The usually peaceful and quiet corn fields of Hillsborough, Indiana were invaded by the crashing of pads and the smell of sweat as the Little Giants football team reported to camp last week. The talented and experienced team returns 11 starters this year, and seem poised and motivated for an outstanding season. “I think our strength is our motivation,” said Head Coach Chris Creighton. “Having lost a couple of games (last year) that we feel we shouldn’t have lost, it’s hard to replace that kind of motivation.”
Offensively, Wabash is led by pre-season All- American quarterback Dustin Huff, senior, who led the nation in passing efficiency last year with a 107.9 passer rating. He threw for 2,961 yards and 29 touchdowns and completed 69.3 percent of his passes last year. A noticeably slimmer Huff said he had a very productive offseason, and reported to camp 20 pounds lighter than last year. Huff said the dropped weight will help with his mobility, a scary thought for opposing defenses, considering Huff had the second most rushing yards on the team last year, with 326. Many of Huff’s favorite targets are also returning, including senior receivers Mike Russell, Ray Green, Bart Banach, and Gabe Guerrero. Russell is also a preseason All-American, with 1,052 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.
There are more question marks in the running game. Sophomore running back Evan Sobecki and junior Bobby Kemp will look to help fill the void left at running back with Don Juan Brown and Billy King graduating. Brown and King combined for over a third of the team’s rushing yards last year. Sobecki showed promise as a freshman last year, rushing for 73 yards on 11 carries.
The Little Giants also have big shoes to fill on the offensive line, losing three starters, two of which were all- conference. All conference senior Brian Hilts is returning, however and will be joined by junior Erik Shaver as the only returning starters on the offensive line. Junior Tony Neymeier will start at center, and juniors Nate Powell and Pat Long will battle for starting spots.
Defensively, the Little Giants are led by three year starting linebacker Adrian Pynenberg, who, for the second straight year, begins the season with pre-season All-American honors. Pynenberg led the team last year with 101 tackles. And ranks fourth in tackles in Wabash history. Pynenberg said the high expectations won’t distract or discourage him, “I’m kind of glad it happened last year. I’ve learned how to handle it better.” Pynenberg is certainly not satisfied with his outstanding year last season, and even stayed on campus this summer to lift and train with other seniors to prepare for an even better year. He also said the expectations won’t put any extra pressure on him “Obviously, preseason awards aren’t nearly as important as post-season awards. The pressure is more to lead the team.” Pynenberg will be joined by senior and captain Andy Deig at inside linebacker. Deig was third in tackles last season with 71, and also had four tackles for loss.
The Little Giants are also experienced in the secondary, with all four starters returning. Strong safety Matt Kraft, junior, was second on the team in tackles last season with 78. Senior cornerbacks Richard Roomes and Thomas Bell return this year with senior free safety Chad Peterman to form a secondary that combined for 111 tackles and seven interceptions in 2006.
Despite the returning talent, Creighton believes the leadership is what will fuel the team’s success this year. “The leadership on this team is really strong,” said Creighton. “I think (leadership) is one of the fundamental necessities. (The coaches) are with them for two, two and a half hours a day. We’re not with them in the locker rooms or at dinner. It’s the seniors that uphold the character qualities of the program.” Deig also believes this senior class is ready to lead the Little Giants to a successful year. “I think, right now, our chemistry is unbelievable. We are trying to be torch- bearers, from the front and behind. We want to be in the back, taking care of things behind the scenes, but we also want to be in the front of the pack, leading the team emotionally.”
The high expectations for this team, ranked seventh in Street & Smith’s preseason polls, don’t appear to be a problem for the experienced team, especially the senior class.
“I don’t think anyone has higher expectations than us,” Deid said. “Right now, we’re just focusing on preparing ourselves. Making sure never lose passion for the next 23 days. Never losing a hard-nosed mentality.” The Little Giants will be tested right out of the gates, with their first game against Franklin
College, one of the two teams that handed Wabash a loss last year. Franklin also returns many starters, and are pre-season favorites for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title.
The hunger and motivation of this senior class was palpable at camp this week, and it is evident these seniors will accept nothing less than the absolute best from their team, when the squad finished chopping through an enormous tree, a challenge from Creighton, Pynenberg decided that it wasn’t enough. So they chopped through another one. It doesn’t appear that 8-2, their record last year, will be good enough, either.