United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Football

The 2006 Coast Guard Academy football team had a season to remember in its first season in the New England Football Conference (NEFC). The Bears tied a school-record by winning eight straight games, won the NEFC Bogan Division championship with a perfect 7-0 record and earned a postseason berth, a spot in the ECAC North Atlantic Bowl, for the first time since 1997 when the team earned a berth to the NCAA Playoffs. The Bears, who had not had a winning season since 1997, finished 8-1 during the regular season and finished 8-3 overall.

Coast Guard, ranked 24th nationally by Street & Smith’s in its preseason magazine this year, and head coach Bill George, in his ninth season, welcome back eight NEFC All-division selections from last year, four first-team selections and four-second team selections led by Bogan Division Offensive Player of the Year senior quarterback Christian George and Bogan Division Defensive Rookie of the Year free safety Steve Arguelles, who has been named a preseason All-American by Street & Smith’s. Coast Guard returns 15 starters in all, seven on offense, six on defense and the punter and kicker.

The potent Coast Guard no-huddle offense will once again be led by George, who was the unanimous choice as NEFC Bogan Division Offensive Player of the Year honors despite missing the final four games with a broken foot. He was 71 of 133 for 922 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was also the Bears leading rusher at the time of the injury with 615 yards and nine touchdowns. George, who was playing his first season as a collegiate quarterback, led the NEFC with 219.6 yards of total offense per game before his season came to and end.

Junior Niles Pierson, who was superb in replacing George for the final four games of the season, will serve as the backup once again. In just his second career start, Pierson was 23 of 34 for 288 yards and a school-record tying four touchdown passes while also rushing for a touchdown giving him five in the game, the first five of his career, in a 42-21 win over Framingham State, earning him the the prestigious Boston Globe Division II/III Gold Helmet Award, the first Coast Guard player to win the award since 1988. Pierson was 70 of 120 for 925 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. Sophomore Jacob Scritchfield, an excellent young quarterback, will backup Pierson.

Senior running back and tri-captain Lance Lynch, a Bogan Division second-team selection last season, is back after leading the Bears with 150 carries and 741 yards to go with four touchdowns a year ago.

Senior Erik Wyrick is the veteran leader of a very young and talented wide receiving corp. Wyrick led the team with 37 receptions for 491 yards with three touchdowns last season. Sophomore Sam England (31 receptions, 414 yards, four touchdowns) is also expected to start at receiver.

The Bears return a veteran offensive line which will have four starters back including a trio of Bogan Division second team selections. Seniors Charles England (LT) and Nick Hartmann (LG) along with sophomore Justin Brooks (RT) were all second teams honorees last season. Senior Matt Krueger returns at center and the spot of right guard left by Bogan Division Offensive Lineman of the Year Ryan Sifflard is the only open spot this season.

The strength of the Coast Guard defense will be a very young secondary that features three sophomores that will start for the second straight season.

Arguelles, the unanimous choice as NEFC Bogan Division Defensive Rookie of the Year, tied the Coast Guard school record and was second nationally with 11 interceptions, earned numerous postseason honors including All-America third team honors by Football Gazette, All-America honorable mention by D3football.com (the only freshman of 100 players honored), ECAC Northwest Rookie of the Year, Bogan Division Defensive Rookie of the Year, first team Bogan Division and he was a member of the New England Football Writers Division II/III All-Star team. Arguelles (59 tackles, two for loss, four breakups, one fumble recovery) will again start at free safety while sophomore strong safety Keenan Prather (67 tackles, five for loss, five breakups, one interception) and sophomore cornerback Pat Bennett (57 tackles, eight breakups, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery) also return. The other cornerback spot will be highly contested in the preseason.

Senior tri-captain John McDonald (28 tackles, 17 solo, 3.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks), a Bogan Division first team selection last season and senior Chris Hunt (38 tackles, 22 solo, two for loss 0.5 sack) will be back to anchor the defensive line at the end spots. Senior Matt O’Loughlin (16 tackles, nine solo) along with junior Brian Yurovich (28 tackles, 23 solo, two for loss) are expected to compete for the nose tackle spot.

The Bears have plenty of question marks in the linebacking corp. as the top two returners are both coming back from injuries. Junior Brian Michka (11 tackles), who missed eight games last season, will be the leader of the inexperienced bunch and start at outside linebacker. Senior Caleb Robards, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, is expected to start at one of the inside linebacker spots. Sophomore Troy Robison (29 tackles), who started five games last season, is expected to start at the other inside linebacker spot.

Coast Guard returns one of the top punters in the nation in senior All-America Jesse Harms along with a veteran place kicker in senior David Lieberman.

Harms, who led the NEFC and was fourth nationally with a 41.6 yard average, was named to the All-America third team for the second straight season. He was the first-team All-Bogan Division punter, a member of the New England Football Writers Division II/II team and led all of New England, Divisions I, II and III, with his 41.6 yard average.

Lieberman converted 37 of 39 extra points despite making just three of 12 field goals, something he will need to improve on in the 2007 season.