Coming off a 10-2 season that also included a second straight Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, one would expect that the Delaware Valley College football team would be happy with that showing. 

However, there was a bitter end to the 2009 season. Just one week after notching a 66-7 victory over Susquehanna University in the opening round and just three weeks after a 45-16 triumph over Albright College to clinch the MAC title and NCAA berth, the Aggies were held to just a field goal in a 27-3 stunner in the rematch with Albright. 

The thought of that game and the sight of one of their conference rivals celebrating on their home field are still fresh in the minds of the Aggies. What can erase that? A third staight conference crown and a deeper run in the playoffs. 

That's the goal for 2009 MAC Coach of the Year Jim Clements and his Delaware Valley squad for the upcoming 2010 season. The Aggies are once again the favorites in the MAC preseason coaches' poll and they have been ranked in the top 10 in four separate preseason publications. 

Eighteen starters are back and they head a group of more than 140 players on the roster. They will have another formidable schedule to navigate as seven of the 10 opponents have reached either the NCAA or ECAC playoffs over the last two seasons. The first game is at 2008 Centennial Conference champion and NCAA qualifier Muhlenberg College on Saturday, September 4.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACKS 
Since 2000, three quarterbacks have combined to start 110 of the 111 games that Delaware Valley has competed in: current offensive coordiantor Duke Greco (2000-01), 2005 Division III Player of the Year finalist Adam Knoblauch (2002-05) and three-time all-conference honoree Mike Isgro (2006-09). 

The one lone game in that span that was headed by someone other than the thrilling trio occurred last year when Isgro was injured and Mark Hatty (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) took over the reigns for the game against King's. All Hatty did was complete 16 of 22 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns and lead the Aggies on seven scoring drives in their first eight possessions in a 47-21 rout. 

Isgro has now graduated and the job is Hatty's after three years of waiting in the wings. He saw time in eight other contests in '09 and finished the year 26-for-42 for 425 yards and three touchdowns. He also netted 58 yards on nine carries.

RUNNING BACKS
Three-time all-conference tailback Matt Cook (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove) has led the MAC in rushing in each of the last two seasons and, with 3,231 career yards, is exactly 300 yards shy of breaking 2006 graduate Steve Cook's (no relation) school record. He already owns the all-time mark for rushing touchdowns with 30 while his 31 overall scores has him three shy of passing Steve Cook in that category. 

Last season, Cook carried the ball 291 times for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns and also caught 22 passes for 214 yards and one trip to the end zone. He went over the 100-yard plateau six times to give him that milestone in 16 of his 33 collegiate games. One of those contests was his memorable performance in the playoff win over Susquehanna as he lugged the ball 20 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns in just three quarters of action. 

Junior Tyler Neal (Hershey, PA/Hershey) complements Cook in the backfield. He is coming off a season that saw him notch 230 yards and six touchdowns on just 42 carries. 

Senior Vincent Lochetto (Dauphin, PA/Bishop McDevitt) is slated to move from tight end to fullback. He started all 12 games last season and caught 11 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Three-year starter Dan Heiland (Willow Grove, PA/Upper Moreland) tops a balanced group of wideouts. He hauled in 37 passes for a team-high 519 yards and two scores a season ago, and his 83 career grabs leaves him within range of becoming the eighth player in school history to reach the 100-reception mark.

Junior Isaiah Hall (Long Branch, NJ/Long Branch) did a little bit of it all last year, including lining up at quarterback in the team's “wildcat formations.” He caught 12 passes for 235 yards, rushed 38 times for 186 yard and five touchdowns, and completed his lone pass attempt for a 15-yard score. 

Senior Joe Gionfriddo (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti) has seen significant time in his Aggie career. He notched 19 receptions for 200 yards last year. 

Another player to watch is sophomore Chris Ruiz (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic). He grabbed seven passes for 111 yards and two scores in his first year with Delaware Valley. 

OFFENSIVE LINE
All five starters are back up front, including preseason All-American Mike Long (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic). The 6-foot-2, 270-pound senior moved from right guard to left tackle last season and excelled at the new position. He was a first-team all-MAC, first-team all-ECAC and second-team all-region selection and capped his list of accolades by being named an honorable mention All-American by D3football.com. 

Fellow senior Mike Lewis (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast) has started 32 of the 33 games of his career at right tackle. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound Lewis earned a spot on the all-MAC and all-ECAC first teams last year. 

A third Aggie lineman earned postseason accolades as John Lavelle (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) was named the MAC co-Rookie of the Year. Lavelle (6-1, 265) started all 12 games of his rookie campaign at left guard. 

The remaining returning starters are seniors Jim McKay (Willow Grove, PA/Upper Moreland) and Sam Nosoff (York, PA/York). McKay (6-0, 270) mans the center position while Nosoff (5-11, 280) holds the spot at right guard.

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE
The Aggies return one starter in senior end and 2009 all-MAC honoree Garrett Wooters (Oxford, PA/Oxford). Wooters was named to the second team as he finished second on the team and sixth in the MAC in sacks with 7.5. He also added 25 tackles and a fumble recovery.

LINEBACKERS
All four starters in the team's 3-4 alignment are back led by All-American Kyle Gesswein (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown). Gesswein, who was named to three separate preseason All-America Teams, is already the school's all-time leader in sacks as he has 30 quarterback takedowns heading into his senior campaign.

Gesswein is coming off a season that saw him named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year, the D3football.com East Region Defensive Player and a D3football.com First Team All-American. He posted 11 sacks to lead the MAC for the second straight year and it was just half a sack shy of the school's single-season record that he tied in 2008.

Gesswein also led the team and finished third in the conference in tackles with 98 (18 for losses of 93 yards) while adding four pass breakups, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception.

Chris James (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) earned a spot on the all-MAC second team during his sophomore campaign as he trailed only Gesswein on the Aggies and finished eighth in the MAC with 88 tackles. James also notched three pass breakups, one sack, one interception and one fumble recovery. 

Fellow juniors Mike Jaskowski (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) and Ken Fowlkes (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern) return after moving into starting roles last year. Jaskowski was third on the team in tackles with 75 and also had four sacks and two interceptions. Fowlkes had 69 stops, two sacks and a fumble recovery.

DEFENSIVE BACKS 
Junior safety Ryan McCullough (Cherry Hill, NJ/Northeast Catholic) heads the cast of returnees in the secondary. 2009 was McCullough's first season as a starter and he shined with 61 tackles, seven pass breakups, five interceptions (tied for third in the MAC), one sack and one forced fumble. He was named to the all-MAC and all-ECAC first teams as well as the all-region second team.

Fellow safety Rob Eagles (Willow Grove, PA/Upper Moreland) is back for his senior season. Eagles was tied with McCullough for the team lead and the third spot in the MAC with five interceptions, and he also notched 50 tackles and two pass breakups.

Junior Troy Green (Ambler, PA/Wissahickon) is coming off his first year as a starter. Green was 10th in the MAC in interceptions with four and he also had 35 tackles and five pass breakups to his credit.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Delaware Valley has both of its booters back in placekicker Jake Sobchak (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) and punter Corey Heard (Saylorsburg, PA/Pen Argyl). 

Sobchak was the lone freshman named to the all-MAC team in 2009 as he was a second team pick. He connected on 42 of 44 extra-points attempts and was 5-for-6 in field goals for 57 points. 

Heard, a senior, is coming off a year that saw him average 33.4 yards on 51 kicks. He placed 11 of those punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. 

Hall had a team-high 12 kickoff returns last year and averaged 19.6 yards per attempt.