Greyhounds football begins spring workouts

April 4, 2008



First-year head coach ADAM FULLER gets his first look at the 2008 Assumption College football prospects as the Greyhounds begin a month-long session of spring workouts.

The team will workout Mondays (8-10 p.m.), Wednesdays (8:30-10:30 p.m.) and Fridays (6-8 p.m.) along with two Saturday workouts, April 12 (4-6 p.m.) and April 19 (6-8 p.m.).

The 2007 Greyhounds finished 4-7 however won their last three games defeating Division 1-A LaSalle (10-7) in Philadelphia, defeating conference power L.I.U.-C.W. Post (31-24) in the most exciting home game of the season and finishing with a 10-7 conference road win over Pace.

Fuller will build the Greyhounds' 2008 offense around the talents of freshman running back HERBERT WOODARD (Salem, NJ/Salem), who earned Rookie-of-the-Year honors with the Worcester Area Football Association, the Northeast-10 Conference and the ECAC Division II Coaches. In 11 games this past season Woodard rushed 179 times for 966 yards to lead the Greyhounds rushing game. He also had nine receptions for 42 yards and finished the season among the conference leaders with 1,016 all-purpose yards.

Woodard's best effort earned him the Boston Globe Golden Helmet, only the third Greyhound ever to win the award as the region's best player for a given week. He was also named the Football Gazette Division II National Player-of-the-Week. He rushed for a career- and season-high 277 yards on 21 carries and scored a team-record five touchdowns to lead his team to a record-setting 71-21 win at Saint Anselm. He also rushed for 100 or more yards at Pace (152 yards), vs. Merrimack (129 yards) and vs. Bryant (126 yards).


He was also named the Worcester Area Freshman-of-the-Year and a first-team all-star.

Junior quarterback TAYLOR HUMPHREY (Lafayette, CA/Miramonte) (TOP PHOTO RIGHT) set the Greyhounds record for yards (2,204), while throwing 11 touchdown passes and completing a record 170 passes for a .531 percentage. His top returning receiver is sophomore DAVID CANNEY (Templeton, MA/North Middlesex), who caught a team-leading and individual season-record 62 passes for 870 yards (also a record) and four touchdowns. Junior JOEY FABIANO (Westwood, MA/Westwood) caught 22 for 345 yards and two scores.

Defensively, the team will be led by sophomore middle linebacker DUSTIN ZITZMANN (Pinellas Park, FL/Dixie Hollins) (BOTTOM PHOTO RIGHT), who led the conference with 39-74--113 tackles.

Other top defensive performers returning include junior safety CHRIS MARTINO (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) (41-47--88 tackles, team-leading four interceptions), sophomore linebacker MITCHELL WELCH (Southington, CT/Southington) (25-36--61 tackles), freshman cornerback KEITH BATES (Holden, MA/Wachusett) (22-30--52 tackles) and sophomore corner BERNARD SCOTT (St. Petersburg, FL/Admiral Farragut) (20-26--46 tackles). The defensive line will be anchored by junior tackle TERRY STANFORD (Newark, NJ/Ridgefield Park).

Canney, Zitzmann and Martino are the returning Northeast-10 Conference all-stars.

The team will have 14 practices over the next month leading up to the Blue-White spring game scheduled for Saturday, April 26 in the Multi-Sport Stadium.

Coach Fuller is expected to announce his Class of 2012 recruiting list in mid-May.