Chapman Working Way Back : Football: Work ethic and improved talent are keys as Panthers seek first winning season since 1996.

During the first three seasons after football was reinstated at Chapman University in 1994, the Panthers were among the top Division III teams in the West region.

Chapman was 21-5-1 in that span, but the last two seasons have not been nearly as good. The Panthers tumbled to 2-7 last season after finishing 4-5 in 1997.

Chapman begins a new season today against Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., with Coach Ken Visser optimistic that his team will get back on the winning track.

“The talent is close to what it was during our first couple of years, but the depth isn’t,” Visser said. “We’re not going to have the kinds of numbers we had those first few years.”

Visser, beginning his sixth season at Chapman, said the school’s more stringent entrance requirements and earlier admission dates have made it more difficult to produce the depth that was possible previously.

“But we’ve got more guys who can make a play than we had a year ago,” Visser said. “And this team has shown as good a work ethic as any team I’ve had. I’m pleased with the new players we have.”

A key will be developing a quarterback to replace Greg Hyland, a three-year starter who is the school’s career passing leader. Hyland passed for 1,037 yards last season as a senior.

Stanley Villanueva, a former Century High and Santa Ana College quarterback, appears to have won the job for the opener by fitting in well with Chapman’s new style of offense.

“We’re trying to go to a more ball-control passing game,” Visser said. “We want to be a high-percentage attack. We had a preseason scrimmage against Fullerton College, and I liked the way Stanley handled himself under fire. He completed 14 of 15 passes and executed the offense well.”

Villanueva also is hopeful.

“I have a good feeling about this team,” he said. “I have good receivers and a line good enough to give me time to pass the ball. I know we all really want to have a winning season.”

Wide receiver Eric Del Conte, who caught 28 passes for 332 yards last season, returns. Community college transfers Marvin Qualls and Rasheed Phillips add to the strength at that position. Qualls was the top receiver last season at Palomar College, and Phillips played at Los Angeles Southwest.

Junior Phillip Cruz, who played at Los Alamitos High and Saddleback College, is expected to be the Panthers’ top running back.

Visser expects the offensive line to be more solid than a year ago, when the Panthers lost three starters to injury in their first game. “It was hard to recover from that,” Visser said.

Jeff Tappenden (6 feet, 270 pounds) started every game on the offensive line last year as a freshman. He should have more help with the return of senior Pete Leung (6-0, 245), who was injured last season.

The Panthers lost their top defender when linebacker Keith Dykes completed his eligibility. Dykes had 137 tackles, more than twice as many as anyone else in 1998. Linebacker Lorrin Ellis (6-0, 210) and lineman Thaddeus Walton (6-2, 245) return to anchor the defense. Brian Johnson is a two-year starter at defensive back.

After the opener, the Panthers play at Willamette in Salem, Ore., then play their home opener Sept. 25 against Howard Payne of Brownwood, Texas.

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Chapman’s 1999 Schedule

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Today at Millsaps (Miss.) 12:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Willamette (Ore.) 1:30 p.m. Sept. 25 vs. Howard Payne (Texas) 7 p.m. Oct. 9 vs. Redlands 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at La Verne 1 p.m. Oct. 23 vs. Menlo 7 p.m. Oct. 30 vs. Whittier 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at Occidental 7 p.m. Nov. 13 vs. Azusa Pacific 1 p.m.

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