Cedar City • Southern Utah University's football team will begin preparation Monday to defend its 2010 Great West Conference championship next year as official spring practice sessions begin.

The team opened spring ball with three days of NCAA-mandated orientation last week in preparation for the 15 practice sessions, which begin Monday. The schedule calls for the team to be on the field four times next week, three times in each of the following three weeks, and twice in the final week. The annual spring game is slated for April 16 in Eccles Coliseum with scrimmages tentatively scheduled April 2 and April 9.

Southern Utah returns 16 starters and 47 lettermen from the 2010 squad, which went 6-5 overall, including a 4-0 mark in Great West games. Nine starters including junior quarterback Brad Sorensen, a first-team all-Great West Conference selection, return on offense. So do first-team selections Austin Minefee at running back, and linemen Gavin Farr, Trevor Schauerhamer and Zach Brackus. Six defensive starters including 2010 leading tackler and second-team all-conference linebacker Blake Fenn. So do first-team defensive end Tyler Osborne and safety Erron Vonner.

Sorensen made an assault on the SUU single-game and single-season record books last year, as he completed 261 of 390 attempts for a school-record 3,163 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. His 261 completions were the second-most in school history, his 390 attempts were third most and the 21 scoring strikes are tied as the third-most in a season at SUU. SUU also returns all five starters on the offensive line and its tight ends.

The biggest challenge on the offensive will be replacing all-American Tysson Poots and all-GWC performer Fesi Sitake at the wide receiver positions. Battling in to replace them in spring ball will be senior Jared Ursua and junior Justin Brown,

On defense, the team will be faced with replacing two all-conference linebackers, four-time all-GWC cornerback Colin Pretlow and safety Matt Holley.