1999 Guilford College Football Outlook

For the first time in school history, Guilford College begins a football season with the chance of receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Quakers and six other members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), including league newcomer Catholic University, challenge for first place in the conference and the automatic invitation to the expanded 24-team playoff field.

Many obstacles mark the road to the league title and national playoff berth a youthful Guilford squad. Only two of the Quakers’ six second team all-conference picks, senior cornerback Jimmy Lamour and sophomore receiver Chris McKinney, return in 1999. Four offensive starters and six defensive starters are back from last year’s 4-6 club, which placed third in the ODAC with a 3-2 record. The 10 starters join 21 other returning letter winners in Guilford's quest for its initial NCAA playoff berth and first postseason appearance since 1974.

Mike Ketchum ’78 starts his ninth season as Guilford’s head coach with a number of veterans, but many in new positions. For the first time in five seasons, the Quakers begin a season without David Heggie ‘98, the school's second all-time leading rusher who graduated in December with 3,242 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Plagued by injuries for a third straight season, Heggie still led the Quakers' ball carriers in 1998 with 512 yards in six games. He broke a 29-year-old school record for single-game rushing yards with 265 yards in a win over Bridgewater. Heggie also served as Guilford's punter last year.

Dwayne Cherry ‘98, Guilford's second-leading rusher, graduated with 498 yards and three touchdowns, which leaves sophomore Luke Davis as the team's top returning ground-gainer. However, Davis is slated for a spot in the secondary in 1999 which makes junior Marques Williams the leading candidate at running back. Williams, who gained a team-high 370 rushing yards in seven games as a freshman in 1997, returns to the backfield after lining up at receiver in 1998. Sophomore Jeff Faulkner, a 5-10, 225-pound converted defensive lineman, and redshirt freshman Pierre Cadore will also get the chance to carry the ball in preseason.

Center Garrick Vogt and tight end Alan York, both three-year starters, return for their senior seasons on the offensive line. York began his career at tackle, but moved to tight end as a sophomore and has 12 career receptions. Sophomore Lee Massey started all 10 games at right guard as a freshman, but could move to left guard with the graduation of three-year starter Doug Robertson ‘99. Redshirt freshmen George Manley and Brad Waters should contend for starting spots at tackle and guard, respectively.

For the second time in as many years, Guilford enters the preseason with question marks at quarterback where Brian Foulks, an eight-game starter a year ago, did not return this season. Redshirt junior Corey Phillips took many snaps in the final two games of the season and is the front-runner for the starting job headed into the summer. Sophomore Chris Diamont and Lenoir-Rhyne transfer Darby Morgan also figure into the quarterback mix. The coaches like the increased mobility of this year’s quarterbacks and may incorporate some elements of the option to keep opponents at bay.

The quarterbacks have a solid target to throw to in sophomore Chris McKinney, a second team All-ODAC pick a year ago. The 6-3, 195-pound McKinney led Guilford with 25 receptions for 428 yards and four scores a year ago. With Heggie and Cherry nagged by injuries, McKinney developed into a top playmaker on offense and special teams. He led the ODAC in kickoff returns (23.3 avg.) and also ranked among the league leaders in receiving and all-purpose yardage. Senior Aaron Denton is a two-year starting possession receiver and team leader who returns after a knee injury ended his 1998 season after six games. If Corey Phillips doesn't win the starting quarterback job, expect the versatile junior to line up at receiver as he did for nine games last season, or even as a defensive back. Junior David Smith-Tilley could also compete for time at receiver.

Defensively, the Quakers have one of the region's top cornerbacks in Lamour, plus five other returning starters from the 1998 unit. Lamour led Guilford in interceptions for the second straight season with four thefts a year ago. As a sophomore, Lamour earned first team All-ODAC recognition and recorded a career-high six interceptions. Senior cornerback Josh Clayton endured an injury-plagued 1998 campaign but returns healthy in 1999. Clayton’s presence prevents opponents from throwing away from Lamour. Sophomore Larry Aguero, a five-game starter as a rookie, returns at cornerback and serves as the club's long snapper.

The Quakers will miss second team All-ODAC strong safety Luke Martin who saw his career ended one year early due to a debilitating back injury. Martin led Guilford's tacklers a year ago with 113 stops, the most in a season by a Guilford player since 1992. In an effort to fill voids at safety, senior Stephen Wilcosky and sophomore Daniel Collier move from defensive end into the secondary. Corey Phillips, Luke Davis and converted tight end Chuck Irwin are other possibilities at safety.

The defensive line lost three mainstays off its five-man front in graduated seniors Scott Sinclair ‘99, Humberto Padilla and Terrance Wilson ‘99. The trio not only accounted for 155 tackles and 11.5 sacks, but it also provided leadership and stability in recent seasons. The three players also played key roles in Guilford's increased forced turnover production in recent years. The Quakers followed up an NCAA-high (all divisions) 54 takeaway-season in 1997 with 34 takeaways in 1998. Padilla, Sinclair and Wilson had a hand in 10 of the 34 thefts.

Guilford will employ a much larger defensive line in 1999 as 6-1, 290-pound senior Brad Fisher and 6-2, 285-pound sophomore Khalid Ibn’ Bilal move over from the offensive side of the line. The coaches hope the bigger interior presence will create matchup problems for opposing lines. Sophomores Sean Glarner and Luke White both gained valuable experience in their rookie seasons and bring exceptional quickness and toughness to the line. Senior Idris Coleman moves inside to a tackle spot from end where he’s played consistently in each of the past two years. Sophomore Javier Vazquez and redshirt-freshman Derek Tolley make the Quakers’ defensive line perhaps the deepest position on the field.

Sophomores Jake Sorg and Will Black give Guilford fans something to look forward to at linebacker over their next three seasons. Both players saw extensive playing time in 1998 and started in four games apiece towards the end of the year. Sorg finished seventh on the team with 52 tackles, including seven for loss, while Black was eighth with 50 stops. The Quakers’ top returning tackler, junior Ben Kenerson returns to the outside linebacker post he played as a freshman after moving to the line as a sophomore. Matt Dixon, a three-year starting offensive tackle, moves to linebacker for his senior season.

With the return of sophomore place-kicker Luke Southam and the addition of sophomore John Alt, a transfer from Division I-AA Lehigh, expect Guilford's kicking game to be at its best in recent seasons.