Seawolves excited about upcoming season
BY STEVEN MARCUS
BY STEVEN MARCUS
Stony Brook continues to ratchet up football with no ceiling in sight. Scholarships are on the rise, the team is in a new, more competitive conference and, most importantly, the 2008 Seawolves may be the most talented in program history.Now all of that just needs to translate into a winning season.Coach Chuck Priore is working with 55 full scholarships, has brought in transfers to mesh with what he calls his "homegrown" players and, with 20 seniors, is prepared to go bold off last season's 6-5 record. "If our impact players play the way they should, then we've got a chance to win more games than we lose against twice the schedule we played last year," he said. "We have a chance against the teams we all say should be better than us. Now we have added depth and the excuses are less."Those impact players are all over the field. On offense, there are threats in the backfield with Conte Cuttino, Brandon Mason and former Bellport star Eddie Gowins, who spent last year prepping at Bridgton Academy, where he rushed for 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns. Stony Brook has a new quarterback in redshirt freshman Dwayne Hoffman, who will be helped by veteran receivers Lynell Suggs and Dwayne Eley. The offensive line will be anchored by Lawrence Lovell.
"Coach does a great job on us from the shoulders up," Lovell said. "Being in a conference now gives us a new set of goals."Stony Brook has almost entirely moved away from its non-scholarship schedule and will compete in the Big South against Liberty, Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern, Gardner Webb and VMI. The Big South is increasing its profile with games this fall against Miami, Penn State and Ohio. Despite the travel involved, Priore said the Big South is a good fit for Stony Brook, especially in qualifying for postseason play. "It is never going to be a conference that has 10 teams," he said. "If I was in the CAA, I'd be dealing with a loaded gun" in trying to make the playoffs.The Big South, which will have an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs in two years, is a conference known for its running game, and Priore thinks defense will be Stony Brook's strong suit.Defensive lineman Adam Soivilien and most of his teammates spent their summer in the weight room and Soivilien, the captain, is up to 290 pounds. James Harris and William Martinez, who is listed at 315 pounds, have Priore excited. "When you talk about being deep at positions, you look at our defense," he said. "Championships have always been built with your ability to play great defense."The defense will be bolstered by linebackers Tyler Santucci and Andre Jean-Pierre. Cornerback Chris Richards, a transfer from Michigan whom Priore believes will be a an NFL pick after next season, and safety Chris Brevi, an Iowa transfer in his second season at Stony Brook, make it a formidable group.After playing 12 games for Iowa in 2004, Brevi was sidelined for two seasons with a stress fracture in his left foot. He spent 34 weeks on crutches and was told he would never play again. But he started all 11 games last season and is ready for a big senior year. "We want to be champions of our conference, get to the playoffs," he said. "We're excited about it."
"Coach does a great job on us from the shoulders up," Lovell said. "Being in a conference now gives us a new set of goals."Stony Brook has almost entirely moved away from its non-scholarship schedule and will compete in the Big South against Liberty, Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern, Gardner Webb and VMI. The Big South is increasing its profile with games this fall against Miami, Penn State and Ohio. Despite the travel involved, Priore said the Big South is a good fit for Stony Brook, especially in qualifying for postseason play. "It is never going to be a conference that has 10 teams," he said. "If I was in the CAA, I'd be dealing with a loaded gun" in trying to make the playoffs.The Big South, which will have an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs in two years, is a conference known for its running game, and Priore thinks defense will be Stony Brook's strong suit.Defensive lineman Adam Soivilien and most of his teammates spent their summer in the weight room and Soivilien, the captain, is up to 290 pounds. James Harris and William Martinez, who is listed at 315 pounds, have Priore excited. "When you talk about being deep at positions, you look at our defense," he said. "Championships have always been built with your ability to play great defense."The defense will be bolstered by linebackers Tyler Santucci and Andre Jean-Pierre. Cornerback Chris Richards, a transfer from Michigan whom Priore believes will be a an NFL pick after next season, and safety Chris Brevi, an Iowa transfer in his second season at Stony Brook, make it a formidable group.After playing 12 games for Iowa in 2004, Brevi was sidelined for two seasons with a stress fracture in his left foot. He spent 34 weeks on crutches and was told he would never play again. But he started all 11 games last season and is ready for a big senior year. "We want to be champions of our conference, get to the playoffs," he said. "We're excited about it."
