OBERLIN – Oberlin College football and success haven’t exactly been the best of friends very often.

The last two seasons, the Yeomen have posted identical 2-8 overall records. While they’ve gone 5-5 three times since Jeff Ramsey took over as coach in 1999, Oberlin hasn’t had a winning record since going 5-4 in 1974.

So even though the Yeomen only lost three players from last season’s squad and return all but two of their starters on both sides of the ball, they were still picked to finish seventh in the eight-team North Coast Athletic Conference’s preseason poll.

If you ask any of the players on the team, especially the Lorain County natives, that’s fine with them.

“We want to show the rest of the conference that we are, in fact, a force to be reckoned with,” said Wellington graduate Cory Kidd, a junior who will be the Yeomen’s slot receiver and punter. “We went 2-8 last year and we weren’t expected to get picked high. No one expects us to do much. It definitely motivates us.

“No one respects how we work and, because we have such a small amount of guys, we’re in the best condition. There’s no real scout team for us, so we’re always on the field. We’re always running. We’re always catching. The other guys might not get those opportunities in practice.”

There are only three other Lorain County players on the team this season and one won’t be playing. Fellow junior Shawn Chrapczynski, a Lorain native and Amherst grad, was expected to start in the defensive backfield, but broke his tibia the first day of training camp and will be out for the season.

Freshmen Jim Adkins (Amherst) and Jake Danko (Firelands) will be counted on to add depth.

“I think (the preseason poll’s) one of those things that we can’t control, so we use it as a motivator,” said Ramsey, who is 26-74 entering his 12th year. “Not one player had talked to me about that. They all know about it, I’m 100 percent sure about that. It’s great that they haven’t let it get under their skin.

“We’re using it as a strong motivator to prove to the world that we’re capable of getting back to the top half of the conference and compete for conference title. I always like being the underdog and taking people by surprise. That’s always nice.”

The players won’t be the only Lorain County connections to the team. Longtime Vermilion and Firelands coach Jeff Keck joined the coaching staff this season, and former Oberlin High School standout Jehu Anderson is entering his second season as an assistant.

This year’s team is one of the most experienced Ramsey has ever had, and it’s made him optimistic about the season.

“Both starters we have to replace are on offense,” Ramsey said. “All of the starters on defense are back. All of our specialists are back. It’s nice to have a lot of experience returning. There’s no substitute for experience.

“They always say to expect one loss for every freshman you start, but I don’t know if you could put an amount of wins for your experience.”

Kidd is excited about this season. He started three games at receiver as a sophomore, catching 11 passes for 75 yards and no touchdowns. He punted 57 times for 2,094 yards (36.7 average) with a long of 61 and 18 inside the 20.

“As a team, I’d like to finally break that barrier, that 5-5 hump, to show the conference we’re here for real,” Kidd said. “As a player, I want to help the team anyway I can, whether with a big punt or making a nice catch to extend a drive as the possession receiver they expect me to be. I just want to do my part and help this team succeed on the field.

“Everybody’s real excited this year. We feel we can do a lot of good things.”

Adkins said he is adjusting to college life after being a mainstay on the offensive line for the Comets the past few seasons.

“Since all five offensive linemen are back, I’m just hoping to be a part of the rotation and learn from them as much as possible,” said Adkins, who was the center for Amherst and is working there and at guard. “I want to come back next year ready to step in as a regular starter. But I’m always working for that starting spot, regardless.”

The Yeomen, who won their season finale last season (34-29 over Hiram) after beginning the season with six consecutive losses, open their season today at Kenyon.

Oberlin has not won a season opener since an 18-17 victory over Thiel in 1997 – a win that snapped a

school-record 40-game losing streak and turned out to be the lone win during a disastrous 85-game stretch that spanned from 1992-2001.

Contact Dan Gilles at 329-7135 or dangilles73@gmail.com.

SCHEDULE

TODAY: at Kenyon*
Sept. 18: at Wooster*
Sept. 25: at Hiram*
Oct. 2: Wittenberg*
Oct. 9: Case Western
Oct. 16: at Wabash*
Oct. 23: at Washington University (St. Louis)
Oct. 30: Denison*
Nov. 6: Ohio Wesleyan*
Nov. 13: Allegheny

* North Coast Athletic Conference game

TODAY

• WHO: Oberlin College (2-8, 2-5 in 2009) vs. Kenyon (3-7, 3-4)
• WHAT: Season opener
• TIME: 2 p.m.
• WHERE: McBride Field, Gambier
• RADIO: WOBL 1320-AM (also on loraincounty.com)

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