Marietta College football ready for season opener

Sept. 2, 2004
MARIETTA, Ohio - The 2004 Marietta College football season gets underway this Saturday (Sept. 4) when the Pioneers host Dubuque (IA) at Don Drumm Stadium at 1:30 p.m.

Saturday is Community Day at Don Drumm, with the first 1,000 fans through the gate receiving a t-shirt to commemorate the first collegiate football game at the renovated stadium, which includes a new artificial surface - FieldTurf. A tailgate, beginning at 11:30 outside the stadium, will lead up to the 1:30 kickoff. Ticket prices for the game are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and students and can be purchased at the stadium.

The Coaches: Marietta?s Todd Glaser is in his second season with the Pioneers. Glaser earned his bachelor?s degree from Wisconsin Eau-Claire in 1993. Dubuque?s Vince Brautigam is 3-27 in his fifth year as the Spartans? head football coach. Brautigam is a 1988 graduate of Iowa Wesleyan College.

On the Air: Saturday?s football game is being broadcast live by WMRT - FM 88.3, Marietta College?s campus radio station. The broadcast can also be heard live online at www.mariettaonline.com. Dubuque?s radio station, WCCI Radio & WCCILIVE.com., will also be on the air broadcasting the contest.

Dubuque Preview: An extremely young team a year ago, Dubuque has another year's experience and will be looking to the 70 players, including all 22 starters, who return from the 2003 squad to combine with the new players to bring back the excitement surrounding Spartan football. This year's team returns two Second Team All-Iowa Conference players: junior defensive lineman Chris Alitz and junior free safety Prince Bussie. Other top returners for UD include junior running back Maurice Avant, junior tight end Josh Staley, senior full back Jason Steinlicht, senior left tackle Brett Jovanovic, senior defensive lineman Kory Folk, junior corner back Thoni Oriental and senior linebackers Garrett Perrone, and Justin Gill. ?All of our student-athletes are excited about playing their first game,? said head coach Vince Brautigam. ?Last year we controlled the opener, and won in just about every aspect of the game except the score. We need to play better on special teams, but were also excited to have a year of experience under our belts. Our coaching staff believes our student-athletes have worked extremely hard in the off-season and are ready to take the next step in the challenging Iowa Conference.?

Marietta Preview: Marietta also has high hopes for the 2004 season, as the coaching staff expects improvement in all aspects of the game. With 30 returning letterwinners, including 13 seniors, the 2004 squad is very experienced and has shown great improvement in strength and speed in the offseason. The Pioneers also had a strong recruiting class, which provided good competition during camp to prepare MC for the tough OAC schedule. Steven Wagner (Harwick, PA/Fox Chapel), who rushed for a team-high 683 yards in 2003, returns to the backfield this season. Senior co-captain and four-year letterwinner Mike Valiante (Wadsworth) will once again be a threat for the Pioneers at wide receiver. However, the Pioneers will be without senior quarterback Justin Papania (Butler, PA), who was forced to have season ending surgery this offseason. Leading the Pioneer defensive secondary is senior All-OAC honoree Brett Munn (Newbury). Munn was the top Pioneer defender last season (88 tackles) and will serve alongside Valiante as a co-captain in 2004. After making the transition from defensive back to linebacker last year, senior All-OAC selection Chris Sidick (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan) will also be a key defensive player for the Pioneers, along with senior defensive back Thadd Sharrett (Circleville), sophomore free safety Anthony Banks (Colonial Heights, VA) and sophomore outside linebacker Tony Huffman (Lowell/Marietta). ?We look forward to hosting Dubuque on the new field,? said head coach Todd Glaser. ?It should be a good tune-up for our OAC competition.?

All-time Series: The Spartans and the Pioneers meet for just the second time on the gridiron. Marietta traveled to Dubuque to open the 2003 season. The Pioneers won that match-up 40-7, behind great special teams and a four-touchdown performance by Steven Wagner.

Openers: The Pioneers have pulled out victories in 10 of the last 11 season openers, and are riding a four-game win streak on opening day. Their last loss came against Waynesburg, 28-23, in 1999.

Next Week: The Pioneers are off next weekend. Dubuque travels to Carlinville, IL to battle Blackburn (IL) at 1 p.m. On Sept. 18, Marietta hosts Heidelberg at 6 p.m. on Alumni Weekend. The Pioneers will celebrate the completion of the Fields Project with a ceremony at halftime.