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EAST STROUDSBURG – Quarterbacks
Nate Daniels,
Matt Soltes and
Steven Adams all threw touchdown passes as East Stroudsburg University's offense accounted for five touchdowns and a field goal on eight possessions in the Warriors' annual spring game on Saturday night at Eiler-Martin Stadium.
Daniels, entering his redshirt junior season, guided the offense to touchdowns on both of his possessions. He set up a four-yard run by senior tailback
Eric Deery with big pass plays to junior
Dusty Reed and redshirt freshman
Jon Schnaars, and later hit redshirt senior
Jordan Hallman with a seven-yard TD pass. Daniels connected with Schnaars and sophomore
Rich Irving for first downs during the second scoring march.
Soltes, a redshirt freshman, hit a long pass play to Reed that led to a 12-yard TD run by senior tailback
Kendrick Williams on his first drive. Reed made the catch of the day on Soltes' next trip down the field with the offense, hauling in an 11-yard TD pass over the middle of the field. Schnaars also had a big catch on the drive and Williams had a pair of first-down runs.
Adams, a redshirt senior transfer from Shippensburg who quarterbacked the Raiders in 2010, finished the game with a 13-yard TD pass to Schnaars after connecting with Irving and freshman Adam Balint. He also led a drive which set up a successful 47-yard field goal by redshirt junior
John Schubert, who kicked for the Warriors during the first three games last year with
Taylor Groff out due to injury.
Redshirt sophomore cornerback
Andrew Coyle came away with the game's only turnover, intercepting a pass by Soltes near midfield. The Warriors punted on Adams' first possession before his next two drives resulted in the field goal and his TD pass to Schnaars.
The quarterback situation is one of several positional battles that will play out when the Warriors reconvene for fall practice in August. ESU will replace graduated senior
Ray Wagner, who was a Harlon Hill candidate and second team All-PSAC East pick in his only season as a starter last year.
The offense will also replace two linemen in four-year center
Dan Caffrey, twice named to the All-PSAC East team, and three-year guard/tackle
Zach Sarginger. The defense has several openings including tackle (
Cody Berry and
Rudy Cerami), linebacker (
Mike Bergey,
Bryan Billger and
Taylor Cave) and cornerback (
Shawnte Carroll, first team All-PSAC East).
Top returners on the offense include Williams and Deery at tailback and Reed, Hallman and redshirt junior
Robert Bleiler at wide receiver. All three receivers went over 600 yards last season, with Reed setting records for an ESU sophomore with 62 catches for 929 yards to lead the PSAC East in both categories. Hallman (35-854) averaged 24.4 yards per catch and had back-to-back 200 yard games vs. C.W. Post and Millersville, and Bleiler (33-659) had a 97-yard TD, the second-longest in school history, in the opener vs. Pace.
ESU brings back three multiple-year starters on the offensive line in redshirt seniors
Seve Rivers (second team All-PSAC East) and
Wrenton Wright II and redshirt junior
Greg Blue.
Defensive returners are led by the two ends, senior
Waverly Harris (29 tackles, 2.0 sacks) and redshirt sophomore
Brandon Gattelli (38 tackles, 3.5 sacks). Redshirt sophomore
Bryan Thomson (29 tackles, 2.5 sacks) gained valuable experience inside at tackle. Redshirt junior outside linebacker
Thomas Chesko (64 tackles, 2 interceptions) moved into the starting lineup late in the season and senior cornerback
Curtis Culbreath (73 tackles, 2 interceptions) is the Warriors' top returning tackler.
In the kicking game, Groff was 11-for-14 on field goals last season and is 27-for-35 (77 percent) in his career, including 10 of more than 40 yards. Sophomore
Jordan Bair averaged 37.8 yards on 44 punts as a freshman.
Head coach
Denny Douds will enter his 39th season in the fall, one year after setting the NCAA record for most games coached at a Division II institution. Douds owns the PSAC record with 232 career victories in his 397 games on the sidelines.