2018 Record: 5-4
2019 Projected Record: 7-2
Projected Offensive Starters (*9 returning)
QB – Bobby Maimaron ‘21*
RB – Carter Begel ‘22*
RB – TJ Dozier ‘21*
WR – Frank Stola ‘21*
WR – Justin Nelson ‘21*
TE – Justin Burke ‘21*
LG – Pat Watson ‘21
LT – Jeremy Subjinski ‘20*
C – Jeff MacArthur ‘20*
RG – John Rooney ‘20*
RT – Ryan Pruss ‘20
Projected Defensive Starters (*6 returning)
S – Ben Anthony ‘20*
S – Ed Manzella ‘21
CB – Jake Kastenhuber ‘21*
CB – TBD
OLB – Coleston Smith ‘22
ILB – TJ Rothmann ‘21*
ILB – Jarrett Wesner ‘21*
OLB – Luke Apuzzi ‘21*
DE – Oscar Unobskey ‘20*
DT – TBD
DE – TBD
Projected Specialists (*2 Returning)
K/P – Andrew Schreibstein ‘22*
KR/PR – Frank Stola ‘21*
Offensive MVP: QB Bobby Maimaron ‘21
There are so many people who need to perform at a high, high level for the Ephs to have a chance to win the league this year, but none moreso than their junior signal caller under center. It was a weird sophomore season for Maimaron, who earned ROY honors in his magical freshman season that saw Williams go from 0-8 to 6-3. He was one of the top ball carriers in the entire league, finishing 4 th in rushing yards per game (68.4) and 5 th in rushing TDs (8). But his yards per carry only jumped from 3.4 yards to 3.8, the only evident change in his rushing numbers was due to the number of carries. There were a number of reasons outside of his control for why he went from throwing for 200 yards per game and completing 58% of his passes to just 143 yards per game and a 53% completion percentage—lack of weapons, playcalling, line play, etc., but those numbers need to look a lot more like his 2017 numbers than his 2018 numbers. Luckily, Maimaron could be the most talented QB in the league, or most talented player in the league for that matter, he just needs to prove it.
Defensive MVP: CB Jake Kastenhuber ‘21
Kastenhuber makes the move over to cornerback this season after spending his first two patrolling the secondary as a safety. Williams graduated both of its starting corners last year, and the fact that they felt the need to move a two-year starter over to fill a need speaks to their lack of confidence in being able to find other CBs on the roster. Hopefully it is a seamless transition for Kastenhuber because the Ephs have struggled with locking down the top wide receivers around the league in recent years, and their lack of depth on the defensive line means they cannot afford to have any holes elsewhere.
Biggest Game: September 14th @ Middlebury
This is an absolute must win for both teams, and I would imagine they know that. But especially for the Ephs with the way their schedule is so backloaded. I’m sure most people are aware and will be made more aware as the season progresses, but for those who don’t know, Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan, and Trinity all play each other in the last 3 weeks of the season. If any of those teams have serious championship aspirations, they better plan on showing up for their Week 7 matchup with an unblemished 6-0 record. Beating Middlebury on the road Week 1 and defending home turf against Tufts the following week is certainly doable for Williams, who really could be 6-0 when that last stretch rolls around. It all starts on Saturday.
Everything Else:
It was a weird 2018 season for Williams, which makes forecasting this season pretty tough. On one hand, they were the only team to beat Trinity last year. On the other hand, they went 1-4 in their final 5 games, a combination of catching the injury bug and a touch of complacency following their big win against the eventual champs. The good news is that they return all but 6 of their points, and their 8 leading tacklers. On paper, they should be poised to take a huge leap forward. But the bad news is that they do not appear to have improved their weaknesses from last season—namely the defensive line, cornerbacks, and the ability to stay healthy. The front 3 is still largely up for grabs, as is one of the starting CB spots, and they already lost their expected starting RT, freshman John Freeman, for the year.
So, one of two things (preferably both) needs to happen. The first is that the studs they have been able to rely on for 2 or 3 years now need to really carry this team—Maimaron, all-league WR Frank Stola ’21, and their arguably league-best linebacking core, led by all-league juniors Jarrett Wesner and TJ Rothmann. These guys need to ball out and stay healthy. The other thing is that guys whose names we don’t know yet need to have breakthrough seasons. The overwhelming individual talent in the junior class across the board for Coach Mark Raymond has made it tough for other guys, namely in the sophomore and senior classes, to find playing time, but injuries and graduation have finally opened some holes up.
This team is one of the best in the league, without a doubt. They just need a little bit more help if they hope to achieve what they really want to achieve. This might not be the year yet, but then again, they are arguably the favorite to win each of their first 7 games, if they ever get over their mental block against Wesleyan. Show up 7-0, give Trinity a run for their money in Week 8, and defend their home turf against Amherst in the finale? Maybe go 8-1 and see what happens? Crazier things have happened.