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Harper looks for big bounce-back season

A inexperienced Harper College football team looks to bounce back from a 2-7 finish last season when it travels to College of DuPage at 6 p.m. Saturday in Glen Ellyn.

"We had a great off-season. We are a much better football team then last year in every way, shape and form," said second-year Harper head coach Eric Waldstein.

The good news for the Hawks is they return 30 players from last year's roster - but only eight are starters.

A lot of holes have yet to be filled, including the linebacker position, where none of last year's starters, including Blair Lane (Southern Illinois) return.

That does not deter Waldstein.

"We will be fine at linebacker. We have a very good defensive line and secondary," he said.

Look for Illinois signee and freshman defensive back Tywan Brooks to make a contribution in 2010. Brooks failed to qualify academically for the Illini and ended up committing to the Hawks.

The Hawks' offense welcomes back the most starters in linemen Mitch Marshall, Chris Sparrow and Jim Battaglia.

The most important position for the Hawks in 2010 is quarterback. The Hawks played three at the position in 2009, including sophomore Stuart Augustine, who started the final two games of the season against Grand Rapids Community College.

His finest hour as a Hawk might have come in relief in a 13-7 loss to Joliet Junior College last season.

"We have made the offense easier for Stew," Waldstein said. "It's going to make Stew a better quarterback."

Look for freshman backup quarterback Alec Starr (Jacobs) to be ready to go if Augustine has trouble early.

"He's got some speed," Waldstein said of Starr.

The Hawks will once again play a tough schedule. They will face four teams ranked in the NJCAA preseason poll and one ranked team in the D3Football.com preseason poll.

On Oct. 2, the Hawks travel to Iowa Falls, Iowa to face No. 9 ranked Ellsworth Community College. They end the regular season on Oct. 30 when they host No. 10 Grand Rapids Community College.

Twelfth-ranked Iowa Western and 23rd-ranked Iowa Central College travel to Palatine. The game that concerns Waldstein the most is on Sept. 18, when the Hawks make the 12-hour bus ride to face North Dakota State College of Science.

"You never know from year to year who's going to be good," Waldstein said.

The biggest test might come on Sept. 12 when the Hawks welcome the JV team of defending NCAA Division III national champion of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Warhawks where added to the schedule when Rock Valley College dropped its football program last winter.

The Warhawks are the top-ranked team in the D3football.com poll and have won three of the last four Stagg Bowls (the Division III championship game).

Also, starting in 2011, the Midwest Football Conference will be restructured. The current regional playoff system will be replaced by a conference championship game.

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