Mike Uremovich established several goals for his program when he took over the reigns of University of St. Francis football prior to the 2005 season. One of those was to get the Saints back on a path to a conference championship and post a winning season for the first time since 1991.

And the Fighting Saints of 2008 took one of those big steps when they posted a 7-4 record. While they fell short of a conference title, the Saints did achieve several other milestones in what turned out to be the school's most successful season in nearly two decades.

Not only did USF finish with that 7-4, but it also cracked the NAIA's Top 25 poll for the first time since that most recent winning campaign in 1991. USF appeared in the rankings in five separate weeks and got as high as No. 18.

The Saints also registered what could arguably be called their biggest win in the program's 23-year history. USF traveled to Chicago on Sept. 11 and upset then-No. 8-ranked Saint Xavier, 24-21. The Saints had never before beaten a team ranked as high as No. 8, with a 1988 victory over then-No. 9 Georgetown (KY) standing as the biggest previous upset.

Not only that, but the come-from-behind win was USF's first ever over the Cougars, snapping an 8-game losing streak in the all-time series.

With the successful 2008 season behind them, a new challenge has been set forth for Uremovich and his 2009 club. The Saints must now prove that they can win once again and compete for a Mid-States Football Association/Midwest League championship without being considered long shots and a big underdog during almost every week of the season.

"We had a strong core of seniors last year who worked hard for four years under our current staff to get our program to a higher level," said Uremovich. "Those young men achieved that goal and helped us put our program among the elite in the NAIA last season.

"Now the expectations for our program have been raised," continued Uremovich. "I told our players in the spring that this year we will get everybody's best game when they play us. Nobody will take us for granted and expect an easy win. That's what we want in our program. We want to play our best and play against their best and we will certainly have that opportunity this season."

OFFENSE

Senior John Goolsby returns as the Saints' No. 1 quarterback and he is coming off his first injury-free season. Goolsby rewrote many of the USF single-season passing records last year, setting marks for most completions (172), most attempts (345), most yards (2,099) and most touchdowns (18). Junior Matt Ladd redshirted in 2008. He did the bulk of the signal-calling in 2007 and threw for 306 yards and a school-record-tying 4 touchdowns in the come-from-behind season-ending win over Olivet Nazarene. Senior Derek Greenfield made four starts in relief of the injured Goolsby in 2007 and will compete with Ladd for the backup job. Sophomore Tom Humenik and freshmen Jesse Groover and Kevin Flack round out the list of signal callers.

Junior tailback Javon Stewart leads the list or returning running backs. Stewart formed a very effective two-pronged rushing attack in 2007 with the now-departed first-team All-MSFA/Midwest League tailback Donte Villery. Stewart's 788 rushing yards were second only to Villery's 997. Stewart shared the top yards-per-rush average at 4.6 per carry and also tied Villery with a half-dozen rushing touchdowns. Junior transfer Garen Demery is working at the No. 2 tailback slot. Demery rushed for 967 yards a year ago at Grossmont College in his native southern California. Freshmen Anthony Hubert, Michael D'Ambrose and Mychael Jackson are the backups at the position.

The fullback slot in the Saints' offense features one returning veteran, a transplanted reserve defensive lineman, a redshirt and a couple of promising transfers. Junior Joe Marciano, who Uremovich feels had a great spring practice season, played extensively at the position last year. Most of his duties were blocking but he did carry the ball 3 times for 7 yards. Sophomore Wade Bethel made the move this fall from the defensive line and redshirt freshman Mike Freveletti also moved over this year from the defensive secondary. Transfers Connor Krisch and Michael Yamauchi-Yamate will also be likely contenders for playing time. Krisch, who prepped locally at Joliet Catholic Academy and was the Most Valuable Player in the 2007 6A state championship game won by the Hilltoppers, walked on at NCAA Division I Northern Illinois last season. Yamauchi-Yamate, a native Hawaiian, comes to USF from Grossmont College in California.

Seniors Andy Zurales and Alex Pell lead the list of candidates at tight end. Zurales made 5 catches a year ago, including one for a touchdown. Pell played primarily as a blocking tight end and fullback. Sophomore transfer Kyle Sanders, who came to USF last spring after spending the fall at Harper College, will also be in the mix. Redshirt freshman Mike Smith and true frosh Luke Gundersen will provide depth at the position.

Uremovich feels that the wide receiver position is the most experienced and talented it has been in his five years at USF. The veteran group is led by five seniors: Jason Fiske (fifth-year), Ponce Palmer, Markus Hood, Anthony Lopez and Mike Anthony. Fiske established a school single-season record with 61 catches. His 693 receiving yards on the season also eclipsed the school record but he stands second on that list behind teammate Palmer who collected 724 receiving yards in 2008. Fiske, a second-team All-MSFA/Midwest League pick, also topped the Saints with 6 touchdown receptions for the season. In addition to the 724 receiving yards, Palmer hauled in 43 balls and accounted for 5 TD receptions. Hood was third on the receiving list in 2007 with 20 grabs for 252 yards and 4 scores. Lopez had 9 catches for 120 yards and a big touchdown in the win at Saint Xavier but was injured in week four and missed the remainder of the year. Sophomore Wes Addison, redshirt freshman Richard Highland, freshman transfer Darien Smith and frosh Desmond Page, Cameron Wright, Elliot Allen, D.J. Purnell and Dustin Greenwell provide the wealth of depth for the wideouts.

Four of five starters return in the offensive line that paved the way for Goolsby's passing records and the tireless tandem of Stewart and Villery in the USF backfield in 2007. Senior Marc Novak, a first-team All-MSFA/Midwest League pick in 2008, and juniors Nick Reicher, Jim Jadron and Mike Benjamin will again anchor the Saints upfront. Redshirt freshman Dan Smith has the inside track for the fifth starting spot. Sophomore transfer Javier Magana is the top backup. Others providing depth will be juniors Troy Keltner and Anthony Dore, sophomore transfers Matt Lyday and David Malone, redshirt freshmen Zack Smith, Cody Roan and David Zanato, and true freshman Daniel Sears.

DEFENSE

The top five returning linemen formed the core of the group a year ago. Junior Ryan Ramos and sophomore James Bowman, each of which was a second-team All-MSFA/Midwest League selection last year, lead the contingent. The fivesome includes sophomores Tim Plett, Sean Leslie and Marco Mendoza. Also returning is sophomore Navi Uhatafe who missed the entire 2008 season due to injury. He was a starter as a true freshman in 2007. Sophomore J.C. Shoop also missed last year due to injury and will be one of the top backups looking for playing time. Freshmen Anthony Basso and Kevin James round out the list of defensive linemen.

The linebacker corps lost first-team All-American Clayton Norberg to graduation plus some other experienced seniors who concluded their USF careers. Still, Uremovich is confident that the 2009 group can be just as effective as last year's unit. Senior Dan Heimerdinger and junior Brenton Valentine head the list of returnees. Valentine was the MSFA/Midwest League Defensive Player of the Week in the season-opening shutout of Valparaiso last September. He moves into an inside linebacker position this fall and takes Norberg's vacant spot. Sophomore Wade Ferm is the likely starter at the other inside position. Fifth-year senior Brandon Valentine, sophomore Michael Barry and redshirt freshmen Martelle Prince and Josh Greenback will all likely see significant playing time. Others battling for spots include redshirt freshman transfer Luis Santana, redshirt freshman Brian Green and true freshmen Josh Mander, Corey Gualandi and Drew Tondini.

Replacing first-team All-MSFA/Midwest League performer Gannon Novak at one of the two safety spots was another concern heading into fall camp. Veteran senior Pat Flynn has been moved from a corner slot to one safety position. Senior Mike Vazquez, another player who has started for almost all of his first three years at USF, will again anchor one of the other safety positions. Redshirt freshmen Willie McCalebb and Stanley Pheteau will rotate at the third safety spot in the USF defensive alignment. Junior transfer Guy Dragonetti is also expected to see extended playing time in the secondary. Sophomore Mike Woodward, redshirt freshmen Chris Pyzalski and Stephen Pelaez and true freshmen Pete Damiani, Adam Tondini and Nathan Beatty make up the rest of the players vying for playing time.

Uremovich feels that the cornerback position is the most improved on the team from last fall until this season. Senior Alonzo Lee and sophomores C.J. Santiago and Wayne Johnson will likely rotate at the two spots. Johnson returns to USF in 2009 after attending a junior college in his home state of South Carolina last year. He was a regular for the Saints two seasons ago. Senior Nick Purchase and a trio of freshmen - Quinton Martin, Camren Bilyard and Christian Harney will provide depth at the corner spots.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Sophomore Michael Rogers and incoming freshman Patrick Wright will fight it out in fall camp for both the placekicking and punting jobs. Rogers split time with graduated senior Nick Heberer on placements and kickoffs last year, making 2-of-3 field goals and 13-of-16 extra point attempts. Wright is a highly recruited kicker out of Providence Catholic High School in nearby New Lenox.

Mike Anthony, who handled every punt return in 2008 for the Saints, will be the man receiving opposing punts again this season. Garen Demery and Wayne Johnson are expected to be the primary kickoff runback specialists with freshman Elliot Allen also being a potential kick returner.

MSFA/MIDWEST LEAGUE (according to Uremovich)

"The Mid-States (Football Association) is a very tough league on both sides. It is one of the deeper conferences in the NAIA. It has a little different look this year with both Olivet (Nazarene) and Trinity (International) joining Saint Xavier and the Indiana and Ohio schools in the Mideast.

"Grand View and Waldorf are new to our league (the Midwest) but we played Grand View last year and we know how good they will be and soon with all the junior college talent they bring in over there.

"Until somebody beats St. Ambrose, they are the favorite to win the league. To me, they are the team that all the rest of us are trying to catch. William Penn returns a ton of players, as does McKendree. Quincy and Iowa Wesleyan improve with each year. Waldorf is new to the league and is coming off a tough year, but we have to go there to play them and anything can happen on the road in this conference.

"Our non-conference schedule will definitely get us prepared for the league. Marian finished 7-4 last year, just like us, and will be a great challenge in our opener. Saint Xavier is ranked again and deservedly so. We know that they will be ready to play us when they come here in week two.

"It is a tough, but very fair schedule. We are very excited to get after it and see if we are ready to take that next step and compete for a conference championship and a berth in the NAIA playoffs."