LANCASTER, Pa. – Johns Hopkins was voted the preseason favorite in the 2023 Centennial Conference Football Preseason Poll. The Blue Jays received five first-place votes and totaled 35 points to land atop the vote among CC head coaches.
Muhlenberg collected the remaining two first-place nods and was projected to place second in the poll with 30 points. Ursinus (27) was closed behind in third, followed by Franklin & Marshall (22), Dickinson (16), Gettysburg (10) and McDaniel (7) in fourth through seventh, respectively.
The 2023 season kicks off on Friday, Sept. 1 with four Centennial teams opening the season with Friday night contests - F&M, McDaniel, Muhlenberg and Ursinus. Dickinson, Gettysburg and Hopkins are slated to open their campaigns on Saturday, Sept. 2. Conference play will begin in week 4 (Sept. 29-30), with the final day of the regular season set for Saturday, Nov. 11.
2023 Centennial Conference Football Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Johns Hopkins (5) |
35 |
| 2. Muhlenberg (2) |
30 |
| 3. Ursinus |
27 |
| 4. Franklin & Marshall |
22 |
| 5. Dickinson |
16 |
| 6. Gettysburg |
10 |
| 7. McDaniel |
7 |
2023 Schedule |
2022 All-Centennial Team |
D3football.com Rankings
The 2023 season will feature a new look for Centennial football, with long-time associate members Juniata, Moravian and Susquehanna departing the conference. The departures leave the CC with seven teams after previously having 10 football members since 2010. Juniata and Moravian were football members since 2007 while Susquehanna joined the league in 2010. The trio of schools will now compete in the Landmark Conference, which enters its first year with football this fall.
A new champion will be crowned in 2023, as Susquehanna captured its first-ever CC title last fall with a perfect 9-0 record against conference opponents. The River Hawks went on to represent the CC in the NCAA Tournament, falling to Utica 17-10 in the opening round.
In the seventh annual Centennial-MAC Bowl Series, the CC swept all three contests to improve to 13-5 overall in the all-time series, including an 11-1 mark over the past three seasons. Johns Hopkins defeated Stevenson 27-7, Ursinus downed King's 24-13, and Muhlenberg toppled Lebanon Valley 48-21 as all three CC teams posted double-digit margins of victory.
A trio of All-Americans and 35 players with All-Centennial laurels return to the CC this fall. JHU's
Luke Schuermann and
JR Woods headline the returning all-stars as two-time All-Americans. Schuermann is also the two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the Centennial, one of just three players in CC history to win multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards (Dickinson's Eric Dube in 2006-07 and Muhlenberg's Frankie Feaster in 2018-19 were the others).
In the
D3football.com preseason national rankings, Johns Hopkins is ranked 18th while Muhlenberg is one of 22 teams receiving votes.
Returning All-Americans (3)
Luke Schuermann, Johns Hopkins, Sr., DL
- Two-time All-America
- 2022: D3football.com First Team & Associated Press Second Team
- 2021: D3football.com First Team & Associated Press First Team
JR Woods, Johns Hopkins, Gr., OL
- Two-time All-America
- 2022: D3football.com Second Team
- 2021: D3football.com Second Team
Justin Gerhart, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., DB
- 2022: D3football.com Fourth Team
Returning All-Centennial (34)
Diante Ball, Dickinson, Jr., RB (2022 First Team, 2021 Honorable Mention)
Princeton Douglass, Dickinson, Sr., WR (2022 & 2021 Second Team)
Neville Krueger, Dickinson, Sr., DL (2022 Honorable Mention)
Alex Sulin, Dickinson, Sr., DB (2022 Honorable Mention)
Kevonte Beard, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., LB (2022 First Team, 2021 Second Team, 2019 Rookie OTY)
Justin Gerhart, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., DB (2022 First Team)
Aaron Rascoe, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., RB (2022 First Team)
Jeff Decker, Franklin & Marshall, Jr., DL (2022 Second Team)
Jacob Hille, Franklin & Marshall, Jr., LB (2022 Second Team)
Matt Scully, Franklin & Marshall, Jr., LB (2021 Honorable Mention as kick returner)
Chris Lessel, Gettysburg, Sr., DB (2022 Honorable Mention)
Luke Schuermann, Johns Hopkins, Sr., DL (2022 & 2021 First Team, 2022 & 2021 Defensive POTY, 2021 Rookie OTY)
JR Woods, Johns Hopkins, Gr., OL (2022 & 2021 First Team)
Garrett Brophy, Johns Hopkins, Jr., OL (2022 First Team, 2021 Second Team)
Michael Nwosu, Johns Hopkins, So., OL (2022 Second Team)
Josh Polce, Johns Hopkins, Gr., WR (2022 Honorable Mention)
E.J. Talarico, Johns Hopkins, Jr., KR (2022 Honorable Mention)
Keshon Davila, Muhlenberg, Sr., DL (2022 & 2021 Second Team)
Jack Kinerney, Muhlenberg, Sr., OL (2022 First Team)
Zach Greenburg, Muhlenberg, Sr., OL (2021 First Team)
Nick Stannard, Muhlenberg, Sr., K (2021 Second Team)
John Lohrer, Muhlenberg, Sr., DB (2022 Honorable Mention)
Keshawn McDowdell, Muhlenberg, Sr., LB (2022 Honorable Mention)
James Nye, Muhlenberg, Sr., TE (2022 Honorable Mention)
Joe Repetti, Muhlenberg, Jr., QB (2022 Honorable Mention)
Ryan Wreath, Muhlenberg, Jr., OL (2022 Honorable Mention)
Ryan Bodolus, Ursinus, Sr., DL (2022 First Team, 2021 Second Team)
Brett Gross, Ursinus, Sr., LB (2022 First Team, 2021 Second Team)
Ryan DiVergilis, Ursinus, Sr., DB (2022 First Team, 2021 Honorable Mention)
Tony Holden, Ursinus, Jr., RB (2022 Second Team)
Trey Williams, Ursinus, Jr., OL (2022 Second Team)
Justin Collier, Ursinus, Jr., WR (2022 Honorable Mention)
Anthony Esposito, Ursinus, Jr., DB (2022 Honorable Mention)
Billy Cook, Ursinus, Sr., TE (2021 Honorable Mention)
