Raiders Open Spring Ball Looking to Improve
Position Battles Abound, Roster Spots on the Line
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| Photo by Ryan Houck/The Slate |
By Ben Destefan
Sports Editor
The Shippensburg University football program has begun its spring practice schedule in hopes of finding new talent to replace the graduating seniors as well as solidify the fall roster for the returning starters.
After a 4-7 season last year, the Raiders look to make improvements in multiple aspects this spring that will help Shippensburg take a step forward in 2009. The team will conduct 15 practices leading up to the annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 18, which will greatly affect the outcome of who is invited to camp come summer.
Coach Rocky Rees has his sights set on who his quarterback is going to be with a highly contested position battle going on for the signal caller spot. “We need to improve on our throwing game this season. The quarterback battle is going to be interesting since the job is wide open and the guys will certainly be battling each other for the starting job,” Rees said.
The defensive front is another area that Rees looks to improve upon this spring. “The defensive front needs to improve as far as what they can do to help the defense as a whole. We need to improve everywhere, but the throwing game and defensive front are the key areas of concern,” Rees said.
Other than the battle for the quarterback position, Rees seems content with the talent that is returning offensively. “The running back position has plenty of depth and we have our top two wide receivers returning in Mike Harris and Chase DiFebbo. We will be looking for the guy that is going to fill the third receiver spot, but overall we have a lot of talent returning on offense,” said Rees.
On the defensive side of the ball, some positions are going to need to be filled because of the loss of the graduating seniors but returning cornerback Jamahn McCollough is optimistic about what the future may hold for the Raiders. “My goal this spring is to compete in practice and make my team and teammates better. We have a lot of young guys coming in trying to fill the spots we lost on defense. We have a lot of speed out here and I think we can do a lot of good things this year,” said McCollough.
Optimism or not, a 4-7 overall and 3-4 PSAC East record from a year ago allows for improvement and a necessity for those wishing to earn starting jobs this upcoming season to perform well this spring. Last season marked the first year Shippensburg was part of the PSAC Eastern Division, but Coach Rees does not use that as an excuse for the below average conference record.
“We were familiar with a majority of the teams to begin with so the division change really wasn’t a factor. We had never played Cheney or C.W. Post before and they were two of our victories so maybe we should have played them more. The key this season is we need to find ways to finish. We lost some close games last year that we would have won if we finished properly,” Rees said.
As for those wishing to earn starting jobs in the fall, the numbers alone speak for how well the players need to perform not only in the spring but throughout the entire offseason if they wish to be on the field come late August. The football program has 80 athletes participating in the spring practices along with a recruiting class of nearly 60.
This means that a total of 140 players are battling for playing time with only 110 getting the invite to camp in the summer. It is not only key for the athletes to perform well to get on the field in August but it is imperative if they wish to stay out of the 30 that will not be asked to report to camp.
It is certainly early in the offseason for the Shippensburg University football program, but decisions that will affect the success of the 2009 team are already in the making. For some, what happens in the spring practices can help earn them a ticket to training camp in the summer and for others, a potential starting spot in the fall.
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