MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College football team will continue its growth under third-year Head Coach Jeff Filkovski in 2010. While still bottom-heavy in terms of class makeup, the Pioneers have the talent and are gaining the experience necessary for success against their Ohio Athletic Conference foes.

Fans should once again expect Marietta to rely on its running attack and aggressive defense to control the tempo on the gridiron. The Pioneers return 56 players from the 2009 squad. Leading that core is 29 lettermen, including seven seniors, 11 juniors and 11 sophomores. Six returning starters on offense and seven on defense will also be a key to Marietta's experience.

Senior All-OAC second team defensive end #Adam Tate (Chesterhill/Federal Hocking)# will anchor a defense that returns six of its front seven. Senior defensive tackle #Pete Santagate (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township)# and junior defensive end #Tarek Nusseibeh (Uniontown/North Canton Hoover)# are also expected back in the trenches. Junior #Dan Starr (Senecaville/Buckeye Trail)# should once again run the defense at middle linebacker and be flanked by senior #Joe Williams (Akron/Archbishop Hoban)# and sophomore #George Grady#. Sophomore free safety #Rahkeem Caver (Hamilton/Hamilton)#, however, is the lone starting defensive back on the roster.

Senior All-OAC honorable mention right tackle #Cameron Kiger (Rockbridge/Logan)# provides a solid foundation for the running game and the protection of junior quarterback #Andrew Keller (Cincinnati/Glen Este)#. Also expected back on offense are senior wide receiver #Cory Kriechbaum (Marietta/Marietta)#, junior wide receiver #Jahmaal Jones (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale)#, senior tight end #Zach Lashaway (Wauseon/Evergreen)# and senior fullback #Rich Klingel (Marion/River Valley)#.

Here is a look at the Pioneers by position:

Quarterback: Junior #Andrew Keller (Cincinnati/Glen Este)# returns for a third season, including his second year as the starting quarterback. In nine games, Keller completed 119-of-206 passes and threw for 1,296 yards and eight touchdowns. Junior #Kyle Shackle (Butler/Mount Vernon)# will once again push Keller for time under center as will sophomore #Tom Fulton (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills)#. Shackle completed 22-of-33 passes and threw for 164 yards and one touchdown in three appearances last season.

Running back: A trio of returners—junior #Mat Fling (Norton/Norton)# and sophomores #Tevin Dones (Antioch, Calif./Antioch)# and #Alexander Fountain (Live Oak, Fla./Suwannee)#—will attempt to fill the void left by the graduation of two-time All-OAC standout #Lamar Hunter (South Euclid/Brush)#. Fling, who appeared in six games as a backup fullback, did not carry the ball but caught two passes for 38 yards in 2009. Dones and Fountain both saw action in seven games and finished with 46 carries for 159 yards and 29 carries for 129 yards, respectively. Senior #Rich Klingel (Marion/River Valley)# returns for his third straight season as the team's primary fullback. Last year, Klingel did not have any carries but had seven receptions for 59 yards.

Wide receiver: Senior #Cory Kriechbaum (Marietta/Marietta)# and juniors #Jahmaal Jones (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale)# and #Chad Walker (Spring Hill, Fla./Central)#, who combined for 92 of the team's 139 receptions, return in 2010. Kriechbaum, a three-year starter, pulled in a team-best 33 passes for 284 yards and two scores. Jones, a two-year starter, added 31 catches for 372 yards and two scores. Walker finished with 28 receptions for a team-best 444 yards and one score. Junior #Jeff Wright# as well as sophomores #Kirby Harris (Greenville, S.C./South Side)# and #Sean Munfield (Marietta/Marietta)# will also battle for opportunities on the field in 2010.

Tight end: Senior #Zach Lashaway (Wauseon/Evergreen)# returns for his fourth and final season as the primary tight end. Lashaway had six receptions for 40 yards and one touchdown while also helping to open holes for the OAC's leading rusher.

Offensive line: Senior All-OAC tackle #Cameron Kiger (Rockbridge/Logan)# anchors the right side of the line for a third straight year. Sophomore letterman #Josh Work (McConnelsville/Morgan)# and classmates #Nolan Carter (Orlando, Fla./Cypress Creek)#, #Ashton Watts (Orlando Fla./Ocoee)# and #Winston West (Athens/Athens)# are anticipated to step into larger roles on the offensive line in 2010.

Defensive line: Three of Marietta's front four, which features senior All-OAC defensive end #Adam Tate (Chesterhill/Federal Hocking)#, senior defensive tackle #Pete Santagate (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township)# and junior defensive tackle #Tarek Nusseibeh (Uniontown/North Canton Hoover)#, returns to the trenches in 2010. Tate led all linemen and ranked fourth on the team with 53 total stops, which included 11 ½ tackles for loss and five sacks. Santagate added 27 hits, while Nusseibeh pitched in with 10 tackles. Sophomores #Gaston Hayes (Cleveland/Rhodes)# and #Steve Perrin (Greenville, S.C./Berea)# saw extensive action a year ago and will team up with senior #Isaiah Hill (Dover/Dover)# and sophomores #Andrew Fox (Washington, W.Va./New Egypt)#, #Dave Olach# and #Joe Terrell (Clinton, Md./Fredrick Douglas)# to keep the Pioneers fresh on the defensive line in 2010.

Linebacker: Junior #Dan Starr (Senecaville/Buckeye Trail)# should once again run the defense at middle linebacker and be flanked by senior #Joe Williams (Akron/Archbishop Hoban)# and sophomore #George Grady#. Starr, a two-year starter, was limited to just six games because of injury but collected 48 stops. Williams ranked third on the squad with 53 hits, including eight tackles for loss and 2 ½ sacks, while Grady added 49 tackles, including 5 ½ tackles for loss and two sacks. Junior #James Borwell (Katy, Texas/Morton Ranch)# and #Kevin Donnellan (Parma/Normandy)# also spent time as a regular starter and finished with 47 and 19 hits, respectively. In addition, senior #David Balent (Conifer, Colo./Conifer)# and sophomore #Kadeem Corbin (Cheltenham, Md./Fredrick Douglas)# earned valuable experience, which will help them make a bigger impact in 2010.

Defensive backfield: Sophomore free safety #Rahkeem Caver (Hamilton/Hamilton)# is the only returning Pioneer that was a regular starter last season. Caver paced all defenders with 59 hits and two interceptions. Junior #Jake Depp (Geneva/Geneva)#, who started the final three games and made 23 tackles, also carries valuable experience into this season. Sophomores #Quincy Bell (Groveport/Groveport Madison)#, #Louis DiPaolo (Bridgeville, Pa./Bishop Canevin)#, #Jake Kobilarcsik (North Lawrence/Tuslaw)# and #Chris Muller (Grafton, W.Va./Grafton)# as well as senior #Alex Strittmatter (Ebensburg, Pa./Penn Cambria)#, who is making the transition to defensive back, will battle for opportunities in 2010.

Special teams: Junior #Kyle Cardwell (Uniontown/Green)# is the lone kicking specialist back on the roster. He was 1-for-1 in field goal attempts while averaging 52.8 yards on 17 kickoffs and 35.0 yards on two punts. A group of newcomers will battle for the place-kicking and punting roles, while #David Olach (Avon/Avon)# should handle the long snapping duties this season. Marietta is expecting a host of speedsters back to receive punts and kicks in 2010. Senior #Cory Kriechbaum (Marietta/Marietta)# has been the primary punt return specialist the last two seasons. Junior #Chad Walker (Spring Hill, Fla./Central)# led all players with 30 kick returns for 489 yards in 2009.

Schedule: The Pioneers will attempt to win their season opener for the ninth time in the last 10 years when they visit Thiel (Pa.) Sept. 4. After a bye in week two, Marietta will welcome Muskingum to Don Drumm Stadium for its home opener Sept. 18. The Pioneers and Muskies will battle for the Shrine Trophy in front of a sixth annual River City Bowl crowd on Alumni Day, which will be televised by WTAP-TV. Two straight trips to northeast Ohio follow as Marietta visits John Carroll Sept. 25 and Baldwin-Wallace Oct. 2. The Pioneers return home to take on Mount Union on “Take a Kid to the Game Day” Oct. 9. They then hit the road for two more games, playing at Wilmington Oct. 16 and at Heidelberg Oct. 23. In week nine, Ohio Northern will visit the Mid-Ohio Valley for Homecoming Oct. 30. The Pioneers remain at home in week 10 against Otterbein on Senior Day Nov. 6. Marietta then closes the season at Capital Nov. 13.