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For Immediate Release
Aug. 16, 2010
Eureka Football Opens Camp Monday
EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka College football team will begin the second season of the Kurt Barth era when the Red Devils open practice for their 107th season of football Monday afternoon. Barth and the Red Devils plan to build upon a 4-6 record from a year ago, Eureka’s best record since the 1999 season.
The Red Devils will arrive on campus Monday morning in preparation for the squad’s first practice at 4 p.m. The team will take part in its annual picture day on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at McKinzie Field and continue with afternoon workouts throughout the week.
Eureka returns 27 letterwinners from last season’s squad, including 10 starters and five All-UMAC selections. While the Red Devils will undergo a quarterback change after the graduation of 2009 UMAC South Division Co-Offensive Player of the Year Nick Lindsey, junior wide receiver Wes Schmidgall (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S./Culver-Stockton) will return to lead an offense that averaged 30.0 points per game in 2009, the fourth-best mark in school history. Schmidgall averaged 124.7 receiving yards per game last season to rank fourth among all Division III players and earn All-UMAC South First Team honors. Senior Dillon Reed (Illiopolis, Ill./Sangamon Valley H.S.) is back at the tight end position after earning All-UMAC South Second Team honors last fall.
A pair of defensive backs will return to help anchor the Eureka defense in 2010. Senior cornerback Rosney Beverly (Los Angeles, Calif./Normal West H.S.) and junior strong safety Mike Minehan (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S./McKendree) are back in the fold after earning All-UMAC South Second Team honors last season.
Sophomores Travis Huber (Morton, Ill./Morton H.S.) and Jordan Jefferson (Normal, Ill./Normal West H.S.) will return to handle the kicking duties in 2010. Huber did not miss a field goal in six attempts during his debut season and finished the campaign as Eureka’s second-leading scorer with 52 points. Jefferson emerged as Eureka’s starting punter in the third week of the 2009 season, punting 31 times for an average of 31.3 yards.
In addition to the returning players, Barth will welcome one of the largest recruiting classes in program history. A total of 44 newcomers are listed on the 2010 roster, including 30 that will have freshman eligibility. The 2010 season marks the second year of Eureka’s associate membership in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Last fall, the nine-team league was divided into two divisions, competing for two separate conference titles, all-conference squads and player of the week awards. This season, all nine teams will compete for a single conference championship.
Eureka will host its annual preseason intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. at McKinzie Field. The Red Devils will begin the regular season on Saturday, Sept. 4 against former Illini-Badger Football Conference rival Benedictine (Ill.) at McKinzie Field at 1 p.m.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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