Those words, indicative of the growing esteem for Seawolves athletics across the country, were tweeted earlier this month by Executive Associate Director of Athletics Bill McGillis of the University of South Florida, Stony Brook football’s first opponent in 2010. After earning respect at the national level with the most successful year ever for Stony Brook’s athletics programs, the Seawolves are prepared to continue their rise this year, starting with the football team.
In 2009, just its second year in the Big South, Stony Brook was able to win a share of the conference title with a dramatic victory in the last week of the season over perennial conference powerhouse Liberty. The Seawolves finished the season 6-5 overall and an outstanding 5-1 in the Big South. The conference title is the Seawolves’ first since winning a share of the Northeast Conference in 2005.
“It was certainly rewarding to be conference champs,” said head coach Chuck Priore, who was named Big South Coach of the Year. “But last season had its ups and downs, so we’re looking to be more consistent this year as we have higher expectations.”
These high expectations are inherited by a young team, as Stony Brook graduated 26 seniors last year and are only returning a total of eight starters on offense and defense.
“This year’s team is going to be younger on both sides of the ball and doesn’t have the same number of leaders,” said Priore. “But I think it’s also a team that has a little more talent and is a little closer together.”
Leading the offense will be junior quarterback Michael Coulter (Yorba Linda, Calif.), who started every game for the Seawolves last season. He led the Big South with 15 touchdown passes and was one of only three players in the conference to finish with more than 2,000 yards of offense last season. Coulter also engineered game-winning drives in three games, including the final game against Liberty.
“The offensive game always starts with the quarterback,” said Priore. “Coulter had a good campaign in 2009 and has prepared correctly to lead the team in the 2010 season.”
Coulter is the only quarterback on the roster with significant game experience.
Joining Coulter in the backfield will be standout running back Edwin Gowins (Bellport, N.Y.), who was named to the Big South Preseason All-Conference Team last month. In just two seasons he has already totaled 2,200 yards on the ground, ranking fourth all-time in school history. Gowins managed to lead the team in rushing for the second straight year with 890 yards and nine touchdowns on his way to being named to the All-Big South first team in 2009. Not only did he lead the conference in rushing, he also ranked 22nd in the nation, despite being slowed by a foot injury for most of the season.
“I’m 100 percent recovered this year,” Gowins said. “We have a big year ahead of us, and I’m looking forward to it.”
“Big year” is the appropriate phrase. The 2010 season marks the first time the winner of the Big South will receive an automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs to compete for the national championship. But instead of getting overexcited in the hype of the playoff bid, Gowins said the team is taking it one game at a time. Still, he said,the chance for an automatic bid does give them added motivation.
Gowins spent the first two years of his career sharing the ball-carrying duties with Stony Brook’s all-time leading rusher, Conte Cuttino, giving the Seawolves the most dangerous rushing attack in the conference. While he did say he was happy about moving into the lead role, he said that having Cuttino made it a lot harder for teams to defend the running game.
“It feels good but then again it’s going to be harder than it was last year because it was hard for defenses to key on two running backs at once,” he said.
This year, it could be even harder for opposing defenses, as they will have to watch three running backs at once. Stony Brook added a pair of transfers at the position: junior Brock Jackolski (Shirley, N.Y.) and sophomore Miguel Maysonet (Riverhead, N.Y.). Both backs transferred from Hofstra University after the school announced that it was dropping its football program at the end of last season.
Both Jackolski and Maysonet won the New York State Player of the Year award in their respective senior seasons. They were also winners of the Carl Hansen Award, given to Suffolk County’s most outstanding player. Jackolski was an all-around threat for Hofstra last season, ranking second on the team with 787 all-purpose yards. As a true freshman in 2009, Maysonet led the Pride in rushing with 385 yards.
“They’re competing for playing time, they’re both good players,” Priore said. “I think both of them will provide us with leadership and experience.”
Paving the way for the rushing attack will be senior captain Paul Fenaroli (Monroe, Conn.), an All-Big South first-team selection in 2009 and a preseason all-conference pick in 2010. He has made 27 consecutive starts at center and will anchor an offensive line that has cleared the way for a rushing attack that ranked 29th in the nation last season.
Probably the biggest loss from last year’s team comes on the defensive side of the ball in the form of linebacker Tyler Santucci. The 2009 Big South Defensive Player of the Year, Santucci ended his career tied for the Stony Brook career record for solo tackles with 145. He also was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press last year. But he is still a part of the Seawolves family, serving as a graduate assistant this year.
“It’s great having him here with us,” said Priore. “It’s good for the kids too because they have somebody to identify with. He’s very well-respected.”
Priore said there is no replacing him, but still believes the team has quality talent at the linebacker position.
Picking up the slack will be senior captains Julian Glenn (Uniondale, N.Y.) and Stephen Schwicke (East Patchogue, N.Y.). Both of them have been in the program for four years and bring that experience to the position.
Anchoring the secondary is senior captain safety Arin West (Toms River, N.J.), who returns after an outstanding junior season. A first team All-Big South selection, West recorded 80 tackles, three interceptions, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Stony Brook will begin the season on the road for what may be the biggest game in school history. For the first time ever, they will face a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) program when they take on the University of South Florida in Tampa on September 4. USF ended the 2009 season with a 27-3 victory over Northern Illinois in the International Bowl. They finished with an 8-5 record.
“I certainly expect it to be a challenge for us, but I expect us to be prepared,” Priore said of the game. “Anytime you’re playing a team that’s supposed to beat you, it gives you an opportunity to earn some respect.”
The Seawolves will start the conference schedule on October 9 in the homecoming game against VMI. For the second year in a row, they will face Liberty in the final game of the season, a matchup that could decide the conference championship. Stony Brook was picked to finish second in the conference behind Liberty for the second straight season. Priore said he doesn’t care about the preseason polls.
“When it’s all said and done it doesn’t matter who picks us, it matters what we do on the field,” he said. “I don’t really pay attention to what people say about us.”
Gowins does, however.
“I honestly think we should be first,” he said. “But we just have to prove everybody wrong because we were second last year too and we finished out on top.”
2010 also marks the first season that Stony Brook will be the only football program on Long Island. Priore said the Seawolves are ready to accept that responsibility.
“I certainly believe that we’ll represent correctly on the field,” he said. “More importantly I think it’s a place where the fans on Long Island can come and enjoy a great Saturday game.”
