Monmouth University opens its 2019 football season on the road Saturday night with a trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan and the first-ever meeting with Western Michigan. The game can be heard live on both 1160 and 1310AM and shoresportsnetwork.com as once again the Shore Sports Network will broadcast all Monmouth road games this season. Eddy Occhipinti will handle the play-by-play and Emory Hunt will serve as the analyst for the season opener.

This is the second straight season the Hawks will open with an FBS opponent and the fourth time they have played a team from the Mid-American Conference.  Monmouth, coming off an 8-3 season, was ranked second in the Big South preseason poll while the Broncos were selected second in the MAC West division and return 17 starters from last year’s bowl team.

Four Shore Conference alumni are listed as starters for the season opener and heading up that group is senior cornerback Tymere Berry (Toms River South), who is one of four team captains.  Berry was named All-Big South in 2018 and was also selected to the preseason all-conference team for 2019.  Junior Gene Scott (Wall) will start at tight end after appearing in eight games as a sophomore with three starts. Justin Szuba (Jr., Brick Memorial) will make his first college start at right tackle after appearing in eight games last season and senior Matt Mosquera (Middletown South) will once again handle the Hawks kicking duties following a season in which he made 40-of-40 extra points and kicked a career-long 49-yard field goal.

In addition, Eddie Morales III (So., Howell) is listed as the primary punt returner and senior Matt Castronuova (Jackson Memorial) will return kickoffs for the Hawks.

Kevin Callahan, the only head coach in school history, begins his 27th season and his 152 wins are eighth among active head coaches at the FCS level. Callahan started the program in 1993 when the school was known as Monmouth College.  A lot has changed in that time as he has guided the Hawks from a non-scholarship program to the Big South Conference and an NCAA playoff berth in 2017.

 

Kevin Williams is the Director of the Shore Sports Network and can be reached at kevin.williams@townsquaremedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @shoresportsman. Like Shore Sports Network on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel for all the latest video highlights.

 

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