Staten Island, NY – The 2013 Wagner College football team descended upon Grymes Hill on Sunday, intent on defending its 2012 Northeast Conference (NEC) title as 125 Seahawks reported to campus to begin preparations for the upcoming 11-game schedule.
The season opener is slated for Saturday, August 31 at 1:00 pm vs. Patriot League member Georgetown. Two weeks prior, on Saturday, August 17, Seahawk fans will have a chance to glimpse the 2013 squad when Wagner holds its annual Green & White Scrimmage at Noon.
Following the season opener vs. Georgetown, Wagner will host Merrimack (9/6) before taking to the road to meet FBS member Syracuse (9/14), squaring off with the Orange in the 50,000-seat Carrier Dome. Wagner faces another tough test the following week at traditional FCS linchpin Delaware (9/21) before beginning NEC play with a Homecoming Day affair vs. Bryant (9/28). For ticket information on Wagner's six-game home schedule, click HERE.
The Seahawks are coming off an historic 2012 season, highlighted by a 9-4 record, its first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) Title and advancement to the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The memorable 2012 campaign has placed Wagner in the national limelight as the Seahawks have earned preseason recognition as the nation's 24th-ranked squad in the 2013 Lindy's College Football Preview FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Green & White were also picked first in the 2013 Sporting News Preseason Poll.
The Wagner 119-man roster features a blend of 69 returners and 50 newcomers. On offense, The Seahawks return seven starters, headlined by junior running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Bridgeton), one of the nation's top talents. The strong, agile 5-9, 205-pounder rushed for 1,328 yards last season, placing him seventh on the school's all-time single-season list, in addition to rushing for 13 touchdowns.
A First-Team All-NEC choice last season, Williams was also among a select group of five running backs named to the 2012 College Sports Journal All-America Team. His 105.6 yards per game in 2012 rushing ranked third in the NEC through the end of the regular season, as did his 133.3 all-purpose yards per game. Nationally, Williams' 102.54-yard average (NCAA computes stats based on entire season) ranked 25th.
Williams will enter the 2013 season ranked fourth in the Seahawk all-time annals 3,338 yards. The three people ahead of him on the Wagner all-time rushing list are Rick Sarille, the No. 1 all-time rusher with 5,290 yards, followed by Terry Underwood, who gained 5,010 yards from 1985-88, and Alonzo Patterson, who rumbled for 4,177 yards from 1979-1982. Williams is also fifth in all-time scoring with 234 career points.
While Williams is entrenched at the halfback spot, there will be several key position battles, including the competition to determine who will replace record-setting quarterback Nick Doscher the Staten Island, NY native who was a two-time All-NEC choice and a fixture behind center the past four years.
Redshirt junior Matt Misley (Park Ridge, NJ/ Park Ridge), senior Kramer Berg (Rochester, MN/ Rochester Technical CC) and redshirt freshman Chris Andrews (Queens, NY. St. Joseph's (NJ)/ Valley Forge Military Academy) headline the group of candidates vying for the starting nod as Seahawk quarterback.
The Seahawk defense was the top-rated unit in the NEC a year ago and headlining the returnees will be redshirt junior cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Ft. Lauderdale, FL/Dillard/Purdue), a First-Team All-NEC choice a year ago, and redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Daevonte Barnett (Riviera Beach, FL/ W.T. Dwyer), who was named a 2012 Freshman All-American by the College Sports Journal.
For the 33rd consecutive season, Wagner will be led by head coach Walt Hameline, who has amassed a record of 213-127-2 (.626). Hameline and was named the 2012 FCS National Coach of the Year by the College Football News and the College Sports Journal in addition to earning Northeast Conference (NEC) Coach of the Year honors.
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