Lebanon Valley kicks off the 2011 season hosting Gettysburg Saturday at Arnold Field. The Dutchmen are coming off back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time in program history and will look to build on that success in the new season.

On the Radio
Saturday's game will be simulcast on the Flying Dutchmen Radio Network on Middletown's WMSS 91.1 FM and WWSM 1510 AM in Annville. John Wilsbach and Brian Keyser will call the action against Gettysburg. The game will be streamed live and free at WMSSFM.com and GoDutchmen.com.

Weather Forecast
Game-time high of 85 degrees, humid, partly sunny with a 30% chance of a shower or thunderstorm.

Tickets
Tickets are available at the gate and are $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and $2 for non-LVC students. LVC students and children under 6 are free.

If You Only Know Five Things...
1. Preseason all-America running back Ben Guiles ran for an LVC-record 1,330 yards and 17 touchdowns last year; he had 154 yards and two TDs against Gettysburg in 2010, and returned a kick 95 yards for a touchdown vs. the Bullets in 2009.
2. Gettysburg quarterback Kyle Whitmoyer is his team's leading returning passer (1,767 yds, 12 TDs) and rusher (501 yds, 10 TD).
3. LVC will have four first-time starters each on the offensive line and defensive secondary after losing eight starters to graduation from those units.
4. For the second year in a row, LVC received votes in the d3football.com Preseason Top 25 poll.
5. Gettysburg coach Barry Streeter, a 1971 Lebanon Valley graduate, is facing his alma mater for the 18th time. He is 13-4 against LVC.

Team Captains
Team captains for 2011 are all seniors: LB Jason Gigous, RB Ben Guiles, DE Cory Homer, and QB Colt Zarilla. All four are first-year captains.

Noting LVC's Offense
LVC returns virtually all of its running game for 2011, including Ben Guiles (1,330 yds, 17 TD), Blair Ransom (288 yds, 3 TD), and Pete Panichi (200 yds, 1 TD), along with starting fullback Alex Kirchner ... Senior Colt Zarilla, who saw significant time as a back-up to Caleb Fick '11 over the past three years, inherits the starting quarterback position ... Senior Tim Picerno (396 yds, 2 TD) returns to start at wide receiver, paired with speedy junior Yahya McIntyre ... Sophomores Kelly Saylor and Joey Miller will also be names to watch for at wide-out ... Multi-threat Jake Zeigler will be an option at tight end and quarterback ... Tight end Matt Mankiewicz, who has 11 starts over the past two seasons, is also back for his senior year ... The biggest question mark for LVC is on the offensive line, with four starters gone ... Sophomore left guard Brendan Kozub is the only returner with significant experience, having started the final five games of 2010 as a freshman ... Sophomores Nate Valdez (LT) and Brady Miskiewicz (C), and seniors Matt Clark (RG) and Zach Nace (RT) are expected to be the starters.

Noting LVC's Defense
The Dutchmen return a very talented front seven led by defensive end Cory Homer and linebacker Jason Gigous ... Homer was second on the team with 80 tackles in 2010, including 6.5 for a loss ... He is next to nose tackle Nick Bowne had 45 stops and 4.5 TFL in an injury-shortened 2010 season ... Senior Wes Rockwell will get the starting nod at end to replace all-American Zach Bleiler '11 ... At linebacker, Gigous was the first Dutchman in a decade to surpass 100 tackles, making 107 last year from his inside spot ... He'll be next to Clay Chaney, who was the preseason 2010 starter before an injury ended his year ... Andrew Hurst moves from inside to outside after his 41-tackle 2011 ... Macke Hall (19 T) will have the other outside position ... LVC lost every starter from the secondary, but has a promising group of new faces ready to take over ... Senior Dave Hallinan will lead the group at strong safety alongside sophomore free safety Ian Bond ... On the corners, junior Nate Kauffman has significant experience as a backup last year, and speedy senior Jerome Duncan returns after missing 2010 to injury.

Noting LVC's Special Teams
Sophomore kicker Sean Fakete had a strong end to 2010, going 16-for-16 on extra points ... He also handled kickoffs, averaging 55.4 yards per boot ... Punting was unsettled last year after a string of injuries, but LVC gets back Colt Zarilla, who was an all-MAC and all-ECAC punter as a sophomore ... Jake Zeigler also had experience punting last year ... On returns, Zeigler will again handle kicks and punts, in the mix with Kelly Saylor and Jimmie Miller ... Nate Kauffman will be the first-time holder ... Nate Luckenbill and Michael Attanasio were capable and reliable longsnappers last year, handling punts and kicks, respectively.

LVC Receives Votes In Preseason Top 25
For the second straight season, Lebanon Valley received votes in the d3football.com preseason top 25 poll. The Dutchmen received two votes, after receiving 49 in last year's opening poll. LVC has never appeared in the top 25. d3football.com also lauded LVC in their preseason feature, predicting the Dutchmen to be one of the nation's most improved teams from their 6-5 2010 record.

Guiles Earns Preseason All-America Buzz
Senior RB Ben Guiles had a phenomenal junior season, and that has paid off this summer with plenty of preseason buzz. Guiles has been named a preseason all-America by four different outlets, including first-team honors from D3 Senior Class, second-team nods by d3football.com and Consensus Draft Services, and a third-team spot by D3 Pro Day. In three years, Guiles has 2,698 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns, ranking third and second, respectively, on the LVC all-time lists for those categories.

MAC Coaches Pick LVC Sixth
Despite back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2010, Lebanon Valley was picked sixth in the Middle Atlantic Conference's preseason coaches' poll. Delaware Valley was the favorite, followed by Lycoming, Wilkes, Widener, and Albright ahead of LVC. King's, FDU-Florham, and Stevenson round out the poll.

Zarilla Takes Over
Senior Colt Zarilla may be the newly-minted starting quarterback, but he is hardly an unfamiliar face. After serving as the back-up to four-year starter Caleb Fick '11 for his entire career, Zarilla is ready to step in and run the offense full-time. Over the past three years, Zarilla had seen a series or two in almost every game, switching up the look and providing a more mobile option for the Dutchmen. The Gettysburg game will actually be his second career start; he played against Delaware Valley last year for an injured Fick.

New Faces on O-Line, Secondary
Between the offensive line and the defensive secondary, LVC loses eight of nine starters from 2010. Only left guard Brendan Kozub, who started five games last season as a freshman, returns. That means first-time starts on the offensive line for big left tackle Nate Valdez, center Sam Colletts, right guard, Matt Clark, and right tackle Zach Nace, who all have game experience as back-ups. On defense, Nate Kauffman and Jerome Duncan are veteran back-ups at corner, and Dave Hallinan saw time at safety, while Jordan Ott moves up from the JV program after being named LVC's Special Teams Service Player of the Year as a freshman.

Which One Did You Mean?
If you're an LVC coach, yelling “Smith” or “Miller” in practice is likely to get you more than a couple of confused stares. That's because the Dutchmen are carrying four Millers (Aaron, Jimmie, Joey, and Seth) and three Smiths (Dylan, Kevin, and Mike), not to mention two Murphys (Brian and Drew), two Myerses (Josh and Nate), two Walkers (Andrew and Zach), and two Wengers (Adam and Kyle). Of them, only the Wenger brothers are related.

Together Again
LVC's roster has an exceptional number of high school teammates on it, with 19 high schools sending multiple players to Annville together. Elizabethtown has three former running backs in blue and white. Central Dauphin, Schuylkill Haven, and South Western also have three alumni each at LVC. Northern Lebanon also has an interesting combo with senior CB Brad Beidler and his former head coach, LVC assistant Jack Beidler.

Coaching Changes
Although LVC didn't add any new faces to its coaching staff for 2011, several assistants have shuffled duties since last year. Vince Pantalone is LVC's new defensive coordinator after secondary coach Cory Wenger served as the interim in 2010. Lou Orndorff has retired from his day-to-day work with linebackers but will stay on as a volunteer assistant with the defense while also working with punters. Joe Tomtishen '07 takes over for Orndorff with outside linebackers, while also adding kickers to his responsibilities, and Jack Beidler '96 will take over for Pantalone working with inside linebackers. Former student coach Mike Evangelista '10 will be in charge of defensive quality control.

Taking on the Centennial Conference
Since several MAC members, including Moravian and Susquehanna, split away to join the Centennial Conference in 2007, LVC is 7-4 against the CC, including 4-1 over the past two seasons.

So Long, Bullets
After 10 consecutive meetings and 39 overall, 2011 will be the final year for the LVC-Gettysburg series, at least for the foreseeable future. With the addition of Stevenson (2011) and Misericordia (2012) to expand the Middle Atlantic Conference to 10 members, and a two-year challenge series with NJAC member Montclair State in 2012 and 2013, LVC will not have an open slot on its schedule until 2014, at the earliest.

Last Year vs. Gettysburg
Lebanon Valley committed five turnovers and was hit for 140 yards of penalties as mistakes plagued them in a season-opening loss to Gettysburg, 42-28. The Bullets' rushing game ran wild for 374 yards, including 100-yard days by Jamel Mutunga (155 yards, 1 TD) and quarterback Kyle Whitmoyer, who had 137 yards and three rushing TDs in his debut. It was the most yards surrendered on the ground by LVC since the Bullets had 398 yards against them in 2003. Ben Guiles ran for 154 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns, but also gave away two fumbles, including a back-breaking 45-yard touchdown recovery by Tyler Fasenella in the third quarter. Caleb Fick '11 adding a rushing touchdown for the Dutchmen.

Gettysburg Quick Look
The Bullets return starting quarterback Kyle Whitmoyer, who threw for 1,767 yards and ran for 501 last year as a multi-threat signal caller. Gettysburg loses quite a few pieces from its high-powered offense that averaged nearly 40 points per game and ranked 13th in the nation in total yardage last year, returning just five offensive starters. On the other side of the ball, however, Gettysburg brings back 10 starters, including linebacker Larry DelViscio (92 T, 12.5 TFL) and safety Joe Delaney (92 T).

LVC Returns To Grove City For 2011 PAC-MAC Challenge
The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) and the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) will take each other on in the second year of the “PAC-MAC Football Challenge Series,” which will take place during the second weekend of the 2011 football seasons. After falling to Grove City 17-14 at Arnold Field last year, the Dutchmen make the long return trip to western Pennsylvania on Sept. 10, their longest roadtrip since 1983 (at Washington & Lee). The pairings were determined by matching up the top teams in each conference based on the 2009 final results, followed by the second place teams, etc.