FB: Centennial Conference

[Yen4Ten]

Mule, I appreciate the warm welcome to the discussion board. I've been around the Centennial Conference for a few years now and I'd have to say the level of play is as high as ever. It is comforting to see true student-athletes competing at the high level that these young men display year in and year out. Football is one of the rare sports where character is just as important as natural athletic ability. This is especially evident in the NFL over the past several year i.e. Cowgirls '08, Mike Vick, Bungles etc... To everyone who posts on this discussion board: Your interest and enthusiasm for Centennial Conference football is appreciated greatly by players and coaches alike. I can't wait to see what happens in the fall. No matter what, these young men will play the game with the utmost sportsmanship and dignity that the sport deserves. On this mothers day I have to say God Bless all of the football moms out there who had the guts to sign their sons up for football.

[muledaddy]

Yen, 

I like the character building I have had the pleasure  observing during the past
four years. Individuals, teams, coaches, students,players, friends, studies, laughs, tears, triumphs,
frustrations, failures, have all gone into the melting pot and the CC recipe impresses me.

Growth, humanity, self confidence,loyalty,self knowledge, have appeared in the eyes, hearts, and actions
of those kids whom I have had the chance to see grow through the process.

CC football is one hell of a game.......graduation  comes so soon...they are all winners....for life......healthy
competition constitutes good preparation for the challenges ahead.......

[BTEXPRESS]

Congratulations to the F & M women's Lacrosse team for winning their SECOND National Championship in three years. Thanks for representing the CC and making us proud. Now that being said, do you think the CC has any shot of ever getting a football team to Salem??

[muledaddy]

BT,

F and M Women's lacrosse rocks...congrats to the national champs....I can see a CC football team making the trip to Salem, in the next 10 years, with a good bounce or two and some luck at recruiting and  avoiding injuries......We broke into the top 5 rankings this past year, no 4 at D3 and no 2 at the coach's
poll, so we just have to keep the momentum rolling, rolling, rolling......

[Ryan Tipps]

... do you think the CC has any shot of ever getting a football team to Salem??

Every conference has a chance -- some are just armed with better odds than others

The '07 Mules were certainly the Centennial's strongest contender in years. Aside from that year, other scores in the past five seasons have been 31-3, 28-3, 49-21, 20-0. Not great showings, but those first-round games included matchups against the likes of Wesley and St. John Fisher, teams that are well-regarded as being among D3's best.

However, the CC's brightest spot is also an Achilles' heel (the ODAC has this same issue). The parity in this conference has improved, and with that increased competition will come better recruiting and better play. The teams will toughen, and the athletes' skills will sharpen.

The catch, of course, is that the team that gets the AQ is more likely to emerge with a blemish or two on its record (as in '04-'06). That means a lower first-round seed and a steeper playoff mountain to climb.

The very thing that is making this conference better and more impressive is the same thing that's undercutting its chance to skate into Round 2 or 3 of the postseason. Still, IMHO, you're moving in the right direction. 

[BTEXPRESS]

Ryan, Thank you for your well thought out and fair assessment of the current state of affairs of CC football.

[muledaddy]

Thank you Mr Tipps...an excellent assessment....."07 Mules were special....."08 got bitten by the injury bug

just before playoff time or they might have matched or exceeded 07 team, IMHO

[old ends]

The Conference does suffer from another problem within it's self. Parity which can be good or bad, depending on the winners and losers. Last year Muhlenberg got loses againts teams that did not have the injuries they had.  It shows me that a strong team in the conference has to have all cylinders running throughout the season to suceed. Without talent in the backup positions other teams may knock them off.

[BTEXPRESS]

ENDS, It's good to have you back on the board. Hope you are doing well.

[muledaddy]

Ends,


Welcome back..you were missed.

[old ends]

Thanks

Tough recovery but I am getting there....Still limp a little. No more sailing though.

[old ends]

And there is more to come..



Conference Presidents Council Announces
Cost Containment Measures
(June 1) - The Centennial Conference Presidents Council unanimously adopted measures to contain costs that pertain to the conduct and administration of the Conference's regular season and championship events.
The measures were announced by Presidents Council chair Joan Develin Coley, president of McDaniel College, at the Annual Meeting of the Centennial Conference on May 27 on the McDaniel campus in Westminster, Md. The plan is in response to the current financial climate and the Council's commitment to contain college costs.

"Our goal was to reduce costs without altering the students' intercollegiate athletic experience," said Coley. "The current economic situation on our campuses required the cooperation of all institutions' presidents and athletic directors, and the measures that we adopted will provide needed savings. It is important to note that our job is not complete and the Centennial Conference will continue to discuss further cost-containment measures throughout these difficult times."

The Presidents Council created a sport-specific travel squad size policy for 14 of its 24 championship sports in addition to establishing a set date for the first date of competition for fall sports that is later than the first permissible NCAA date. The Council also shortened the length of the indoor track and field championship from two days to one and the men's golf championship tournament from three days to two. Finally, the Council will work with other conferences to urge the NCAA to work toward reducing expenses that may be deemed unnecessary at Division III such as microphones for football officials and LED lights for basketball backboards.

A cost containment Task Force, chaired by Ursinus College president John Strassburger, also urged that the Conference share its purchasing power for athletic equipment where feasible, consider conference calls for meetings when the agenda warrants, and continue discussions with other conferences about the length of playing and practice seasons in Division III.

from the Conference web site

[old ends]

Article on McDaniel Sports teams:

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2009/05/31/sports/1_mcdaniel_changing_course.txt

and a different article:

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2009/05/31/sports/2_mcdaniel_early_decision.txt

enjoy

[BTEXPRESS]

Congratulations to Dickinson's Pat O'Connor who was named Preseason First Team All American wide receiver by the Sporting News. O'Connor and QB Ian Mitchell are in line for great senior seasons. A little over two months before the teams report to camp.

[Yen4Ten]

O'Connor and Mitchell are a pretty dynamic combination for the Devils. If they can answer a few question marks on the O and D lines it could be a great season in Carlisle. The week 6 matchup between the Devils and Bluejays could have serious playoff/championship implications. Are either of these teams capable of duplicating what the Mules did in 07 when they finished with a perfect reg. season? This may be the best Dickinson team since the 1994 installation that went undefeated.