Stars of the Secondary

The Red’s secondary has a little bit of everything — an all-Ivy caliber player, a consistent starter and inexperience. The unit will be headed by two-time All-Ivy selection senior Tim Bax at the free safety position and three-year starter Gus Krimm at the rover spot.
Bax was named the team’s MVP last season after finishing second in the Ivy League with 100 tackles. In fact, with three more, the Chicago, Ill., native will be the 20th person in school history to accumulate 200 tackles. That is a number he shouldn’t have problem reaching — Bax had two 15-tackle performances last year against Yale and Columbia. His performance so far has head coach Jim Knowles ’87 speculating that he could grab the eye of NFL scouts.
“Tim has the speed, the times,” Knowles said. “It’s all about times for [NFL scouts] and [Bax] always makes the plays. Physically he is trying to pack the pounds on.”
With all of Bax’s accolades, Krimm hasn’t had a hard time making a name for himself as well. Last season, Krimm was fourth on the squad with 58 tackles and five pass breakups. His consistency in the secondary has solidified him as a sure tackler and he is considered one of the grittiest players on the team.
“Gus is one of the toughest players on the team,” Knowles said. “He will chase the ball forever. … Gus is a great weight room guy, he has been building himself up and has been a good influence on Tim [Bax].”
The long-time starters will be relied heavily upon to aid the other members of the secondary who haven’t been on the field as much as them. Senior Anthony Sabo will man the bandit position while junior Frank Morand — who returned his first interception 72 yards for a touchdown against Colgate in the Homecoming game last season — and sophomore Emani Fenton will serve as the corners to round out the unit. Sabo and Fenton will have their first starting roles for the Red while Morand will look to improve his play in his second year starting.
While the combination of Fenton and Sabo do not bring much starting experience to the table, both have seen significant time on the field. Despite being a freshman, Fenton saw time in all 10 contents last year. Sabo hasn’t started, but has seen time in 20 contests and is in his fourth year in the system. He notched a career-best 39 tackles in the 2007 season.
Senior safety Shane Connolly, a former quarterback who moved to defensive back to get more playing time, has overcome injuries and will offer experience and guidance to the younger players in the secondary.
The defensive back rotation will also include sophomores Ben Heller, Dempsey Quinn, Doug Suhey and Tyler Vivian and freshmen K.C. Aharanwa, Ryan Houska, Keaton Marks and Travers Schmidt.