Football Ranked Second in PSAC East Pre-Season Poll

8/2/2010 3:00:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG – The Bloomsburg University football team has been picked as the number-two team in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division, as voted on by the coaches at the conference football media day at Kutztown University.

The Huskies received one first-place vote and trailed only West Chester in the poll. The Golden Rams failed to secure any first-place votes but secured enough points to top the overall ranking. C.W. Post managed three first-place votes and landed third in the survey, while 2009 East-Division Champion Shippensburg took fourth, despite securing three top votes of its own.

East Stroudsburg nabbed the final first-place vote and was slotted fifth, while Kutztown, Millersville and Cheyney rounded out the East Division.

Coach Danny Hale’s Huskies will look to rebound from a heartbreaking 2009 season that saw Bloomsburg win its first eight games before dropping the last three, slipping out of postseason contention.

Under the direction of Hale, Bloomsburg has won 10 outright or shared PSAC East titles and has reached the NCAA playoffs six times. Hale stands as the school's all-time leader in victories with a record of 144-49-1.

This season, 14 starters return to the Huskies lineup, including four All-PSAC East players. Captain Ben Weaber (Lebanon, Cedar Crest) tallied 25 catches last year and received second-team conference honors last season. The senior tight end will front the offense again as both a receiver and blocker.

First-team All-PSAC selection Derrick Price (Burlington, NJ, Burlington City) returns to his post at tailback, having already reached 10^th on the university’s all-time career rushing list. The junior has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in 10 games so far and will provide the Huskies with a dominant running game.

Senior Pat Casey (Matamoras, Delaware Valley) will also line up on the offensive side of the ball. The first-team All-PSAC guard and the rest of his line will bring formidable strength and experience to the field, providing solid protection for their yet-to-be-determined quarterback.

Todd Givler (Glenmoore, Downington West), another of the team’s four captains, returns as a starter on the defensive line, while captain Mike Varanavage (Philadelphia, Archbishop Ryan) leads a strong group at linebacker, and Alex Landis (Pine Grove, Pine Grove) will captain the defensive backfield. Assisting Landis will be first team All-PSAC defensive back Oscar Rivera (Bethlehem, Liberty). The junior has logged 111 career tackles and three interceptions and looks to receive league honors again this season.

In the West, five-time defending champion California paced the division, receiving the maximum seven first-place votes, while IUP and Clarion took second and third, respectively. Edinboro and Gannon tied for fourth, followed by Slippery Rocky, Mercyhurst and Lock Haven.

Bloomsburg opens its season with a road trip to Ashland, Ohio, to face the Eagles at Jack Miller Stadium on Saturday, September 4, at 1 p.m. The Huskies return home on September 11 for their home-opener against the Eagles of Clarion.