Oct. 22, 2007

EASTON, Pa. - Walking to the center of the field for coin toss is among the most mundane of tasks for seniors Kyle Sprenkle and Marcel Quarterman, who were elected the 2007 Lafayette football captains by their teammates in the spring season. Both have adjusted to the role within the team and they have accepted the challenges and added responsibility involved.

Both feel the leadership they followed in their first three years with the Leopards positively impacted their ability to act as captains of the team this season. Without the examples of those before them, their leadership may not be as strong, and Sprenkle and Quarterman know the benefits of remaining focused and dedicated to their teammates.

"It means a lot to be a captain. In previous years you see the captains and they are somebody you look up to," Quarterman said. "It feels good to be in this position now and have the younger guys look up to me and to be a leader on this team."

Words of encouragement and lessons passed on from former Leopard captains did not fall on deaf ears. Sprenkle said the discipline and the leadership he and Quarterman emphasize has been the consistent message of the football team since they arrived in Easton.

Both were chosen to step forward and fill the shoes of last year's captains Marvin Snipes, Brad Maurer and Justin Stovall, but they feel the leadership of the team is more than just the two of them. Quarterman and Sprenkle are the point people on a team full of capable leaders.

"It is a great honor, but the whole senior class and really the entire team is special," Sprenkle said. "Everyone has a role to play that contributes to the success of this team."

Striving to leave their own mark on College Hill, each brings his own personalities and perspectives to captaincy. They spent the past summer in Easton building swimming pools, forming both a friendship and a leadership relationship. Working almost everyday together, they got to know each other better than they had in their past three years on the team. Not to say they didn't talk before they became captains or that they were not friends before, but a summer under the sun, helping other people find a way to cool off helped the two determine how they were going to lead this year's team.

"I think we developed a great relationship working with each other over the summer," Quarterman said. "Now we communicate really well together and we're on the same page with everything, usually. We don't have too many disagreements on how things should be."

Together they are the bridge from their teammates to the Lafayette coaching staff. There to keep everyone in line, their roles are especially important when no one is looking and the coaches are not around. Sprenkle and Quarterman do everything they can to motivate their teammates into doing the right things.

"We are an extension of the coaches. We have to keep the players in line, especially when the coaches are not around," Quarterman said. "You are talking to the coaches because they are looking to you to see what's going on with the players and you are there for your teammates to motivate them because the coaches can't always be there to motivate everybody."

A native of Philadelphia, Quarterman has taken his captaincy as an opportunity to better communicate with his teammates. He continually strives to relay how the team feels to the coaching staff, reinforce the coaches' messages to his teammates and to communicate with the Leopards' offense.

Both captains are members of the defensive unit, making it a bit more challenging, but not impossible to communicate to the entire team. The offense may be on the opposite side of the field for practice, but everyone wears the same colors on Saturday.

"Before the game, I try to give a good little pep talk, especially to the defensive unit," Sprenkle said. "Marcel and I get up before the game and tell the team what we feel we need to tell them."

Sprenkle, Quarterman and the rest of the Leopards make sure they are encouraging the offense on a job well done and reminding them that they know they are capable of more and that there are more points to be earned.

"I was the kind of guy who tried to do things right and to lead by example," Quarterman said. "Once I became a captain I felt more obligated to say things and try to motivate my teammates by doing more than just showing through my examples."

Part of the learning experience for Sprenkle has been to lead more with his voice. The History major is admittedly a bit quieter than his co-captain, but knows his greatest asset is his ability to lead by the example he sets in Fisher Stadium.

"I am planning on teaching and having students depend on me. I have to be the captain of the classroom basically," Sprenkle said. "I have so much more experience now with the challenges of being a football captain here."

Football aside, there are benefits for every student-athlete that can be used in the future. Quarterman, an Economics and Business major, knows the skill sets of determination, dedication and communication from the field and the classroom can be applied in life after graduation.

"I think the responsibility of being a team player and providing leadership all come in handy when you are in the outside world," Quarterman said. "I think all athletic experiences help you in the future tremendously."

Leadership is a learning experience, whether it is balancing the added time commitment of regular meetings with head coach Frank Tavani, determining the best way to motivate teammates during practice or learning how to work together in a new roll. Both captains know the benefits of their captaincy will serve them well off the field and after leaving College Hill.