Wednesday, August 10, 2016

FOOTBALL - Surma, Long join Warrior football staff

Warrior's Head Coach Mike Clark (A LycomingFootball.com File Photo)
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Lycoming College ninth-year head coach Mike Clark announced the addition of defensive passing game coordinator Mark Surma and offensive line assistant Chris Long to the football team’s 2016 staff, as the team will benefit from the tutelage of nine coaches and two student-assistants when training camp opens on Thursday, Aug. 14.


While seven assistant coaches return, several will accept new responsibilities, including fourth year assistant Tim Landis, who will become the special teams coordinator along with his duties as recruiting coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and sixth-year assistantPat Taylor, who becomes the run game coordinator along with offensive line coach. Fifth-year assistant Chris Kish will move into the linebackers coaching slot after four years of assisting Mike Weber, who retired after more than two decades in that role. Jermaine Reyes will also continue to work with the staff, serving again as an assistant linebackers coach.

Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Steve Wiser (43rd year) also returns, while two former Warriors – Brian Campbell (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area) and Eric Bonenberger (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) – will serve as student assistants while finishing their degree requirements.

Surma comes to Lycoming after three years at Division I Lehigh University. He will serve as the team's defensive passing game coordinator while also focusing on the defensive backs.

Surma spent the previous three seasons at Lehigh University, where he served as an outside linebackers/rovers coach for the past two years after working with defensive backs in his first year with the program. During his time in the program, the Mountain Hawks enjoyed two winning seasons and one win in The Rivalry game against Lafayette.

Prior to joining the Lehigh coaching staff in 2013, Surma spent six seasons at Franklin & Marshall College, the first four as a student-athlete and the last two as an assistant coach.

A former all-conference defensive lineman, Surma spent two seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, working with the outside linebackers in 2011 and the defensive line in 2012. Among his duties with the Diplomats, Surma was responsible for practice and game planning, scouting, film preparation and recruiting. Franklin & Marshall posted a 7-4 record in 2012.

Surma was a three-year starter on the defensive line for Franklin & Marshall and served as team captain in 2009 and 2010. He earned all-conference honors following both his junior and senior seasons. Surma was F&M’s Lineman of the Year in 2009 and received the Thomas Caterbone ’86 Memorial Award in 2010. The award is presented to the player who best exemplifies Caterbone’s love of football, the spirit of competition and enthusiasm for the game.

A graduate of Central High School in Philadelphia, Surma graduated from Franklin & Marshall magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 2011.

With 12 years of experience at the high school level, Chris Long will make the transition to coaching college football in 2016 as an assistant offensive line coach for the Warriors.

Long spent the last 11 seasons with the Warrior Run Area High School program, including spending the last five seasons as the defensive coordinator. Before that he worked as the defensive and offensive line coach for the Defenders from 2005-10, helping the 2005 team to a share of the Central Susquehanna Conference Division II title and District 4 playoff appearances in 2005-06.

Long, who is a school counselor at Warrior Run Middle School, also coached the offensive and defensive lines for one season at Milton Area High School. Long was also a two-year member of Bucknell University’s football team.

Long earned a Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Bucknell in 1996 and a Master’s in School Counseling in 2002. Long and his wife, Diane, have a daughter, Ashley, and son, Caleb.

Campbell begins his coaching career with the Warriors after wrapping up his all-conference quality career in 2015. He will assist mainly with the defensive line.

A talented athlete, Campbell saw time as a linebacker and running back while earning four letters with the team. After transitioning to defense as a sophomore, he immediately transitioned to the regular rotation at linebacker. Over the next three years, he notched 128 tackles, 13 for loss, forced three fumbles, notched two sacks and defended three passes.

He enjoyed his finest season in 2014, when he earned Honorable Mention All-MAC honors, posting 67 tackles, 7.5 for loss and a sack.

Campbell is finishing requirements for a Bachelor’s degree in business management.

Bonenberger begins his first year on the sidelines while he wraps up his requirements for a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

A two-year letter winner for the Warriors, Bonenberger appeared in 13 games in his career, including starting three games in 2015 before an injury ended his season.

Prior to Lycoming, Bonenberger spent one season at Delaware Valley in 2012, helping the team to an ECAC Southeast Bowl Championship.

The Warriors open the 2016 season on Saturday, Sept. 3, when they host rival Susquehanna University for the Stagg Hat Trophy at 1 p.m.