2008 Woodie Awards
Rock football aims to erase memories of '06 heartbreak
By Caleb Pardick
Rocket Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: Sports
"Last year we got that close, and we knew we were a good team," said Crookshank, who engineered a 41-yard drive in less than a minute to set up the potential game-winner last November. "That was a driving force all off-season for us, having it end the way it did."
Behind Crookshank, redshirt junior Corey Manfull returns as the featured runner in the Rock's one-back set after missing all of 2006 with a hand injury sustained last summer. Senior Colin Golden led the team with 53 grabs in 2006 and is penciled in as the team's starting H-back.
Split wide will be redshirt junior Terry Grossetti and senior Paul Favers. Grossetti was highly productive as the team's fourth wide-out last fall scoring five touchdowns despite hauling in just 16 passes, while Favers returns as a starting receiver for the third straight season.
Redshirt junior Justin Guadagni will see time at tight end as Frank Cremonese, who missed most of camp with shoulder and knee injuries, continues to recover.
The offensive line remains largely unchanged from last season, with the exception of Brandon Fusco, who will start at center. Tackle Dave Mulvihill and guards Bron Clouser and Grant Hrabovsky all return as starters from last season.
Mike Butterworth, who was named to D2Football.com's Preseason All-America second team, has gotten attention from a handful of NFL teams that stopped by to check out the 6-foot-7, 320-pound left tackle this summer.
"The coaches did a good job this summer of reminding us how close we were last year," Butterworth said. "It was devastating after working hard all season and missing out by that much."
ROCK-STEADY D
The Rock's defensive line will anchor the unit on the opposite side of the ball, as all four starters-senior Cory Lacek, redshirt senior Clint Forsha, sophomore Marty Kern and junior Tyler Boudreau-return.
Lacek said he and his teammates are at this point just eager to get back to business.
"You can definitely feel an added buzz around the lockerroom when the season starts getting closer," said Lacek, who racked up a team-high 28 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2006. "When I think about how back when we started training for this season in January, back then, you can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel, but now, it's just a great feeling to get going again."
Behind Crookshank, redshirt junior Corey Manfull returns as the featured runner in the Rock's one-back set after missing all of 2006 with a hand injury sustained last summer. Senior Colin Golden led the team with 53 grabs in 2006 and is penciled in as the team's starting H-back.
Split wide will be redshirt junior Terry Grossetti and senior Paul Favers. Grossetti was highly productive as the team's fourth wide-out last fall scoring five touchdowns despite hauling in just 16 passes, while Favers returns as a starting receiver for the third straight season.
Redshirt junior Justin Guadagni will see time at tight end as Frank Cremonese, who missed most of camp with shoulder and knee injuries, continues to recover.
The offensive line remains largely unchanged from last season, with the exception of Brandon Fusco, who will start at center. Tackle Dave Mulvihill and guards Bron Clouser and Grant Hrabovsky all return as starters from last season.
Mike Butterworth, who was named to D2Football.com's Preseason All-America second team, has gotten attention from a handful of NFL teams that stopped by to check out the 6-foot-7, 320-pound left tackle this summer.
"The coaches did a good job this summer of reminding us how close we were last year," Butterworth said. "It was devastating after working hard all season and missing out by that much."
ROCK-STEADY D
The Rock's defensive line will anchor the unit on the opposite side of the ball, as all four starters-senior Cory Lacek, redshirt senior Clint Forsha, sophomore Marty Kern and junior Tyler Boudreau-return.
Lacek said he and his teammates are at this point just eager to get back to business.
"You can definitely feel an added buzz around the lockerroom when the season starts getting closer," said Lacek, who racked up a team-high 28 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2006. "When I think about how back when we started training for this season in January, back then, you can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel, but now, it's just a great feeling to get going again."
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