Mountaineers Host Cornell in 15^th Annual Palmer Pigskin Classic to Kick Off 2015 Season

MANSFIELD – The Mansfield University sprint football team will open the 2015 campaign when the Mountaineers host the Big Red of Cornell University in the 15^th Annual Palmer Pigskin Classic this Saturday afternoon.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Karl Van Norman Field in the opening game of the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) for both teams.

Fans unable to attend the game can follow all the action with Doug Page of ESPN Radio Williamsport streamed live at GoMounties.com along with live stats.

Saturday's contest marks the 12^th time the two programs have faced each other on the gridiron since Mansfield initiated its sprint football program in 2008.

The last time the schools met on Karl Van Norman Field in 2013, Cornell completed a nine-yard touchdown pass on a 4^th and goal with nine seconds remaining to rally for a 26-24 win.

Mansfield enters the game with one of the largest rosters in the program's history including 38 newcomers. The Mountaineers also return a strong corps of veterans including nine All-CSFL selections from last year.

Head coach Graham Johnsen enters his fourth full season at the helm of the Mountaineer program and feels this is one of the most talented teams in his tenure at Mansfield – and with good reason.

The Mountaineers return 1^st Team All-CSFL selections senior Joe Bucek and junior Kurt Logan on offense while 1^st Team picks sophomore Kyle Post and senior Spencer Underdown will lead the defense. Sophomore Mark Davis earned 2^nd Team honors as a freshman at center last season along with junior cornerback Ricky Robinson.

Logan led the CSFL in receiving last year catching 42 passes for 587 yards and seven touchdowns. Bucek was eighth in the league with 30 catches for 321 yards. Post topped the CSFL in interceptions with three while Robinson had two picks. Underdown had a league-leading 55 tackles.

Coach Johnsen expects to have a strong defense to start the season with seven returners who have seen starting action in their careers.

A much improved defensive line features veteran senior Evan Ruggles and sophomore Jake Adcroft along with freshmen standouts Trey Gibson and Alexander Nicolas penciled in as starters. Expect sophomore Kristian Baldwin and seniors Alex Bertolasio and Jarell Gibbs to see plenty of action in the rotation along with freshmen Ryan Anderson, Maurice Bonner-El, and Ryan Watson.

Robinson returns on one corner with freshman Anthony Williams expected to start at the other corner. A pair of talented and athletic freshman will serve as backups in Chris Dantzler and Nicolas Sander.

Underdown will lead the linebacking corps in the middle with fellow veteran Dylan Flexer on the outside. Joining them will be former MU baseball player senior John Capwell who's looked impressive in practice. Junior Brandon Pace has plenty of experience at linebacker and the position has additional depth in freshmen Chris Bashaw, Bobby Frank, Paul Gurba, Rashan Raysor and junior Douglas Bird. Post returns to the anchor the secondary along with junior Jonathan Badman.

Joining veterans Post and Badman in the deep secondary will be sophomores Damarkus Jones and Moran Chang along with freshmen Nicko Bryant, Marcus Harris and Dante Lowe.

With record-setting quarterback Mike Maniscalco moving over to the coaching ranks, the offense will have a new look this season. Maniscalco's backup Austin Bennett saw action in four games last year and will move into the starting spot this year. Bennett had a strong challenge in camp from freshmen Anthony O'Connell and Adam Hutchison and both are available for action in the opener.

Bennett will have a strong and deep receiving corps headed by Logan, Bucek and the return of senior Sean Green. Also expected to see action is junior tight end Derrick Burd who appeared in all seven games last season along with freshmen Dakota Eaton, Jakob Woods and Laquan Foster. Jonas Heuchemer, Brennan Krall, Andrew Zabala, Eric Andrews, Danny Diaz-Walton will see time at wide out.

The offense will operate behind a revamped line that blends the old and the new in returners Mark Davis and Brandon Ellers along with newcomers Joseph Bohorquez, Christian Fish and Steven Sicillia. Also expected to see action are junior Kyle Pierce, sophomores Kristian Baldwin and Dennis Torbert, along with freshmen Tristin Cicio, Paolo Panunzio, and Sydney Stone.

An all new running game will feature freshmen Keith Brown and Aren Harris along with rookie fullback Hunter Brown. Freshmen Jon Brown and Richard Brown along with Fred Grey make for colorful backups.

Sophomore Paul Harrison and freshman Drew Beckerink will split the kicking duties backed up by Jose Lopez with Green doing the punting.

Experience is the name of the game at Cornell starting at the top in head coach Terry Cullen and co-head coach Bart Guccia. Cullen has a 51-year tenure with the Big Red while Guccia is in his eighth year as co-head coach.

Senior running back Benjamin Herrera and junior quarterback Rob Pannullo will lead the offense which also returns its entire starting offensive line while senior Evan Zittel and junior Chris D'Ambrosio anchor the defense.

Mansfield is back at Karl Van Norman Field for a second straight week when the Mountaineers welcome Navy for Homecoming/1890s Weekend next Saturday afternoon.