UMAC Coaches Chat

Today at 10AM CST fans, friends and alumni will have the chance to chat live with Greenville College Football's head coach Ordell Walker.

The Upper Midwest Athletic Confrence (UMAC) is hosting the chat session. Along with Coach Walker head coaches Kurt Barth, (Eureka) Andy Carr (Presentation) Chris Douglas (MacMurray) and John Welty (Westminster) will participate in the 10AM chat session. The other UMAC coaches will log on at 1:30PM today to answer questions about the upcoming season.

Make sure you sign in here and ask those questions you need answers to before kickoff 2011!

2011 End of Camp

2011 Scrimmage

2011 Baggage Brigade

2011 NSO Check-In

2011 Practice 9 & 10

Practice #8 8/24/11

Dinner at the Greenville FCC 8/23/11

Terminator Alley

1st Day of Full Pads 8/22/11

Smith Grove 8/21/11

Fall Sports Kick-Off 8/18/11

Coach Walker 8/17/11

New Uniforms

For those who have been following EMAPNation.com over the last 30 day we want to say, thank you. To reward your dedication we thought you should get a sneak peak of our new uniforms set to debut in 2011.

The Nike uniforms were specifically designed for the Greenville Panthers. The orange jerseys will be worn at home and the white jerseys are for away games.

Coach Walker talked about the new look, " We are very thankful indeed. We understand that new uniforms are a want and not a need. What we also know is that this is the big time. It's the big time because we're here, and now we have some big time uniforms."

So which is better the white? Or the orange?

#1 CHECK-IN

The final step before the 2011 season can begin is the infamous check-in day. Over one hundred players and their families swarm the Greenville College campus. There, they take care of all the logistical tasks that will allow the student athletes to compete on the field.

Another part of this day is taking the famous EMAP picture. It is a unique team photo that celebrates all of the different backgrounds that will soon come together.

This year 112 players reported to camp ready to unite as a team and defend their UMAC championship.

In the first team meeting Head Coach Ordell Walker asked the team, "Are you ready for the challenge?"

#2 TERMINATOR CLUB

Fans of the Terminator movies series are familiar with the image of the Terminator; a man-like machine that will stop at nothing to accomplish their mission. This is what we want our players to model. We want a team full of Terminators. In the class room, on the field, in their spiritual life we want TERMINATORS!

During the 2010-11 school year the members of the Greenville College Football team competed to be a member of the Terminator Club. The players competed in the weight room, on the field, in the community, cooking, and dancing.

One of the largest individual competitions took place during the final spring practice, The Terminator Olympics. There Olympics were a gauntlet of team and individual events.

When all of the points were tallied the following 11 players were named into the Terminator club. Jeremy Burrows (Salem, OR), Andy Lozano (Desert Hot Springs, CA), John Smith (Aurora, IL) Mike Ward (Geneseo, IL), Cody Hutchin (Portland, OR), Cody Lopez (Bonita, CA), Jesse Tyrrell (Loveland, CO), Kiso Faletufuga (San Diego, CA), Jordan Cernek (Clinton, WI), Trendon Amuzie (Grass Valley, CA) and Matt Schuman (Geneva, IL).

Members of the Terminator Club will receive some preferential treatment. They will be on the cover of the media guide, they are able to choose their jersey number, they will be first to eat during game day breakfast and other similar perks.

New players should model themselves after the members of the Terminator Club. These guys have been best over the past year and we are happy to recognize them.

#3 SERVANT WARRIOR PREVIEW

Every great program has people behind the scenes that do the dirty work that is necessary for success. At Greenville College we call these people Servant Warriors. The named was coined during the tenure of former head coach Scotty Kessler.

Servant Warriors fill a number of responsibilities. They film practice and games, fix gear, wash practice gear daily, wash game uniforms weekly, assist the training staff, pack, load and unload for away games, and a variety of assorted tasks.

The Servant Warriors are held in high regard at Greenville College. They are as integral to the team as the QB or the head coach. Without them the program would not be defending a UMAC Champions.

This season Turner Vivian will be the head Servant Warrior. He will be the point man between the staff and the other Servant Warriors. Vivian is a senior majoring in criminal justice at Greenville College.

So when you see Turner carrying equipment this season say "Thank you" or an "ATTAWAY!" and let him know his work is recognized and appreciated.

#4 PANTHERSTV.COM

For the second season the Greenville College Panthers will provide a live broadcast of all home, and some road games. Fans can visit PanthersTV.com to watch games on their computer.

Greenville attracts the best talent from all across the country. PanthersTV.com provides an outlet for everyone to watch Panther home games.

WGRN 89.5 FM will again provide the play-by-play for PanthersTV.com in 2011.

Broadcasting games is dependent on having a reliable internet connection. This is why the program can only guarantee that all home game will be broadcasted. Away games will vary. Fans will want to stay connected as information will be provided through the various media outlets

#5 LINEBACKER PREVIEW

Linebackers are the conductors of the defense. They keep the players in tune and on beat, using both their voice and example to lead the group. They are coaches on the field and are handed extra responsibility. For the past two seasons the UMAC Defensive Player of the Year played linebacker for the Greenville College Panthers. Is there a linebacker on the team who can make it a three-peat?

There are plenty of possible suitors for this title. In the middle, Junior Kiso Faletufuga (San Diego, CA), sophomores Cody Lopez (Bonita, CA) and Matt Schuman (Geneva, IL) bring the most experience to the position. They will lead a large group of freshmen linebackers.

On the outside it will be Juniors Mike Ward (Geneseo, IL), Anthony Osuna (Desert Hot Springs, CA) and Darius Golden (McDonough, GA) leading the group. Sophomores Drew Bland (Pana, IL) and Monte Beverly ( Fairview Heights, IL) will compete with the large freshman class for playing time as well.

Coach Schenk is excited about this group, “I have the best group of guys to coach. I can’t wait to get these guys out on the field and see their hard work pay off. Spring ball was such an important time for us; I believe the fruits of that labor will be bountiful.”

#6 QUARTERBACK PREVIEW

When the team wins they get all the credit, when the team loses they get all of the blame. The quarterback position is a fickle one, that requires thick skin and a humble heart to play.

This season the Panthers will rely on their quarterback to lead a high powered offense. Sophomore Brendan Chambers (San Clemente, CA) ended 2010 as the Panthers starter. He needs to have a successful camp to retain that position.

Competing with Chambers will be six other QB’s with varying experience levels. Sophomore TJ Meredith (Pedro Cedro, CA) returns to the Panthers after sitting out the 2010 season.Sophomore Greg Schimke (Tucson, AZ) and Junior Jace Sloan (Hughson, CA) transfer in to Greenville College with some college experience under their belts. True freshman Joey Bauwens (Perryville, MO) Brady Harre (Nashville, IL) and Paul Perugini (Tujunga, CA) will compete with Chambers as well.

Offensive Coordinator Robbie Schomaker talked about the importance of Quarterback play, “No doubt about it the quarterback is the leader of the offense. It starts in the huddle. He must show confidence in both himself and the rest of the guys in that huddle. He also has to know the entire playbook, every ones job on every play. When you combine these two things with talent, watch out!”

#7 SECONDARY PREVIEW

Greenville College has a rich tradition of talented cornerbacks and safeties. This upcoming season will be no different.

Three seniors return to lead a both talented and inexperienced group. 2010 All-UMAC safeties Andy Lozano (Desert Hot Springs, CA) and John Smith (Aurora, IL) need to lead and mentor their apprentices.

Tyler Bohanan (Ft. Smith, AR), Matt Edler (Wentzville, MO), Demarquo Sanders (East St. Louis, IL), AJ Woods (Robinson, IL), Cario Perry (O'Fallon, MO) and Vernon Gee (Edwardsville, IL) will all compete for playing time at the safety position.

Cornerback Chris Gunn (Jacksonville, FL) enters his senior campagin looking to solidify a starting role along with transfers Phillip Thomas (Chicago, IL) and Anthony Everett (Chicago, IL) who will play their first season for the Panthers.

The freshman class of corners has to potential to see a lot of playing time on Saturday's. Jamethis Blackshire (Shreveport, LA), Jordan Ruffin (Fetus, MO), Josh Gates (East St. Louis, IL), Mario Thompson (Mt. Vernon, IL) and Chris Beard (Anthony, FL) complete an electrifying secondary for the Panthers.

"We will have an interesting dynamic in the secondary this season." Coach Gaylord explained,

"We have a combination of experience and youth that I am excited about. There is no doubt this group is talented. The question is, will they learn our scheme and run it correctly? If the answer is no, then it won't matter how much talent we have."

#8 RUNNING BACKS PREVIEW

Today we will continue our positional previews during our countdown to the start of fall practices.

The running backs at Greenville College have some large shoes to fill. Those shoes belong to two time UMAC Offensive Player of the Year Anthony Ambers.

Three returners and six new players will try and step up to the challenge. Sophomores Immanuel Gambel (St. Louis, MO), Bryce Wright (Surprise, AZ) and Justin HoneyCutt (Wabash, IN) all look to separate themselves from the pack.

Freshman Michael Bryant (Mt. Vernon, IL), Daniel Courtway (Festus, MO), Bobby Hughley (New York, New York), Andrew Perkett (Colorado Springs, CO), Sean Snyder (Fox River Grove, IL) and transfer SO Anthony Moore (Troup, TX) will all look to find a role and compete on Saturdays.

Running backs coach Andrew Rode was asked about how he felt about the 2011 group he had,

“I am excited to coach these guys. The returners we have are all super talented and could be big time contributors for us. This group of new guys is extremely talented and I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone emerge from that group.”

#9 D3FOOTBALL.COM

For Division I football fans, there are thousands of media outlets they can choose from. Fans and followers of Division III football have one choice, D3Football.com.

Since 1999 D3Football.com has been the premier national news site on all things Division III football. New fans should take note of the different features the site offers that directly impact the Greenville College Panthers.

Before the season begins D3Football.com releases a pre-season Top 25 and All-American team. They also sell a comprehensive guide to the forthcoming season called, Kickoff. This guide ranks all 238 D-III teams, the conferences, predicts records and playoff match-ups. If you want to learn about the Panther opponents this season, Kickoff is the best way to do so.

During the season they update their Top 25 every Monday and print the NCAA regional rankings (Greenville is a member of the West region). A new feature is the Play of the Week. They also name players to their National Team of the Week. Last year CB James Binder, RB Anthony Ambers, and the entire offensive line were named to the team.

Podcast fans should subscribe to the Around the Nation (ATN) podcast. Here they can listen to Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan talk D-III football.

After the season the site names players to All-Region teams and a All-American team.

You can follow D3Football.com on Twitter @d3football, you can also "Like" their Facebook page. Let them know if you're not seeing enough Panther news on the site!

#10 CHURCH

Greenville is a Christian college, and the Panthers implement a Biblical philosophy. Spiritual development is an important aspect of both the college and football program. Part of this development is regularly attending church services.

New players should have no problem finding a "home away from home" church in Greenville. There are 19 different churches to attend in the city of Greenville. There are also numerous churches outside of the city limits that are within a reasonable driving distance.

There are no requirements that players regularly

attend church services on Sunday. There will be one Sunday during camp where the team will attend church together. Players will be asked to dress in a business casual fashion, pack accordingly.

Here is a list of all of the local churches. This list was provided by the City of Greenville.

Advent Christian
Church of Christ, 1416 IL RT 140, 618-664-1288

Apostolic
First Apostolic Church, 901 E. City Route 40, 618-664-1451

Assemblies of God
Calvary Temple, 1111 E. College Ave., 618-664-2852

Baptist
First Baptist Church (American USA), 218 E. South Ave., 618-664-1062

Catholic
Saint Lawrence Church, 512 South Prairie St., 618-664-3169

Christian
Central Christian Church, 205 S. Prairie, 618-664-0802
First Christian Church, 1100 Killarney Dr., 618-664-0350

Church of Christ
Church of Christ, 1416 IL Hwy 140 E., 618-664-1288

Free Methodist
Greenville Free Methodist Church, 1367 E. State Route 140, 618-664-2584
Free Methodist Church - Gateway Conference, 114 N. 2nd St., 618-664-2353
St. Paul's Free Methodist Church, 813 E. College Ave., 618-664-2159

Lutheran
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1540 E. State Route 140, 618-664-0223

Presbyterian
First Presbyterian, 501 Idler Ln., 618-664-0942

Southern Baptist
Smith Grove Southern Baptist Church, 949 Airport Ave., 618-664-4177
Wisetown Baptist Church, 173 Wisetown Road, 618-664-3744

United Church of Christ
St. Peters United Church of Christ, 1670 Hookdale Lane, 618-664-2129

United Methodist
First United Methodist Church, 310 S. 2nd St., 618-664-1566

Non-Denominational
Cross of Victory, 793 US Route 40, 618-664-4980
Mount Zion Temple of Deliverance and Praise, 201 S. Fourth Street, 618-664-3016

#11 NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION (NSO)

All new members of the Greenville College Football program should take note, you will participate in New Student Orientation (NSO).

Towards the end of fall camp new players will take part in a Greenville College tradition, NSO. NSO is required for all new students (transfers and freshmen).

This is a great time for players to meet non-football players in the new class of students. What can be expected is relationship building. Each activity is planned to help students make connections with each other and help the trasnation to college.

The activities include meeting with their COR professor, chapel, the ivy planting ceremony, a service project, and a ice cream social/concert.

NSO is a rite of passage that every player and student at Greenville College must complete. It can be a fun memorable experience, but that is a choice that everyone has to make. The choice is yours.

#12 NIKE

Today we will take a break from positional previews to inform and illuminate fans, friends, players and alumni about a recent change in the program.

Earlier this spring, the Greenville College Football program signed an agreement with Lids Team Sports to allow Nike to be their exclusive outfitter. This means that all new uniforms, cleats and clothing worn by the team will be made by Nike. This is the first exclusive contract signed by the program. In years past, Greenville had used many other brands depending on the product.

On game days players will wear Nike brand cleats, gloves and socks. This decision was made in the best interest of the program in both the long, and short term.

New players should note that all gloves worn during competition must be grey and cleats must be black with white.

Current players and their families can order extra gear with the 2011 camp pack order form.

Fans and alumni may purchase official Greenville College Panther gear at the concession stand during home games.

#13 WR/TE PREVIEW

In 2011, the Greenville College Panthers have many weapons that can catch the football and find their way to the endzone. Seniors WR Ryan Boezeman (Demott, IN) and TE Demontrez Simington (Atlanta, GA) will lead the receiving core. Both players excelled last season when they were called upon. This season the Panthers look to air it out more than in 2010.

Junior WR Cody Hutchin( Portland, OR) returns from a season ending injury in 2010 to help the Panther offense. Sophmore Brandon Butler moved to a receiver in the Spring and will compete for playing time.

There are eight new receivers that have their eyes on Saturday as well. Mason Akers (Bridgeport, IL), Nathan Butler (West Frankfort, IL), Ben Cunningham (West Frankfort, IL), Tre Lewis (Belleville, IL), Ellington McKinney (Anaheim, CA), Gabe McVaigh (Dundas, IL), Riley O’Reagan (Woodinville, WA) and Don Smith (Pittsburg, CA).

Using multiple tight ends is a staple of the Panther offense and there are a gaggle of young players who want to fill that role. Sophomore Andrew Maurer (Greenville, IL) and Senior Daniel Covert (Trenton, IL) will compete with Simington and newcomers, Sean Adkison (Jacksonville, FL), Chris Storey (Nashville, IL) and Chris Womack (Hanford, CA).

Who will be making the touchdown catches for the Panthers this season? We’ll begin to find the answer to that question in 13 days.

#14 DEFENSIVE LINE PREVIEW

If the defense is a ship, then the defensive line is the wind in the sails. If the wind is strong and constant, the ship will sail smoothly. If the wind is weak or inconsistent, it forces the ship to over compensate and work harder. Just like the ship, the defense relies on the defensive line to power it through the season.

This season the Panther's return a strong core to their defensive line. SR Jordan Cernek (Clinton, WI) JR KC Gilbert (Indio, CA) and SO Morris Hobson (Cahokia, IL) all started for Greenville last season.

SO Cody Killgore (Washoe, NV), Justin Coleman (Hazelwood, MO), Dalton Sanders (Marshall, IL), Cortez Cogshell (St. Louis, MO), Josh Enloe (O'Fallon, MO), Chris Brooksher (Wright City, MO), and EJ Fridge (Swansea, IL) will all compete with the nine incoming Freshmen for playing time.

Defensive coordinator Jake Schenk commented,"If we can rely on the defensive line to produce consistently this year, our linebackers and secondary will play much better." He continued, "I'm excited to see how our young guys have developed and how the new guys will contribute."

It will be exciting to see how the 2011 defensive line will power the ship.

#15 OFFENSIVE LINE PREVIEW

Every good home is built on a solid foundation. On the offense that foundation is the offensive line. For the past two seasons, the Greenville College Panthers have built championship homes on the foundation laid by the offensive line.

Coach Mingo will have another talented group to coach this season. Leading the group this season are juniors Trendon Amuzie (Grass Valley, CA) and Jeremy Burrows (Salem, OR). JR Keith Williams (Cahokia, IL) and SO Jesse Tyrell (Loveland, CO) will be competing to fill the void at center left by former UMAC Lineman of the Year Tim Burroughs.

SR Cole Bailey (Xenia, IL), SO Dan Lewis (Alpena, MI) and SO Seth Marshall (Tangier, IN) are also in the mix for playing time.

The freshman offensive line class is one of the best ever. This is a highly touted group that could see playing time sooner than later. There are 11 new faces spanning 7 different states. This group totes several 1st team All-Conference players, Team MVP’s and one 1st team All-State member.

“The offense will go where the line takes it.” Coach Mingo said, “ I know we have enough talent, we’ll just have to see if they are ready to put in the work necessary to close their potential performance gap.”

#16 SPECIAL TEAMS PREVIEW

At Greenville College special teams is as important as the offense or defense. It receives its own day of practice and meetings. Special teams are also where; young players can use their athleticism and effort to make their mark on a football game.

This should be an exciting year for the Panther’s special teams. There will be an intriguing camp battle for the starting kicker and punter positions. The early front runner would be SO Josh Frewin (Payson, AZ). Last season Frewin was the kicker for the JV team and was perfect in his FG and PAT attempts.

Freshman Josh Morgan (Greenville, IL) and Jordan Ward (Owensboro, KY) will compete with Frewin for the starting role. Ward is also a punter who will have competition at that position. In the past JR Anthony Osuna (Desert Hot Springs, CA), SR John Smith (Aurora, IL) and JR Jeremy Burrows (Salem, OR) have taken reps punting.

The Panthers bring back Immanuel Gamble (St. Louis, MO) who was 1st team All UMAC as a kick returner last season. There will be an open competition to find other returners that can assist Gamble.

Just like every position with the Panthers no special team role is promised. Everything is earned.