Gannon Football Team Opens Spring Camp Saturday, March 28 at Gannon University Field

Annual Spring Game Scheduled for Friday, April 24
Dan Teliski, Director of Athletic Media Relations

ERIE, Pa. - Pads will be cracking again this weekend at Gannon University Field. The Gannon football team opens a 15-practice spring schedule Saturday, March 28 and concludes the camp Friday, April 24 with its annual spring game at 7 p.m.Second-year head coach Jim Kiernan opens spring ball with 50 returning letterwinners and 14 players who started at least five games last season. The Golden Knights only lost 14 letterwinners, but nine of the departing letterwinners were starters in 2008.Gannon returns seven starters on the offensive side of the ball, including everyone in the backfield. All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference second-team selection Jon Richardson (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding) will be in the backfield for the fourth consecutive season. The senior tailback rushed for 914 yards and nine touchdowns last season.Bob Bartley (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) and Zach Boedicker (Northfield, Ohio/Nordonia) will continue to split reps at quarterback. Both will be juniors in the fall of 2009. Bartley threw for 1,049 yards and four touchdowns last season. Boedicker had 665 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He added 372 yards and four scores on the ground.Wide Receivers Levar Goff (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) and Brig Van Etten (Novelty, Ohio/West Geauga) return on the outside after combining for 15 starts last season. Matt Davis (Cheswick, Pa./Shaler) will be back at tight end after receiving 10 starting assignments in 2008.Richi Anderson (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Westford), Sam Geldmaker (Bradenton, Fla./Manatee), and Sean Eperjesi (Tampa, Fla./Robinson) represent Gannon’s returning starters on the offensive line. Geldmaker was named to the 2008 All-PSAC West first team and Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region One third team.Gannon returns six defensive players who started at least six games, but also needs to replace all four starters on the defensive line. Matthew Neal-Mink (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) is the squad’s top returning tackler, making 62 stops from his linebacker position.Chris Cook (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw), an All-PSAC West second-team selection as a true freshman in 2008, mans the corner position. He recorded 52 tackles, nine pass break-ups, and five interceptions.Kevin Minor (South Euclid, Ohio/Shaw) joins Neal-Mink at linebacker after posting 56 tackles and 11.5 tackles for a loss last season. Other returning starters include linebacker Danny Giegerich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson), linebacker Johnny Jones (Cambridge, Ohio/Cambridge), and defensive back Aaron Roberson (Maple Heights, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel).Special teams are expected to be one of Gannon’s strengths. Jeremy Ditzler (Erie, Pa./Iroquois) produced one of the best seasons by a placekicker in school history last year, converting 15-of-19 field goals and 23-of-25 extra points. He was named to the All-PSAC West first team and Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super One Region third team.Evan Euler (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) is Gannon’s returning punter for the fourth consecutive season. He averaged 36.2 yards on 50 punts in 2008, placing nine inside the 20-yard line.Gannon concluded the 2008 season with a 4-7 overall record and 2-5 PSAC West mark. The Golden Knights are tentatively scheduled to open the 2009 campaign Thursday, August 27 against Lake Erie at Gannon University Field. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.