August 24, 2018
By: Austin Siefker
The Bluffton University football team has a new general at the helm this season in Head Coach Aaron Krepps. In the first season for Coach Krepps, he is looking to break even more records than the Beavers previously achieved in 2017. As the Offensive Coordinator for the Beavers, the offense earned a spot at 37th in the country in Passing Offense while averaging 414 yards/game. The offense produced a pair of record setting athletes in Colby Speice (Wayne Trace) and Micah Roberson (Ada). Against the Mt. St. Joseph Lions, Colby Speice set a school record for most passing yards (465) and most total yards (529) in a game. Micah Roberson, an All-Region honoree, set a laundry list of records in 2017 and throughout his career. His records include most 100-yard receiving games in a season, most receptions in a game, most receptions in a season, and most 100 yard receiving games in a career.
This year, the Beavers return two of the best offensive linemen in the Heartland Conference. Senior Ethan Williams (Van Wert), a 2X All-Conference lineman, and redshirt junior Ian O'Donnell (Tiffin/Columbian), a 2016 All-Conference honoree, will be counted upon to anchor the trenches. Other linemen looking to make an impact up front for the Beavers are John Jones (Cincinnati/Walnut Hills), Josh Haverfield (Marion/Pleasant), and Matthew Berg (Granville).
Brandon Koch (Bluffton, Ohio/East Central), a senior quarterback, is poised to lead the offense to new heights in 2018 after earning six starts as a junior. Koch completed 141 passes for 1,578 yards and 15 touchdowns during his six start, including 22 for 253 yards and two scores in Bluffton's 33-26 win over rival Defiance. Behind Koch, competing for the starting position, is sophmore Plummie Gardner (Lima/Perry). Gardner saw spot time as a freshman and is hoping to continue his development behind center.
A major void has been left in the receiving corp with the loss of all everything Micah Roberson. The 2018 corps is loaded with experience as Keyon Camden (Wayne/Elmwood) and Lucas Espitia (Lincoln Park, Mich./Lincoln Park) return as starters and Thaddeus Phillips (South Bend, Ind./Riley), Drake Campbell (Trenton/Edgewood), Hunter Morrison (Marion/Buckeye Valley) and Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake) are all returning letter award winners. This group of is looking to meet and destroy last season's total passing yardage of 2,786. Expectations for the receiver position are extremely high for the Beavers this season.
Just a freshman in 2017, Darian Greeley (Mt Clemens, Mich./Chippewa Valley) had his first career start at Hanover in game six, going for 98 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. After Hanover, he never looked back, rolling off 782 yards (6.1 YPC) and seven touchdowns for 97.8 yards per game. He garnered 1st Team All-Heartland Conference honors after the season.
At the tight end position, Kais Chiles (Wapakoneta) will look to be a huge asset for the high-powered Beaver offense in both the run and pass game. Junior Caleb Heilman is also expected to make a major impact in the TE room this year.
Coordinating the defense this year is Bluffton's own Josh Runda. Coach Runda was a player for the Beavers from 09'-13' and is 1st all-time for single season solo tackles. Coach Runda is seeking to improve on the defense using fundamental teachings and aggressive mentality this year.
The defensive line will be led by 2016 HCAC Defensive Player of the Year Isaac Zickafoose (Middlebury, Ind./Northridge) who finished second on the team with 51 tackles in 2017. He racked up 12 TFL's and five sacks as a junior while forcing two fumbles, blocking two kicks and tallying six QB hurries. Lining up on the other side of the defensive line will be 2017 all-conference honoree Ollie Moorer (Bluffton/Warrensville Heights ). These two seniors are looking to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Adding depth to the DE position are sophomores John Boyd III (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) and Dana Shoulders II (Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington). This duo combined for a total of 43 tackles as freshman last season. Also on defensive line is a senior, Kevin Bishop (Lebanon/Lebanon). Bishop is looking to motivate the interior defensive line alongside fellow senior Joel Russell (Willoughby/South). These two seniors should have a formidable impact on the front for the Beavers.
Leading the heart of the defensive is junior Linebacker Dylan Shaffer (Shelby). Shaffer accumulated 80 total tackles and a fumble recovery for the Beavers in 2017. Playing next to Shaffer is senior Austin Hall (Piqua). Junior Dylan Burkholder (Lima/Bath) plays with experience and speed which helped him intercept two passes with one return for a touchdown. Also competing for playing time is senior Kyle Recker (Perrysburg).
In the core of the secondary are two senior safeties, Tyler Showalter (Haviland/Wayne Trace) and Doniven Clark (Toledo/Bowsher). Showalter and Clark have a combined 45 starts for their career which gives the Beaver secondary a deep level of expertise. Returning at the corner position is sophomore Stephen Kosakowski (Cleveland/Benedictine) who will be on pursuit to expand on his 29 tackles and three pass breakups. Other returners in the secondary looking to make contributions in 2018 are Brian Coleman Jr. (Toledo/St. Francis DeSales), Domonick Johnson (Hamilton) and Terrace Brown (Clinton, Twp., Mich./Madison Heights).
The Beavers open the season on Saturday, Sept. 1, as they welcome the College of Wooster to Alumni Field with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m.
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