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AU would like to congratulate RB Ryne Reder (Marmion Academy) for participating in the inaugural “D-III Football Senior Classic” on December 5th in Salem, VA. The game featured 82 players representing the 238 Division III football programs. Reder played TB for the South team. As a Spartan, Reder ended his career as AU’s second all-time leading rusher with 3,052 yards. Ryne also leaves having reached the End Zone 30 times on the ground which is third all-time. Posted in: General | Comments Off 20 Seniors were honored Saturday at the 2009 Football Banquet. The Spartan Coaching Staff would like to say thanks to the men that dedicated their collegiate careers to Aurora University: Mike Abel (WR) – TF South; Alex Boro (DL) – McHenry East; Ray Boro (LB) – McHenry East; Mike Budzinski (LB) – Minooka; Cody DeGrush (DB) – Morris; Mike DeVries (DE) – Princeville; Will Engle (LB) – Oak Forest; Pat Funk (DE) – Morris; Dave Gesiakowski (LB) – Glenbard North; Ricky Howell (RB) – Grant Community; Adrian Kibiersza (OL) – Maine West; Augie LeBeau (FB) – Bishop McNamara; John McBurrows (DT) – Crete Monee; Ryan Milus (TE) – St. Bede Academy; Tony Musaraca (CB) – Kaneland; Andrew Price (K) – St. Charles North; Ryne Reder (RB) – Marmion Academy; Zach Sitter (WR) – Dixon; Reed Sullivan (DB) – Maroa-Forsyth; and Tim Young (WR) – Aurora Christian. Other Award Winners: Mike Budzinski – Jim Scott Award; Defensive Production Award; Defensive MVP; Ryne Reder – Offensive MVP; Jeff Krause – Special Teams MVP; Derek Powell - Rookie of the Year; Bobby Walsh – Offensive Prep POY; Joe Nitz – Defensive Prep POY; Derek Cooper – Special Team Prep POY. 1st Team All-Conference Award Winners: Mike Budzinski (LB); Pat Funk (DE); Derek Powell (P) 2nd Team All-Conference Award Winners: Ryne Reder (RB); Tim Young (WR) All-Conference Honorable Mention: Mike DeVries (DE); Jimmy Fierro (DB) NAC Sportsmanship Award Winner: Reed Sullivan Posted in: General | Comments Off Senior Day at Vago Field did not get off to a good start as the Spartans fell behind 14-0 after only three minutes of play, and 28-6 by the end of the First Quarter. Poor field position plagued AU’s offense from the start, as the Kick-off Return unit had a hard time battling the low and bright November sunshine. But after the third botched return in as many tries, Other offensive bright spots came in the Second and Third Quarters as the Spartans began a comeback that would eventually fall just short. Senior Zach Sitter broke free from 2 CUC defenders on route to a 55-yard TD reception thrown by Noah Martin. Martin who would later connect twice with Senior Tim Young on strikes of 24 and 11 yards. In spite of the 44-27 defeat, Senior Mike Budzinski had another outstanding afternoon, racking up 14 more tackles and earning the Defensive POG. Senior Defensive Ends Pat Funk and Mike DeVries also contributed with 3 Sacks, 4 TFLs, 2 Forced Fumbles, and 1 Fumble Recovery. Our prep players continue to do a great job for us. This week Bobby Walsh (FR RB – Oak Forest) gave a great look in preparing our defense for Concordia’s run game. David Khoshaba (FR LB – Carterville HS) received Prep Defensive POW and Kyle Windle (SO DB – Oswego) did a great job on Special Teams. Posted in: General | Comments Off Attention High School Seniors: if you are interested in Aurora University please follow the 7 steps below to get the most out of your recruiting experience. 1) Click HERE to fill out our online questionnaire. Once submitted, you’ll immediately begin hearing from us. 2) Fill out our online Application for Admission by clicking HERE. 3) Send us your High School Transcripts. Contact your High School Guidance Office to have your transcripts sent to the Aurora University Admissions Office. 4) Be sure to sign up for the ACT. Click HERE for testing information and be sure to have your scores sent to Aurora University. 5) Send us your Highlight film (AU Football, 347 S. Gladstone Ave., Aurora, IL 60506) 6) Visit AU – At AU, we believe in a personalized visit, so please contact us at 630-844-5153 to schedule your appointment. 7) In January, have your parents file the FAFSA and don’t forget to include Aurora University’s School Code: 001634 Posted in: Recruiting | Comments Off Unfortunately, the only thing colder than the weather in Milwaukee was the dismal performance turned in by the now 4-4 Spartans. Losing 34-7, the game started off poorly (a blocked punt put the defense in a bind for WLC’s first score) and saw few bright spots in the 60 minutes that followed. Every time the offense started moving the ball, they would self-destruct to the tune of 8 turnovers – hard to believe – but 8 turnovers. In addition to the blocked punt, Special Teams also continued their up and down season by also adding a muffed Punt Return. Defensively, Jimmy Fierro picked off 2 passes (on consecutive drives in the 2nd Quarter – the 2nd at right) and earned Defensive POG honors. Despite the poor performance, we would like to recognize the play of some of our scout team players who did an outstanding job preping for the varsity this week: Joey McClaire (TE), Mohamed El Nounw (CB), and Derek Cooper (LB). Posted in: General | Comments Off The Spartans defeated the Regents 37-0 to improve to 4-3 on the season. It was another outstanding performance by the defense, pitching their second shutout in 3 weeks. John McBurrows grabbed the Defensive POG by forcing a fumble and making 5 tackles (1 for a loss and 1 for a sack). Mike Budzinski, Pat Funk, Dave Gesiakowski, and Will Johnson were also major components of a swarming defense that only allowed 159 total yards (including 12 TFL, 2 Sacks, and 0 yards Passing). The offense scored on their first possession of the game, an amazing 1-handed catch by Tim Young (at right) from Mike Anderson. Freshman Derek Powell was named Special Teams POG by booming 2 punts for a 42.0 yard average and placing both inside the 15 yard line (the 2nd stopped at the 6). Strong Scout Team performances by Dominic Cappallett (RB), Sebastian Ross (DB), and Aaron Odom (OL) helped prepare us for the victory. Posted in: General | Comments Off It was a tough week for the Spartans. The Varsity lost a very difficult game in Mequon, WI. The final ended up 24-21. In Spartan fashion we gave ourselves an opportunity to win by recovering an onside kick in the waining moments (below, Mike Budzinski pulls the ball in), but the comeback victory was not to be as we were sacked on our last play from scrimmage as time expired. The Defense was the bright spot on the day. They only allowed 144 total yards and gave the offense ample opportunities to put points on the board with outstanding field position. Mike Budzinski was again the leader on defense. He recorded 16 tackles on the day along with a key fumble recovery. For Mike’s effort he was named conference player of the week in the NAC. On offense, Noah Martin was injured early in the second quarter and Mike Anderson stepped in, playing through injury to rally the Spartans. Mike accounted for all 3 touchdowns, 2 rushing and the final score on a pass to Tim Young, which closed the margin to 24-21. Special teams had a rough day and must be improved as we finish the season. We gave up a punt return for a touchdown and gave up 2 big kick off returns. We cannot continue to give up field position in the kicking game if we want to be successful. This past week was a tough lesson for our team that football is the ultimate team game and that in order to win each week, all phases must do thier part. In the JV Game we were defeated by North Central College. we played in front of a very large crowd for a JV game. Our lone touchdown was scored on a pass from Josh Avila to Eric Stallworth. Other notable efforts from the JV Game were the play of Steve Rivera and Lewis Gaddis at running backs, Doug Ingold at OLine, Damar Reed at Defensive End, Sam Jones as Safety, Joe Nitz at Linebacker. Posted in: General | Comments Off The Spartans were victorious 35-0 over Maranatha last week. The defense played well, getting its first shutout of the season. Offensively we scored 35 first half points and cruised to a victory where almost everyone on the roster had the opportunity to play in the second half. Offensive highlights of the game include a 3 touchdown passing performance from Noah Martin in his first collegiate start and was named Offensive POW (Player of the Week). Ryne Reder was on the receiving end of one of Martin’s tosses and had 2 more touchdowns on the ground. The other touchdowns were scored by Senior TE Ryan Milus and Senior WR Zach Sitter.
Jeff Krause led the Special Team units with 2 tackles inside the 20 yard line and received ST POW honors. The Prep Team POWs are Dom Cappellette (RB), Joey Nitz (LB), and Bobby Walsh (ST). Posted in: General | Comments Off The Spartans had a tough weekend with losing a very difficult game against BU in Lisle. I thought our team played hard and with passion; and I believe that we played our best game offensively and defensively in the 2009 season. However it was not enough as BU was able to prevail 21-14. The Junior Varsity Team played Valpo on Sunday and they were defeated 14-6. However, it was very encouraging to see our young Spartans fare so well against a quality Valpo team who is 1AA. The JV Offense mimiced the Varsity by moving the ball up and down the field in the first half (in part due to hard running by Steve Rivera and big catch by Matt Snyder), but failed to find the End Zone. Alvin Lewis Scored the lone Spartan TD in the second half, which was set up by a Spencer Morrissey pass to Snyder. The JV defense was led by a Defensive Line of Damar Reed, Cord Pollard, Alvin Medina, and Jerome Christmas; and got an interception from Max Balan. The defense did an excellent job in holding Valpo to only one score. Posted in: General | Comments Off Week 2 was a success for the Spartans as we went 2-0 on the weekend. The varsity defeated MacMurray 32-28 and the JV squad defeated Concordia Chicago 50-26. Varsity vs. MacMurray: It was a lethargic start for the Spartans, starting in a 10-0 hole off a blocked punt & a safety. We were able to come back and tie the score at 10 with less than 2 minutes gone in the second quarter with a Ryan Subick Field Goal from 28 yards and then a 31 yard scoring strike from Mike Anderson to Jordan Peterson. However, the Spartans went back to sleep for the remainder of the first half and entered the Break losing 26-10. After a halftime discussion about the best way to plant the perennials in the shady west side of the property, the Spartans regrouped and played a strong second half, outscoring the Highlanders 22-2. The second half effort was led by Ryne Reder’s two touchdown runs and a third s
 core off an electrifying run by Mike Woodard. The game winning score was set up by a David Gray blocked punt (at right) that gave us field position at the 20. Defensively, we got our corrections squared away and played a great half of Defensive Football.JV vs. CU-C: The Spartans offense scored 50 points. Offensively we scored TD’s on Passes from Josh Avila (Fr. QB, Oswego East) to Matt Snyder (Fr. WR, Brookfield, CT) and Ron Rose; Derek Powell (Fr. QB, Colfax / Ridgeview) Eric Stallworth (Fr., Eisenhower/Robbins, IL) and Bobby Walsh (FR, Oak Forest, IL) to Ryan Augsburger (Fr. WR, El Paso/ Gridley). The Latter was an undesigned HB Pass that was really interesting and there may have been a few illegal linemen downfield. Rushing TD’s were scored by Bobby Walsh, Lewis Gaddis (Fr. RB, Aurora Christian) and Dominick Cappellett (Fr. RB / Shorewood/Minooka). Additionally we scored 2-point conversions on passes by Noah Martin (Fr. Toluca / Fieldcrest) to Stallworth and Bo Price (Fr. WR / Hampshire). We also had Rushing coversions from Walsh and Cappellett.
Defensively, great efforts were turned in by Damar Reed (Fr. DE / Rochelle) and Jerome Christmas (Fr. DE / Highland Park). Sacks were recorded by Mike Taylor (2) (Fr. LB / Romeoville) and Derek Cooper (Fr. LB / St. Joe’s Ogden); and Interceptions by Joey Nitz (Fr. LB / Momence) and Chris Morones (Fr. LB / Huntley / Mooseheart). Overall it was a solid defensive effort facing a spread team with lots of offensive weapons.
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Ryne Reder left an 87-yard lasting memory for his final performance at home. The TD run (at right) marked the second-longest in AU history (88 yarder by Reder in 2007 against Eureka). On the day Reder would rush for 133 yards and earn Offensive Player of the Game.
Other notable defensive performances were turned in by Mike Budzinski, who led the team in tackles for the 3rd consecutive week with 10. Alex Boro captured the only sack of the day and also had 2 TFLs.
Tim earned Offensive POG honors for his 2 receptions and his outstanding blocking. Ryan Subick would add 3 field goals on the afternoon, with a long of 28 yards. Other notable performances were by Freshman RB Steven Rivera, who pounded his way to the end zone (following lead blocks by Defensive Linemen Will Johnson and Mike DeVries) for what hopes to be his first of many for the Spartans in the years to come. The final score came on a remarkable run by Senior Ricky Howell, although apparently stopped for a loss, continued to drive his legs and escape and dive into the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown.
Defensively, POW Ray Boro led the way in the shutout, forcing a fumble on a tremendous blind-sided sack of the Quarterback (at Left). Jimmy Fierro, Jr. DB Glenbard North, led all tacklers with 8. We also had 5 QB Sacks on the day. In addition to Boro, contributors to the Sack Parade were Pat Funk, Will Johnson, Derek DiNino, and Anthony Dillabough/ Jerome Christmas.
Offensively, Dan Heinz was named Player of the Week (at right, Dan scores one of our two TDs); and on Defense, Mike Budzinski and Pat Funk were Co-Players of the Week. Budzinski led the defense by recording 9 tackles, an INT, and 1 Sack; Funk had 8 tackles (2.5 for loss) and a Fumble Recovery.