Kincaid will wait to run for Presidents
David Kincaid waited three years for this day to come.
Now, he has to wait a little longer.
Because of a hyperextended knee suffered in practice, Kincaid will watch from the sidelines when Washington & Jefferson College’s football team takes the field for a season-opening game against Wooster at Cameron Stadium today.
Kickoff is 1 p.m.
Kincaid, a 6-1, 210-pound senior from Chartiers-Houston High School, was playing behind tailback Ryan Ruffing the past two seasons and had a good chance of being the starter against Wooster had he not been injured.
“It’s not serious but it’s very frustrating,” said Kincaid. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity since my freshman season. I really worked hard over the summer, lifted a lot and ran a lot.”
Ruffing led the Presidents’ running game the past two seasons, gaining 1,227 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns as a senior. His best season was as a junior, when he rushed for 1,605 yards and scored 25 touchdowns.
Kincaid has been effective when he plays. Over two seasons, he has carried 93 times for 529 yards, an excellent 5.7-yard average. But injuries have dogged him.
Last season, he suffered slight tears in his hamstring muscles and missed three games.
“Our offense lost a couple key guys from last year,” said Kincaid. “I still think we’ll do really well this season.”
Sophomore Austin Kemp (5-10, 210) and juniors Justin Vickless (5-11, 210) and Trevor Morrow (6-1, 215) will rotate against Wooster.
“They’ll all get a look,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni.
W&J also is looking for a wide receiver to replace graduated Daniel Lis and Eric Scott. Sophomore Tim Swoope (6-4, 215), a graduate of Peters Township, has size and senior Anthony Keriotis (5-9, 165) quickness.
“That’s a position that’s not determined yet either,” Sirianni said. “We’ve been pretty fortunate (to have depth at the skill positions). But it’s not like these players aren’t good players. We’ll wait and see who takes control.”
Quarterback Pete Coughlin is back for his fourth and final season after passing for 3,025 yards and 25 touchdowns. Over the final six games, Coughlin completed 122 of 154 attempts for a 79.2 completion percentage, 1,915 yards, 18 touchdowns and no interceptions. He passed for 300 or more yards four times in that span.
“We expect him to pick up where he left off last season,” said Sirianni. “He’ll be fine. He’ll play well.”
Wooster has played W&J 11 times, lost nine, tied one, and has not won a game in this series since 1937.
This is the final of a four-game series.
Next season, W&J will open against St. John Fisher. Wooster is a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference and St. John belongs to the Empire 8.
“We’re looking to win the game,” Sirianni said. “I know it’s an old coach cliché but we want to take it one game at a time. I don’t care if we win 3-0, 72-0, 55-52, I don’t care. We want to win.”
Kickoff: 1:30 p.m.
Jake Dougherty will begin his second year as a starter when Waynesburg hosts Muskingum in the season opener at John F. Wiley Stadium. The 6-2, 210-pound sophomore passed for 1,872 yards and threw 19 touchdowns as a freshman. His improvement will be crucial to a Yellow Jackets’ offense that ranked ninth out of 11 teams in the PAC.
Muskingum returns 24 lettermen and nine starters on offense from a team that won just one game last season.