2013 Skyhawks Football: Year in Review
WEST POINT, GA (November 19, 2013)- In their first year under head coach David Rocker, the Skyhawks finished the season 3-7. Despite their record, the team showed significant progress from just a year ago.
The Skyhawks season got off to a great start early on, as they opened the season with back to back victories at home against Bluefield College and Edward Waters respectively. Junior leader and starting Running Back Rufus Mason quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with as he powered his way into NAIA's top rusher after two games.
The Skyhawks then turned to the meat of their schedule with a series of four games against some of their toughest competition. They traveled to Jackson, Mississippi to take on Millsaps College who is currently the #23 ranked team in Division III with a 9-1 record. They followed with road games at Garner-Webb and West Georgia before returning home to take on the Alderson Broaddus Battlers. The Skyhawks would lose all four games, but not to unworthy opponents. Gardner-Webb, at the time was a top 25 FCS Division I opponent, followed by West Georgia who finished 6-5 competing at the NCAA Division II level. Alderson Broaddus, led by former CFL coach Denny Creehan, proved to be yet another formidable opponent taking down the Skyhawks 48-16 at home. The Battlers have most recently been selected to compete against Florida Institute of Technology in the first ever Eastern College Athletic Conference Futures Bowl.
Following their game against the Battlers, the Skyhawks jumped back on track with a 31-13 win over Webber International at Babson Park, FL. The game featured a complete team victory in which the offense scored running (Rufus Mason) and passing (Jeremy Uzee to Teddy Gibson), the defense scored on a Rodrick Tolen interception and Terrance Tinnin fumble recovery in the endzone, and special teams executed with scores from FG kicker Alex Frear.
Unfortunately the Skyhawks were unable to ride the wave of success and dropped their final three games of the season to Presbyterian University (FCS NCAA Division I), Ave Maria (NAIA) who finished 8-2, and Shorter University (NCAA Division II). The final game meant some players will not be returning in Skyhawk uniform next season and the position that hit hardest was wide receiver.
Senior receivers Guillermo Rosaly, William Eichman, and Anthony Armstrong will all be departing from the roster. Eichman was the Skyhawks big play guy all season long averaging 17.6 yards per catch and finishing the season with 22 receptions for 388 yards and three scores. Eichman posted a season high 6 catches for 109 yards against Presbyterian. Anthony Armstrong finished first on the team with receptions (25) and touchdown (4), while Rosaly hauled in 11 catches for 114 yards and a score on the year. The trio's leadership and work ethic will be a testament for the underclassmen to follow in the coming years.
Fortunately for the Skyhawks, they have some talented underclassmen that will be given the opportunity to do just that. Offensively, Junior running back Rufus Mason finished as the nation 3rd leading rusher averaging 155 yards per game and posting 1,550 rushing yards from scrimmage. He will return for his final season with the Skyhawks and will undoubtedly give opposing defenses nightmares as he showed the ability to carry the ball 25+ times a game without skipping a beat. At quarterback, Kier Houston and Jeremy Uzee will have two and three more years respectively with the Skyhawks. Houston, a sophomore, played in 10 games completing 35 of 77 passes for 523 yards and 5 touchdowns. He added another score on the ground as well as 124 rushing yards in shared role with Uzee. The freshman, Uzee passed for 1,015 yards on 58% completions with 6 passing touchdowns. Uzee saw action in 8 of the Skyhawks 10 games and should post even better numbers in the future with experience.
Defensively, the team's leading tackler was Matt Hicks. Hicks, though just a freshman tallied 72 tackles on the year with 6.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks and was an immediate leader from the linebacker position. Roderick Tolen was second on the team in tackles with 62 total tackles and tacked on an interception in his junior season with the Skyhawks. Fellow junior defensive back, Dominic Freeman lead the team with 2 interceptions while posting 27 tackles for the NAIA's 50th ranked defense.
From a special teams standpoint, sophomore punter David Strickland ranked 5th in the nation in punt yard per attempt at 44.3. Strickland often pinned opponent deep in their own territory with his strong leg and hang time. Freshman Kicker, Alec Frear, converted 23 of 25 extra points and nailed two 40 yard field goals during the year. Frear ranked 43rd in the nation in field goal percentage which should improve with experience.
Overall, the team has developed a foundation and identity in which to build and recruit upon for the future. Coach Rocker and his staff have successfully instilled a mentality to the players of what it means to play "Skyhawk Football". Regardless of their record they now have an identity and belief in the system which has proven it can work through hard work and dedication to the TEAM. Point University is officially on the map, and their football program has a bright future ahead.