2004 Tommie Football Outlook

August 24, 2004
St. Thomas will celebrate its 100th season of varsity football in 2004 with a near-record roster size, a new playing surface, a new radio/internet package of broadcasts, and a renewed commitment to success.

When pre-season training camp started Aug. 22, the Tommies had 65 returners and 69 newcomers step onto a state-of-the-art FieldTurf artificial surface in a remodeled O'Shaughnessy Stadium. Seventh-year head coach Don Roney said the new facility and the remodeled weight room have established a new era in Tommie football.

"Everyone is very excited about this season," Roney said. "We return a lot of experience, and we had the best recruiting class we've ever had any way you measure it -- numbers, size and speed."

St. Thomas, which needs 13 wins to become the third Minnesota university to reach 500 all-time victories, hasn't won the conference championship or reached the postseason since 1990. But the coach sees a breakthrough on the horizon. The enlarged weight room -- and the sting of a rare 3-7 record in 2003 -- helped produce the best off-season workouts in memory, according to Roney.

"We broke more strength records, and are faster and stronger than we've ever been," Roney said. "The larger facility allowed us to work out as a group, and that's brought our team closer together."

The new facility and new mindset should help St. Thomas rebound from 2003, when inexperience, injuries and close losses sent the Tommies to the school's first losing season since 1994. Three losses by a combined eight points -- including a 15-12 loss to NCAA champion St. John's and a 21-19 road defeat to 11-1 St. Norbert -- denied St. Thomas a winning record.

"Our young guys gained a lot of confidence with the way we played St. John's," Roney said of the last-play defeat in week nine. "Now the challenge for us to is to play that way every week."

Roney is encouraged with the way his young players battled through their adversity and the way they've prepared for 2004.

More than half of the 46 players on the 2003 Tommie two-deeps were freshmen and sophomores. Eleven players in their first or second seasons started in the second half of the season and gained valuable experience. Also, the Tommie junior-varsity finished 4-0 and outscored foes 170-38. Included in that success was a 41-6 win over Bethel, which had beaten the Tommie JV four years in a row.

That translates into better depth throughout the roster, where starters return at 17 of the 24 spots. The Tommies will return 10 players with starting experience from a defense that allowed a respectable 321 yards per game and held St. John's to one touchdown.

The St. Thomas defense will be led by senior co-captains John Kaiser (DE), Paul Sommerstad (DB) and junior co-captain Andrew Ubbelohde (LB). Kaiser (206 career tackles), who started his first three seasons, sat out 2003 with an injury. Sommerstad (five career interceptions, 182 tackles), another three-year starter, made the Football Gazette Preseason All-America Team. Ubbelohde had 112 tackles in nine games last season and helped hold National Player of the Year Blake Elliott of St. John's to 88 yards of total offense and no points.

Other key defensive returners include senior CB Steve Groth (132 tackles, five interceptions in two seasons); DB Matt Meunier (8 interceptions in 2002); DT Ben Kessler (eight sacks, 68 tackles in two seasons); senior DE Joe Skaja (five career sacks, 99 tackles); senior DB Dustin Peltier (2002 and 2003: 85 tackles, three sacks, interception); junior DBs Tom Fritze (injured most of 2003), Nick Navarro (two interceptions in 2003) and Jeremy Krentz (27 tackles); senior DE Pat Schultz (25 tackles, 2.5 sacks); sophomore DT Mike Rouse (26 tackles, sack); and sophomore DT Mike Hara (15 tackles, 1.5 sacks).

The Toms graduated three offensive line starters, including Blake Norman and Matt McLaughlin. They also graduated senior running backs Justin Kostner and Nick Whitehead, who combined for 13 touchdowns and 1,225 yards of offense in 2003.

The Tommies return their top two quarterbacks in juniors Justin Lockrem and Kyle Sherwin. Lockrem started nine games and completed 47% of his passes for 1,231 yards with six touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Sherwin completed 57% of his passes for 380 yards with one TD and three interceptions.

One player who especially welcomes the new turf is junior running back Walter Dosh, a first-team all-conference honoree as a rusher/return man in 2003. The fleet Dosh had seven gains of 38 or more yards and 973 all-purpose yards last season before missing the final two and a half games with an injury.

Top returning receivers are junior tight end Billy Schreiber (2 TDs, 15 catches, 178 yards in 2003), sophomore receiver P.J. Theisen (2 TDs, 24 catches, 294 yards) and junior receiver Joel Korte (1 TD, 17 catches, 175 yards).

The Tommies' biggest challenge will be to shore up the offensive line and improve its kicking game. Four-year starting punter Kyle Davenport graduated, and placekicker Brian McKenna (1-of-3 field goals, 15-of-22 PATs) didn't return. Three freshmen will battle for the placekicking job, and a transfer may have the edge at punter.

Roney also returns the bulk of his coaching staff, including offensive coordinator George Wemeier, whose 12th season at St. Thomas will also be his 50th year in coaching, and longtime defensive coordinator Bill Burke.

The Toms play just nine regular-season games -- they have an open date Oct. 9 in the slot previously occupied by independent Macalester. A tough road schedule includes a Sept. 11 season-opening game at Coe (Iowa), a team that went 10-2 in 2002 and 5-5 last season. It will be Coe's second game and the Tommies' first. St. Thomas also travels to face MIAC title contenders Bethel (Oct. 16), Gustavus (Oct. 30) and St. John's (Nov. 13) over the last half of the season.

Concordia-Moorhead, which has scored 132 points on St. Thomas over the last three meetings, comes to O'Shaughnessy Stadium Sept. 18 for the UST home opener. The Tommies' four home games are the fewest since 1991 when a Halloween blizzard dropped 29 inches of snow and erased UST's fifth home game.

For the first time, the Tommies will have their home-and-away games aired live on KCCO Radio 950 AM and also have games webcast live on thier internet site (www.stthomas.edu/tommies).

2004 St. Thomas Football
Head Coach Don Roney, 7th season (36-24 overall, 36-16 MIAC)

2003 W-L Record: 3-7 (3-5 MIAC / 6th-tie)

Key Losses

--Kyle Davenport, Grad, Punter, 4-year starter
--Justin Kostner, Grad, RB, Career: 22 touchdowns, 3,000 all-purpose yards
--Matt McLaughlin, Grad, OT, 3-year O-Line or D-Line starter
--Blake Norman, Grad, OT, 3-year O-Line starter
--Dane Sievwright, Grad, DT, 2-year starter, 60 tackles, 6 sacks, 2 blocked kicks


Top Returners

--Walter Dosh - JR, RB, 5-11, 195 - All-MIAC; 2003: 8 Games, 7 TDs, 973 all-purpose yards, seven gains of 38 or more yards

--Steve Groth - SR, CB, 6-0, 200 - 2nd Team All-MIAC; Career: 2-year starter, 136 tackles, 5 INTs, 12 break-ups

--John Kaiser - SR, LB, 6-2, 235 - co-captain - Missed 2003 with injury; Career: 3-year starter, 206 tackles, 4 INTs, 3 fumble recoveries

--Ben Kessler - JR, DT, 6-2, 250 - 2nd Team All-MIAC, Academic All-District: Career: 68 tackles, 8 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries

--Justin Lockrem - JR, QB, 6-4, 205 - 2003: first-year starter, completed 47% passes (106-of-228), 6 TDs, 13 INTs,

--Matt Meunier -- SR, SS, 5-10, 200 - Career: 9 INTs, 17 break-ups, 99 tackles

--Brock Norman - SR, C, 6-0, 235, co-captain - Three-year starter on offensive line

--Billy Schreiber - JR, TE, 6-3, 215 - 2003: 2 TDs, 15 rec., 178 yards (11.9 ypc)

--Joe Skaja - SR, DE, 6-3, 220 - Career: 99 tackles, 5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, 1 INT

--Paul Sommerstad - SR, DB/LB, 6-5, 210 - co-captain; 2004 Preseason All-American; 2003 All-MIAC, All-Region: Career: 29 starts, 181 tackles, 5 INTs, 12 break-ups

--P.J. Theisen - SO, WR, 6-2, 190, 2X track & field relay All-American; 2003: 24 receptions, 291 yards, 1 TD

--Andrew Ubbelohde - JR, LB, 6-0, 205, co-captain - All-Region, All-MIAC, team MVP; 2003: 9 games, 112 tackles, INT, forced fumble, fumble recovery

Key Newcomers

--Jake Casey, FR, RB, White Bear Lake HS... led state in touchdowns 2002 senior year

--Tom Dostal, OL, Apple Valley HS... 6-7, 270, great potential

--Graham Gmach, OL, Totino-Grace HS, 6-2, 240... Minn. State HS All-Star Game...played on T-G state champion team

--Mike Odom, DB, Mounds View HS, 6-0, 180... Minn. State HS All-Star Game... led state in interceptions (11) in 2003

--Mark O'Connell, OL, Edina, 6-1, 250... Injured much of last year

--Greg Pittman, DE, LaCrosse (Wis.) Aquinas HS, 6-2, 225... brothers Gavin and Brendon played on Tommies' 1990 MIAC title team

--Pat Sommerstad, DB, Eastview HS, 6-4, 190... Minn. State HS All-Star Game... three-sport all-conference

--Adam Valenta, PK, Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier HS, 5-7, 150... Iowa all-stater; 29-of-29 PATs, 7 FGs (long of 45, 42) in 2003