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January 9, 2008
Tepper, Hawks welcome familiar faces back to the fold Written by Matthew Burglund, Gazette Sports Writer He knows they're older. But Lou Tepper hopes Cameron Mobley and Andre Henderson are also wiser. When Tepper called together his IUP football team on Wednesday for its first meeting of the spring semester, he introduced two familiar faces to the group of 75 players. Mobley and Henderson, standouts as true freshmen in 2005, are back in the fold after a two-year hiatus. It comes as a bit of a surprise that the two have returned to the program. Both had academic troubles and couldn't adjust to Tepper's strict academic policy he instituted when he was hired in January, 2005. Henderson, a safety, was declared ineligible while Mobley, a receiver, was dismissed from the program in the spring of `05. "I'm prayerful that he is going to be a different person," Tepper said of Mobley. "I released him (in 2005) because he wouldn't go to class. But he's a talented kid, and I think in two years he has matured. He didn't have to come back here. He knew about our policies, and he could have gone somewhere else, but he chose to come back here." A native of Beaver Falls, Mobley was IUP's second-leading receiver in 2005, totaling 23 catches for 471 yards and one touchdown. His lone score came in overtime against Catawba, on a 20-yard strike from another true freshman, Andrew Krewatch, in a 19-16 win. Now that he's back in the fold, Mobley will join an already strong group of wide receivers in the fall. Senior-to-be Ken Witter became a dominating force at the end of last season and sophomore Mychal Skinner has big-play ability unseen at Miller Stadium in a few years. Henderson stepped into the starting lineup at strong safety and ended the season as IUP's second-leading tackler, with 79 total stops. The Erie native's high-water mark came in a 20-10 loss to Edinboro, in which he recorded 17 tackles. That certainly made an impression on Tepper, who at the time was Edinboro's coach. "I know his talent," Tepper said. "I sure do. He's a wonderful athlete. I just hope he's matured in the classroom." In addition to Mobley and Henderson, Tepper introduced five other new players, all of whom have transferred from other programs: • Antoine Taylor, Offensive line, Citrus (Calif.) Junior College - With two years of eligibility remaining, the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Chino Hills, Calif., native will compete for a starting job on a revamped line that lost three starters to graduation. • Justin Warren, running back, North Carolina - A recent graduate of UNC where he was a backup for three seasons, Warren comes to IUP as a graduate student with hopes of playing one more year. He's a native of Germantown, Md. • Abe Satterfield, cornerback, Iowa - An Erie native, Satterfield spent one season on scholarship with the Hawkeyes, as a redshirt, before running into trouble. Tepper said he called some of the coaches at Iowa and investigated Satterfield, and he's comfortable that the player's troubles are in the past. "I said `would you take him back if you could?' Tepper said, "and they said `absolutely.' They told me that he might have started for them next year at corner. They were all high on him. He seems like a great kid." Satterfield has four years of eligibility remaining and Tepper said he is a solid student. • Angel Kramer, fullback, Cincinnati - A high school teammate of IUP kicker Craig Burgess, Kramer is expected to compete for time as a backup this fall. • Justin Fletcher, defensive end, West Virginia Wesleyan - A graduate of Woodland Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Fletcher will battle for time as an edge pass rusher. Mobley, Henderson and the five transfers are all enrolled in school this semester and will participate in spring drills, which begin March 29. NOTES: Tepper said the team will undertake two community service projects this spring. One is picking up garbage in the borough on a to-be-determined date, and the other is to raise funds to send to Haiti to help offset the country's hunger problems. Tepper said he and his staff have already donated $1,100 to the cause. ... Fullback Garrett Lestochi and defensive end Jermaine Smith have been granted another year of eligibility and will play in the fall as seniors. ... Defensive tackle Corey Davis, who was charged with assault following a fight in the borough in November, is no longer on the team. ... The annual spring game is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, at 6 p.m. ... Kicker Matt McNelis (knee) and safety Ken Evans (shoulder) will miss spring drills because of injuries. |
