LHU HOME

	August 9, 2002 LHU Football Pre-Season Camp Opens This Weekend

	(Lock Haven, Pa.) - The 2002 Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania football team enters into pre-season camp mode starting this weekend. Practice begins on Saturday, August 10 then moves to two-a-day sessions on Sunday, August 11, as more than 100 veteran players and newcomers alike report to Hubert Jack Stadium to start preparations for the upcoming campaign. Rebuilding a program from the inside out is never a quick process, but the seeds of the work of third-year head coach Mark Luther and the rest of his staff continue their upward progression. “We’ve made some great progress in the last few years, and we are putting a competitive team on the field every game,” said Luther. “Our schedule is strong, opening with a Northeastern team that is expected to be one of their best in recent years, and then stepping into a competitive 10-game PSAC schedule.”	>>>Read the 2002 LHU Football Preview
	“On offense, we are excited about what we have back in terms of skill players, but the key is going to rest in being solid up front,” continued Luther. “Defensively, we are going to be strongest in the defensive back and linebacker positions, with several players returning there. Again, the key will lie in how well our line will hold up.” This season, the Bald Eagle football team will have a varied cast of talent to utilize, returning a total of 29 letter winners to action, including 17 starters from last year’s 3-8 team, and 42 newcomers. A quick glance at last year’s depth chart sees eight starters returning to the Bald Eagle offense, while the biggest gap is left in the Bald Eagle defense, which returns only seven players with consistent starting experience. The Haven gridders will also look to forge team leaders early as they sport a young team, with just five seniors on the roster. The 2001 campaign ended with a 3-8 overall mark and a 1-5 ledger in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West, scoring a 44-20 Homecoming victory over Cheyney University, a 24-21 win over California (Pa.) University, and a 22-13 victory against Mansfield University in the final game of the season. A total of seven Bald Eagle gridders were honored as All-PSAC West players, including the second straight Rookie of the Year award for a Lock Haven athlete – this past season going to running back Maurice Walker. A pair of sophomores, Marcus Burkley and the 2000 PSAC West Rookie of the Year Rob Carey, earned additional honors as ECAC Division II South All-Stars.
	###LHU###