USA Football Division III "Players to Watch"
Crusader Gridders Picked Second in MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) – Senior defensive end Denny Bowers (Westminster, Md./ Westminster H.S.) and free safety Mario Cromartie (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna H.S.), both tri-captains, join senior offensive guard Anthony DeSantis (Old Forge/Bishop O'Hara H.S.) and junior offensive tackle Randy Zook (Belleville/Indian Valley H.S.) as "Players to Watch" in Division III according to USA Football. Crusader sophomore punter Ryan Hollis (Mifflin/Juniata H.S.) has also been tabbed as one of the "Sophomore Players to Watch" by the football Web site (www.usafootball.com).
These five players will lead a group of 85 expected to report for the team's preseason camp on Tuesday, August 17. The Crusaders will open their season on Saturday, September 4, hosting Middle Atlantic Conference opponent FDU-Madison in a 1:30 p.m. game.
"These five players are some of the returnees who we are really counting on to help us once again contend for the Commonwealth League, and hopefully the MAC title as well," says 10th-year head coach Steve Briggs, who is the winningest coach in the first 100 seasons of Crusader football at 61-31 (.663).
Bowers is a returning first-team MAC Commonwealth League All-Star and second-team All-South Region pick by Don Hansen's Football Gazette as the lone returnee on a defensive line which helped Susquehanna finish second in MAC and fifth in D-III against the run (69.7 yards per game) last year. The 6-2, 250-pounder led the team in '98 with nine sacks and 20 tackles for 89 yards in losses among his 41 tackles (26 solo). He has 14 sacks and 26 tackles for 109 yards in losses during his career.
He is a mathematics major and also a star outfielder on the Crusader baseball team, earning league All-Star honors as a sophomore while sporting a .378 career batting average.
The 6-0, 190-pound Cromartie was a second-team league All-Star last season as he led the secondary with 65 tackles (39 solo), three interceptions and two break-ups. He had a career high 21 tackles in last season's 35-30 loss to nationally-ranked Allegheny. Cromartie first cracked the starting line-up as a sophomore cornerback before moving to free safety last season.
He is a public relations major.
The 6-4, 260-pound Zook has junior eligibility and was a first-team league All-Star and a first-team All-South Region pick by Don Hansen's Football Gazette last year as he helped the team top the MAC and finish 16th in Division III rushing offense (254.4 yards per game). He led a group which became just the second offensive line to be collectively honored by the MAC as it made the weekly Honor Roll by leading the Crusader offensive to a modern-era MAC record 455 yards rushing in last season's 48-3 win at Lebanon Valley.
Zook is also a public relations major.
The 6-2, 265-pound DeSantis was also a key player on that record-setting effort by the O-line. He earned second-team league All-Star honors in his second full season as a starting guard.
He is a marketing major.
Hollis proved to be a valuable walk-on last season. He transferred to Susquehanna from Florida State as a track and field recruit, but elected to go out for the team when he arrived on campus. He went on to become the starting punter and finished third in the MAC and 19th nationally with a 39.1-yard average in 44 punts last year.
Hollis is presently a liberal arts major.
USA Football Division III "Players to Watch"
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