Football | 9/2/2022 4:20:00 PM

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Game Notes (PDF)

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THE GAME
Today's match up with Stonehill marks the final scheduled contest between the Huskies and Skyhawks as Stonehill moved to DI beginning this season. The Huskies and Skyhawks have opened the season against each other for the last three seasons.

NEW BEGINNINGS - 2023
With the departure of Stonehill from the schedule, the Huskies are set to renew their series against Fairmont State beginning in 2023. The Huskies will travel to the Falcons in 2023 and Fairmont will return the trip in 2024.

THE SERIES
The Huskies and Skyhawks are knotted 4-4 in the all-time series as Stonehill won the last three meetings. The visitors seem to have the advantage in the series as the Huskies are 1-3 against Stonehill at home and 3-1 on the road.

QUITE THE STREAK
Bloomsburg has scored at least one point in 207 consecutive games dating back to a 21-0 home loss against Shippensburg on September 13, 2003. Bloomsburg is 115-3 all-time when scoring at least 40 points in a game. However, the Huskies have only reached the 40-point plateau six times in the last 47 contests. The Huskies defeated Lock Haven 44-0 on Homecoming last year

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN(S)
The Huskies named a group of 10 leaders as captains for the 2022 season - Aaron Trumino (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley), Tyshaun Pollard (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East), Chris Monaco (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West), Adam Burkhart (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), Jack Riley (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East), Quentin Gaskill (Waynesboro, Pa./Waynesboro), Billy Martin, Ky Seesholtz (Mifflinville, Pa./Central Columbia), John Ayres (Mt. Carmel, Pa./Mt. Carmel), and Tom Goetz (Wenonah, N.J./Gateway Regional).

THE TOWN OF BROTHERLY LOVE
The Huskies boast a pair of brothers on their roster again this season. Senior Chris Monaco (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) came back to make up for the lost season to due to COVID to join his brother, Kaleb, in Bloomsburg Maroon & Gold for the second-straight season. Sophomore quarter David LePoidevin (Middlesex, N.J./Bound Brook) welcomes his little brother, Patrick, to a strong group of signal callers for the Huskies this season.

The Monaco brothers were a dynamic pair for the Huskies last season. Kaleb is the leader of young group as a returning All-PSAC East Honoree. He burst on the scene for BU with 707 yards on the ground and 133 carries as an All-PSAC East Second Team running back. Kaleb had 372 yards on the kick return on 15 returns during the season. Chris returns for the Huskies after starting all 11 games for BU last year. Monaco made 48 tackles, including 2.0 TFL. He was responsible for four of the Huskies' interceptions and broke up nine passes.

FRESH OUTLOOK
The Huskies boast one of the youngest starting lineups in all of Division II college football. On opening day, Bloomsburg looks to start 18 freshmen or sophomores  and have 38 underclassmen total listed on the depth chart. Under center, the Huskies' projected starter is freshman KJ Riley (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) from Danville, Pa. Number two behind him is sophomore David LePoidevin (Middlesex, N.J./Bound Brook), who played in 10 games last season and threw for 1,423 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Protecting the two QBs will be a mix of redshirt juniors, sophomores and freshmen. Marlon Wescott, Nelly Fain (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy), and Aaron Bensinger (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) look to bring leadership to the young group of o-linemen.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
Coach Sheptock did not have to go far for talent to fill this year's roster. The 2022 Huskies boast 27 players from Columbia and surroundings counties. The Huskies have three players from local Danville Area High School and another from Southern Columbia and Berwick.

SHEPTOCK ERA
Sheptock was named the 28th head football coach in Bloomsburg University as he returns to his alma mater to take over the Huskies' program. Sheptock was at Division III Wilkes University as the defensive coordinator from 1990-95 and then took over the Colonels' program and served as head coach from 1996-2014. While at Wilkes, Sheptock went 107-81 overall and established the program record for most wins in a season (11) and career (107), while leading the Colonels to nine postseason appearances.

A member of the NCAA Division II Team of the Quarter Century (1973-97), Sheptock played linebacker for head coach George Landis and holds the school records for tackles in a career (537), single-season (159), and single-game (23), as well as career fumble recoveries (12). His program record for tackles in a single-game, in fact, occurred during the national semifinal contest at North Alabama.

HUDDLE WITH THE HUSKIES
For the second-straight year, head coach Frank Sheptock will host "Huddle with the Huskies" at Quaker Steak & Lube in Buckhorn, Pa. on three select Thursdays this season. The first "Huddle with the Huskies" is set for Thursday, September 15, ahead of the Huskies first road game of the season as they travel out west to Edinboro. The second Huddle with the Huskies is scheduled for October 20, just ahead of Bloomsburg's Homecoming match up with East Stroudsburg.  The final Huddle will take place on November 3, just before the Huskies' final home game of the season against Millersville.

The events are open to the public with dinner beginning at 6:00 p.m. and a short program to follow. A buffet dinner will be held each night with the cost of the meal being $14 per person - including a non-alcoholic beverage. Following the dinner, Coach Sheptock will speak about the season, preview the upcoming game(s), and introduce members of the coaching staff and players from this year's roster.

HALL OF FAME REGISTRATION
The Bloomsburg Department of Athletics has announced the 40th Hall of Fame induction class is set to be enshrined on Sunday, October 23 during Homecoming and Parents & Family Weekend. Among the six inductees in this year's class are a pair of football standouts, and brothers, Michael ('01) and Ronald ('98) Lelko. Also being inducted are Christine (Basalyga) Zalewski (field hockey) '96, Rebecca Creedon (women's soccer) '98, Joel Melitski (wrestling) '64, and Michael Wenrich (men's basketball and track & field) '82. To register for the brunch induction ceremony, visit www.buhuskies.com/HOFregistration.

2022 PSAC PRESEASON POLL
The Bloomsburg University football was selected to finish sixth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division by the league's coaches in the 2022 Preseason Poll.
 
Last year's runner's up, Shepherd, was selected to win the East this year with four first-place votes, while the reigning PSAC champion, Kutztown, was chosen to finish second with four first-place votes. West Chester rounded out the top three. Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, and Bloomsburg finished four, five, and six in the voting, while Millersville came in at No. 7 and Lock Haven at No. 8.
 
On the West, IUP and Slippery Rock grabbed three first-place votes each and a share of the top spot. California earned a pair of first-place votes and came in at number three on the poll. Gannon finished fourth in the voting while Edinboro and Seton Hill tied for the fifth spot. Mercyhurst came in at No. 7 while Clarion rounded the West at No. 8

The Huskies finished the 2021 campaign 3-8 with a 2-5 record in PSAC East action under head coach Frank Sheptock. Bloomsburg defeated Gannon on a last-second touchdown pass in Sheptock's first home game of the season. The Huskies handed Lock Haven a 44-0 shutout on Homecoming for its first shutout since the 2015 season.

2022 KEY RETURNERS
Bloomsburg returns a pair of All-PSAC players in junior safety Quentin Gaskill (Waynesboro, Pa./Waynesboro)and sophomore running back Kaleb  Monaco . Gaskill, a First Team All-PSAC East defensive back, led Bloomsburg with 89 tackles, including 53 solo. He paced BU with three forced fumbles and three recoveries while pulling down one of the team's 16 interceptions. Monaco burst on the scene for BU with 707 yards on the ground and 133 carries as an All-PSAC East Second Team running back. Monaco had 372 yards on the kick return on 15 returns during the season.
 
Junior David LePoidevin (Middlesex, N.J./Bound Brook) returns to lead a talented pack of returning and new quarterbacks for the Huskies. LePoidevin finished the year 106-for-189 with 16 TDs and 1,423 yards. Ben Ries (Bloomsbury, N.J./Phillipsburg) played nine games and went 32-for-63 with two TDs and 399 yards. Ries ran for 111 yards as well.
 
Graduate student Tyshaun Pollard (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East) returns as a top target for the quarterbacks after finishing the 2021 season with 537 yards on 41 catches in all 11 games for the Huskies. Pollard caught four touchdown passes and had a season-long catch of 50 yards. He took care of the punt returns for the Huskies in 2021 and had three kickoff returns for 77 yards. Sophomore Nas Jones (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area) looks to build on his first solid year with the program. Jones finished 2021 with 28 catches for 295 yards and three touchdowns as an h-back.
 
The Huskies' defense was one of the more prolific turnover defenses in the PSAC and Division II. Bloomsburg posted 28 takeaways, eighth in DII and first in the conference. Bloomsburg finished the year with 31 passes broken up, and 46 passes defended.
 
Joining Gaskill as a returner on the defensive unit is junior Adam Burkhart (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin). Burkhart played eight games for the Huskies in 2021 and made 59 tackles, including 1.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. Senior Chris Monaco (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) returns for the Huskies after starting all 11 games for BU last year. Monaco made 48 tackles, including 2.0 TFL. He was responsible for four of the Huskies' interceptions and broke up nine passes
 
Redshirt sophomore Ky Seesholtz (Mifflinville, Pa./Central Columbia) started all 11 games last season and finished with 41 tackles, including 4.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks. He forced one fumble and had one quarterback hurry and one broken-up pass to his credit.