By John Regenfuss
D3sports.com
Welcome to the race for second place, Hanover. On Saturday, the Panthers punched their ticket to the 2003 playoffs by earning their second-consecutive and eighth overall Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship with a 26-24 victory against Mt. St. Joseph (6-3, 4-2). As the score indicates, though, it was anything but easy.
Hanover (7-2, 5-0) kicker Nathan Littlefield converted on a 26-yard field goal attempt with 1:19 remaining to provide the Panthers with the winning margin. The field goal put the finishing touches on a 12-play game-winning drive orchestrated by quarterback Brett Dietz. The senior signal-caller was his usual brilliant self on the day against a very tough and talented defense, throwing for 319 yards while completing 39 of 59 passes. Dietz tossed two touchdowns and caught a 12-yard score from wingback Clint Bobb.
Panthers running back Adam Stevenson also starred, totaling 240 yards in the game (53 rushing, 63 receiving, 124 kick returns).
Ricky Story and Mike Dane combined to lead Mount St. Joseph. Story rushed for 72 yards and scored the key touchdown that put the Lions ahead 24-23. Dane, the MSJC quarterback, threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
The win improves Hanover's all-time record vs. Mount St. Joseph to 12-0.
Hanover finishes its regular season slate this weekend, as the Panthers head to Franklin (2-7, 2-3) to play the fourth-place Grizzlies. Mount St. Joseph will try to cap its second season as an HCAC contender with a win at home against non-conference, border-war foe Thomas More (5-4).
Down to the wire
All went according to expectations on Saturday in the CCIW and the WIAC, setting up winner-take-all contests for the conference championships this weekend.
Wheaton (9-0, 6-0) and Augustana (7-2, 6-0) passed their upset alert tests last weekend in impressive fashion, trampling their respective CCIW opponents.
Wheaton, the No. 4 team in the nation, won its 18th-consecutive regular season game by pounding North Park 61-12. Thunder quarterback Chad Bradley broke his own school record for completion percentage by connecting on 21 of his 24 attempts (87.5%). Bradley totaled 281 yards of passing and threw for three touchdowns. Receiver Andrew King caught 10 balls for 97 yards and two scores.
Augustana also flexed its offensive muscles on Saturday, routing Carthage 56-20 to collect its seventh-consecutive win of the season. The Vikings have won seven in a row versus the Redmen and have been victorious in 55 of its 73 all-time meetings with Carthage.
The Vikings utilized a potent and punishing rushing attack to secure the win. Augustana amassed 386 yards on the ground thanks much in part to the efforts of a trio of runners in Aaron Kuzniar (92 yards), Mike Guzman (88 yards), and Kyle Zick (85 yards).
The Augustana defense was also up to the task. The unit held Redmen running back Dante Washington, the nation's third-leading rusher, to just 25 yards at halftime and 120 total rushing yards by game's end.
UW-La Crosse (8-1, 5-1) and UW-Whitewater (7-2, 5-1) also avoided a setback Saturday scenario by downing their respective Week 10 WIAC foes.
The Eagles of UW-La Crosse, on the strength of 241 rushing yards from Andrew Mocadlo, got by UW-River Falls, 34-22. The La Crosse defense allowed the Falcons just six yards passing but gave up 344 yards on the ground.
UW-Whitewater bounced back nicely from last week's 60-30 thrashing at the hands of UW-Stevens Point, to breeze past UW-Oshkosh 34-6. The Warhawk victory avenged a 21-20 loss to the Titans in 2002.
Running back Chad Wurth powered the Warhawks to victory by setting a school record for points scored in a game with 34. Wurth gained 187 yards on 23 rushes and scored four touchdowns. He also kicked field goals of 20 and 39 yards and converted on three PATs.
The Whitewater defense also played a major role in the win. The unit held Oshkosh to minus-three net yards of rushing and recorded four sacks and one interception.
Thoughts to ponder
Do you realize that the nation's No. 13 team has no chance of making the playoffs? I know this happens every year to a number of teams but something is seriously wrong with the NCAA's playoff format when a team is good enough to be ranked No. 13 in the nation but not good enough to qualify for the postseason. Will the pending playoff field expansion do anything to end or abate this inequity? That is yet to be determined.
Similarly, if UW-Whitewater beats UW-La Crosse this weekend, the current No. 8 team in the nation will also be denied a postseason berth.
A storied rivalry
Last Saturday, Knox and Monmouth of the Midwest Conference renewed the third-longest rivalry in Division III football and the sixth-oldest in the nation. Monmouth easily won the 115th meeting of the two rivals, 39-8, to claim the Scots' fifth-consecutive victory versus the Prairie Fire. The win also keeps the coveted Bronze Turkey trophy in Monmouth until next season's clash. Monmouth leads the all-time series, 55-50-10.
The game also featured the final start in the brilliant career of Monmouth quarterback Rob Purlee. Versus Knox, the senior signal-caller threw for 312 yards, establishing a Scot career passing record of 2,561 yards. Purlee also tossed four touchdowns in Monmouth's eighth MWC win of the season.
"I feel great for all of our seniors," Monmouth coach Steve Bell told the Galesburg Register Mail. "Winning all four of their games against Knox is something they will always remember, and Rob is the first Monmouth quarterback to ever win four in a row against them."
The victory secured second-place in the Midwest Conference for the Scots (8-2, 8-1) and capped off a seven-game winning streak to conclude the season. Monmouth finished just one game behind league-champion St. Norbert.
Not finished just yet
Despite having clinched their respective conference titles last weekend, St. Norbert and Concordia (Wis.) maintained their winning ways by notching victories on Saturday. This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise because while the games, on the surface, were insignificant, they did have hidden meaning.
St. Norbert beat Lake Forest 20-6 last weekend to avenge last season's crushing defeat to the Foresters. In 2002, Lake Forest blanked St. Norbert 17-0 to deny the Green Knights a fourth consecutive berth to the NCAA playoffs.
The Green Knights' offensive firepower came from the 1-2 punch of running back Aljay Wren and quarterback Ryan Hartman. Wren carried the ball 38 times for 165 yards while Hartman threw three touchdown passes. The St. Norbert defense stepped up to hold the Foresters to 166 total yards, including just 30 yards of rushing.
Concordia knocked off MacMurray on Saturday 35-14, completing the Highlanders' fall from the IBFC elite and soundly confirming the Falcons as the conference's new power. MacMurray, the two-time defending conference champion, edged Concordia the past two years en route to undefeated league seasons and the Division III postseason.
The Falcons' winning impetus was provided by a dominant rushing assault. Concordia outgained MacMurray on the ground 255 to 35. Aaron Gillespie led the Falcons' rush attack, tallying 90 yards on 14 carries.
Receiver Jon Collier of Concordia (Wis.) did his part via the air, hauling in four passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Notes
IBFC: In his final game at Benedictine, senior receiver Sebastian Singleton caught 15 passes for 262 yards and five touchdowns in a 61-34 loss to Lakeland. ... With its 28-26 edging of Eureka, Concordia (Ill.) notched its second victory of the season, doubling its win total from the past three years combined. ... Aurora wrapped up sole possession of third place in the IBFC with its 36-20 topping of Greenville.
MWC: Beloit quarterback Nate Skelton completed 18 of 23 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns, including a game-winning 67-yard scoring toss to Tim Mertins, in the Buccaneers' 35-28 win over Illinois College. ... In the battle of the Pioneers, running back Tony Salvage rolled up 195 yards of rushing on 41 carries to lead Carroll past Grinnell 27-20. ... Ripon maintained possession of the prized Heselton-Doehling trophy by beating Lawrence, thanks to a botched extra point attempt 14-13 in the oldest collegiate rivalry in the state of Wisconsin. ... No. 17 St. Norbert is just one of two Division III teams in the nation to currently have a 10-0 record.
HCAC: Manchester forced and recovered a Bluffton fumble on the Spartan 1-yard line in the third overtime to secure a 33-25 win over the Beavers ... Manchester and Bluffton combined for just one penalty in the three-overtime thriller ... Anderson quarterback Joel Steele continues to post eye-popping offensive numbers in 2003, as he threw for 463 yards and six touchdowns in the Ravens' 55-42 victory versus Franklin.
CCIW: Kicker Andy Beals became Millikin's all-time leading scorer (270 points) and quarterback Donnell Brown moved into second place on the Big Blue's career passing list (4,653 yards) in its 39-16 pounding of North Central. ... Elmhurst put a decisive end to 17-game losing streak to Illinois Wesleyan, as the Bluejays doubled up the Titans 40-20. ... In the win, EC quarterback Dom Demma became the school's single-season leader in passing yardage (2,091) and total yardage (1,976) and is one touchdown pass shy (19) of tying the Bluejay mark for scoring passes in a season.
WIAC: With its 55-21 win against UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point has scored 115 points in the past two weekends and is averaging 38.3 points per game this season. ... Pointer quarterback Scott Krause totaled 427 passing yards and four touchdowns in UW-SP's seventh victory of the year. ... With his 11-reception, 238-yard performance versus UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire receiver Erik Ferguson established the school's single-season receiving mark (1,015) and became the first-ever Blugold pass-catcher to break the 1,000-yard mark. ... Stout running back Luke Bundgaard racked up 137 rushing yards on 37 carries and three touchdowns in the Blue Devils' 43-36 win against Eau Claire.
Elsewhere: Washington U. (6-4, 4-0) secured its 11th-consecutive winning season with its 37-35 win over Carnegie Mellon ... In the victory, Bear wide receiver Brad Duessling became just the third player in Division III history to register 1,000 yards receiving in his first two collegiate seasons.
In addition to the four nationally ranked Midwest region teams, three other squads are receiving votes in the latest D3football.com poll: UW-Whitewater (55), Concordia (Wis.) (28), and Augustana (17) ... My top 10 Midwest region teams through 10 weeks: 1. UW-La Crosse (8-1), 2. Wheaton (9-0), 3. UW-Stevens Point (7-2), 4. St. Norbert (10-0), 5. UW-Whitewater (7-2), 6. Concordia (Wis.) (9-1), 7. Augustana (7-2), 8. Hanover (7-2), 9. Millikin (7-2), 10. Monmouth (8-2).
Games of the Week
No. 4 Wheaton (9-0, 6-0) at Augustana (7-2, 6-0), Rock Island, Ill., 1 p.m.: It all comes down to this. To the victors go the spoils in the form of the 2003 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship and the conference's automatic bid to NCAA postseason competition. The contest pits the league's highest-scoring offense versus the conference's stingiest defense. There is a lot of recent history and, most assuredly, commensurate animosity between the two squads. A year ago, in the exact same situation, Wheaton humbled Augustana at home 38-14 to capture the CCIW crown and advance to the playoffs. Also, Augustana has just two conference losses in the last two years, both to Wheaton. The Vikings have not beaten the Thunder since 1999.
UW-Whitewater (7-2, 5-1) at No. 8 UW-La Crosse (8-1, 5-1), La Crosse, Wis., 1 p.m.: It doesn't get any simpler than this. Win and you're in, lose and you're out. A victory means a coveted WIAC championship and a berth to the postseason while a loss represents the end of a season. The Warhawks are searching for its first WIAC title since 1998 while the Eagles are seeking their second-consecutive conference crown. Even though UW-L was the WIAC champs in 2002, its lone loss of the season was to Whitewater, a 23-20 setback. Thus, a bit of payback may be in the corner of the Eagles' mind. La Crosse also knows that, despite its 8-1 record, high national rankings, and several impressive non-conference wins, a second loss will earn them nothing but a long offseason to think about what might have been.
