TELEGRAM: Greyhound football looking to make noise

August 26, 2007

By Jennifer Toland

TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER- Coach CORY BAILEY's first recruiting class is playing its final season, and Assumption's seniors don't plan on departing quietly.

"We have high hopes for the season," senior center MIKE SENELLA said. "We've all been waiting for this season. This is our season. We're hoping to do some big things."

This will be Bailey's fourth season at Assumption. The Greyhounds won four games each of the last two years and believe that they're building on becoming a better team. Actually, Bailey thinks this is the best team he's had at AC.

"Whether that translates to wins and losses, we'll see," he said, "but athletically this is the best we've ever been."

Bailey has done a nice job bringing in local kids - like Narragansett's DAVID CANNEY and Holy Name's DOMINIQUE PRICE - and he has also spanned the country to attract players like Senella of Simi Valley, Calif., a four-year starter, senior tight end JAKE LONGENECKER of Fernandina, Fla., and new quarterback TAYLOR HUMPHREY of Lafayette, Calif.

The 6-foot, 210-pound Humphrey took an interesting route to Salisbury Street. After an outstanding career at Miramonte High School, Humphrey went to the University of Hawaii. He did not get any playing time in the fall of 2004 and transferred to UMass the next semester. He got action in one game for the Minutemen in 2005.

"When he left Hawaii, UMass offered him a scholarship, but he had somehow also heard of Assumption," Bailey said. "Once he was at UMass, he wasn't happy."

Humphrey enrolled at Assumption last fall, but couldn't play because he's a two-time transfer. He ran the scout team, was with the Hounds in the spring and stayed in Worcester all summer to work with his receivers.

"So it's not like he's totally new," Bailey said. "The rapport is there."

Miramonte also produced Drew Bennett of the St. Louis Rams and Ken Dorsey of the Cleveland Browns. Humphrey broke Dorsey's Miramonte career passing record.

Humphrey gives the Hounds yet another new face at quarterback. Jamie Tucker and Joe Correia split the snaps in 2004, Jon Breuer was the signal-caller in 2005, and Marshall Tharpe was the starter last year.

"Having a new quarterback every year has been different," said senior JAKE BEERS, AC's leading receiver in 2006, "but I'm really excited because Taylor seems to be the best quarterback that I've played with. He's putting the ball on the money. He's working real hard, and that's what we need."

Breuer, by the way, is now a redshirt sophomore at USC. He's fifth on the Trojans' depth chart.

The Hounds have 26 seniors on the roster and experience at a number of positions. In addition to Senella, the offensive line features seniors MATT CERINS, ROSS DUDUC and MIKE OTTERBEIN. Beers, Canney, junior wide receiver JOEY FABIANO and Longenecker are all returning starters as well. Sophomores JAY YOUNGBLOOD and LAMARR CASH project as the top running backs. The Hounds will be looking to improve on their ground output, which produced just 66.4 yards-per-game last year.

The defense starts with the KELLY BROTHERS - ends Josh and Jared, who were both NE-10 all-stars last year. Junior tackle TERRY STANFORD, sophomore linebacker DUSTIN ZITZMANN, last year's leading tackler, and junior free safety CHRIS MARTINO and sophomore corner BERNARD SCOTT are also expected to be key members of the defense.

In 2006, the Hounds ranked third in the NE-10 in rushing defense (115 yards per game), but they were ninth in scoring defense (23.4 ppg).

Assumption opens the season Thursday night at home against Division 1-AA Sacred Heart. The Hounds were picked to finish fourth in the always competitive NE-10.

"I'm really optimistic," Zitzmann said. "We have a different attitude coming in. In the past it was, ?We can beat these teams.' This year, it's ?We will.' We are going to get the job done."