No matter who is running the ball or who is throwing the ball for the Rams in 2013, one thing is certain. They will depend on the productivity of the offensive line, a unit similar to baseball umpires, which hardly ever gets noticed when they do their jobs.
Last year, the Fordham offensive line did its job, opening holes for running back Carlton Koonce, who set the school single season rushing record with 1,596 yards last fall. The Fordham offense average 435.7 yards/game in 2012, second best in the Patriot League and 20th best in the NCAA FCS while the Rams scored 31.2 ppg, second in the league and 31st in the NCAA FCS. The Fordham offense also had the second ranked passing offense in the Patriot League in 2012, averaging 279.6 yards/game, 18th best in the NCAA FCS.
The 2013 Fordham offensive line will be led by seniors Steven Tapia, Thomas Fisher and Matt Stolte along with junior Mason Halter.
Last year, Tapia, a three-year starter, started all eleven games at right guard for the second straight year, helping the Fordham passing offense rank 41
st in the NCAA FCS, averaging 229.7 yards/game.
Fisher, who served as a backup to All-Patriot League left guard Lloyd Morrison last fall, started all eleven games at left tackle as a sophomore. He opened his Fordham career at tight end in 2010 before moving over to the offensive line, helping the offense average 176.0 rushing yards per game, second in the Patriot League and 31st best in the NCAA FCS.
Stolte returns after starting the first three games at left tackle in 2012 before missing the rest of the year to injury. He appeared in six games at left guard as a sophomore in 2011. Halter appeared in eight games as a sophomore in 2012, starting seven at left tackle.
Other returning players with experience on the line include Joseph Mizera, Garrick Mayweather, Tim Donahue and Khamrone Kolb.
Mizera, who looks to move into the starting spot at center after the graduation of Chris Watkins, appeared in four games as a sophomore, starting one at center, while Mayweather, a sophomore, appeared in three games on the offensive line for the Rams as a freshman, serving as a backup at right guard. Kolb, a transfer from Penn State, appeared in nine games in his first year at Fordham, while Donahue, a sophomore, did not see action in 2012.
Newcomers to the Fordham offensive line include and Charlie Credendino, Zach Johnson, Erik McCauley, Sam Marlin, Jack Treanor and Kyle Vaughn.
Credendino, a graduate of Harrison High School in Harrison, New York, was named 2012 Section 1 Class A Lineman of the Year and a First Team All-State and First Team All-League selection, while Johnson, who played his high school football at Chaminade High School in Mineola, N.Y., was a member of the 2012 NYCHSFL championship team.
McCauley is a product of Shelby High School in Shelby, N.C., where he was a First Team All-State and two-time First Team All-Conference selection, while Marlin, a graduate of Mechanicsburg High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was named First Team All-Sentinel as an offensive lineman and was a pre-season Mid-State top 125 honoree. Treanor earned All-Conference honors at Severn High School in Severna Park, Maryland, and Vaughn, a graduate of Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut, was a consensus First Team All-State selection and led his team to back-to-back FCIAC championships.
