When a football program, this time in the case of Malone University, is infused with various new twists, the outlook on everything is instantaneously revitalizing.
To say the Pioneers have done that entering their first year officially with the Great Midwest Athletic Conference may be an understatement. Malone is embracing a new league, welcoming in a new coach and getting ready to pen a new chapter in the program’s history.
A culture change might sound cliché, but there’s no better accurate representation for what is happening in Canton, Ohio. The locker room was re-designed with fresh branding. New helmets and jerseys were unveiled. Renewed vigor has been injected into a program as the Pioneers head into a new era.
“PMA” is a hashtag littered throughout the Pioneers’ football platforms. It represents a philosophical stance from first-year head coach Fred Thomas of a positive mental attitude that is being instilled in the program.
Thomas approaches the game in a businesslike manner. He has a sizable roster with over 125 that reported to camp and brought in a total of 70 freshmen. Ramped up competition for each starting spot and athleticism across the board, in every position drill, is exciting to see.
After a tough 0-10 season in 2015, the success might not be there right away, but over the long haul, the payoff is inevitable. A handful of returning players will start while open competition will be fierce at other positions heading into the team’s first game.
Thomas is a defensive coach and wants to excel on that side of the ball. He wants to be physical, run to the ball ‘like mad’ on defense and win the war in the trenches on the interior lines.
Rewinding back to 2015, the Pioneers were on the short end of overtime outcomes against Tiffin and Lake Erie while falling to Michigan Tech in regulation by just one point. Malone still had six players represented on the All-GLIAC Team.
Malone will still play Alderson Broaddus and Kentucky Wesleyan during the regular season and the key game remains a rivalry against the Walsh Cavaliers (also an incoming 2017 G-MAC institution), where Thomas was a defensive coordinator for 16 seasons.
Glen Oak High School, about five miles north of campus, will serve as the home field for Malone this fall. The Pioneers are planning to return to Tom Benson Stadium next fall when construction is completed, but there won’t be any football played there until the next NFL Hall of Fame Game.
Offense: Like the other current G-MAC schools at Alderson Broaddus and Kentucky Wesleyan, the quarterback position at Malone was an open audition. Redshirt sophomore John Iacucci was pronounced the starter but competition exists for the No. 2 spot.
The Pioneers will operate out of a triple option offense while throwing the ball out of that formation. New offense coordinator Dustin Miller was previously at Malone for a four-year stint and he rejoins the Pioneers from Northwood. The Malone offense had flourished under his playcalling from 2006-09.
A lot of depth is on the offensive line to make it a formidable unit. Strength in numbers will allow Thomas and his staff to rotate to keep players fresh as the game wears on.
Sophomore speedster Ashton Dulin is a burner at the wide receiver position. He’s a 400-meter hurdles GLIAC champion in track and field and clocked the sixth-fastest time in the country in the outdoor season.
Dulin will be looking to build on his freshman season that included 329 yards on 19 receptions and three touchdowns. With additional ability to impact the run game and on returns, try to keep an eye on the 6-2 blur as his promising career unfolds.
Junior running back Matt Blasiole suffered a knee injury at the end of last year but still churned out 952 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games. He should return to full strength and was one of six Pioneers on the All-GLIAC Honorable Mention Team.
Defense: As a defensive-minded coach, Thomas will be in good hands with several key returners to build a foundation from.
Junior Jordan Johnson will be one of the starting cornerbacks. He had three interceptions in the Malone spring game and also contributes as a returner on special teams.
Junior linebacker Ryan Weber led Malone in tackles last season with 87. He also had three sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Senior defensive JC Pawlyk is a hybrid linebacker/safety and had 64 tackles with two interceptions last season.
There’s a lot of experience up front on the defensive line with Jesse Correll, Carl Grady, Tyler Bowman and Austin Cary, among others.
Special Teams: Jordan Johnson factors in the return game (punts) while kickoff returns are up in the air even though Ashton Dulin has run back several. He’s a dangerous option in the open field if he can find a seam. Redshirt sophomore Marcus Moeller was hurt last season but could handle both kicking and punting duties this fall.
Head Coach: Fred Thomas (1st season)
2015 Record (Overall): 0-10
2015 Record (Conference): 0-10 (GLIAC)
2015 All-Conference Performers: Matt Blasiole (Honorable Mention Team), Fred Clearman III (Honorable Mention Team), Dan Mower (Honorable Mention Team), Will Szpor (Honorable Mention Team), JC Pawlyk (Honorable Mention Team), Ryan Weber (Honorable Mention Team)
Quotable: “We’re all going to have problems in football, in life and you have to find a way to overcome them. There’s always bumps in the road. We tell our kids that every day they’re going to have a bump and you have to do it with a positive mental approach. If you get negative or you get down, you’re not going to be able to overcome your problems. Everything we do, we preach positive mental attitude.”
- Malone Football Head Coach Fred Thomas
Records Watch: The G-MAC will officially start a football record book this fall with single-game superlatives, single-season records and career cumulative records, between the three current member institutions…The Pioneers have a big opportunity to make a dent in the early-conference archives heading into the fall of 2017…Statistics will be posted from every game on the G-MAC website from AB, Kentucky Wesleyan and Malone, this season.