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EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University will finish its spring football practice sessions with its annual spring game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

The Warriors, entering their 42nd season under head coach Denny Douds, are coming off a 6-5 season and return 14 starters, including nine on offense, led by redshirt senior quarterback Matt Soltes.

Douds, who ranks third in NCAA Division II history with 250 career wins, enters his 50th year at ESU overall including eight seasons as an assistant coach (1966-73) before being named head coach in 1974. Douds has coached in a DII-record 429 career games, ninth-most in NCAA football history.

Soltes, who was named a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate for the second straight year, was limited to 7.5 games due to an injury suffered early in the third quarter on October 25 against Kutztown. The Warriors were 6-1 through their first seven games with Soltes under center.

He returns to lead an offense that brings back nine starters, including redshirt junior tailback Robert Healy and redshirt senior wide receiver Jon Schnaars, both All-PSAC East second team selections.

Soltes enters his senior year ranked eighth in PSAC history in career total offense (9,928 yards) and 10th in TD passes (85), among several impressive numbers he has compiled through just 26 career starts.

Last year, he averaged 381.8 yards total offense, 347.2 yards passing and had a 165.5 pass efficiency rating - ranking third in DII in total offense and sixth in pass efficiency entering the final week of the regular season.

He has five career games with 500 yards total offense, tied for the most in DII history, including two in 2014 with 527 yards (416 passing, 111 rushing) in a 37-33 win at Shippensburg, and 522 yards (502 passing) in a 47-34 win at Edinboro.

Healy is one of the top all-around backs in DII, recording 2,711 yards from scrimmage in 22 career games his first two seasons. He had 1,378 yards from scrimmage, an ESU record for a back, in 2014 - 817 rushing yards and eight TD, and 46 catches for 561 yards and eight TD. He ran for an ESU freshman record 1,129 yards in 2013.

Schnaars had a breakout campaign at receiver in 2014, catching 58 passes for 807 yards and 14 TD, the most in the PSAC in the regular season. He tied an ESU record with 14 catches (for 152 yards and 2 TD) in the win at Shippensburg. He has 125 catches, 1,837 yards and 23 TD through three seasons.

Seniors Joe Welk (20 catches, 423 yards, TD in 2014) and Gerard Wendowski (14 catches, 182 yards) are also back to give Soltes several experienced targets in the passing game despite the departures of two former All-PSAC East selections, wide receiver Dusty Reed (183 career catches, 2,820 yards, 24 TD) and tight end Steven Jones (87 catches, 1,444 yards, 20 TD).

On the offensive line, all five starters return in junior left tackle Fran McMenamin (11 career starts), redshirt sophomore left guard Devon Ackerman (11), redshirt sophomore center John Appice (11), redshirt sophomore right guard Norman Rogers III (7) and senior right tackle Eric Burleson, the veteran of the group with 20 career starts.

Defensively, senior cornerback Teron Dobbs was an All-PSAC East second team selection and has made 30 consecutive starts in the backfield. He has 13 career interceptions, including five in each of the last two seasons.

The Warriors return three starters in their five-man secondary in Dobbs, junior free safety Dean Vitale (22 straight starts) and sophomore safety Marc Gaudet, who started all 11 games as a freshman.

Redshirt junior Ahmad McFarland (31 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks) returns at defensive end, and redshirt senior outside linebacker Kaje Cowans (76 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks) is the Warriors' top returning tackler.

ESU loses three all-conference defenders including an All-American in defensive tackle Bryan Thomson (31.5 career TFL, 21.5 sacks, ESU record 16 blocked kicks), a three-time All-PSAC East first team selection. Also gone are first team All-PSAC East defensive end Brandon Gattelli (49 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 9.5 sacks in 2014), who made 40 career starts, and two-time all-league linebacker Cody Simcox (252 tackles in three seasons).

Two starters are gone in the secondary in safety Anthony Singlar (288 career tackles, 37 starts) and cornerback Konrad Mims, a two-year starter.

In the special teams, ESU looks to replace All-Region punter Jordan Bair, who ranked second in the PSAC and ninth in DII in punting average (42.5), along with kicker Matt Smith (44-for-52 PAT, 5-for-6 FG).