A retooled Case Western Reserve University football team will enter the 2025 campaign looking to continue its stretch of consecutive winning seasons as it strives for the Presidents' Athletic Conference title in the upcoming season.

The Spartans concluded the 2024 campaign with a 6-4 overall record, marking the ninth consecutive winning season for the team, the longest stretch in program history. It was good for a fifth-place finish in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. However, it was a tale of two seasons for CWRU, which opened the campaign with six straight wins (averaging 53.3 points and holding opponents to just 8.0 points per game during the period) before dropping its final four games of the campaign by an average margin of just 8.3 points.

"We were disappointed with how last year finished," said longtime CWRU Head Coach Greg Debeljak, who will begin his 21st season at the team's helm with an overall record of 144-62. "We got off to a great start in all three phases of the game, and I don't think we could have played any better in the first six games, but then the last four were disappointing."

CWRU once again showcased a tough defense that was supported by a high-scoring offense in 2024. The Spartans will need to overcome the loss of 33 players, 14 of whom were starters, from last year's roster. However, with a group of 79 returners, several of whom will get an opportunity to start for the first time after patiently waiting for several years supplemented by a class of 27 incoming first-year players and six transfer students the Spartans are hoping not to skip a beat entering the 2025 campaign.

Furthermore, a team trip to Italy and Greece in May provided the returning players with a chance to demonstrate their ability and give the coaching staff a clearer picture of the depth chart entering camp before the upcoming season.

"We did have an extended spring season because of our foreign trip, and that allowed us to have contact football practices with a very young team coming back," said Debeljak. "I think we had a lot of questions answered in those practices, and we are excited about the youth of our team next year and the talent they possess. We are excited to see some new faces out on the field, and we have a lot of confidence that they can play at a very high level."

OFFENSE

The Spartans' high-powered offense was on full display during the 2024 season. CWRU ended the season ranked sixth in Division III in passing offense (317.0 yards per game), ninth in passing efficiency (175.53), 16th in red zone offense (89.6%), 22nd in scoring offense (40.5 points per game), 23rd in passing yards per completion (14.74 yards), and 32nd in total offense (440.0 yards per game). The team's 405 total points scored during the year were the fifth-most in a season in program history. Five starters are slated to return on the offensive side of the ball, three of whom are on the offensive line.

"Our strengths should be in the same areas this year as they were last year," said Debeljak. "I think we have an excellent group of quarterbacks and receivers, and a large group of running backs that all played last year. I think we can be an explosive offense again, no doubt about it. There are just going to be some different names involved."

Quarterback

Despite graduating the team's primary starting quarterback in 2024, Alex Fromberg, CWRU should be well-positioned to cover the loss. Senior Aaron Filips demonstrated his ability on the field late in the season, starting the team's final game and throwing for a career-high 315 yards with two touchdowns and running for an additional 67 yards and a score in the game. He finished the campaign completing 67.7% of his passes for 743 yards and nine touchdowns with just one interception while running for 149 yards and three touchdowns.

"Aaron was on the field the first game of his freshman year as our wildcat quarterback," said Debeljak. "And if things had gone differently, this could have been Aaron's third year as a starter, but he had suffered a season-ending injury in the spring of his freshman year. But Aaron grew from it, and it is going to set him up for a fantastic senior year. I think he can be at the elite level at Division III."

Junior Sam DeTillio had success in limited snaps for the Spartans behind center last year, rushing for 194 yards and two touchdowns, while other returning options include junior Andrew Lowe and sophomore Lucas Holubar. In addition, CWRU added a pair of transfers in sophomore Chris Chenette (Division III Utica) and junior Pierce Olsen (Division I Merrimack) to add further depth to the position.

Running Back

CWRU averaged 125.1 rushing yards per game during the 2024 campaign and will look to build on that number this season with four of the team's top-five leaders in rushing yards returning. Leading the way is sophomore Andy Kavcic, who emerged as the starter midway through his first season of college football and finished the year leading the team with 329 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. Junior Mitchell Waite (106 yards, two touchdowns) saw significant time at the position as well, while seniors Christopher Lim and Stefan Lopez will be aiming to return to form after missing time due to injury in 2024.

"Running back is a position where people are going to battle for playing time," said Debeljak. "I think we have great depth and depth with experience. However, we have not gotten a lot of explosive plays out of our running game, and that is something we focused on improving during the offseason."

Other experienced options at the position include seniors Matthew Bittel and Caden Parlett, juniors Nico Lancashire and Zeke Wadlington, while sophomore Ray Perry and first-years Aaron Alexander, Hyers Holland, and Joel Hancock will look to make an impact as well.

Wide Receiver/ Tight End

Despite graduating two of the team's top targets last year in Noah Coyne and Ethan Dahlem, the Spartans' receiving corps should be well-equipped to overcome the loss. Senior Dylan Cave, an All-PAC Honorable Mention in 2024, will look to lead the unit this year after catching 36 passes for a team-high 816 yards and four touchdowns last season, while senior Alec Angello (35 receptions, 384 yards, four touchdowns) and junior Beau Wolf (18 catches, 211 yards, one touchdown) will look to expand their roles in 2025. In addition, sophomore Will Stack is expected to make an impact after emerging late in his first-year campaign to make three catches for 49 yards on a key go-ahead drive against Carnegie Mellon in the team's final game of the year.

Adding to the depth of the group will be graduate student transfer Brian Caldwell Jr., who was an All-Empire 8 Third Team receiver at SUNY Brockport last year after recording 22 receptions for 327 yards and five touchdowns.

"We have a good group of receivers," said Debeljak. "We are certainly going to miss Coyne and Dahlem, but we have guys with experience that made major impacts last year."

Additional returning options at wide receiver include senior TJ Yoder, juniors Liam O'Brien, Garrett Pavlick, and Jake Otto, and sophomore Avery Gaines, while newcomers to the group include Jensen Perkovich, a senior transfer from Washington & Jefferson, and first-years Cal Mangini, Mike Veon, and Kail Swager.

Senior Jack Bryer will be the team's primary tight end in addition to playing H-back for the Spartans in 2025. Other options at tight end include juniors Noah Archbold and Harrison Steeves-Little, and first-year Asher Heflin.

"Bryer has three years of experience playing two positions, so we feel he can fill both those roles," said Debeljak. "After that, it is going to take camp to see who emerges as blocking fullback and tight end personnel. We have younger guys that have not been on the field at all, but it doesn't mean that they can't surface during camp."

Offensive Line

The offensive line will be the most experienced unit for the Spartans entering the 2025 campaign, with three starters returning from last year's group that held opponents to just 1.3 sacks per game. Senior Owen Myer earned All-PAC Second Team honors for his work at right tackle last year, while on the other end of the line, senior David Freedman has started 20 straight games for the team. Senior Zach Miller, who arrived on campus last year as a transfer from Division II East Stroudsburg, started all 10 games, seeing most of his playing time at right guard. Seniors James Kline, Zachary Dalton, and Garrett Moorhead, and junior Michael Paterra have each seen action in a reserve role throughout their careers and will be part of the group looking to fill the vacancies in the offensive line this year, left by D3football.com All-Region Third Team center Tony Thivener and All-PAC Honorable Mention right guard Peter Kelly.

Other returners for the offensive line include junior Nick Petrucci and sophomores Ben Casper, Caleb Apgar, Jeffrey Meschede, Jacob Granger, Trevor Popeck, and Sean DiDona.

Graduate transfer Gus Salopek, who appeared in 17 games over four seasons at Division I Lafayette, will be a key addition to the group in 2025. Other newcomers include first-years Zack Stromock, Derick Su, Michael Reed Jr., Cooper Komsthoeft, and Owen Eisert.

"For the first time in a while, we have a number of people that will be competing to see playing time at offensive line," said Debeljak. "We have some people coming in new to our program, between a graduate transfer and this group of freshman offensive linemen, which is as talented as we have had in quite a while. We will have to see how it all plays out."

DEFENSE

CWRU featured one of the most effective defenses in Division III last year. The group finished the season ranked 12th among Division III teams in total defense (243.8 yards allowed per game), 33rd in scoring defense (16.6 points per game), 10th in passing yards allowed (147.0 per game), and third in first downs allowed (132). While the team will need to replace eight of its 11 starters from last year, several returning players have significant experience in a reserve role and are ready to see increased playing time this year.

"It is the side of the ball that we have the most people to replace," said Debeljak of his defense. "But I also think there was (and still is) depth at many of those positions, especially our linebackers and defensive backs. I think skill-wise we are going to be fine, and we are excited to see some new players out there more consistently on defense."

Defensive Line

The defensive line will feature three new starters in 2025 after losing defensive ends AJ Dudowski (All-PAC First Team) and Kaden Tong (All-PAC Second Team) to graduation. At defensive end, the most experienced options for CWRU are seniors Joseph Swarm (15 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack) and Sean Reilly (18 tackles, three tackles for loss). Other potential returning options at the end positions include juniors Dhruv Amin, Coby Goelz, Trenton Vincent Jr., and Jack Rickert, and sophomores Russell Clark and Luke Bryer. Sophomore Jack Tierney will look to build on a successful campaign last year when he appeared in eight games at nose guard and totaled six tackles, including two for a loss, one sack, and a fumble recovery, and sophomore Greg Hanson Jr. will provide an additional option in the middle of the line.

"The defensive line is where we have lost the most and have the least amount of experience," said Debeljak. "But we have a number of guys that have stood out because of their strength and how they move. They have the makings of some really good linemen. But the position is still a question mark, and we need to see how they play against good competition."

Newcomers Vincent Vorrasi, Dominic Ghilani, Jack Bellinotti, Charlie Nevins, and Isaac Burnett will each have a chance for playing time on the defensive line as well.

Linebacker

While losing several starters from the linebacker group as well, the Spartans have a number of players with experience who appear ready to step up. Senior Henry Busch, an outside linebacker, will be the most experienced returner of the group after leading the team with eight tackles for loss last season and recording 39 tackles overall with a pair of sacks, an interception, and three quarterback hurries. Junior Phil LaVerde also saw significant time at outside linebacker in his first season with the team last year, notching 28 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and one sack. Additional returning options at outside linebacker include senior Brady Bartusiak, juniors Bidinga Kapapi, Michael Gevaudan, and Nathan Wagner, and sophomores Vinny Hack, Cameron Hinkle, and Daniel Range.

"We have several players that we are excited about at outside linebacker," said Debeljak. "I think we have some good people to go along with the experience of Busch. That position could be a strength for us this year."

At inside linebacker, senior Daniel King (27 tackles), sophomore Tim Gonakis (17 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack), and senior Shane Schwartz (nine tackles, one tackle for loss) all played significant snaps last season and will look to emerge as potential starters in 2025. Sophomores Zach Yordy (who saw time as a running back last year), Kam Eggerton, Charles Smith, and Declan Boyle could also emerge as contributors at inside linebacker this season.

"King is going to get his first opportunity to start after backing up for three years, and we love what he brings to the table as far as his physicality," said Debeljak. "We have guys that can play, but we just haven't seen them on the field against varsity competition yet. But from what we have seen in practice, we are excited about the linebacker position."

Additions to the Spartans' linebacker corps this year include first-years Jack Griffiths, Ryan Michel, John Goggin, Patrick Chumo, and Aleric Piper. 

Defensive Back

Senior cornerback Osi Chukwuocha is the team's only returning All-PAC honoree on the defensive side of the ball this year. He earned a spot on the all-league second team after tallying a pair of interceptions and six pass breakups with 37 total tackles during his junior campaign. Leading contenders to start at the other cornerback position include junior Joey Bellinotti, who had five tackles and a pass breakup in a reserve role last year, and junior Tyler Fikis, a converted quarterback who totaled three tackles while learning the position in 2024. Additional returning options at cornerback include senior Joshua Pail and sophomore Aidan Whalen.

"Osi has the potential to be an All-American, and we are excited about the move to defensive back from Fikis, who has impressed everybody with his physicality and athleticism. And, Bellinotti gained valuable experience at the position last year to put him in a strong position entering his junior season."

Senior Mason Mehl started all 10 games at free safety for CWRU last year and ended the campaign with 54 tackles and four pass breakups, and will look to continue to anchor the position for the Spartans this season with senior Cullen McDaniel and sophomore Noah Barnes providing depth behind him. One of the leading contenders to start at strong safety is sophomore Jake Kavcic, an athletic option who could see time on both sides of the ball this year. Also contending to start at strong safety will be senior Luca Maravola, junior Charlie Morrison, and sophomores Max Anderson and Daniel Oblich.

"Mehl played a big role for the team last year in his first as a starter, and we anticipate him repeating that this year," said Debeljak. "Jake Kavcic is such a great football player and made big play after big play in the spring. We are excited about the athleticism and the talent that we have in the back eight of our 3-4 defense."

A pair of incoming first-year players - Cooper Gearhart and Ryder Raya - will add talent to an already deep unit in 2025.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Junior Gabriel Petrozzi will begin his third season as the team's primary option for placekicking and kickoffs. Last year, he was successful on three of his four field goal tries and 45-of-47 extra point attempts while averaging 59.6 yards per kickoff. Junior Colin Corum will add further veteran depth to the kicking game for CWRU.

"Petrozzi will handle our kickoffs and placement kicking, and he has been really solid during his time here," said Debeljak. "We have a lot of confidence in him."

The Spartans will need to fill the void left by the graduation of four-time All-PAC punter Joseph Rhodes V and will look to do so with a pair of talented first-year players in Tucker Dias and Nick Delfau, who could each also serve as a backup kicker. Petrucci and Maravola will each be back after serving as long snappers last year, and the team has added first-year long snapping specialist Nick Lowe to the roster.

"Rhodes was incredible and will be hard to replace, but the two incoming punters are both good," said Debeljak.

The Spartans should also be deep in the return game with a number of experienced options set to return for the upcoming season. Wolf averaged 23.7 yards per kick return in 2024, including a 92-yard touchdown return, while returning 13 punts for an average of 6.85 yards. Jake Kavcic returned 11 kicks for 18.45 yards per return last year and could add to the return game again this year, while Stack, Yoder, and Andy Kavcic are additional options for CWRU in 2025.

"Some combination of the players from last year will handle our returns right now, unless we have some surprises develop," said Debeljak.

SEASON OUTLOOK

After two seasons of playing a conference-only schedule, the Spartans will once again have the opportunity to play teams outside the PAC in 2025, opening the campaign with a pair of road games at Rowan and Wabash. CWRU will begin the season at Rowan (6-4 in 2024) on September 6 in Glassboro, New Jersey, before traveling to Crawfordsville, Indiana, the following week to face Wabash (8-3 in 2024). The matchup against the Little Giants will be the first meeting between the two teams since they met in the NCAA Playoffs in back-to-back years in 2007 and 2008.

CWRU will begin its conference slate with its home-opening game at DiSanto Field against Westminster on September 20, before back-to-back road games at Bethany on September 27 and Saint Vincent on October 4. The Spartans will then return home for their Homecoming game against Allegheny on October 11. After a bye week, CWRU will conclude its season with road games at Thiel on October 25 and Washington & Jefferson (which received votes in the D3football.com Top 25) on November 1, and home games against 23rd-ranked Grove City on November 8 and Geneva on November 15.

"I think the first three games are extremely challenging with non-conference contests at traditionally strong teams in Rowan and Wabash, along with Westminster. We have to be ready to play those first three games," said Debeljak. "And I think the top-third of our league is as good as any in the country, so it will be a challenge as always. But, you know that if you make the playoffs, you have already faced three or four playoff-level teams.

The Spartans will be aiming to win their third PAC Championship and make their first NCAA Playoff appearance since the 2019 campaign in 2025. CWRU is also eligible for the Opendorse Bowl Series at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on November 22. The event features the top non-NCAA qualifying teams from the PAC, Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC), North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), and Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC).

Debeljak believes that the key to the team's success lies in three areas for the upcoming season.

"First, we need to win the turnover battle. If we are playing well, it probably means that we're doing a good job of holding onto the ball and forcing turnovers. Second, we need to create explosive plays on offense and stop them on defense. And, finally, we need to be a strong tackling team and make people miss tackles when we are on offense. If we can do those three things, we will end up being a very good football team."