with a 38-9 win over Kings out of Pennsylvania on Saturday. Dan Williams threw for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns, proving that he’s still got it. He distributed the ball nicely as his three top receivers all had touchdowns. Playmaking wideout Preston Addo finished the game with 7 receptions for 132 yards and 2 scores. Sure-handed receiver, Devin Salisbury finished with 11 receptions for 67 yards and a score, and my guy DeQuan Ellison finished with 5 receptions for 71 yards and a score. This group of receivers is extremely talented and each guy fits a different needed role in this explosive offense. Former JMU running back Jainard Crawley-Lambert shook the Frostburg game and went off for 94 yards on the ground. The Defense was the X-factor in this game as they forced 3 turnovers, and also had 3 sacks. Zach May, sophomore corner, had a 61 yard pick six right before halftime. Junior and first team all conference linebacker Ashton Leschke led the team with 12 tackles, and senior and defensive captain and linebacker Corey Pietrzyk had 2 sacks. Stevenson Football will now put focus on FDU-Florham for Saturday’s game (9/16).
Players to Watch:
Offense- Dan Williams, Preston Addo, Devin Salisbury, DeQuan Ellison, Jainard Crawley-Lambert
Defense- Zach May, Corey Pietrzyk, Ashton Leschke, Chuck Brown, Isaiah Pitts, DJ Braxton, BJ Lathum, Kobe Bolanos, Daniel Flowe, Brenden Flaherty
Be sure to check back for future updates on Stevenson Football and pre-game/ post-game analysis
Written by Zach Scott
