Aug 25, 2014 5 min read

WAYNESBURG – The element of surprise is gone from Waynesburg University’s passing game. Carter Hill, Andrew English, Bernie Thompson, Zac Capan, Willie Leavell, Tim Cooper … these guys won’t be catching any defenses unaware this fall.

Hill, Waynesburg University’s senior quarterback, and his talented group of receivers went from unknown commodities last year to the focal point of an offense that helped a rebuilding Yellow Jackets squad make its third consecutive postseason appearance.

Despite having only six career starts on his résumé entering last year, Hill became the first quarterback in Waynesburg history to pass for 3,000 yards in a season and set five school records while helping the Yellow Jackets to a 7-4 record.

The Waynesburg receivers were an even bigger mystery when the Yellow Jackets started the season. By the end of the year, however, they were names that left opposing defensive backs nervous. Thompson and English combined for 139 catches and 10 touchdowns, and Leavell, Cooper and Capan, the latter a backup tight end, took nine of their 63 pass receptions to the end zone.

“We were all no-name guys last year,” Hill said. “Nobody in the conference knew who we were, except for the guys in our locker room. We knew we had guys who could get the job done, but there wasn’t a buzz around our offense.”

The word is out and there is plenty of buzz around the Yellow Jackets’ offense this year. To beat Waynesburg, you need to score many points and find a way to slow Waynesburg’s passing game, which won’t be easy. The expectations for the Yellow Jackets’ offense are monumentally higher than they were last season, when Hill was the new quarterback and his receivers were the unknown group.

“Last year, when we started camp, the big question was who would step up and be the receivers,” said head coach Rick Shepas, who enters his 10th season at Waynesburg and is second on the school’s all-time wins list.

“We didn’t know who they would be. We speculated that it would be Andrew English and Bernie Thompson. We’re so excited to have a known quantity at those positions this year.”

And Shepas says the passing game isn’t even the strength of the offense, which returns nine starters from a unit that averaged 29 points per game.

“Our strength should be the offensive line,” he said. “We have a veteran line and depth.”

Starters Nike Sappie (6-2, 300), David Bobby (6-3, 275), Jake Brumley (6-0, 270) and Tyler Powell (6-3, 300) return up front, and Nick Howard (6-0, 245), Cam Posney (6-0, 260) and Nick Agliori (6-3, 240) were reserves last year who gained valuable game experience.

One area of the offense that must improve is the running game. Waynesburg averaged a pedestrian-like 3.4 yards per carry and scored only nine rushing touchdowns.

“We need to run the ball better,” Shepas said. “That’s the biggest thing that stood out at the end of last year. We just didn’t run the football when we needed to.”

Three of the top four rushers, including senior Jake Forsythe, junior Jerry Lawman and Leavell, a senior who sometimes moves from receiver to tailback as a change-of-pace running back, return.

A more reliable running game would help take the burden off Hill, who was a first team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference pick after passing for 3,102 yards, which included a school single-game record 483 yards against Frostburg State. Hill threw 28 touchdown passes and only six interceptions.

“He’s a winner,” Shepas said of Hill, who lost only two regular-season games as a four-year starter at Crestview High School in Columbianna, Ohio.

On defense, two key players – end Brandon Fedorka, last season’s PAC Defensive Player of the Year, and safety Bryan Gary, a four-time first team all-conference pick — have moved on, along with four other starters.

There is experience, however, in the front seven, including senior linebackers John Sikora and Kyle Richey, and senior defensive linemen J.T. Thompson and Josh Tolliver, the latter contributing six sacks last year. The secondary loses all four starters, though junior safety Mike Lopuchovsky has seen significant playing time.

“We have a chance to be better in the secondary,” Shepas said. “We have some new people who we think can play there.”

Until the young secondary and reworked defense develops, the offense will have to carry the load. And with Hill now a proven quarterback directing what could be an explosive offense, the questions are more complex for Waynesburg.

After being among the top three finishers in the PAC each of the last four years and making an ECAC Bowl game three years in a row, can Waynesburg take the next step and win an outright conference title? The Yellow Jackets have three months and six home games in which to answer that question.

The schedulemaker seems to have done Waynesburg a favor as it plays both defending PAC champion Washington & Jefferson and highly regarded Thomas More among its six home games.

“I’m excited about what we have coming back,” Hill said. “It would be nice to win the conference and get that automatic bid to the playoffs, but the only thing we’re concentrating on is our opener (Sept. 6) against Muskingum.”