2018 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE DAY DATE OPPONENT KICKOFF TIME Thursday August 30 at Urbana* 7 p.m. Thursday September 6 W.Va. Wesleyan* 7 p.m. Thursday September 13 at Charleston* 7 p.m. Saturday September 22 1-UVA-Wise* 1 p.m. Saturday September 29 at Notre Dame* Noon Saturday October 6 Shepherd* Noon Saturday October 13 at Glenville State* 1 p.m. Saturday October 20 2-W.Va. State* 1 p.m. Saturday October 27 at Concord* Noon Saturday November 3 Bloomsburg 1 p.m. Thursday November 8 Fairmont State* 7 p.m. *-MEC game; 1-Hall of Fame Game; 2-Homecoming INDEX SECTION I: WELCOME TO WEST LIBERTY SECTION V: 2017 REVIEW This is Hilltopper Football! 3 Game-by-Game Recaps 43 Quick Facts 4 Scores/Offensive Stats 47 Media Information 6 Defensive Stats/Game Highs 49 Hilltopper Sports is on the Air! 6 MEC Standings/All-MEC Teams 50 Hilltoppersports.com 6 SECTION VI: HILLTOPPER HISTORY This is West Liberty! 7 Coaching Records 53 Athletic Facilities 8 All-Time Series Records 54 President/Athletic Director 10 Game-by-Game Scores 55 Support Staff 11 Single-Game Highs 61 Athletic Administration 12 Single-Season Highs 62 SECTION II: 2018 SEASON PREVIEW Career Highs 64 2018 Season Preview 14 Hilltopper Honor Roll 66 SECTION III: THE COACHES Conference History 68 Head Coach Roger Waialae 19 Assistant Coaches 20 SECTION IV: THE PLAYERS WR OSMAN KARGBO Alphabetical Roster 25 Numerical Roster 27 Returning Player Capsules 29 New Player Capsules 40 Hilltopper Nation 41 THIS IS HILLTOPPER FOOTBALL! » Roger Waialae has had 17 NCAA Division II All-Americans and 54 first-team All-Conference selections in his 13 seasons at the helm » The Hilltoppers played college football’s first overtime game on Oct. 7, 1972, beating W.Va. State, 17-14, in West Liberty » West Liberty is the only NCAA Division II team ever to lead the nation in scoring and total offense in consecutive seasons (2009-10) » Former Hilltopper star Mark Murphy had a 12-year NFL career with the Green Bay Packers (1980-91) and is a member of the Packers’ Hall of Fame » West Liberty’s Lou Piccone led the NFL in kickoff returns in 1974 as a rookie with the New York Jets » Current WLU assistant Zach Amedro set numerous NCAA Division II career passing records that still stand while playing on the hilltop from 2007-10 2 3 GENERAL INFORMATION COACHING ASSIGNMENTS ALL-STAR CANDIDATES School West Liberty University Roger Waialae (Dubuque, 1989) LB Cliff Clark (6-4, 235, sr.) City West Liberty, W.Va. - Head Coach - All-Region LB led MEC and ranked among Top 25 nationally with 107 tackles and 66 solo stops; 8 games Founded 1837 Mike Kellar (Fairmont State, 1996) with 10+ tackles Enrollment 2,317 - Offensive Coordinator, Tight Ends Nickname Hilltoppers DB Logan Deri (6-1, 205, jr.) Jeff Monteroso (Occidental, 1985) - 2-time All-Conference safety ranked second in MEC Colors Black and Gold (PMS 123) - Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers with 4 INTs and cracked Top 10 with 82 total tackles Stadium West Family Stadium Capacity 4,000 Dan Hopkins (Millersville, 2002) OL Austin Yackey (6-0, 285, sr.) Surface MondoTurf Ecofill-Star - Offensive Line; Strength and Conditioning - 3-year starter at center anchors WLU’s offensive line; one of the top long-snappers in the region Affiliation NCAA Division II Brian Hill (Glenville State, 1992) Conference Mountain East Conference - Defensive Line President Dr. Stephen Greiner WLU CONTACT INFORMATION Chuck Haggerty (Wooster, 1987) Sports Information Director Don Clegg Athletic Director Mr. Lynn Ullom - Running Backs SID Office Phone (304) 336-8107 School Website www.westliberty.edu SID Cell Phone (740) 359-7447 Athletics Website www.hilltoppersports.com Curt McGhee (Pittsburgh, 1998) - Cornerbacks SID Fax Phone (304) 336-8304 SID Email [email protected] PROGRAM HISTORY Angel Estrada (West Virginia, 2002) Press Box Phone (304) 336-8404 First Year of Football 1923 - Safeties, Special Teams SID Mailing Address West Liberty Athletics Seasons Played 92 Zach Amedro (West Liberty, 2011) Box 103 All-Time Record 452-389-34 (.536) - Quarterbacks, Special Teams West Liberty, WV 26074 Postseason Record 3-3 Johnny Bonar (West Liberty, 2009) League Championships 1927, 1929, 1930, - Wide Receivers TRAINING STAFF 1936, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1946, Jerry Duncan (Head Athletic Trainer) (304) 336-8651 1950, 1956, 1963, 1970, 1971, 1979, 2000, 2009 Jason Coleman (304) 336-8093 Last Postseason Game 2009 NCAA TEAM INFORMATION D2 Regional Final 2017 Record 3-8 Melanie Cheek (304) 336-8093 Result Lost to California (Pa.), 57-35 MEC Record 3-7 Base Offense Multiple HEAD COACH ROGER WAIALAE Base Defense Multiple Alma Mater University of Dubuque (1989) Starters Returning 15 (7 off., 6 def., 2 spec.) Overall Record 74-70 (.514), 13 Years Starters Lost 9 (4 off., 5 def., 0 spec.) West Liberty Record 74-70 (.514), 13 Years Lettermen Returning 40 (20 off., 18 def., 2 spec.) League Record 60-52 (.536), 13 Years Lettermen Lost 21 (11 off., 10 def., 0 spec.) Football Office Phone (304) 336-8294 Media Availability 8 a.m.–2 p.m. (Mon-Fri) LB CLIFF CLARK 4 5 WELCOME TO WEST LIBERTY UNIVERSITY’S 2018 FOOTBALL SEASON! THIS IS WEST LIBERTY » This 2018 Hilltopper football media guide has been developed for use by the working media along with alumni and fans of West Liberty University. Thank you for your coverage and interest in Hilltopper football. » West Liberty University (WLU), a public coeducational school and West Virginia’s oldest institution of higher » The WLU Sports Information Office strives to provide a full range of services for members of the working education, is situated on 290 hilltop acres in a rural setting just an hour from Pittsburgh. A satellite campus media to assist you in your coverage. For your quick reference, we have provided the following list of our located at The Highlands Shopping Complex sits adjacent to Interstate 70, minutes from the Pennsylvania and general media policies. Ohio borders in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. Established in 1837, more than 2,300 students are enrolled. » If you have any questions, special needs or requests, please contact the WLU Sports Information Office. » Elementary education and secondary education are the most selected majors but WLU provides a wide spectrum of more than 60 academic majors in its five Colleges: the Gary E. West College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Arts and Communication, the College of Education, and the College of Sciences. West Liberty also offers numerous graduate programs in a variety of disciplines along with degree completion programs MEDIA PASSES HILLTOPPER SPORTS IS ON THE AIR! for nontraditional students. Students both commute and live in residence halls on campus. » Reservations for seating in the West Family Stadium » The West Liberty University television station, » The most recent addition to the campus infrastructure is the Campbell Hall of Health Sciences. The 72,000 press box and photographer field passes are available WLUTV-14, brings all the action of every West Liberty square-foot multi-story building united the university’s science and health care majors – Dental Hygiene, Physician for all print and broadcast media. Please contact WLU football game to Hilltopper fans everywhere as part of Assistant Studies, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science, Speech Pathology/Audiology, and Chemistry – under Sports Information 24 hours in advance with your the West Liberty Sports Network (WLSN). one roof. credentials request. » Executive Director Theresa Gretchen and Senior » There has always been a strong athletic tradition at West Liberty. The Hilltoppers’ men’s basketball team has » Photographers and sideline reporters are asked to Producer Jared Thompson lead a talented crew of been ranked No. 1 in the nation at some point in each of the last eight seasons and has made five NCAA Division II maintain a 10-foot buffer from the playing field and West Liberty University broadcasting students who Elite Eight appearances, including a run to the 2014 national championship game. The WLU football program made remain within the designated photography areas consistently deliver professional-quality telecasts. Todd history in 2009 and 2010 as the only NCAA Division II team ever to lead the nation in scoring and total offense in Ullom is the voice of the Hilltoppers. consecutive seasons. » The West Liberty Sports Network provides live » Grammy Award-winning country music singer-songwriter Brad Paisley is one of West Liberty’s many GAMEDAY SERVICES coverage of virtually all Hilltopper football, men’s distinguished alumni. The University website is www.westliberty.edu, Twitter feed is wlumedia and Facebook basketball and women’s basketball games to more account is www.facebook.com/westliberty. Media guides, rosters, programs and game notes » than 100,000 Xfinity cable subscribers in West Virginia packages will be provided to print and broadcast media and Ohio on the WLUTV-14 cable channel. prior to each game. “Quickie Stats” will be distributed at halftime with a full statistical package – including » Several WLUTV-produced telecasts of Hilltopper play-by-play – available after the game. sporting events have been shown on local NBC affiliate WTOV-TV9 in Steubenville, Ohio and beamed to more The West Family Stadium press box is equipped » than 2 million cable homes on ROOT Sports-Pittsburgh with wireless internet. Additional internet needs can be (now AT&T SportsNet). WLUTV-14 has also produced accommodated if requested in advance. Media will also numerous live local telecasts for the Wheeling Nailers have access to telephone, fax and professional hockey team, ECHL affiliate of the photocopier services. Pittsburgh Penguins. RADIO/TV SERVICES WWW.HILLTOPPERSPORTS.COM Visiting radio and television crews are always » You’re never more than a click away from full and welcome at West Liberty.