Junior defensive tackle Brendan McKee piled up 34 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and a sack last season.

Jeffs Set for Season-Opener at Hamilton

September 21, 2005

Amherst College vs. Hamilton College
September 24, 2005 * Baron von Steuben Field
Clinton, NY * 1 p.m.

THE SERIES
Amherst boasts a six-game winning streak in the series and holds a 20-1 all-time edge against Hamilton. The Jeffs and Continentals first locked horns in 1920, with Amherst setting the stage for decades of dominance with a lopsided 30-7 victory. The Jeffs have blanked Hamilton 12 times, including eight of the first 10 meetings and four of the last six, highlighted by a 24-0 win in 2001. Hamilton's lone series win came in 1992 - a 41-0 home shellacking on Baron von Steuben Field.

LAST MEETING
Amherst rolled up 592 yards of total offense while limiting visiting Hamilton to just 77 yards en route to a lopsided season-opening 44-7 win on Saturday, September 25, 2004. Senior tailback Fletcher Ladd racked up 129 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and classmate Matt Monteith found the end zone twice, earning 89 yards on 11 touches. Senior quarterback Marsh Moseley was 11-for-19 passing for 155 yards and a score as the Jeffs posted their sixth straight victory over the Continentals.

2004 TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISONS
AMHERST
Rushing Yards/Per Game (1,930 yds/241.2 avg)
Passing Yards/ Per Game (917 yds/114.6 avg)
Total Offense/Per Game (2,847 yds/355.9 avg)
Total Points/Per Game (192 pts/24.0 avg)
Rushing Allowed/Per Game (957 yds/119.6 avg)
Passing Allowed/Per Game (1,212 yds/151.5 avg)
Total Offense Allowed/Per Game (2,169 yds/271.1 avg)
Total Points Allowed/Per Game (125 pts/15.6 avg)

HAMILTON
Rushing Yards/Per Game (1,095 yds/136.9 avg)
Passing Yards/ Per Game (1,278 yds/159.8 avg)
Total Offense/Per Game (2,373 yds/296.6 avg)
Total Points/Per Game (132 pts/16.5 avg)
Rushing Allowed/Per Game (1,807 yds/225.9 avg)
Passing Allowed/Per Game (1,642 yds/205.2 avg)
Total Offense Allowed/Per Game (3,449 yds/431.1 avg)
Total Points Allowed/Per Game (331 pts/41.4 avg)

SCOUTING AMHERST
Amherst fields a youthful offense this season, anchored by its offensive line and senior tri-captain Gavin Weeks. Joining him up front are juniors Ryan Smith and Matt Mascioli and sophomore Dan Guariglia. Junior Nick Kehoe has earned the starting nod at quarterback, while senior Ngai Otieno and junior Will Beeson look to handle most of the carries at tailback. Kehoe has just one career start under his belt, while Otieno and Beeson look to step into the spotlight after combining for 291 yards and a pair of scores in 2004. Juniors Justin Macione and Mark Hannon return as two of the Jeffs' top receivers, while junior Parnell Adam will hold down the tight end duties. The Jeff defense will be led by its ferocious front five and All-NESCAC nose guard L.J. Spinnato. Joining him on the defensive line are classmate Dan Kovolisky and three-year starter Brendan McKee. Shoring up the ends are senior outside linebackers Justin Roemer, Kelvin Coker and Joe Bickerstaffe. Roemer is the Jeffs' leading returning defensive threat with 77 takedowns in his junior campaign. Junior Greg Muecke and sophomore Jake Spadafora have earned the start at inside linebacker and senior tri-captain Nick Zieler is the lone returner in the secondary, but leads a talented young group of defenders.

AMHERST LAST TIME OUT
In last year's finale, Amherst rallied from a 10-6 fourth-quarter deficit to earn a 13-10 season-ending victory over Little Three rival Williams College in the 119th meeting of the "Biggest Little Game in America." Sophomore wideout Justin Macione hauled in a 39-yard touchdown strike from senior quarterback Marsh Moseley to seal the win with 11:46 left in regulation. Senior tailback Fletcher Ladd also scored for Amherst, notching 179 yards in his farewell game, while the Jeff defense held the Ephs scoreless over the final 28:45 of play.

AMHERST RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS
PASSING
Nick Kehoe (4-for-14/38 yds/1 TD/1 int)
RUSHING
Will Beeson (26 att/200 yds/1 TD)
Ngai Otieno (23 att/91 yds/1 TD)
RECEIVING
Justin Macione (11 rec/118 yds/2 TD)
Mark Hannon (8 rec/92 yds/1 TD)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Mike Salerno (3 punt returns/21 yds)
Ngai Otieno (6 kick returns/21.3 avg)

AMHERST PROBABLE STARTERS
LORD JEFF OFFENSE
QB - #11 Nick Kehoe
FB - #34 Chris Gillyard
TB - #4 Ngai Otieno
WR - #1 Mark Hannon
WR - #5 Justin Macione
TE - #88 Parnell Adam
C - #75 Ryan Smith
LT - #66 Dan Guariglia
RT - #53 Gavin Weeks
LG - #76 Matt Mascioli
RG - #59 Nate Riccardi

LORD JEFF DEFENSE
OLB - #45 Justin Roemer
OLB - #14 Joe Bickerstaffe
DT - #98 Dan Kovolisky
DT - #55 Brendan McKee
NG - #56 L.J. Spinnato
ILB - #42 Jake Spadafora
ILB - # 31 Greg Muecke
DB - #20 Nick Zieler
DB - #7 Chris Mottau
DB - #2 Mike Salerno
DB - #8 Rob Grammer

2005 AMHERST SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Sept. 24 @ Hamilton 1 p.m.
Oct. 1 BOWDOIN 1 p.m.
Oct. 8 MIDDLEBURY 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 15 @ Colby 1 p.m.
Oct. 22 WESLEYAN 1 p.m.
Oct. 29 @ Tufts 1 p.m.
Nov. 5 TRINITY 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 12 @ Williams Noon

SCOUTING HAMILTON
Hamilton returns great individual talent on both sides of the ball led by senior quarterback Brandon Holtslag and sophomore safety Matt Pitarresi. With their lead, fifth-year head coach Pete Alvanos and his staff have their sights set on a great season. Holtslag earned Second-Team All-NESCAC honors for the second straight year after leading the conference with 219.6 yards of total offense per game in 2004. A dual-threat, he finished sixth in the NESCAC in rushing (79.6 ypg) and sixth in passing as well (140 ypg). Holtslag set a conference record with 509 yards of total offense and tied a team record with four rushing touchdowns in a 51-48 double-overtime win over Bowdoin last year. Sophomore wideout Joe Rinaldo finished in the top tier of the NESCAC in receptions (5.43/gm), receiving yards (58.4 ypg) and all-purpose yards (83.6 ypg). Fellow sophomore tailback Claudius Zorokong was the Continentals second-leading rusher (behind Holtslag) last season with 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and junior wideout Andrew Pisanelli returns as well after grabbing 13 receptions for 145 yards. Defensively, Pitarresi led the NESCAC with 100 tackles (50 solo) and tied for eighth in NCAA Division III with 12.5 tackles per game. The two-time conference Rookie of the Week had three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and broke up seven passes. Senior co-captains Jay Rishel and Jeremy Kozak will be counted on for defensive leadership. Rishel made 32 tackles from his linebacker spot and Kozak (16 tackles, one sack, one pass breakup) heads the defensive line.

Alvanos' defensive coordinator is John Keady and the offensive coordinator is Corey Wenger. Other returning assistants include veteran defensive line coach Paul Adey, running backs coach Gene McCabe, tight ends coach Chris Clarkin, offensive line coach Chris Leavenworth, defensive ends coach Chimezie Okobi and linebackers coach David Szentesy.

HAMILTON LAST TIME OUT
Hamilton closed its 2004 season with a 37-13 loss at Bates College, finishing with a 1-7 record. Hamilton sophomore safety Matt Pitarresi put the Continentals on the scoreboard, returning an interception 31 yards to pay dirt for an early 7-0 lead, but the Bobcats rallied for 37 straight points, capitalizing on four Hamilton turnovers to build the commanding lead. First-year wide receiver Joe Rinaldo had nine catches for 92 yards and a touchdown to lead the offense, while Chris Slama paced the defense with 13 tackles and Pitarresi added 11 takedowns.

HAMILTON RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS
PASSING
Brandon Holtslag (97-for-211/1120 yds/7 TD/9 int)
RUSHING
Brandon Holtslag (136 att/637 yds/7 TD)
Claudius Zorokong (75 att/230 yds/2 TD)
RECEIVING
Joe Rinaldo (38 rec/409 yds/6 TD)
Andrew Pisanelli (13 rec/145 yds/1 TD)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Brandon Holtslag (43 punts/34.1 avg)
Claudius Zorokong (22 kick returns/16.5 avg)

HAMILTON PROBABLE STARTERS
CONTINENTAL OFFENSE
OL - #79 Steve Simone
OL - #68 Matt Everett
OL - # 64 Frank Harrington
OL - #52 Matt Carlone
OL - #76 Alex Richman
TE - #85 Rob Reynolds
WR - #19 Joe Rinaldo
WR - #3 Sam Peskin
FB - #11 Jeremy Kozak
RB - #28 Claudius Zorokong
QB - #6 Brandon Holtslag

CONTINENTAL DEFENSE
DE - #71 Derek Donovan
DT - #53 Brad Tipper
DT - #98 Dan Hewitt
DE - #50 Taylor Soobitsky
LB - #40 Jay Rishel
LB - #20 Tom Monfiletto
LB - #47 Dale Ledbetter
DB - #17 Matt Pitarresi
DB - #5 Jesse Koch
DB - #24 Ray DeMartino
DB - #15 John Rosato

2005 HAMILTON SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Sep. 24 AMHERST 1 p.m.
Oct. 1 WESLEYAN 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 8 @ Trinity 1 p.m.
Oct. 15 @ Bowdoin Noon
Oct. 22 COLBY Noon
Oct. 29 @ Williams 1 p.m.
Nov. 5 @ Middlebury 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 12 BATES Noon

2004 FINAL NESCAC STANDINGS
Trinity (8-0)
Amherst (6-2)
Colby (6-2)
Williams (6-2)
Middlebury (4-4)
Wesleyan (3-5)
Bates (2-6)
Bowdoin (2-6)
Tufts (2-6)
Hamilton (1-7)

AMHERST VS. HAMILTON ALL-TIME RESULTS
Amherst leads 20-1 (21 meetings)
1920 Amherst 30 Hamilton 7
1921 Amherst 20 Hamilton 0
1924 Amherst 48 Hamilton 0
1925 Amherst 19 Hamilton 0
1926 Amherst 14 Hamilton 0
1927 Amherst 40 Hamilton 0
1928 Amherst 19 Hamilton 0
1929 Amherst 21 Hamilton 6
1932 Amherst 13 Hamilton 0
1933 Amherst 13 Hamilton 0
1980 Amherst 48 Hamilton 12
1981 Amherst 37 Hamilton 7
1982 Amherst 18 Hamilton 10
1983 Amherst 10 Hamilton 9
1992 Hamilton 41 Amherst 0
1993 Amherst 6 Hamilton 0
1996 Amherst 17 Hamilton 6
1997 Amherst 38 Hamilton 0
2000 Amherst 30 Hamilton 0
2001 Amherst 24 Hamilton 0
2004 Amherst 44 Hamilton 7