Thomas More headlines PAC preseason football poll 8/2/2017 4:22:30 PM 2017 Composite Schedule 2017 PAC Players to Watch 2016 PAC Statistics Q-and-A videos from 2017 PAC Football Media Day LATROBE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – For the seventh time since joining the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) in 2005, Thomas More College has been tabbed the favorite in the league, according to Wednesday's 2017 PAC Preseason Football Poll. The league’s preseason poll, which is voted on by PAC head coaches, sports information directors and members of the media, was announced this afternoon at PAC Football Media Day, hosted for the 11th-straight year by Saint Vincent College at the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Thomas More collected 23 first-place votes and totaled 345 points to headline the poll. Washington & Jefferson College finished second with six first-place votes and 308 points and was followed by Case Western Reserve University in third place with three first-place votes and 302 points. Before this afternoon’s question-and-answer sessions got underway, PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko and Saint Vincent College President Br. Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., Ph.D. presented the inaugural Dow Carnahan Media Award to Dow’s mother and father, Ron and Anna Jean Carnahan. A longtime supporter and friend of the PAC, Dow passed away unexpectedly on April 29, 2016. He served as play-by-play announcer for Saint Vincent basketball for over 15 years and Bearcat football since its return in 2007 and had served in numerous roles at 1480 WCNS – Latrobe for over 30 years. The award will be presented annually to a member of the local media for his or her commendable service while covering the conference’s student-athletes, coaches and programs. The Saints, led by third-year head coach Regis Scafe, finished the 2016 season with a 9-2 overall record and an 8-0 mark in conference play. Their unblemished league mark in 2016 was the program's second straight after going 8-0 in 2015. With last year's conference title, Thomas More secured the league’s automatic qualifying bid while earning the program's eighth NCAA Division III Championship Playoff appearance, suffering a 33-30 four overtime loss at home to Wittenberg University on November 19. "It is a privilege and a honor to be picked by the media, the coaches and the sports information directors as the preseason favorite in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. We still have to go out and work hard each week, as every game in the PAC will be a battle with the caliber of teams we're competing against out there," said Scafe. "Recognition like this is a testament to the history and the past successes of the football program at Thomas More." Joining Scafe at PAC Media Day Wednesday was senior quarterback Brenan Kuntz (Independence, Ky. | Simon Kenton). Kuntz, an Honorable Mention All-PAC selection in 2016, finished last season 159-of-294 passing for 2,467 yards and 26 touchdown passes. His completions, attempts and passing yards were all single-season program records, while his touchdown passes tied the program mark. “Being selected as this year's PAC preseason favorite is a great honor for our team, but we have to go out and work hard each and every day to have the chance to top the conference standings this November," said Kuntz. Thomas More also claimed the top spot on the league's preseason poll from 2009-2012 and in 2014 and 2016 and has won at least a share of the conference title in five of those seasons (2009-2011, 2014, 2016). The 2017 football season opens for PAC members on Thursday, August 31 with Thiel College hosting its first-ever Thursday night game against longtime rival Allegheny College. Kickoff at Alumni Stadium is slated for 7 p.m. The remaining 10 programs are scheduled to get their seasons underway on Saturday, September 2. 2017 PAC Football Preseason Poll (Predicted order of finish) School (first-place votes) Points 2016 Record (PAC) 1. Thomas More College (23) 345 9-2 (8-0) 2. Washington & Jefferson College (6) 308 9-2 (6-2) 3. Case Western Reserve University (3) 302 9-1 (7-1) 4. Westminster College (1) 271 8-3 (5-3) 5. Carnegie Mellon University 255 7-4 (6-2) 6. Saint Vincent College 189 5-5 (3-5) 7. Bethany College 139 3-7 (2-6) 8. Thiel College 115 4-6 (3-5) 9. Geneva College 101 3-7 (2-6) 10. Waynesburg University 80 2-8 (2-6) 11. Grove City College 73 0-10 (0-8) 2017 PAC Football Players to Watch Bethany Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Dustin Hess Sr. TE Upper St. Clair, Pa. | Upper St. Clair Colin Johnston So. LB Belle Vernon, Pa. | Belle Vernon Chase Kinemond Sr. QB Shadyside, Ohio | Shadyside Khalid Pierce Sr. DE Youngstown, Ohio | Ursuline Raekwon Wright So. RB Baltimore, Md. | Patterson Carnegie Mellon Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Sam Benger Sr. RB Hingham, Mass. | Hingham Stanley Bikulege Sr. LB Greer, S.C. | Saint Joseph's Catholic Kyle Brittain Sr. LB Largo, Fla. | Clearwater Central Catholic Drew Fitzmorris Sr. S Omaha, Neb. | Westside John Prather Sr. WR Olney, Md. | Our Lady of Good Counsel Case Western Reserve Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Gage Blair Sr. C Elyria, Ohio | St. Edward Jacob Burke Sr. FB/P Johnstown, Ohio | Northridge Cameron Brown Jr. DE Westlake, Ohio | Westlake Rob Cuda Sr. QB Bartlett, Ill. | South Elgin Ryan DeMarinis Sr. G Western Springs, Ill. | Westwood (Mass.) Geneva Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Nick Fickes Sr. DL Imler, Pa. | Claysburg-Kimmel Jared Hogue Sr. DB Freedom, Pa. | Freedom Trewon Marshall Jr. RB Leetsdale, Pa. | Quaker Valley Joe Shively Jr. DB Monaca, Pa. | Central VAlley Bryan Stafford Sr. QB Sharpsville, Pa. | Sharpsville Grove City Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Jacob Armbrecht Sr. DE Streetsboro, Ohio | Streetsboro Brett Laffoon So. QB Irwin, Pa. | Penn-Trafford Nick Ponikvar So. WR Bridgeville, Pa. | South Fayette Andrew Seifert Sr. S/LB Kettering, Ohio | Archbishop Alter Wesley Schools So. RB Sparrowbush, N.Y. | Port Jervis Saint Vincent Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Damon Black Jr. Sr. WR Lakeland, Fla. | Lakeland Jean Cherilus Sr. LB Sunrise, Fla. | South Plantation Dalton Dietrich Sr. WR Finleyville, Pa. | Thomas Jefferson Jhanard Dorsett Jr. RB Wellington, Fla. | Palm Beach Central DJ Oceant-Kelly Sr. WR Fort Myers, Fla. | Bishop Verot Thiel Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Nick Barca Jr. RB Pittsburgh, Pa. | Baldwin Jake Elk Sr. LB Pittsburgh, Pa. | Baldwin Ryan Rowland Sr. TE Pickerington, Ohio | Pickerington Joe Serratore Sr. SS Pittsburgh, Pa. | South Park Cody Wagner Jr. DL Pittsburgh, Pa. | Brashear Thomas More Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Daylin Garland II Sr. WR Newport, Ky. | Newport Cam Hansel Jr. DL Covington, Ky. | Simon Kenton Brenan Kuntz Sr. QB Independence, Ky. | Simon Kenton Johnny Lammers Sr. DB Cincinnati, Ohio | Elder Logan Winkler Jr. WR Independence, Ky. | Simon Kenton Washington & Jefferson Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Tom Marra Sr. DL Moon Township, Pa. | Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Luke Merhaut Sr. DB Gibsonia, Pa. | Pine-Richland Nick Murgo Sr. LB Warren, R.I. | Mount Hope Alex Rowse Sr. QB Beaver, Pa. | Beaver Jesse Zubik Sr. WR Sewickley, Pa. | Avonworth Waynesburg Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Brett Blacharczyk Sr. LB Claysville, Pa. | McGuffey Ben Ciero Jr. RB Honor, Mich. | Ramstein (Germany) Bobby Grishaber So. WR Charleston, W.Va. | George Washington Tristin Sandrosky Sr. LB Dunbar, Pa. | Uniontown Justin Willkow Jr. DB Somerset, Pa. | Somerset Westminster Name Yr. Pos. Hometown |High School CJ Armstrong Sr. LB Lake Worth, Fla. | Park Vista Community Jametrius Bentley Sr. WR Lake Worth, Fla. | Park Vista Community Todd Jeter Sr. CB Monroeville, Pa. | Gateway Dominique McKinley Sr. RB Greensburg, Pa. | Greensburg Salem Bobby Noble Sr. DE Murrysville, Pa. | Greensburg Central Catholic