Jan 18, 2008 - 04:05:26 CST
University of Mary football coach Myron Schulz was left with several holes to fill when the Marauders ended their season last fall.Schulz and his staff saw gaps on defense from a graduating senior class.
One of the questions that loomed on the offensive side was who would replace Blair Sandy at quarterback a position many consider the most important.
Henry Lau, a transfer from Rochester (Minn.)Community and Technical College, will provide a capable arm during spring practice and preseason camp.
The 6-foot-6, 240-pound junior transferred to U-Mary at the semester break and is pursuing a history education major.
"I really like the coaches here," Lau said. "I like coach (Chris)Fisk a lot and what he had to say about the offense. Coach (Bud) Etzold came to visit me in Rochester. I liked what they had to offer."
Sandy led U-Mary to a 7-4 record this past season. The Harvey native completed 217 of 396 passes for 2,743 yards. He also had 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Backup Jesse Kozak, a junior from Santa Rosa, Calif., completed 1 of 3 passes for 7 yards and an interception.
Redshirt freshmen Justin English (Cooper City, Fla.) will also be competing for time under center.
Lau, a native of Menomonee Falls, Wis., brings impressive credentials to the Marauders. He was invited as a walk-on at Purdue out of high school.
Lau entered Purdue as the sixth quarterback on the depth chart in a redshirt season. He worked his way up to the third position during spring ball.
Lau's quarterback coach left Purdue, and he decided to transfer to Rochester.
"I talked to some people, and they suggested to go to a junior college where I could get more exposure,"Lau said.
Rochester is an NJCAA Division III school that is non-scholarship.
Lau led the Yellowjackets to an 11-0 overall record and a No. 6 national rating. NJCAA teams play in one division, which means Rochester was competing against scholarship programs. Rochester, however, was awarded the Division III national title, which is picked by an NJCAA committee.
Despite the impressive record, the Yellowjackets weren't chosen for a bowl game.
Lau completed 133 of 228 attempts for 2,227 yards. He threw 25 touchdown passes and was picked off just nine times.
Lau helped the Yellowjackets win 18 games in two years.
"He didn't have a positive experience at Purdue, and he came to us for a fresh start," Rochester coach Brad LaPlante said. "He was a great leader for us. His body drastically changed in a year and half with us. He lost a lot of weight and built more muscle. He did a lot of extra things outside the weight room."
LaPlante said U-Mary is the perfect fit for Lau.
"The offense they will be running will fit what he does well and what he doesn't do well," LaPlante said. "It sounds like (U-Mary) is the show in town, and he will enjoy that."
Lau also thought U-Mary was the best fit for his skills.
"They run a spread offense, and they like to throw the ball a lot,"Lau said. "A lot of the stuff falls on the quarterback's hands. I can make decisions on the line in where I'm going to go."
Lau graduated early from Rochester so he could come to the U-Mary campus and start working out.
"I can't wait to throw to the receivers,"Lau said. "I wanted to come in for spring football and start learning the offense and build team camaraderie. I know (U-Mary) has a good program and can compete with everyone in the Northern Sun."
Lau said U-Mary is also recruiting two of his teammates, a kicker and a linebacker.
Schulz declined to comment on his recruits until Feb. 6, the national signing date for college players.
Linda & Boys wrote on Jan 27, 2008 4:54 PM:
sleepy wrote on Jan 18, 2008 6:42 AM:
Lau sounds like a great addition to that program.
Hopefully they can get some help on the defensive side of the ball. "
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