Juniata football names captains for 2008 season

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Three seniors and a junior have been selected by their teammates to be the Juniata College football captains for 2008.

Senior quarterback Jay Leonard (Newville, Pa./Big Spring), senior wide receiver Chad Steiner (Frederick, Md./Frederick), senior linebacker Josh Roy (Fredericksburg, Pa./Northern Lebanon), and junior defensive back Brandon Spayd (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon Area) were elected team captains at a team meeting on Tuesday evening.

"Our captains this year are outstanding competitors. They compete in the weight room, they compete on the practice field – they do all the things to model the behavior that we want to see in a Juniata College football player," said Juniata head coach Darrell Alt.

"Their biggest challenge is to make sure this group of 40 freshman that came in understand the Juniata College football way of doing things. That's why I think their jobs are so critical: getting this young group of guys into the mix, and the way we want to do things," said Alt.

Leonard heads into his final season needing just 547 yards passing to become Juniata's all-time career passing leader. He threw for 2,360 yards last season, completing better than 49 percent of his pass attempts and throwing for 15 touchdowns. His 15 career 200-yard passing games is best among active Centennial Conference quarterbacks.

Steiner averaged 36.6 yards per game receiving last season, and finished the season with 31 receptions for 256 yards despite playing in only seven games due to injury. He has 412 yards receiving over the first three seasons of his career, and will be one of Juniata's starting receivers for this Saturday's opener against Allegheny College.

Roy earned Honorable Mention All-Centennial Conference honors in 2007, after leading Juniata and ranking second in the league with 105 total tackles. He heads into his final season in Blue and Gold with 215 total tackles for his career.

Spayd was second on the team in total tackles last season with 82, including 41 solo stops.

Juniata opens its 2008 season this Saturday, Sept. 6, at Knox Stadium against Allegheny College. The Gators, out of the North Coast Athletic Conference, were 5-5 last season. 

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