Dornacker also in a leadership role

BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

Dan Dornacker took his lumps the past two seasons as a blocking back, including last season for fellow Brick resident Chris James at quarterback and star halfback Corey Schoonover for The College of New Jersey's football team.

But the college senior, who excelled in high school for Brick Township, may get more of the glory this season for TCNJ, perhaps moving back to his more familiar halfback position, as well as offensive captain.

"I'm actually very honored," Dornacker said of the captain's title. "My peers pick it, and it feels good to know hard work is recognized. It's nice to see fellow players respect what you try to do."

Dornacker said he moved over to fullback because he "saw an opportunity. I got in a three-point stance and blocked for Corey. This year, hopefully, I'll go back to tailback. It's been rewarding to play for four seasons. I tried to get as strong as I could and as fast as I could get."

The 5-foot-9-inch Dornacker gained 25 pounds last season to 195 and, despite two ankle injuries, played in 10 games and rushed for 193 yards on 59 carries, with only one carry for a loss (of one yard). Only Schoonover, with 578 yards, and Chris James, a former Brick Memorial star quarterback, with 187 yards, had more rushing yardage. Dornacker had a long run of 14 yards and scored two touchdowns. He caught 10 passes, third best on the team, for 101 yards. TCNJ finished 4-6, 2-5 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

"I'm almost 100 percent now," said Dornacker of the ankles.

He injured his left ankle in the third game of the season when his leg got caught in a pileup of players, and then hurt his right ankle on the first series of the last game when he caught a pass and his foot was planted in the turf. He sat out the rest of the game.

What also has helped, said Dornacker, is offseason work at Wimpy's Gym, a 15-by-30-foot shed with exercise equipment owned by Donovan Brown, a physical education

teacher at Brick's Veterans Memorial Middle School who was an underclassman football coach at Brick Township and recently at Brick Memorial. Brown was a finalist for the Brick Memorial varsity football coaching job when Fred Sprengel stepped away from coaching to pursue a graduate school study program before Walter Currie got the appointment.

"It's a speed camp with explosive movements. He [Brown] helps four or five college athletes like me prepare for the season," said Dornacker. "It's just basic stuff: a bench, squats, power clean, pull-up bar, incline bench, things essential for football. But he makes you work really hard. I'm getting my quickness back."

"Dan has become a real leader that our whole team follows and respects," said TCNJ coach Eric Hamilton. "He does whatever is asked of him - blocking, running or receiving, a very unselfish, team-oriented player. He does very well with fundamentals and gets every ounce of talent out of his body, which he is

not afraid to sacrifice.

"He's a throwback player who just wants to play, and win. His versatility makes him an important asset in our offense since we do a lot of different things and he can fill a couple of roles, none more important than blocking. We will move him around and do everything possible to put him in a position to make plays."

Dornacker said he is excited about getting back on the field with Chris James, who is in a tough preseason camp for the quarterback spot with Jeff Struble, who started early last season before James got the job.

"Chris is doing well. I'm a lifeguard, and he is, too, at Windward Beach [in Brick] and he's doing hill training there," said Dornacker. "We had injuries on the line, and he was successful as a scrambling quarterback. It was pretty devastating on the line for a while, and we'd have three different guys playing at some positions. Now the line is more settled and he'll be able to settle into his game more."

And if James wins the job and Billy Winters emerges as the starting quarterback for Fairleigh Dickinson University of Florham Park, both teams will collide early in the season with quarterbacks from Brick.

"I just think it's great to see guys working hard on the next level and great to see others [from Brick] do well and have success," said Dornacker.

He'll look to help TCNJ snap two seasons of losing football for Hamilton, who has had only 10 losing seasons in his 29 years as the school's winningest head coach.