FB: Middle Atlantic Conference

[wone3]

I'm sure the team and the kids across the board would love and do love to hear this. My kiddo is in the band as a member of the guard that was part of the front rifle line ( I think I remember that they were going to do bang bang over there). The band and team have only been around 6 years so it is pretty impressive to say the least on the improvement. I think some of it also happened ( the band travel) because it was the first for them so we will see if the tradition continues. Good Luck to your team against John Carroll next week.

I passed my sentiments to the band director while on top of the press box immediately after the show.  He was beaming as the Wesley fans were equally impressed. 

-Ski

Very cool...thanks for the compliments and again good luck next week and safe game.

[tweisman5]

Congratulations to Stevenson University on a successful season of football! Throughout the season, a bunch of program first time achievements were accomplished. Stevenson finally has a win against every opponent in the MAC after beating Del Val! They have a new program record 17 All-Conference players; including the MAC offensive, defensive, and coach of the year! Also, first time winning the MAC championship and making the NCAA playoffs! It was a tough matchup for the first time in the playoffs, but the experience will pay dividends moving forward as a program. They played a very competitive game against Wesley, plus showed how close of the gap they have closed against the D3 powers. I believe Stevenson is close to soon breaking that ceiling to be considered one of the D3 powers every season! Overall, this season was a huge point in the program that will be a key moment to look back at for what it meant to pushing the program to new heights! As a student of Stevenson University and soon to be alum, I'm proud of what they have accomplished! Furthermore, I'm beyond words for how excited I am for the future of the program! Go Mustangs!

[wesleydad]

Congratulations to Stevenson University on a successful season of football! Throughout the season, a bunch of program first time achievements were accomplished. Stevenson finally has a win against every opponent in the MAC after beating Del Val! They have a new program record 17 All-Conference players; including the MAC offensive, defensive, and coach of the year! Also, first time winning the MAC championship and making the NCAA playoffs! It was a tough matchup for the first time in the playoffs, but the experience will pay dividends moving forward as a program. They played a very competitive game against Wesley, plus showed how close of the gap they have closed against the D3 powers. I believe Stevenson is close to soon breaking that ceiling to be considered one of the D3 powers every season! Overall, this season was a huge point in the program that will be a key moment to look back at for what it meant to pushing the program to new heights! As a student of Stevenson University and soon to be alum, I'm proud of what they have accomplished! Furthermore, I'm beyond words for how excited I am for the future of the program! Go Mustangs!

tweisman5, many good things from Stevenson this year.  The game was competitive, but that next step is a big one to move into the upper echelon of D3.  Wesley got it started in 2005 and have been chasing the top since.  They have gotten close on several occasions.  Start by winning the MAC year after year and moving on in the playoffs.  The first round will be tough as the East has some good teams and the MAC rep winning games will help.  Good luck in the future and you should be excited to follow Stevenson, my son stopped playing in 08 and I am still traveling all over to watch good football.  Will have to add Stevenson to my list of places to get to to see a game.

[wone3]

Congratulations to Stevenson University on a successful season of football! Throughout the season, a bunch of program first time achievements were accomplished. Stevenson finally has a win against every opponent in the MAC after beating Del Val! They have a new program record 17 All-Conference players; including the MAC offensive, defensive, and coach of the year! Also, first time winning the MAC championship and making the NCAA playoffs! It was a tough matchup for the first time in the playoffs, but the experience will pay dividends moving forward as a program. They played a very competitive game against Wesley, plus showed how close of the gap they have closed against the D3 powers. I believe Stevenson is close to soon breaking that ceiling to be considered one of the D3 powers every season! Overall, this season was a huge point in the program that will be a key moment to look back at for what it meant to pushing the program to new heights! As a student of Stevenson University and soon to be alum, I'm proud of what they have accomplished! Furthermore, I'm beyond words for how excited I am for the future of the program! Go Mustangs!

tweisman5, many good things from Stevenson this year.  The game was competitive, but that next step is a big one to move into the upper echelon of D3.  Wesley got it started in 2005 and have been chasing the top since.  They have gotten close on several occasions.  Start by winning the MAC year after year and moving on in the playoffs.  The first round will be tough as the East has some good teams and the MAC rep winning games will help.  Good luck in the future and you should be excited to follow Stevenson, my son stopped playing in 08 and I am still traveling all over to watch good football.  Will have to add Stevenson to my list of places to get to to see a game.

Pretty much you can walk up for most games, at least that has been the rule thru this year, with the exception of the homecoming game. Next year will be the "good cycle" for games as both Albright and Widener come into the stadium along with Lyco.

[tweisman5]

I'm curious to see who Stevenson and other MAC members pick up for OOC games. I believe Albright still has Salisbury and Del Val still has Wesley. I'm hopeful Stevenson can find a better quality opponent in 2017. Previous opponent, N.C. Wesleyan, was an improving team that provided a good tuneup for a building program like Stevenson, but now that Stevenson has taken the next step with a conference win and NCAA playoff appearance I would like to see a better opponent. Maybe John Hopkins if they have an opening.

[wone3]

I'm curious to see who Stevenson and other MAC members pick up for OOC games. I believe Albright still has Salisbury and Del Val still has Wesley. I'm hopeful Stevenson can find a better quality opponent in 2017. Previous opponent, N.C. Wesleyan, was an improving team that provided a good tuneup for a building program like Stevenson, but now that Stevenson has taken the next step with a conference win and NCAA playoff appearance I would like to see a better opponent. Maybe John Hopkins if they have an opening.

That would be cool!!

[Pat Coleman]

I'm curious to see who Stevenson and other MAC members pick up for OOC games. I believe Albright still has Salisbury and Del Val still has Wesley. I'm hopeful Stevenson can find a better quality opponent in 2017. Previous opponent, N.C. Wesleyan, was an improving team that provided a good tuneup for a building program like Stevenson, but now that Stevenson has taken the next step with a conference win and NCAA playoff appearance I would like to see a better opponent. Maybe John Hopkins if they have an opening.

That would be cool!!

Johns Hopkins just started that contract with W&L. Not sure if it's a two-year deal or a four-year deal but this was the first year.

[tweisman5]

Just discovered that Cory Pietrzyk is going to be returning for the 2017 season. Pietryzk was a senior this year; however, he suffered a season ending injury early this season. Due to the injury, my assumption is he was granted a medical waiver, thus allowing his return. This is a major key return for Stevenson's defense for 2017. He was the starter before the injury, plus an impact player. A brief bio: multi-year starter; finished second on the defense in 2015 with 82 tackles; lead the team in sacks during 2015.

This is a great return to an already stout LB core that is expected to return much talent for the 2017 season.

[HSCTiger74]

I'm curious to see who Stevenson and other MAC members pick up for OOC games. I believe Albright still has Salisbury and Del Val still has Wesley. I'm hopeful Stevenson can find a better quality opponent in 2017. Previous opponent, N.C. Wesleyan, was an improving team that provided a good tuneup for a building program like Stevenson, but now that Stevenson has taken the next step with a conference win and NCAA playoff appearance I would like to see a better opponent. Maybe John Hopkins if they have an opening.

   

That would be cool!!

Johns Hopkins just started that contract with W&L. Not sure if it's a two-year deal or a four-year deal but this was the first year.

   I recently saw a comment on the ODAC board that after the current agreement with W&L ends next year Hopkins will be renewing their series with Randolph-Macon, so they're locked up until 2019 at least. Maybe someone from either school can confirm that, as my info is second-hand.

[jmcozenlaw]

I want to extend a big cudos to Stevenson for the great game they played today.  The score belies the difficulty Wesley had today especially in the first half.  Stevenson is a real deal team.  They were disciplined and athletic and the Stevenson defense pretty much shut down Falkenburg and stopped some deep drives early to keep the game close  through the first half.  Several key fumbles scratched their plans, though.

If the coach keeps to his path, I see Stevenson as a true powerhouse at some point close on the horizon.  I gotta say, I was REALLY impressed with the Stevenson fans and their incredible band.  Seriously, I felt that this was a road game at a Stevenson homecoming.  I have never, ever seen that kind of show at Wesley.  Friggin' bravo!

-Ski

I'll opine more come next mid-August when the board comes back to life (and maybe some of the dearly departed rise from the dead), but I fully expect Stevenson to remain at the top of the MAC going forward. As they plan to become a school with around 10,000 students, they will be 4X/5X the size of the average MAC school. This will give them huge advantages with the onslaught of facilities that are planned and the aid packages as a result of the burgeoning tuition and ancillary fee income. At a time when several MAC schools are cutting aid packages to athletes (especially Widener and DelVal), Stevenson joins Albright and Lycoming with handing out large packages.

Stevenson also enjoys not having 6-8 schools in their backyard competing for talent. The Maryland area is a solid area for high school football, with not many D-III schools in the state, especially close to them.

Another huge advantage comes in 2018 when Alvernia starts their football program. As it has happened in basketball and a few other sports, Alvernia and Albright (minutes apart), will be competing for the same players and it should over the years have a negative impact on Albright's success. One only needs to look at King's and Wilkes in football, where you need 100+ players. These two schools are separated by a street. Literally, a street. Throw Misericordia in the mix, about 10 minutes away. I don't ever see any of these three schools having sustained success in football.

A much larger school down the road, with facilities that beget a 10,000 student university (twice the size of Duke and Villanova undergrad), large aid packages, recruiting advantages by not having a bunch of competition in your backyard (like DelVal/Widener/Rowan.........or Albright/Alvernia.........or Wilkes/King's/Misericordia), I see Stevenson clearly at the top of the pack going forward. I also see Stevenson out of the MAC (their doing) within 5-7 years when the MAC expands sports in their current institutions and Arcadia, DeSales and Messiah all add football.

My (more educated than you think or know) guess............Stevenson, Salisbury, Frostburg, Hood, McDaniel (rumors growing about leaving the Centennial down the road) team up with some combination of Wesley, a couple of Virginia schools and maybe a Central PA school to form a conference that makes much more geographical sense than where many of the schools are currently based from a conference perspective.

If it happens, just remember where you heard it

[Warren Thompson]

If Stevenson ever exits the MAC, I doubt the other venues will shed copious tears. 

[tweisman5]

I want to extend a big cudos to Stevenson for the great game they played today.  The score belies the difficulty Wesley had today especially in the first half.  Stevenson is a real deal team.  They were disciplined and athletic and the Stevenson defense pretty much shut down Falkenburg and stopped some deep drives early to keep the game close  through the first half.  Several key fumbles scratched their plans, though.

If the coach keeps to his path, I see Stevenson as a true powerhouse at some point close on the horizon.  I gotta say, I was REALLY impressed with the Stevenson fans and their incredible band.  Seriously, I felt that this was a road game at a Stevenson homecoming.  I have never, ever seen that kind of show at Wesley.  Friggin' bravo!

-Ski

I'll opine more come next mid-August when the board comes back to life (and maybe some of the dearly departed rise from the dead), but I fully expect Stevenson to remain at the top of the MAC going forward. As they plan to become a school with around 10,000 students, they will be 4X/5X the size of the average MAC school. This will give them huge advantages with the onslaught of facilities that are planned and the aid packages as a result of the burgeoning tuition and ancillary fee income. At a time when several MAC schools are cutting aid packages to athletes (especially Widener and DelVal), Stevenson joins Albright and Lycoming with handing out large packages.

Stevenson also enjoys not having 6-8 schools in their backyard competing for talent. The Maryland area is a solid area for high school football, with not many D-III schools in the state, especially close to them.

Another huge advantage comes in 2018 when Alvernia starts their football program. As it has happened in basketball and a few other sports, Alvernia and Albright (minutes apart), will be competing for the same players and it should over the years have a negative impact on Albright's success. One only needs to look at King's and Wilkes in football, where you need 100+ players. These two schools are separated by a street. Literally, a street. Throw Misericordia in the mix, about 10 minutes away. I don't ever see any of these three schools having sustained success in football.

A much larger school down the road, with facilities that beget a 10,000 student university (twice the size of Duke and Villanova undergrad), large aid packages, recruiting advantages by not having a bunch of competition in your backyard (like DelVal/Widener/Rowan.........or Albright/Alvernia.........or Wilkes/King's/Misericordia), I see Stevenson clearly at the top of the pack going forward. I also see Stevenson out of the MAC (their doing) within 5-7 years when the MAC expands sports in their current institutions and Arcadia, DeSales and Messiah all add football.

My (more educated than you think or know) guess............Stevenson, Salisbury, Frostburg, Hood, McDaniel (rumors growing about leaving the Centennial down the road) team up with some combination of Wesley, a couple of Virginia schools and maybe a Central PA school to form a conference that makes much more geographical sense than where many of the schools are currently based from a conference perspective.

If it happens, just remember where you heard it

I was literally thinking about this the other day. I believe as of this moment, Stevenson is perfectly happy with the MAC conference. Main reason I say this is because the MAC aligns with there mission, which is to be a National Championship contender every year in every sport. Stevenson's athletic program covers a vast array of sports. Additionally, they are always looking to add more sports. Reason why the MAC fits is because they offer something no other conference currently can claim, the most conference championships awarded. The MAC just announced Men's and Women's Ice Hockey plus Men's Volleyball as there 27th sport. This offers Stevenson a central home conference. Until another conference can form to offer the same package, I believe Stevenson will be content.

Looking ahead, I do believe Stevenson is always open to better options that would fit their growing program and University. Ideally, I would like to see them target other geographical institutions to form a new conference. I tried to have a little fun with this and here are some institutions I identified for a hypothetical conference: Stevenson University, Salisbury University, Wesley College, Johns Hopkins University, Frostburg State University, McDaniel College, Christopher Newport University, and York College. Questionable options I like would be Washington and Lee University/Lynchburg University and Gettysburg College/Mulhenburg College. Also, Hood and St. Mary's would be another pair of good options. Now if this could happen, this would be a great lineup of institutions; however, I believe an agreement would have to be made by the ADs to commit to adding more athletic programs at certain institutions to build a stable base. Until a dream scenario like this happens, I see Stevenson remaining in the MAC.

[PBR...]

"Our kids don't feel good about this at all," Girardi said. "Any time a game like this happens you want to play the very next day. I can see it in them. I think they are going to give a good account of themselves. I really do."
    Baltz, a three-year starter and one of four captains, said the Warriors want to show members of past championship teams that they aren't as bad as their record or last week's result indicates. Lycoming has won 13 Middle Atlantic Conference titles and members of every championship team should be in attendance Saturday.
    "We want to show them that we can still play the same way that they did," Baltz said. "We want to show them that we're not dead yet." (Williamsport Sun Gazette)

The Lyco football family of athletes will always be there to support the Warriors in both victory & defeat, unlike many of the past frontrunners who have posted on this board and have come & gone....The current group of frontrunners' longevity on this board, supporting their team, even in defeat, remains to be seen!...Simba

I was a little bored today trading futures and commodities so I went back and read the first 50 pages or so of the 2005 season (the first 50 pages under the new format). I can't believe how mean spirited and harsh the board was at that time. Damn!!! Many of those posters are long gone but I found it funny that even back then, bman was busting simba's stones about only hearing from him after Lycoming victories...........and with stories from the distant past.

Simba, as the last paragraph from one of your posts (above) from 2005 (almost 11 years ago to the day) states...........have you become (or always been) that same frontrunner who is heard from in the good times, but disappears in the not-so-good times? Interesting.

The human condition continues to fascinate me (the Swarthmore in me )

Also..........I would love to hear from the dearly departed PBR.........

Go back and read some of the threads on the Liberty League board between myself and Regulator and (Engine)Gro and LewDogg.... Now that is some funny ish and will provide lots of laughs. Still laugh about the some of those conversations with the boys. Happy Holidays peeps... PBR peace out

[tweisman5]

Recently watch the end of season Week 12 coaches corner video with Stevenson University head coach Ed Hottle. He discussed the season accomplishments, experience of program first NCAA playoff, and the legacy of this year's senior class. The interesting tidbit I picked up in the video was around the 7:25 minute mark in the video. Hottle mentioned that the season opener for the 2017 season will be against a team that finished this season 10-1 and likely a top 25 team in the final poll. After searching through the NCAA D3 program standings, I only found one team that has a 10-1 record, Frostburg St. This isn't what I was told by anyone, but from the clues I found, it suggest that we could see a 2017 Week 1 matchup of Stevenson vs. Frostburg St. I'm really excited because Hottle referenced the next step for the program is to challenge themselves with a stronger quality opponent! Frostburg St. would definitely be a great matchup to open the season. Curious to see if the matchup will be at home for Stevenson. Already looking forward to the 2017 season, Go Mustangs!

[Pat Coleman]

Recently watch the end of season Week 12 coaches corner video with Stevenson University head coach Ed Hottle. He discussed the season accomplishments, experience of program first NCAA playoff, and the legacy of this year's senior class. The interesting tidbit I picked up in the video was around the 7:25 minute mark in the video. Hottle mentioned that the season opener for the 2017 season will be against a team that finished this season 10-1 and likely a top 25 team in the final poll. After searching through the NCAA D3 program standings, I only found one team that has a 10-1 record, Frostburg St. This isn't what I was told by anyone, but from the clues I found, it suggest that we could see a 2017 Week 1 matchup of Stevenson vs. Frostburg St. I'm really excited because Hottle referenced the next step for the program is to challenge themselves with a stronger quality opponent! Frostburg St. would definitely be a great matchup to open the season. Curious to see if the matchup will be at home for Stevenson. Already looking forward to the 2017 season, Go Mustangs!

Monmouth is also 10-1, but probably won't be ranked. And is like a thousand miles further away. Good find!