A year ago, the Yellow Jackets finished 6-4 overall and 5-4 in the OAC as Head Coach John Snell guided BW to its 41st winning season in the last 42 years. This season, Snell, in his seventh year at his alma mater with a 41-21 career record, returns 26 lettermen and 10 starters.

 

At Media Day, B-W received 49 total points from the nine voting OAC Coaches (a coach cannot vote for his own team) to place sixth and 170 total points from the 27 voting members of the media to finish fifth.  B-W also garnered two first place votes from the media.  Nine-time national champion Mount Union College was the definitive choice by the coaches to repeat as OAC champions.

 

"We return some solid, talented individual student-athletes and starters on both offense and defense as well as a number of other young men who made a valuable contribution a year ago as part-time starters," said Snell, who led B-W into the NCAA Division III Playoffs in 2003.  "We also lost some key, talented individuals and our challenge during the preseason will be to find suitable replacements at those positions.

 

"The 2008 season and our schedule will be a challenge for our young men and we feel that we have the personnel who will work hard and meet that challenge head-on," continued Snell. "We are looking forward to getting started with our first practice on August 14 and our first game at Franklin (Ind.) College on September 6."

 

The B-W offense returns five starters, including junior quarterback Anthony Gardner (Rocky River/ Lakewood St. Edward); two linemen, including senior center and captain John DiMattio (Girard, Pa.) and senior ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-District IV guard Broc Dial (Canal Fulton/ Northwest); and All-OAC wide receiver/ return specialist  and captain Matt Lepley (Bellevue).

 

On defense, B-W returns five starters. The returnees will be led by senior two-time All-OAC defensive tackle and captain Joe Kowalski (Macedonia/ Nordonia), senior All-OAC middle linebacker Paul Burger (Mentor)and senior safety and captain Karl Schreiber (Bay Village/Bay).

 

"We have a group of men who all worked very hard in the offseason to prepare to have a strong season in 2008," said Lepley, who is one of the best all-around players in Division III. "If each player who is returning improves and we stay healthy, we have a chance to have a very special season. As a team captain, I hope to motivate each of my teammates to get the most out of his talent and ability."

 

The Yellow Jackets kick off the 2008 season, when they travel to Franklin, Indiana to play 25th-ranked Franklin (Ind.) College on Saturday, September 6 at 1:30 p.m. at Faught Stadium. B-W opens its home and OAC schedule on Saturday, September 20 when it hosts OAC and Cleveland cross-town tival John Carroll University in the Annual Battle for the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Trophy at 6:30 p.m. at the newly renovated Tressel Field at The George Finnie Stadium.

 

To obtain a copy of the 2008 B-W Football Media/ Web Guide, please log onto our athletics Web site at www.bw.edu/athletics and you can print out the PDF version.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu.  To contact Head Coach John Snell, pleace call him in the office at 440-826-2069, FAX him at 440-826-2192 or via e-mail at snell@bw.edu.

 

OAC Football Media Day Polls

 
Rank     Team (1st Place Votes)   Votes

Media       

1.       Mount Union (25)                 266

2.       Capital                                   222

3.       Ohio Northern                       217

4.       John Carroll                          184

6.       Otterbein                                133

7.       Heidelberg                            120

8.       Wilmington                              71

9.       Muskingum                             53

10.     Marietta                                   49