Members of the football team elected Miles Norris, Ben Rogers, Matt Sullivan and Jackson Weber as captains for the 2016 season. The four seniors will hope to lead a program that has posted back-to-back one-win seasons to a more consistent campaign this upcoming year.
Norris returns as captain after serving in the position last year. His season is in doubt after the middle linebacker suffered a ruptured Achilles during preseason camp and recently underwent surgery to repair it. His presence in the center of the defense will likely be missed as he was one of the key facets of the defensive units of the past two years.
In his second year as a starter last year, he led the team in tackles for a loss and sacks and was in the top 10 in the league in each of the those categories. Norris was also fourth on the team in tackles. He was critical in the team’s lone victory over Columbia last season, registering eight tackles and a forced fumble.
A fifth-year senior, Rogers begins this season hot off a strong performance last year. The wide receiver led the team in receiving yards and receptions in 2015. Rogers also returned kicks and punts towards the end of the season and served as holder on place kicks. He stuffed the stat sheet in a 47-21 loss to Princeton, catching six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown as well as returning six kickoffs for 158 yards. A shoulder injury limited Rogers towards the end of last season.
Like Rogers, Sullivan also had a strong game against the Tigers. The six-foot-four tight end totalled 72 yards on the day, a career high. Sullivan had 210 yards and a touchdown for the season. He played consistently all last year, catching at least one ball in each game.
At inside linebacker, Weber was one of the crucial parts of last year’s defense. He led the teams in tackles with 54 and this upcoming season will be his fourth as a rvegular starter. The Whitefish Bay, Wisc. native has now started 27 straight games for the Red. With Norris likely out for the season, Weber is the sole captain on the defensive end.
The three new captains will look to fill the void left by JJ Fives ’16, Luke Hagy ’16 and Rush Imhotep ’16. The season begins September 19 at Bucknell.