Fall Sports Preview: George Mason

The George Mason Football team’s 2004 season might just answer one of life’s age-old questions: Does size matter?

After several key personnel losses following a successful 2003 campaign in which the Mustangs amassed a 7-4 record and advanced to the regional semi-finals, Mason finds itself with a much smaller incarnation in ’04, though the hopes remain grand.

“This is my eighth year with the program and this is clearly the smallest that we’ve ever been,” Head Coach Tom Horn said. “We have talent at the skill positions, but we’re very small. Last year we could match up against any style. This year I can see us beating teams because of our talent, but I can also see us losing to some of the teams that we handled last year due to the size issue.”

To compensate, this year’s Mustang squad will place an even higher emphasis on an already prominent running game.

“We’ll have to dictate games to people,” Horn said. “We’re going to be a real working man’s team this season.”

Leading that running attack will be senior Stephen Williams, a four-year varsity player and three-year captain. Last season Williams rushed for over 1,000 yards and was named to the All-District Team at running back. He will also start at linebacker for the defensive unit.

Joining Williams in the backfield will be fellow All-District running back Travis Greene. While Greene promises to make a significant contribution carrying the ball, Horn hopes that he can make a bigger contribution filling the vacancy at safety left by graduate Peter Dittmar.

“Travis has shown himself to be much more physical this season,” Horn said, referring to one crushing hit leveled in Friday’s scrimmage.

Seemingly the epitome of the undersized Mustangs, junior Eric Blush will return to take snaps at quarterback. “He’ll say he’s 5-foot-6 but he’s really 5-foot-5,” Horn said. “He may be the smallest quarterback around, but his efficiency is great and he doesn’t turn the ball over.”

Another key loss for the Mustangs comes on the offensive line where Mason must replace six-foot-three, 275 lb.-lineman Chris Epling.

“He was a dominant player,” Horn said. “He was our size. This year we don’t have anyone of his size or dominance.”

Attempting to fill Epling’s shoes and opening holes for Williams and Greene is sophomore Ryan Larcamp who will lineup at offensive guard.

“Ryan won’t have his name in the boxscore, but if we do anything it will be because of him,” Horn said.

Larcamp will likely have an equal impact defensively, receiving Second Team All-District honors at outside linebacker as a ninth-grader.

Larcamp will be joined at linebacker by Paul Stroup, where the tandem will have to pick up the slack left by the graduation of Matt Williams. The older brother of Stephen Williams, Matt is likely the most notable loss to the Mustangs, having started for three years while earning All-District and All-Region honors while playing linebacker, quarterback and guard.

Despite the vacancy left by Matt Williams, Horn believes Stroup will fill in admirably and emerge as a force this year at linebacker. “He hasn’t gotten a lot of pub,” Horn said. “But he was very good on film last year and he looked good Friday night as well. He’s not big and imposing, but he gets the job done.”

That will likely be the sentiment of the season for the Mustangs. There won’t be many highlight-reel plays or offensive explosions, rather Horn hopes to see a lot of muddy uniforms and long, time-consuming offensive drives as they make their way through their schedule.

“We’re a wing or double wing team,” Horn said. “We probably pass four to five times a game and if we’re playing well that number goes down.”

Another factor that should help counteract the size-disadvantage is leadership. Horn believes that he has 12 to 13 kids capable of serving as game captains this season, among them senior defensive end/offensive tackle Will Straub and center/noseguard Andrew Campanelli.

“Based on how those two have carried themselves, how they’ve played, they are very much seniors now. They’re leaders,” Horn said. “And given our situation with size and the positions they play, that just makes them even more valuable.”

So far, Horn has been pleased by his team’s performance, particularly on offense where the players are now in their second year of the recently-imposed offensive system. Last Friday, the Mustangs performed well in a three-team scrimmage at Luray.

“We expected to be the best of the three teams there and it certainly helps to confirm those expectations,” Horn said.

The regular season begins Sept. 10 at Broad Run, but there will be no overlooking Friday’s Outback Bowl against in-town rival Falls Church High School, a team the Mustangs shocked by prevailing 6-0 last year.

Mason begins the Bull Run District portion of their schedule when they face Rappahannock Oct. 22, and highlighting that portion is the Nov. 5 home game against Manassas Park. Last season Manassas Park put together an undefeated season to claim the Bull Run District title before losing in the State Semifinal.