Charles Nailen/The Hoya Freshman running back Kim Sarin scans for a hole in the defense. At least four players will battle for the starting tailback position this fall.

It may be spring – the midst of baseball and lacrosse seasons – but the gridiron should not be far from anyone’s thoughts. Such goes the thought process of Georgetown football Head Coach Bob Benson. The team’s spring practices culminated Sunday in the annual spring game on Kehoe Field, pitting the offense against the defense to test younger players in a game-like setting and to experiment with new plays and formations.

“Spring was a complete success for us,” Benson said. “You want to get a lot of things out of spring practice. You want to see where you are personnel-wise.”

The past week served to give the coaches some idea as to what the depth charts will look like in the coming season.

“This was just our second full recruiting class ever,” Benson said. “There are a lot of young players, though we’re getting a lot of people back.”

Individuals have stepped up their play on both offense and defense, according to Benson. The offensive line has progressed, thanks largely to the play of freshman tackle Jim Elliott. That means that whoever gets the starting job at quarterback this fall – either sophomore Andrew Crawford, junior Justin Martin or freshman Keith Schroeder – will be well-protected.

The rest of the offensive backfield, namely the tailback position, will be filled by younger players. Though sophomore John Sims brings the most experience, freshmen Hanif Suluki, Kim Sarin and Marcus Slayton will also vie for the starting job. Junior William Huisking and sophomore Ryan Joyce will add some depth in terms of experience at fullback.

The receivers form a crucial veteran core for the Hoyas. Junior Luke McArdle had an outstanding season last year, and fellow junior Walter Bowser is expected to step up.

On the opposite side of the line of scrimmage, growth has occurred at virtually every position. Junior linebacker Andrew Clarke, who led the team with 119 tackles in 2002, will again be supported by several veterans in the defensive backfield, including junior William Skultety.

The coverage team will be one of the defensive focuses, as the corners were often burned on long touchdown passes last season. With the return of sophomores Tim Banks and Byron Anderson and freshmen Rocco Milazzoto and Brian Golper, the coaching staff expects to avoid the big plays that generated many points for the Hoyas’ opponents during their second season in the Patriot League.

At safety, most of the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of freshman Sheldon Epps and junior Matt Fronczke, who played a decisive role in Towson’s final drive of the season-closer last November.

Though many players who participate in spring sports – including freshmen Rob Smith (lacrosse) and Jesse Paterson (track) – were unable to participate in the week of training, Benson still feels that the past week was a fairly accurate gauge of how his team will perform in the coming season.

Players will continue to lift weights and participate in summer workouts before reporting for preseason practice on Aug. 11. The Hoyas open their season at home against conference rival Colgate on Sept. 6. The fall 2003 season will feature the first complete 12-game schedule ever for the Hoyas.

“This is an exciting group, but they know that hardest task is still ahead of us,” Benson said.