ODAC Football Spring Season Preview

ODAC Football Spring Season Preview

FOREST, Va. --- The long awaited return of ODAC football is upon us with games beginning under the lights on Friday. Each conference team is set to compete in the first official spring season in conference history with a title on the line in April.

In the sections below, we recap the last time we saw ODAC football compete in 2019 and take a look at what to expect entering the new season. Be sure to have to check out the capsules at the bottom of this page for a more targeted view at each squad entering the spring campaign.

2019 SEASON | STANDINGS

  • As evidence of the ODAC being considered arguably the most internally competitive conference in NCAA Division III, the 2019 standings featured a one-game difference from the #1 position down thru each position in the table to #9; that marked the first time since 2010 that the final standings did not feature a single tied scenario.
  • Bridgewater, led by ODAC Coach of the Year Mike Clark, became the first team in ODAC history to finish with an 8-0 league record (10-1 overall) en route the program's seventh conference title; it marked the Eagles first crown since they claimed the fifth of five straight championships in 2005.
  • Bridgewater out-scored its ODAC foes 294-85, allowing no more than 21 point to any one team and holding five league opponents to 10 or fewer points.
  • The Eagles did have to fend off a late comeback by Randolph-Macon in the penultimate game of the season for a 28-21 home win to provide the separation it needed to claim the ODAC title with 41-7 victory over Guilford the following week.
  • A few conference records feature new names following the 2019 season...
    • Former R-MC running back Tre Frederick is the new all-time leader in career rushes (945) and rushing yards (5,147)
    • Former E&H kicker Matt Seals is the new all-time leader in career PATs made (166)
    • Former FC punter Grayson Harvey set a single-season record for punting average (44.3 yards/punt)
    • E&H running back Grayson Overstreet set a single-game record with 324 rushing yards in a 59-36 win over Ferrum in the season finale

2019 POSTSEASON | NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET | NEPTUNE BOWL RECAP

  • Bridgewater's first appearance on the national stage since reaching the quarterfinals in 2005 came with the privilege of hosting a first round game at Jopson Field, but also welcoming Delaware Valley University for what many deemed to be the most competitive contest among the open 16 games in the 32-team bracket.
  • The Eagles led 13-7 at the halftime and enjoyed a 19-10 lead with 3:38 to go in the third quarter following the second of two Logan Weis field goals in the period, but the Aggies rattled off 20 unanswered points to move ahead 30-19 with 4:28 to play.
  • BC's comeback bid included Weis's third field goal of the game, but the Eagles came up on the short end of a 30-22 result.
  • Bridgewater owns a 10-7 (.588) record in seven tournament appearances, which includes finishing as the national runner-up to Mount Union in 2001.
  • Randolph-Macon played in the inaugural Virginia Beach Neptune Bowl hosted by the Virginia Beach Sportsplex in conjunction with Harmony Hospitality.
  • The Yellow Jackets defeated Apprentice School, 35-3, behind a balanced attack and a stingy defense that limited the builders to just 191 yards of total offense.
  • The win marked the second bowl-game victory for R-MC, joining its 47-28 triumph over Bridgeport in the 1969 Knute Rockne Bowl.

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS
The athletes listed below represent the top-3 returning statistical leaders for each category from the 2019 fall season.

   PASSING | Minimum: 15 pass attempts/game (comp. pct.)

  • Yards | 2,140 - Hunter Taylor, E&H  |  1,491 - Davis Pinkson, SVU  |  1,068 - Alex Manley, GC
  • Comp. Pct. | 54.3 (145-267) - Hunter Taylor, E&H  |  52.3 (135-258) - Davis Pinkston, SVU
  • Touchdowns | 26 - Hunter Taylor, E&H  |  17 - Chris Sonnenberg, SU  |  14 - Davis Pinkston, SVU

   RUSHING | Minimum: 8 rushes/game (yards/rush)

  • Yards | 766 - Josh Breece, W&L  |  744 - Demetreus Jalepes, BC  |  732 - T.J. Tester, E&H
  • Yards/Rush | 6.5 - Josh Breece, W&L  |  6.0 - Jack Pollard, W&L   5.4 - Demetreus Jalepes, BC / Alex Wertz, W&L
  • Long | 76 - Coby Kirkland, W&L  |  75 - Josh Breece, W&L  |  71 - Demetreus Jalepes, BC
  • Touchdowns | 9 - Demetreus Jalepes, BC  |  8 - Josh Breece, W&L  |  6 - Andrew Ihle, R-MC / Grayson Overstreet, E&H / Alex Wertz, W&L

   RECEIVING | Minimum: 3 receptions/game (yards/rec.)

  • Receptions | 71 - Jake Wallace, SU  |  64 - Jermaine Russell, GC  |  52 - Dillon Costello, H-SC / Gunner Griffith, E&H
  • Yards | 949 - Jermaine Russell, GC  |  862 - Montgomery Owen, W&L  |  773 - Gunner Griffith, E&H
  • Yards/Rec. | 24.6 - Montgomery Owen, W&L  |  14.9 - Gunner Griffith, E&H   14.8 - Jermaine Russell, GC
  • Long | 80 - Coby Kirkland, W&L   77 - Jermaine Russell, GC  |  75 - Montgomery Owen, W&L
  • Touchdowns | 8 - Montgomery Owen, W&L  |  7 - Gunner Griffith, E&H / Jermaine Russell, GC

   ALL-PURPOSE / SCORING

  • All-Purpose Yards | 1,777 - Jermaine Russell, GC  |  1,078 - Montgomery Owen, W&L  |  1,058 - Brant Butler, SU
  • Scoring (Pts.) | 68 - Demetreus Jalepes, BC  |  60 - Jermaine Russell, GC  |  54 - Jarrett Wright, W&L
  • Touchdowns | 11 - Demetreus Jalepes, BC  |  10 - Jermaine Russell, GC  |  8 - Josh Breece, W&L / Montgomery Owen, W&L

   DEFENSE

  • Tackles | 95 - Brendan Weinberg, H-SC   80 - Ivan Phillips, E&H  |  65 - Ty Walker, GC
  • Solo | 45 - Ivan Phillips, E&H   44 - Brendan Weinberg, H-SC   41 - Daquan Pridget, SU
  • Tackles for Loss | 10.0 - Donovan Pinnix, E&H / Jordan Rice, SU  |  9.0 - Nigel Duberry, SU
  • Sacks | 6.0 - Donovan Pinnix, E&H   5.0 - Andrew Frailer, W&L  |  4.5 - Jordan Rice, SU
  • Interceptions | 6 - Chase Rosenthal, BC   4 - Ryan Gibson, E&H / Justin Mitchell, SVU
  • Pass Breakups | 14 - Daquan Pridget, SU  |  13 - Jaylyn Kreimes, E&H  |  12 - Chase Rosenthal, BC

   SPECIAL TEAMS | Minimum: 3.6 punts/game (yard/punt) / 1.2 kick returns/game (kick return avg.) / 1.2 punt returns/game (punt return avg.)

  • PAT Made | 39-of-43 - Jarrett Wright, W&L  |  15-of-18 - Chris Vidal, R-MC   12-of-15 - Colin Brooker, R-MC
  • FG Made | 5-of-7 - Colin Brooker, R-MC / Jarrett Wright, W&L   4-of-7 - Chris Vidal, R-MC
  • Yards/Punt (Gross) | 36.4 - Cameron Gieseman, BC
  • Punts Inside 20 | 18 - Cameron Gieseman, BC   12 - Gavin Stone, R-MC   11 - Patrick Ritchie, SU
  • Kick Return Yards | 624 - Jermaine Russell, GC   555 - Alex Wertz, W&L   531 - Brant Butler, SU
  • Kick Return Avg. | 25.2 - Alex Wertz, W&L  |  25.0 (2 TDs) - Jermaine Russell, GC  |  22.1 - Brant Butler, SU
  • Punt Return Yards | 197 - Jermaine Russell, GC  |  178 - Montgomery Owen, W&L  |  99 - Dylan Maclachlan, BC
  • Punt Return Avg. | 16.4 (1 TD) - Jermaine Russell, GC   10.5 - Montgomery Owen, W&L   4.2 - Jacob Patton, E&H

RETURNING ALL-ODAC TALENT | 2019 ALL-ODAC FOOTBALL AWARDS
The 2021 season features 30 All-ODAC honorees from the 2019 campaign. Below we take a look at those returning to league rosters.

   BACKS, RECEIVERS, AND TIGHT ENDS (10)

  • Josh Breece, RB, Washington and Lee | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Demetreus Jalepes, RB, Bridgewater | All-ODAC 2nd Team
  • Montgomery Owen, WR, Washington and Lee | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Jack Pollard, QB, Washington and Lee | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Jermaine Russell, WR, Guilford | All-ODAC 2nd Team
  • Kaleb Smith, RB, Hampden-Sydney | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Hunter Taylor, QB, Emory & Henry | All-ODAC 2nd Team
  • T.J. Tester, RB, Emory & Henry | All-ODAC 2nd Team
  • Viante Tucker, WR, Bridgewater | ODAC Rookie of the Year
  • Alex Wertz, APB, Washington and Lee | All-ODAC 3rd Team

   OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (5)

  • Cole Cooksey, Bridgewater | All-ODAC 1st Team
  • Jared Cordova, Washington and Lee | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Connor Denning, Randolph-Macon | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Will Jackson, Randolph-Macon | All-ODAC 1st Team
  • Dakota Morris, Emory & Henry | All-ODAC 3rd Team

   DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (7)

  • Malik Crowe, Bridgewater | All-ODAC 2nd Team
  • Da'Sean Davis, Bridgewater | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Andrew Frailer, Washington and Lee | All-ODAC 1st Team
  • Donovan Pinnix, Emory & Henry | All-ODAC 2nd Team
  • Phill Pullen, Hampden-Sydney | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Jordan Rice, Shenandoah | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Matthew Vergara, Randolph-Macon | All-ODAC 2nd Team

   LINEBACKERS AND DEFENSIVE BACKS (8)

  • Dustin Green, LB, Bridgewater | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Dean Johnson, DB, Washington and Lee | All-ODAC 2nd Team
  • Jaylyn Kreimes, DB, Emory & Henry | All-ODAC 2nd Team
  • Grayson Overstreet, LB, Emory & Henry | All-ODAC 2nd Team (moving to RB in 2021)
  • Ivan Phillips, LB, Emory & Henry | All-ODAC 1st Team
  • Daquan Pridget, DB, Shenandoah | All-ODAC 3rd Team
  • Chase Rosenthal, DB, Bridgewater | All-ODAC 2nd Team
  • Dalton Wilson, DB, Emory & Henry | All-ODAC 3rd Team

THE SCHEDULE AND CHAMPIONSHIP

  • The ODAC football season will feature an four games for all nine conference teams over a five week period.
  • In week six, teams ranked 1-8 in the ODAC standings will compete in a fifth game via the following matchups: #2 at #1, #4 at #3, #6 at #5, and #8 at #7.
  • The ODAC champion will be determined by the outcome of the #1 versus #2 matchup.

For more information on ODAC football, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

2021 ODAC Football Preview Capsules

  • Bridgewater College Eagles
  • Emory & Henry College Wasps
  • Ferrum College Panthers
  • Guilford College Quakers
  • Hampden-Sydney College Tigers
  • Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets
  • Shenandoah University Hornets
  • Southern Virginia University Knights
  • Washington and Lee University Generals