St. Ambrose faces tough test in opener

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By Steve Batterson | Friday, August 29, 2008 11:07 PM CDT | () comments

The attitude and approach remain the same, but many of the names have changed for a St. Ambrose defense that faces a stiff opening-game test tonight.

South Dakota’s Noah Shepard, a junior quarterback who threw for 2,559 yards a year ago, will challenge a Fighting Bees defense that returns just four starters from a year ago.

“We’ve got a huge challenge in front of us, going to play a Division I school like that and going to their place, but it’s still football and we just need to play our game,” said returning defensive end Mike Walter, a senior from Central DeWitt.

“Our first game has to be about us and how we play. We’ve got a lot of young guys stepping into the lineup, but they’ve been around and they know what this is about.’’

St. Ambrose, ranked 10th in the NAIA preseason poll, counts on that as it faces a scholarship-offering NCAA Division I program for the first time in 15 years.

The 7 p.m. game at the DakotaDome, a place where the Coyotes have lost just once in their last 23 games, is the first for South Dakota as it moves up from Division II to begin a transitional period to the Division I-FCS level.

Second-year Fighting Bees coach Mike Magistrelli expects the Coyotes to give St. Ambrose a multitude of offensive looks, especially a test for a young defense.

“We’ve seen good growth from our defense. They did an outstanding job in our scrimmage last week against Loras of swarming to the ball in the run game and they didn’t give up big plays in the pass game,” Magistrelli said.

“It was a good start for us, but we’ll see a lot of shifting and have to deal with a lot of motion against South Dakota. They’ll present us with some tests, but that is to be expected when you step up to that level.’’

Nose tackle Vince Fillipp, a senior from Cary, Ill., who counted 7½ tackles for a loss among 58 stops last season, said he thinks the strength of the St. Ambrose defense will initially have to come from its senior-filled front three.

“It’s going to take everybody, but there’s no question the guys up front, we can set the tone,” said Fillipp, who will be flanked by Walter and another senior end, Jake Jakaitis.

“Mike and I, we’re back and expected to build on last year and Jake saw plenty of playing time, too. We’ve got the ability to do a lot of good things, and I think we’ll make that happen. Defensively, we have to lead especially until the guys on the back end get settled in.”

Outside linebacker Hank Belshause and safety Zack Hughes are the only other starters returning on the defensive side of the ball for the Fighting Bees.

Magistrelli said he likes that nucleus and said that Fillipp has the ability to become an NAIA all-American.

But, he isn’t the only one who expects balance to again be the trademark of a defense that limited opponents to 12.8 points a game a year ago.

“Everybody is counting on the returning starters to lead, but we have some other guys who can play,’’ said Jakaitis, a senior who played at Chicago Marist. “A lot of us have been waiting our turn.

“I think in the end, we’re going to become the same type of defense that St. Ambrose is known for. We’re going to get after it against the run and on the back end, we’re going to challenge on every play. That’s the way it has been here for years and that isn’t changing now.”

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.