Chaparral Football preps for 2012 season

Fine-tuning plays and refining players' skills, the College of DuPage Chaparral gridders will start their season with a relatively new team. However, Head Coach Gary Thomas said he's optimistic his players will be ready to rise to the challenge when they open their season at home against Erie Community College Saturday, Aug. 25.

“We have close to 50 players coming back and at this point we'll be suiting up 123 max. Because of the nature of community college athletics, many of our competitors are in the same situations with a large turnover, so it's always interesting to see their rosters shape up,” he said.

Despite losing several conference teams last season, including Harper and Joliet, Thomas said the Chaparrals have a full season, playing a number of regular opponents within Division III. In fact, the Chaparrals will host four home games this year, as opposed to last season's three, with a possible fifth being finalized in the coming weeks.

The Chaparrals' 2012 season includes a new quarterback, linebackers and other defensive starters. Additionally, opponents from Iowa Western, North Dakota and Arkansas Baptist will remain tough competition in large part due to their ability to offer athletic scholarships.

“Last year we were 2-2 against scholarship schools, which is a good indication of the strength of our program,” Thomas said. “Also, like other COD sports , we play a number of junior varsity teams from four-year institutions as well.”

The Chaps finished last season with a 7-3 record and won the Graphic Edge Bowl in 2010. With a pre-season scrimmage set for Saturday, Aug. 18, against Robert Morris University, Thomas said his players are practicing throughout the week and attending workouts regularly as the coaching staff readies for the official start of the season.

Additionally, staff members are preparing players for the academic rigors of college. A large part of the coaching staff's efforts are in connecting student athletes with the resources they need to succeed in the classroom, as well as on the field, Thomas said.

“While we certainly enjoy winning games, we want to make sure our athletes have a successful college career overall,” he said.

For more information on Chaparral Football, call (630) 942-2364, or visit: http://www.cod.edu/dept/athletic/teams/football.htm.