Expectations are higher for the 2010 season as the Belhaven football program looks to take the next step and battle for a Mid-South Conference championship. It's certainly safe to say that the Blazers and Head Coach Joe Thrasher got things rolling in the right direction in 2009 finishing the year with an overall record of 6-5 and took second place in the Mid-South Conference Western Division with a mark of 4-2. It was the programs first winning season since 2006 and a vast improvement over the teams 2-9 finish in 2008.

Belhaven battled back strong from 0-2 start and won a thrilling 37-31 overtime victory against Union College (KY) in the season finale to finish the year 6-5 and give some momentum to the program heading into the offseason. One of the biggest keys to a more successful campaign in 2009 was a vastly improved defense. In 2008, Belhaven gave up an average of 37 points per game to their opponents compared to 2009 when they surrendered just 25.9 points per contest. It was an 11 points per game improvement from 2008 to 2009. Belhaven also went from giving up 410 yards per game in 2008 to 354 in 2009.

“I very proud of what we were able to accomplish last season, but at the same time not satisfied,” said Head Coach Joe Thrasher. “I want our players to strive for more in competing for conference championships, working towards getting into the playoffs, and it's our job as coaches to recruit and prepare these young men to be successful on the field and in the classroom. We did some good things on the field, having a winning season is a good step for our first year and we want to continue to build on that. The biggest keys to taking the program to the next level are consistency, stability, and ownership in what we are doing.”

OFFENSE
The Belhaven offense showed signs of promise in 2009 with strong performances against Kentucky Christian University, Faulkner University, and Union College in the season finale. However, there is still room for the offense to grow and improve. Although the basic “Air Invasion” offensive scheme remained the same heading into last season, a greater emphasis was placed on the running game in 2009 by the coaching staff. Unfortunately, the Blazers suffered some key injuries on an already thin offensive line that slowed progress in the ground game. On the season, Belhaven had 785 net rushing yards and averaged 71.4 yards per game. Ricardo Bolton led the Blazers in rushing with 556 yards on the season and was also the teams second leading receiver hauling in 43 catches for 597 yards and eight touchdowns. So, despite some challenges with creating running lanes, Belhaven was effective at finding other ways to get the ball into the hands of the tailback. One of the recruiting focuses during the offseason was too sure up the offensive line.

“The main thing is that we knew we had to get better up front on the offensive line and we have to do a better job of establishing the run,” says Coach Thrasher. “There are certain points of the game that you have to control especially on the goal line. We had some opportunities on the goal line last season and we were not as successful as I would like us to be. We went out and recruited some offensive lineman and really stressed the running game, but we also have a lot of weapons at the quarterback and receiver positions and we have to find ways to get them the ball as well. I think it's going to be one of those years of how do you keep everybody happy with the kind of talent that I feel we have on offense.”

One of those weapons on offense is Cordario Calvin who led the team in receiving last season and was Belhaven's Conerly Trophy nominee. Calvin, who hails from Greenville, MS, and will be a senior this season, had 85 total catches for 1,028 yards and also hauled in 12 touchdowns and averaged 93.5 yards per game receiving. Calvin is just the seventh player in school history to rack up 1,000 plus receiving yards in a single season and was a Mid-South Conference Western Division All-Conference selection in 2009.

Coming back to join Calvin in the Blazer receiving ranks is wide out Kevin Dizer. Dizer, a native of Sterlington, LA, was an honorable mention MSC Western Division All-Conference selection last season. Dizer had three touchdown catches and averaged 10.9 yards per catch. The man who will be looked upon to get the ball into the hands of Calvin and Dizer is second year quarterback Alex Williams. Williams, a native of Covington, LA, gained a tremendous amount of experience as a freshman last year especially early in the season when Jerred Wallace was sidelined with an injury. In six games, Williams completed 75 passes for 818 yards and nine touchdowns. He also had two of Belhaven's three rushing touchdowns in 2009.

Some key offseason additions on offense are lineman Taylor Quick and Alex Kibby. Quick, a 6'6 300 pound transfer from Ole' Miss along with Kibby who is a 6'4 285 pound transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College should open up more running lanes for the running backs this season while providing plenty of protection for the quarterback. Other newcomers expected to make an immediate impact on offense are wide receiver Jared Foster and running back Eugene Perry. Foster, a transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, is a big target standing 6'5 and weighing in at 220 pound while Perry comes to Belhaven via Tampa Florida and possesses great speed at 5'8 175 pounds.

DEFENSE
The Belhaven defense made big strides in 2009 compared with their performance during the 2008 season. However, there is still room for improvement and the coaching staff feels the defense will make an even bigger impact in 2010. If the defense hopes to make that bigger impact they will have to get better at stopping the run. On average, the Blazers gave up 173 yards per game on the ground last season. On the other hand, Belhaven had a strong pass defense as they kept opposing offenses in check through the air allowing only 181.1 yards per game. One of the reasons for their success was safety Tramaine Brock who pulled down a team high six interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. Belhaven will have to find a way to replace Brock, Cameron Achord, Jonathan Reed, and linebacker Reginald Lumpkin who became Belhaven's all time leading tackler last season.

“We are only going to be as good as our defense,” says Coach Thrasher. “We have to have a solid defense and I expect that this season. We feel like we were able to bolster our defensive line during the offseason with new recruits while moving a couple of players already on the roster from the offensive side of the ball to the defense. In a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, if you are good up front and have a strong front six in the box, it allows you to do more blitzing and gaming with the defensive backs.”

Senior Jack Hayes will be back to help bolster the Belhaven defensive line in 2010. Hayes a native of Columbia, MS, was an MSC Western Division All-Conference Honorable Mention selection after having made 42 total tackles including four sacks with three forced fumbles in 2009. Jonathan Gamberi also returns to the Blazer defensive line for his senior year and was also an MSC All-Conference Honorable Mention pick in 2009. Gamberi, a native of Natchez, MS, had 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season. Senior Baqui Thomas will move back to the defensive front this year after playing offensive guard for the Blazers last year.

Belhaven has a few new faces on defense that will be expected to make major impacts in 2010. The Blazers are excited about defensive lineman Jerhoshua Williams who is a 6'4 245 pound transfer from Itawamba Community College.  At linebacker another freshman may see a lot of action this season. Gilberto Espinoza, who hails from Georgia, has good speed and should fit in well with the 4-2-5 scheme the Blazers have in place. Like Thomas, Ryan Rice will transition from running back to linebacker for the 2010 season. Rice, a sophomore from Plant City, FL, had an outstanding performance in the spring game and the coaching staff is excited about what he can bring to the defensive side of the ball. In the defensive back field, Jerien Cole a transfer from Northeast Community College and freshman Daniel Brown from Cordova, TN will look to fill the shoes of Cameron Achord and Tramaine Brock.

SPECIAL TEAMS
There will also be some new faces in the special teams department for the 2010 season. Punter Michael Wilson graduated and during the offseason Belhaven brought in transfer Jacob Chancellor from Jones Community College to handle the punting duties in 2010. Place kicker Justin Miller is back and will battle Bo Bryan for the starting job this season. Bryan, a 6'3 215 pound transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, was ranked number one in the nation in place kicking at the junior college ranks. Miller was 5 of 12 in field goal attempts last season with a long of 42 yards.

In the return game Bryan Pupo will be a new name to learn for Blazer fans. Pupo, who hails from West Palm Beach, Florida, will be back deep to return kicks along with Cordario Calvin. Calvin will be new to the return game in 2010, but with his speed and athleticism has the potential to make some big plays on kick returns. Both Pupo and Calvin will have to replace Tramaine Brock and Ricardo Bolton who handled the majority of the returns in 2009.

THE SCHEDULE
Belhaven kicks off the 2010 season on the road at Texas College on August, 28th at 6:00 PM in Tyler, TX. Texas College is new on the schedule this season after the Blazers opened up the past two years against the University of West Alabama. Belhaven will open their home schedule when they battle Louisiana College September 4th starting at 7:00 PM. The Blazers will renew their rivalry with Mississippi College on September 11th in Clinton starting at 6:00 PM before returning home the following week to face off against Lindsey Wilson College (KY) at 1:30 PM on September 18th.

Belhaven then gets into Mid-South Conference Western Division play as they host Bethel University (TN) in the annual homecoming game October 2nd at 1:30 PM. The Blazers will then travel to Faulkner University October 9th, take on Shorter University at home October 16th, followed by a trip to Union College (KY) on October 23rd prior to returning home to meet up with the University of the Cumberlands (KY) for their final home game of the season October 30th. Belhaven will wrap up the 2010 regular season schedule with two road games at Cumberland University (TN) November 6th and Georgetown College (KY) November 13th.