[Previous entry: "Rough Riders first game Saturday"] [Next entry: "Former Cornhusker & NFL Star coming Home to Superior!"]

06/16/2007: "RoughRiders kick off season tonight against Milwaukee"

Published - Saturday, June 16, 2007



RoughRiders kick off season tonight against Milwaukee


By Rick Solem | Winona Daily News


Every year it’s the same thing with the Winona/La Crosse RoughRiders semiprofessional football team.



The defense always will be good. The offense always will have some question marks.



A new quarterback, new running backs and a new cast of receivers make up the backfield and edges for the RoughRiders.





They do return four of five offensive lineman and their most consistent receiver the past few years, tight end Aaron Woelfel.



Jed Neal will start at quarterback tonight at 7:30 p.m. for the RoughRiders, who open against Milwaukee in a nonconference game at Maxwell Field on the Winona State University campus.



“I’m not trying to sound like we’re just throwing him in there, because he’s a good player, but Jed is a converted wide receiver,” RoughRiders coach Paul Anderson said. “He has a real nice arm. I would consider him a running quarterback. He played quarterback as a backup in college at Dubuque.”



The running back position will be between former UW-La Crosse back Tom Stark and former Winona State back Eric Williams.



Williams played in the early 2000s for WSU and was the RoughRiders’ leading rusher in 2003 and ’04.



“Even though it looks like a position of need,” Anderson said, “I feel real confident in those guys.”



Along with Woefel at tight end, the RoughRiders have brought in former UW-L basketball player Joe Werner.



“He was invited to Packers minicamp last year,” Anderson said. “He has great size and speed. With Woelfel, we’re set at tight end.”



The defense, like every season, will be the soul of the RoughRiders.



“We always have to make adjustments on offense it seems,” Anderson said, “but the defense is going to be good. It always has and always will be.



“The players that come back every year on defense enjoy it and that’s why they’re back. They can always dominate a game.”



That said, defensive coordinator Carl Rosenburg will be gone, accepting a job at UW-Stevens Point, according to the RoughRiders Web site.



The only significant change on defense will be the possibility of going from a 4-3 to a 3-4 set.



“We’re stacked at linebacker,” Anderson said.



Off the field, the atmosphere is geared toward the fans, especially the kids. There will be games and competitions for both kids and adults. Tickets for the games, played at Maxwell Field, are $6. Kids 5 and younger will be admitted free.





All stories copyright 2000 - 2006 Winona Daily News and other attributed sources.