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Washington, DC – At high noon today, the Wagner football team will kick off the 2014 season in our nation's capital vs. Georgetown and at the controls of the Seahawk offense will be senior quarterback Brian Gehring (Tigard, OR/Laney JC), a strong-armed, 205-pounder who is in his second season on Grymes Hill.
 
A transfer from Laney Junior College in Oakland, CA, Gehring saw action in five games with two starts in 2013 and completed 31-of-54 passes for 293 yards. His first career start came against Central Connecticut (11/2), where he completed 20-of-33 passes for 186 yards, all marks that finished the season as career highs. He also pulled the ball down and took on a 62-yard, third-quarter touchdown run, which is the longest rush of his career. 
 
The following week vs. Monmouth (11/9), the transfer from Laney Junior College (CA), saw his second-most extensive action of the season, completing 10-of-20 passes for 97 yards while rushing for 17 net yards on seven attempts.
 
Gehring and junior quarterback Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/St. Joseph's – NJ/Valley Forge Military Academy), a mobile, left-hander, were engaged in a battle for the No. 1 spot throughout preseason camp. Andrews passed for 575 yards and four TDS while rushing for 227 yards with one TD a year ago.
 
"I've said all along, I really like both of our quarterbacks and have tremendous confidence in both Brian and Chris," said Seahawk head coach Walt Hameline, who enters his 34^th season ranked fifth among active FCS coaches in victories and brings a sterling career mark of 216-135-2 (.615) into the 2014 campaign. "At the end of the day, based on their performances in the scrimmages and practice, Brian threw the ball a little better and that was really the difference."
 
A quartet of fifth-year seniors were selected as teams captains earlier this week as cornerback Jarrett Dieudonne (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Dillard) and center David Fredrickson (Staten Island, NY/Poly Prep)) were named captains for a second straight year and will be joined by punter A.J. Firestone (Mercersburg, PA/Mercersburg Academy) and linebacker Max Wassel (Totowa, NJ/Passaic Valley).

"These four young men are all fifth-year seniors, proven leaders and performers, who have earned the respect from their teammates and coaches alike," says Hameline. "Each of them leads in their own way and I'm excited to have these four student-athletes leading our team this fall."

The 6-0, 190-pound Dieudonne is a ball-hawking, sure-tackling cornerback who's on target to be a four-year starter for the Seahawks. A First-Team All-Northeast Conference selection in 2012, Dieudonne contributed mightily to the Seahawks' NEC Championship run that year and enters his senior season with 35 games of experience, including 30 starts. During his Green and White career, he's amassed 149 tackles, including 105 solo stops, has seven career interceptions, 21 pass breakups and nine forced fumbles.

The strong-legged, 6-1, 210-pound Firestone was named First-Team All-NEC in 2013 and is a 2014 Preseason All-NEC selection. Last season, he averaged 41.0 yards on 28 punts, with a long of 52, three punts over 50 yards, four touchbacks, five fair catches, five downed inside the 20-yard line while earning a spot on the 2013 NEC Fall All-Academic Roll. A highlight of his 2013 campaign came in the season finale when he played a key role in Wagner's season-ending 10-7 win at Saint Francis U (11/16), punting seven times for a 45.2-yard and twice pinning Saint Francis U inside its own 20.

Fredrickson is a local product who earned the starting center spot during the 2011 preseason camp to begin a streak that now stands at 35 games entering the 2014 campaign. Cerebral and physical, the 6-2, 290-pound, left-handed Fredrickson has displayed both consistency and durability throughout his Seahawk career and is one of the unquestioned leaders of the Seahawk offense. He helped pave the way for running back Dominique Williams, now a member of the Minnesota Vikings, to rush for three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

Wassel is a veteran, team leader who is looking to build on the breakout season that he enjoyed in 2013. After gaining a starting nod at inside linebacker, the aggressive and instinctive 5-11, 235-pounder finished second on the team in tackles with 62, recording 30 solo stops and assisting on 32 others while leading the team lead with 11 tackles for loss. During one mid-season stretch, the 2013 NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll member delivered three consecutive career-high nine-tackle performances - at Duquesne (10/11), vs. Robert Morris (10/26) and vs. Central Connecticut (11/2).
 
At running back, the Seahawks welcome back speedy junior Otis Wright (Ft. Lauderdale, FL/Dillard), who rushed for 304 yards a true freshman in 2012, while earning All-NEC honors as a kickoff return specialist. before sitting out last season. Others in the mix include sophomore Matthias McKinnon (Albany, NY/Jireh Prep), last year's second-leading 247 yards on 69 carries, behind Dominique Williams, who ended his storied career ranked third all-time in school history in both rushing yards (4,435) and scoring (276 points).
 
In 43 career games, Williams, now a rookie trying to earn a berth on the roster of the Minnesota Vikings, rushed for 42 touchdowns and snared four touchdown catches as a receiver out of the backfield, while rushing for 100 yards or more on 26 occasions. The 5-9, 205-pound dynamo finished fourth all-time in NEC history in both rushing yards (4,435 and all-purpose yards (5,444).
 
Senior Anthony Carrington (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) is Wagner's most productive returning receiver with 55 receptions and 777 yards under his belt. Sophomores Isaiah Gills (Bel Air, MD/Hartford) and Lloyd Smith (Willingboro, NJ/Valley Forge) showed promise as true freshmen last season while fifth-year senior Fritz Rock (Golden Valley, MN/Illinois), a transfer from the University of Illinois, will be given a long look as well.
 
The Green & White boast a deep group of talented tight ends, headed by 2014 All-NEC Preseason choice Bryant Watts (Burlington, NJ/Florence), an inviting target and physical blocker who goes 6-4, 245 pounds. Junior Ryan Owens (Gainesville, NY/Letchworth) is an extremely athletic, veteran performer while sophomore Caleb Scepaniak (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) is a promising young prospect who is also expected to see time at fullback.
 
The Seahawks return three starters along the offensive line in Fredrickson, fifth-year senior right tackle Brett Buzzard (Sunrise, FL/Pine Crest) and senior right tackle Kevin Messier (Burlington, VT / New Hampton-NH). Buzzard enters 2014 with 22 career starts while Palaj has 12 career starts. Sophomore Matt Diaz (Edison, NJ/Milford Academy) is coming off a fine preseason camp as well while junior Nazir Barnett (Union, NJ/Union) is a veteran who started four games last season.
 
Defensively, the 2014 Seahawks will have the benefit of returning five of their six leading tacklers from a year ago and seven of their top 10. Tall, rangy and instinctive outside linebacker Trevor Loveland (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) returns for a fifth year after leading the Green & White with 69 tackles overall and a team-best 41 solo stops. Wassel was a productive and durable force with 62 tackles in 2013, while senior linebacker Greg Hilliard (Brockton, MA/UMass) had a solid 51-tackle campaign in his first season as a Seahawk last season after transferring from UMass.
 
Fifth-year senior cornerback Denagelo James who recorded 53 tackles, is the leading returning tackler in the secondary opposite Dieudonne. Senior Nevon Williams (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) is another veteran CB. The safeties are expected to be seniors Daquan Cooper (Philadelphia, PA/GW) and Daniel Mack (Miami, FL/Dade Christian), transfers from Temple and Wake Forest, respectively.
 
Up front, senior Daevonte Barnett (Riviera Beach, FL/Dwyer) is a productive run-stopper and pass rusher who recorded 22 tackles and one sack in 2013. Also returning up front is are junior Fidel Okoye (Wiliamstown, NJ/Williamstown), a 2013 All-NEC Second-Teamers, and seniors Patrick Gibbons (Carthage, NY/Milford) and Al Page (Bronx, NY/Christopher Columbus), a physically-imposing transfer from Rutgers.
 
Senior Bryan Maley (Eagle River, Alaska / Chugiak) has won the starting place-kicking position after stepping in admirably for All-NEC kicker David Lopez last season when he was sidelined for three games with a leg injury. At eventual NEC Champions Sacred Heart (10/5), Maley calmly nailed a 45-yard field goal with 00:04 remaining to break a 20-20 tie and lift the Seahawks to a 23-20 victory, handing the Pioneers their lone NEC loss of the season. Maley was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts that day en route to being named NEC Special Teams Player of the Week (10/7).

WAGNER FOOTBALL OPENS 84th SEASON
Wagner opens its 84th season of intercollegiate football by traveling to Georgetown on Saturday. In last year's season opener, on August 31, 2013, the Seahawks posted a 28-21 come-from-behind victory over the Hoyas on Grymes Hill, to improve their all-time record to 42-39-2 in in lid-lifters. Head coach Walt Hameline, who enters his 34^th season at the helm with a 216-135-2 (.615) record, is 20-11-2 in season-opening contests dating back to 1981.
 
HAMELINE ENTERS 34^TH SEASON RANKED NO. 5 AMONG ACTIVE FCS COACHES
Walt Hameline enters his 34^th season at Wagner ranked No. 5 among all active FCS head coaches. Here is the top 10 entering 2014:
1. Al Bagnoli, Penn.........................................                   237
2. Rob Ash, Montana St. .........................................         233
3. Andy Talley, Villanova .........................................         231
4. Jimmye Laycock, William & Mary ..................              222
5. WALT HAMELINE, WAGNER........................            216
6. Joe Glenn, South Dakota.........................................    192
7. Mike Ayers, Wofford ..........................................            187
8. K.C. Keeler, Sam Houston St.................................      174
9 Tim Murphy, Harvard .........................................            169
10. Rick Comegy, Jackson St. .................................        163
 
COACHING MATCHUP
When Wagner tees it up at Georgetown on Saturday, Walt Hameline will be coaching the 354^th game while entering his 34^th season. Hoyas' head coach Rob Sgarlata will be competing in his very first game as a collegiate head coach. Sgarlata has served on the Hoyas coaching staff for the past 18 seasons, including the last eight as Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator. Sgarlata took over as the interim head coach on January 30, following the departure of Kevin Kelly and was selected following a national search for coaching candidates. The Hoyas are coming off of a 2-9 season in 2013.
 
WAGNER ALL-TIME HISTORY VS. GEORGETOWN (2-3)
 
Sept. 16, 2000:    Georgetown28, Wagner 21
Oct. 9, 2010:         Wagner 22, Georgetown 16 (2-OT)
Oct. 8, 2011:         Georgetown 24, Wagner 10
Sept., 13 2012:     Georgetown 13, Wagner 10
Aug. 30, 2013:     Wagner 28, Georgetown 21
 
bold = home gamei
talics = road game
 
WAGNER ALL-TIME HISTORY VS. PATRIOT LEAGUE (12-8)
The Seahawks boast an all-time record of 12-8 vs. teams that currently comprise the Patriot Football League. Of the seven current members of the Patriot League, the Seahawks have played five. The most noteworthy win over a Patriot League for came on November 24, 2012 when NEC Champion Wagner hosted Patriot League Champion Colgate in the first round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. History was made that day, as Wagner came away with a 31-20 triumph in becoming the first NEC team to ever win an NCAA FCS Playoff game. Two weeks earlier, the Seahawks posted a thrilling 31-30 come-from-behind win over Holy Cross in the first-ever meeting between the schools. Georgetown is one of two Patriot League opponents on the 2014 schedule as the Seahawks travel to Easton, PA to meet Lafayette on Saturday, September 27 at 6:00 pm. This will mark the first meeting between the Seahawks and the Leopards since 1979.
 
Team                 Record    Last Meeting
Bucknell           0-0            N/A
Colgate             1-0            11/24/12:          NCAA FCS 1st Rd. Playoffs: Wagner 31, Colgate 20
Fordham           8-3            11/28/87:           Wagner 21, Fordham 0
Georgetown     2-3            8/31/12:             Wagner 28, Georgetown 21
Holy Cross        1-0            11/10/12:           Wagner 31, Holy Cross 30
Lafayette           0-2            11/10/79:           Lafayette 21, Wagner 3
Lehigh               0-0            N/A
                        12-8

The Origin of the Wagner Seahawk Nickname...
As to the origin of the nickname "Seahawks," legend has it that the name grew out of a student body competition in the fall of 1947. It was felt that the nicknames often in use, "The Green Wave" and "The Hilltoppers," were not sufficiently distinctive. According to Ronald Reynier, who was the winner of the contest with his suggestion of "Seahawk," he tells us, first of all, that there is no such bird as a Seahawk. The origin of the name dates back to the time of the great Spanish Main. A small band of English pirates, who operated in the Caribbean Sea and attacked the large ships of the Spanish, were given the nickname of Seahawks. Taking Wagner's location, looking out over the sea, and the small school playing many large schools in sports, it seemed that Wagner had a close analogy to the original Seahawks. The name was submitted. The student body did the rest.
 
The Origin of the Georgetown Hoya Nickname...
Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the 1940s. However in 1951, the school suspended its football program because of the increasing cost of the game financially and academically, which left the school without an official live mascot. In 1964, the school permitted exhibition football games to resume, and students financed the purchase of a young English bulldog named Royal Jacket, whom they intended to rename "Hoya", but he only responded to the callname "Jack". This breed was chosen to represent the school because of their "tenacity." The athletics department subsequently adopted as its logo a drawing of a bulldog sporting a blue and gray freshman beanie. The original Jack retired in 1967, but the name was carried over to his successors. In 1977, the university began the tradition of dressing up a student in a blue and gray bulldog costume, replacing the live bulldog, though several dogs periodically joined the costumed mascot during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1999, Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., with the help of the Hoya Blue fan club, revived the tradition of an official live bulldog named Jack, to work along with the costumed mascot.
 
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