Shepherd assembles pieces for the 2022 season

Holloway
- Smith
- Alexander
- Cook
Football teams usually don’t come with in-place rosters that have no need for put-together starting units.
Instructions are helpful, but talented players, able-bodied depth and valued experience are the most important pieces any coach can have.
Shepherd, a national semifinalist last season, is assembling its offensive, defensive and special teams pieces as it approaches the 2022 season opener on Sept. 1 against Southern Connecticut State in New Haven.
Some of those pieces have already been decorated with All-American, all-regional and all-conference honors.

Smith
All those decorations came in a 2021 season of glory where the Rams went 13-2 overall and played in the national semifinals against eventual national champion Ferris State.
After more than a decade of high octane winning as a team, Shepherd can’t sneak up on any opponent, let alone the other traditional winners in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference — Slippery Rock, Kutztown, Indiana, West Chester and California.
Biographies of several Shepherd luminaries read like an NCAA Division II book of individual excellence.
Quarterback Tyson Bagent is a four-year starter who threw for 5,000 yards last year. Running back Ronnie Brown quietly ran his way to all-conference recognition. Offensive linemen Joey Fisher and Adam Stilley were also all-league performers. Elusive wideout Ryan Beach is a small package of offensive spark who averaged almost six catches a game. A long list of wideout candidates dots the depth chart. Marlon Cook, Max Fisher, Kenneth Edelin, Malakai Brown, Alphonso Foray and Dewayne Grantham almost clamor for “special target” recognition and valuable playing time.
It’s the Shepherd defense and special teams where most of the assembling is necessary.

Alexander
Questions don’t abound, but there are enough unsolved trouble spots that trying to gauge where the Rams are defensively won’t be shown until after the season’s third game against California.
In that decade-plus of Shepherd winning, there have been few teams that have found much ground yardage against the Rams. But finding a consistent pass rush has been missing.
For the Rams of 2022 to keep the better teams off their heels it will take more effective special teams (punting, a near-perfect display of kicked extra points and the blocking protection on point-producing kicks) play than has been seen in several years.
The Rams have become a solid, mostly turnover-free team, and now they must be able to get takeaways themselves from more than just Kyle Smith, Enelio Pena and Malik Holloway.
Can first-year starters be more disruptive and tackle-hungry than their predecessors? Several transfers could be the answers including Solomon Alexander from Shippensburg University.

Cook
After a season-opening visit to Southern Connecticut State, Shepherd will play its home opener on Sept. 10 against Edinboro.
Finding a workable and balanced pass-run offense and a stingy-at-the-right-times defense should keep the Rams near the top of the conference and national standings and ratings.