South Mountaineer Volume 32, Issue 01

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Volume 32, Number 1
September 6,1989
Bethlehem, Pa.
Quarterback, defensive secondary
seen as keys to Engineer season
By MIKE ALBRIGHT
South Mountaineer Editor
While 1989 is destined to be a memorable
season for Lehigh University's football program in
terms of milestones—with the university's 1,000th
game scheduled along with the 125th Lehigh-
Lafayette matchup—head coach Hank Small would
like to make it memorable for other reasons as well.
Lehigh, although facing a tough 11-game schedule, is looking for its first ever Colonial League title
and a second straight winning season. Last year, the
Engineers finished 6-5, the first winning season
since 1983, and tied for third place in the six-team
league's third season.
Small is not making any predictions, mainly due
to what he calls a "tough" schedule, which
includes road trips to Division I Ivy League
opponents Yale and Harvard and home games with
Massachusetts (the 1,000th game on Sept. 16),
William & Mary, Holy Cross and Lafayette.
But, he's confident that if he can find a starting
quarterback, replace three of last year's four
starting secondary members and keep the team
healthy, the Engineers could make a run at the
Colonial League trophy.
The two top contenders for the league title are
defending champs Lafayette and two-time winners
Holy Cross, Those teams comprise the final two
games on this year's schedule. If the Engineers
want to have a say at the end, they will need to get
out to a good start.
"That's the name of the game, arrive at the Holy
Cross game 3-0 (in the league) to make those last
two really mean something," Small said. "That
means you've got to get through Fordham, Bucknell
and Colgate. Last year, we stumbled. We had
potentially that situation. Lafayette beat Holy Cross
so we had a chance to arrive at the Lafayette game
with a victory and share of the title but stumbled at
Bucknell.
"The other side of that coin is that we go through
such a demanding schedule, we can't have happen
what happened to us last year, and that is run out of
players," Small added. "If those two games are our
biggest two, and I'd have to say they're our biggest
two, if we are in the same physical situation as we
were last year, it will be a very difficult situation for
us."
Quarterback, the secondary and the schedule
were Small's main concerns heading into preseason
practice. He's been tight-lipped about the quarterback situation but the secondary seems to be set.
Last year, signal callers Jim Harris and Mark
McGowan, who was injured midway through the
season, combined to make Lehigh the top-rated
passing offense in Division 1-AA. However, both
graduated, leaving the job wide open.
Vying for the top spot are Glenn Kempa (Taylor,
Pa., Riverside HS), Todd Brunner (Cranbury, N.J.,
Lawrence HS), Al Snyder (Peoria, III.. Limestone
Community HS) and Alan LaPoint (New Canaan,
See SEASON page 3
Holy Cross, Lafayette expected 1-2 again
Photography by PAM LOTT
Coach Hank Small looks to junior tailback Erick Torain (top), and
fullback Kevin Costello (bottom) to provide the Engineer ground attack
this year.
By MIKE ALBRIGHT
South Mountaineer Editor
Once again, perennial Colonial League favorite
Holy Cross and defending champion Lafayette are
expected to battle it out for the 1989 league title.
The teams have finished one-two in two of the
three years since the Colonial League's inception.
Holy Cross has won two league titles and did not
lose a league game until last year.
However, Lehigh coach Hank Small says his
young squad hopes to be around to make some noise
at the end of the 1989 regular season.
Lehigh, if it can get out of the gate quickly, may
control its own destiny as the season winds down:
the Engineers' final two games, both at home, are
against Holy Cross, Nov. 11. and Lafayette, Nov.
18. If Lehigh falters early, it will still be in a postion
to play the spoiler.
"Our schedule is probably our main challenge
for the coming year, along with a very competitive
league race," Small said. "We play Holy Cross and
Lafayette the last two games of the season. Our goal
is to be there at the end so those games mean
something."
Lafayette, with returning All-American quarterback Frank Baur at the helm, looks to be the early
season favorite after leading the nation's Division I-
AA schools in scoring last year. The Leopard's
success earned coach Frank Russo Division I-AA
coach of the year honors.
For 1989, the Leopards return 16 starters,
including Tom Costello, last year's Colonial League
Rookie of the Year and leading rusher. He rushed
for 1,132 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Baur, slated for the cover of Spoils Illustrated
this month, was the top rated passer in the nation last
year with a 171.1 quarterback efficiency rating. He
threw for 2,621 yards and 23 touchdowns while
completing 64.1 percent of his passes. He was
intercepted just 11 times.
Holy Cross, while expected to have an explosive
offense of its own. will rely on a defense that returns
five starters, including senior Dave Murphy, the
league's all-time interception leader.
Murphy, who is being touted as a pre-season All-
America and a potential two-way player who may
see some time as a third-down receiver, had seven
interceptions last year and is two thefts shy of the
Division I-AA career interception mark.
The Crusaders had the league's top defense last
year, surrendering just 283.3 yards and 16.5 points
per game.
Junior tailback Joe Segretti. the league's leading
scorer, is expected to pace an offense that returns
seven starters. One key starter gone is quarterback
See COLONIAL page 3