South Mountaineer Volume 34, Issue 02

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Volume 34, Number 2
September 10, 1991
Bethlehem, Pa.
LEHIGHLIGHTS
STEELERS KEEP JOHNSON — Former
Lehigh offensive lineman Jarrod Johnson has
signed a one-year contract with the practice squad
of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson, a 1990
first team All-Patriot League selection at center
for the Engineers, was originally waived in the
Steelers' final roster cuts, but was resigned two
days later.
PRIZEWINNERS — Five football players
and one wrestler are recipients of special financial
aid awards for the 1991-92 academic year. The
Ami Lasser Prize was awarded to junior free
safety Adam Ciperski and junior wrestler Scott
Hill. The Pat Pazzetti prizes in football were
given to juniorcenterCharlesEndicott and senior
offensive tackle Brett Brown. Jim Mahlbacher
prizes in football were awarded to senior defensive
end John Hillis and senior offensive tackle Mike
Moriarty. The awards were based upon
nominations from the players' respective coaches,
Hank Small and Tom Hutchinson.
HANSEN KNOWS — Don Hansen's Football
Gazette lists Lehigh wide receiver Horace Hamm
and linebacker Lee Picariello on its preseason I-
AA All-America second team, and quarterback
Glenn Kempa and wide receiver Rich Clark on its
honorable mention list. All four players have
been nominated as I-AA preseason Ail-Americans.
HEPP WINS NATIONAL TITLE — Lehigh
freshman wrestler Rick Hepp won the 165 lb.
championship of the Junior National Wrestling
Tournament held in early August in Warrensburg,
PA. Hepp, from St. Edward's HS in Lakeland,
Ohio, was the Ohio state champion at 167 pounds
last year. He is expected to compete at the same
weight for the Engineers.
LU  CHEERLEADERS TOPS — The
Lehigh cheerleaders, competing against 73 east
coast colleges and universities, brought home
two honors from the Rutgers University
cheerleading clinic, held in early August. The
group, coached by John Kelley and captained by
juniors Sarah Klingele and Kathy Mitchell, won
first place in the fight song competition and
second place in cheering on the final day of the
camp.
INSIDE the Mountaineer
Patriot League football preview 2
Lee Picariello feature 3
Chrysler First Soccer Tourney 3
Media Guides offer 4
Football vs. Fordham preview 4
PARTICIPATION in PATRIOT LEAGUE
FALLSPORTS
A by-the-numbers look at Patriot League schools'
participation in league-sponsored sports this fall:
LEHIGH
BUCKNELL
COLGATE
HOLY CROSS
LAFAYETTE
FORDHAM
ARMY
NAVY
Source: [he Patriot League
Engineers ready to make a run at it
Defense the theme as optimism runs high on South Mountain
By Glenn Hofmann
Sports Information Director
When you head out to practice in the
90-degree heat at the Goodman Campus,
there is a decidedly different feeling
which emanates from the 100 or so
football players who are taking part in
drills and exercises.
The sense one gets is that the 1991
Lehigh football team is a focused group
of individuals with only one thing on its
mind — a first-ever Patriot League
championship.
"I'm happy in part that we are so well
thought of, but we intend to take one
game at a time," preseason league
defensive player of the year Lee
Picariello said. "I think we're capable of
winning every game if we play the way
we can."
And while preseason is always a time
for optimism, the Engineers have the
players and statistical numbers to back
up the optimism as they head toward the
108th season of football on South
Mountain.
Five different publications picked
Lehigh to finish second behind Holy
Cross in the Patriot League standings.
Lehigh'has also received votes in two
different I-AA top 20 polls.
"There's not many differences from
the last three years," Small says of a team
which returns seven defensive and four
offensive starters from last year's 7-4
squad. "The major difference is that the
guys replacing the people who left are
juniors and seniors."
What makes this season so exciting is
that for the first time in many years, the
defense appears to have caught the
offense in terms of capability and
potential — and that by no means implies
that the offense has slipped.
All American quarterback candidate
Glenn Kempa, who threw for 3,000
yards last season and was ranked third in
the nation in total offense, returns for his
senior year and has a pair of All-America
type receivers to throw to in classmates
Horace Hamm and Rich Clark. Hamm
ehigh Football
Preview 1991
Senior quarterback Glenn Kempa, one of Lehigh's four All-
American candidates. —photo by Young Hong
was fourth in the nation in receiving yards
one year ago (1,148) and Clark was second
in the league in catches per game (5.8).
With seniors Laurence Arico and Chris
Menet set to assume the running back chores
and junior Jason Cristino rounding out the
receiving corps, the nation's leading I-AA
offense over the last four years is sure to put
up some solid numbers.
The only question on offense is that of
the line. Four of last year's starters have
been lost to graduation with only guard
Ken Joseph back. But, as Coach Small
points out, this is not an inexperienced
group of linemen.
"Obviously we were hit hardest in the
Lehigh announces television package
For the third consecutive year,
WFMZ-TV Channel 69 will telecast
Engineer football to the Lehigh
Valley. WFMZ Sports Director Trey
Wingo and former Lehigh, Atlanta
Falcon and Washington Redskin
quarterback Kim McQuilken will call
the action.
"This deal is beneficial for Lehigh
University, Channel 69 and the people
of the Lehigh Valley," said Lehigh
Promotions and Marketing Director Ron
Ticho. "We are very pleased to be able
to bring Lehigh football to the television
audience of the area again this season."
The package will include games on
Sept. 21 at Connecticut, Oct. 5 vs.
Dartmouth and Nov. 23 vs. Lafayette.
A weekly highlight show, airing
Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m., is also
scheduled. For satellite information,
contact the alumni office.
line by graduation," he said. "Yet we return a
lot of seniors who have had some game
experience that I feel will be able to contribute
right away."
Speaking of
offensive lines, those the
Lehigh defense will line
up against will have their
hands full. The Engineer
defense may be the best
in the Patriot League. All
American candidate
Picariello, who took
home defensive player-
of-the-week honors in
the league five times last
year, anchors a unit
which includes junior
Mike Yadush and
sophomore Kevin
Jefferson, both of whom
started last year.
Helping the
linebacking crew is a
secondary which took its
lumps when they came
in as freshmen, but is
now handing out its own
bumps and bruises to
opponents. Coach Small
says this secondary
group has developed into
what he considers "the
best group I've had since
I've been here."
Seniors Pete
Sczerbinski, Tommy Johnson, Tommy
Clark and Ben Taylor and juniors Mike
Wetzel and Adam Ciperski all are expected
to cause havoc for opposing quarterbacks.
Like its counterpart on offense, the
defensive line is in a rebuilding stage of sorts,
but again Small does not view this as a real
problem.
Senior right end John Hillis is the only
returning starter, but classmates Brian
Murphy and Ron Horton, junior Matt Wylie
and sophomores Mark Widder and Paul
Deluliis have all seen extended playing time
in the past.
The kicking game will rely on Erik Bird,
who hopes to rebound to the form which made
him one of the league's most successful kickers
in 1989. Nick Roccaforte again will punt.
1991 Lehigh Football Schedule
Sept. 14 @ Fordham*
Sept. 21 (©Connecticut
Sept. 28 (©Columbia
Oct. 5  DARTMOUTH
Oct 12  NORTHEASTERN
Oct. 19  PENNSYLVANIA
Oct. 26  HOLY CROSS*
Nov. 2 WILLIAM & MARY
Nov. 9 (©Colgate*
Nov. 16 (©Bucknell *
Nov. 28 LAFAYETTE*