|
 Football Wraps Up Spring Practice
2005 Black Bear Football Youth Experience Gallery
April 30, 2005 ORONO, Maine - The University of Maine football team completed the last of fifteen spring practices with a fifty-play scrimmage on Saturday morning at Alfond Stadium. The offense scored touchdowns on two of five series, while the defense came up with one turnover. "I feel we have made a lot of strides this spring both on the field and off the field as a football team," said head coach Jack Cosgrove. "We got better as a team and there are some emerging playmakers. If you look on defense, Mike DeVito is a heck of a player and a playmaker. The interception he had today was an indication of that. Jermaine Walker is an outstanding linebacker for us and we have some talented players in the backfield, led by Daren Stone. Offensively we have a great offensive line with Ben Lazarski leading that group. I like our receivers and we have some talented tailbacks. I also like what we are doing at the quarterback position using those two guys (Whitcomb and Legree), which will create some problems for our opponents. Next we need to have a great summer to get ready to take on a tough opponent to open our season." The scrimmage was divided into five series, with the first offense and first defense taking three series. The series were broken up by two punting sessions with four punts each and one "skully" red zone period without linemen. On the first series of the day with the first teams, Ron Whitcomb (East Rochester, N.Y.) completed a 25 yard pass to tight end Mike Moran (Lancaster, N.Y.) and a 20-yard strike to Kevin McMahan (Rochester, N.Y.). The defense had a big tackle for loss by Mike DeVito (Wellfleet, Mass.) and a sack by John Wormuth (Childs, Pa.). With the second teams on the field, the defense got off to a strong start with stops of the Maine run game. The offense was able to score when Chris Legree (Bronx, N.Y.) found McMahan open down the middle of the field for a 55-yard touchdown. Sean Garvey (Farmington, Conn.) made the PAT. The second series of plays for the first team resulted in an interception by DeVito behind the line of scrimmage which he returned 25 yards. The series continued with Whitcomb hitting McMahan for a 22-yard gain, followed by a 24-yard reception by Ryan Waller (Chester, Va.). The drive was capped by a four-yard touchdown reception by Waller. Robert Donnelly (Westbrook, Maine) made the PAT. The second series of plays for the second team was highlighted by a 19-yard reception by Steve Williams (Scotch Plains, N.J.) for a first down and strong runs by Teron Allen (Clairton, Pa.). The series ended with a 26-yard field goal by Garvey. In the final series of the day, the first team offense was held in check by the defense, with Jermaine Walker (Teaneck, N.J.) stopping Montell Owens (Wilmington, Del.) for a loss and the drive ending on a sack of Whitcomb by Justin Knox (Rome, Maine). The practice ended with 32-yard field goals made by both Donnelly and Garvey. Following practice, Cosgrove announced the spring award winners. Most Improved Players in the spring were Chris Legree (offense), Jamaal Forman (defense) and Matthew King (special teams). In spring strength and conditioning, Mike DeVito was named the Spring Maine Man, while John Wormuth was named first year Maine Man. Seniors Ben Lazarski and Jermaine Walker were named captains for the 2005 season. The team will report for practice in early August as they prepare for the season opener on September 3 at Nebraska. For more information about Maine Athletics, please visit www.GoBlackBears.com.
|
