By John Regenfuss
D3sports.com
For me, the 2004 Division III football season cannot begin soon enough. The last eight months without college football, as it usually is, has been interminable. But late summer is here with fall soon to follow and that means one thing. It's time to strap on the helmet and lace up the shoulder pads.
This really is the best time of the year. Everyone is undefeated. Hope abounds. An offseason of preparation and anticipation is about to give way to a season of potential and opportunity.
Thinking about the Midwest Region, it is, to say the very least, an interesting area of the country for Division III football. It is never wont for engaging storylines, contentious debates, and, of course, hard-nosed play and entertaining games. That's why I enjoy reporting on this region and that's why I am happy to have been invited back to provide a second year of coverage of Midwest Region play for D3football.com. I am looking forward to another season of excitement, intrigue, controversy, and outstanding performances.
2003 In Review
Before looking ahead to preview the 2004 season, let's take a quick look back and highlight the teams that won conference crowns in 2003 and recall how they fared in the postseason.
Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin: The Wheaton Thunder ran the table in the CCIW with a perfect 7-0 record. A 28-27 victory over rival Augustana in the final week of the regular season gave Wheaton its second consecutive CCIW championship. In the playoffs, the Thunder knocked off Hope, 55-45, and Baldwin-Wallace, 16-12, before bowing out at the hands of national runner-up Mount Union, 56-10.
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference: Thanks to one of the nation's more potent offensive attacks, Hanover went undefeated in HCAC play to capture its second-straight league championship. Most of Hanover's conference wins were certified blowouts, with the most notable exception being a 26-24 squeaker versus defensive-minded Mt. St. Joseph. The Panthers were bounced from the postseason in the first round by Baldwin-Wallace by a score of 54-32.
Illini-Badger Football Conference: Concordia (Wis.) flat-out dominated the IBFC in 2003, defeating its foes by an average margin of 47-8. Its spotless 7-0 mark earned the Falcons their first-ever IBFC title. In the postseason, it was Concordia's turn to get dominated. In its inaugural NCAA Division III playoff appearance, the Falcons were hammered by WIAC powerhouse UW-La Crosse, 52-13.
Midwest Conference: In 2003, St. Norbert, once again, proved to be the class of the Midwest Conference. The competition in the MWC turned out to be little competition at all for the perennial titans, with the surprise exception of Lawrence, which the Green Knights edged 28-24 in early October. An undefeated 9-0 league record earned St. Norbert a well-deserved berth to the 2003 postseason. The Green Knights silenced the MWC critics, at least for one day, with a 26-20 first-round win over Simpson. One week later, eventual national champion St. John's ended SNC's season with a 38-13 victory.
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: In another wild WIAC season, UW-LaCrosse managed to fight through upset bids and win key games to garner the 2003 conference championship. A three-point road loss to UW-Eau Claire in October put that title in doubt but a victory over UW-Whitewater in the final WIAC contest propelled the Eagles to the playoffs. LaCrosse cruised in the first round, pounding Concordia (Wis.), but its national title aspirations were abruptly halted one week later by Mount Union.
2004 Midwest Region Season Preview
To preview the region, I will break down the conferences by placing their top teams into three categories � the Favorites, the Contenders, and the Dark Horses. The Favorites are teams that have all the pieces in place to win a conference championship and, if they stay healthy, should accomplish that feat. The Contenders are teams that are poised to challenge the conference favorites and well-suited and talented enough to take advantage of any letdowns by or major injuries to the league elite. The Dark Horses are teams that may, with a few breaks and with some luck, make a serious run at the conference championship but also may have the opportunity to act as a spoiler, pulling off an upset that throws the league standings into disarray.
Favorites
A year after Wheaton won a school-record 12 games, the Thunder will need to find replacements for 14 starters to repeat or improve upon that feat and gain a third-consecutive CCIW title. The good news is that two-time All-CCIW wide receiver Brad Musso is back to lead the offense. Musso caught 72 passes for 1,338 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2003. The bad news is that the source of those passes, the 2003 CCIW Offensive Player of the Year Chad Bradley, has graduated. Juniors Frank Andrews and Will Ahberg along with sophomore Jeremy Chupp will vie for the starting quarterback spot. Senior Garrett Grandberg, who rushed for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns in part-time duty, will man the tailback position. The offensive line returns just two starters.
Two key components of the Thunder defensive line in senior end Tim Cryer and senior tackle Marcos Gutierrez. Cryer led Wheaton with eight and a half sacks while Gutierrez contributed five. The starting linebacking corps was decimated by graduation but three seniors in Jeff Grandy, Justin Boxley, and Jared Heckendorn are poised to step into first-team roles. Questions are numerous in the secondary also but senior cornerbacks Caleb Walters and Mike Lindberg will lend veteran experience to the group.
Wheaton's road to another conference crown is made tougher by the fact it must play top threats Augustana and Millikin on the road.
Two-time defending HCAC champion Hanover gets back 15 starters but will sorely miss four key parts of its offensive juggernaut. Gone is aerial artist quarterback Brett Dietz and three of his top receivers. Stepping in to fill the void behind center will likely be Rick Webster, but the junior has a grand total of zero starts in his career. Seniors Clint Bobb (60 receptions, six touchdowns) and Adam Stevenson (43 receptions, 464 rushing yards, six total TDs), both 2003 All-HCAC selections, return to add punch to the potent Panther offense.
Experience on the defensive side of the ball is found at linebacker and in the defensive backfield. Two first-team all-conference linebackers in seniors Michael Creeden (133 tackles) and Tad Brittingham (110 tackles, six sacks) will lead the defense. Starting defensive backs Brian Michitti, Stephen Hurle, Adam Goodman, and Brandt Downing combined for eight interceptions in 2003.
Getting past the non-conference portion with its confidence in tact will be vitally important considering the Panthers begin the 2004 season with Thomas More (6-4), Washington and Jefferson (9-2), Bridgewater (Va.) (12-2), and Waynesburg (9-2) on the schedule.
Concordia (Wis.) experienced little resistance en route to a Illini-Badger Football Conference championship in 2003 and head coach Jeff Gabrielsen gets back 15 players back to try to duplicate that dominating league performance. Most notably among those returnees may be fifth-year quarterback Brad Sonnerborn (1,075 passing yards) and running back Manny Mills (1,075 rushing yards). Receivers Jon Collier and Brandon Parker, who each caught 26 passes a year ago, will bolster the Falcon offense.
The 2003 nationally ranked Falcon defense welcomes back seven starters including all-conference performers safety Mike Litrenta, end David Taylor, and linebacker Mike Schwab.
Concordia will be tested early with non-conference opponents Monmouth, UW-Oshkosh, and Wisconsin Lutheran on the schedule.
Identifying St. Norbert as the favorite to win the MWC championship seems to be annual certainty and I see no reason to doubt its ability to capture another crown this year. That simple statement is a testament to the Green Knights utter dominance of the Midwest Conference over the past five years.
If that is to happen, quarterback Ryan Hartman will have a major say in it. The senior has NFL-type size (6-5, 230) and impressive stats (2,391 yards, 26 TDs) to back it up. Junior running back Casey Meehan will be prime weapon for Hartman, having accumulated 1,062 combined rushing and receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2003. All-American tackle Sean Rierdon will help provide protection for Hartman and pave the way for Meehan.
Linebacker Ben Creamer, the Green Knights' second-leading tackler a year ago, and cornerback Anthony Triner, the team's leader in pass breakups in 2003, will headline the St. Norbert defense. Defensive lineman Bob Latterman (44 tackles and five sacks) will be counted on to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
UW-La Crosse is a team so feared that no one in Division III wants to play them. OK, so that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the No. 4-ranked Eagles play just 10 regular season games this year and their non-conference competition consists of two Division II schools. La Crosse will not play a home game until Oct. 16, its fifth game of the 2004 campaign.
In search of its third consecutive WIAC championship, La Crosse returns 16 starters. On offense, quarterback Steve Tennies is back to trigger the Eagle offense. Last season, Tennies threw for 2,522 yards and 20 scores. But replacing the gaping hole left by the graduation of All-American tailback Andrew Mocadlo will be a daunting task. A three-headed backfield monster of seniors Ben Dorsey and Matt Pagel and junior Mark Wilcox will attempt to fill the void. Tennies' favorite target, senior receiver Scott Burnoski, will strive to improve on his 76 reception, 1,100 yard, nine touchdown 2003 performance. Up front, all five lineman from last season's record-setting offense return. Plus, the group gets back 2002 all-conference lineman Chris Ahrens, a senior who missed the 2003 season due to injury.
Seven starters, including four All-WIAC selections, will make the Eagle defense among the most formidable in the region. Linebackers Dustin Powell and Adam Schneider, the unit's top two leading tacklers, will anchor the defense. The strength of the La Crosse secondary is its safeties. Juniors Jacob Burch and Kenneth Halvorson combined for seven interceptions a year ago.
Contenders
In 2003, Augustana fell just two points shy of winning the CCIW title, falling to champ Wheaton in the final week of the season. If the Vikings are to threaten Wheaton's recent stranglehold on the CCIW, they will need its relatively veteran offense to carry the load early in the year until its young and inexperienced defense catches up. Eight starters return on offense but replacements at quarterback and wingback will need to be discovered. Just three first-teamers are back on from defense that was highly ranked in four Division III statistical categories. Two-time All-CCIW linebacker Steve Szpejnowski, the Vikings' leading tackler in 2002 and 2003, will provide stability to the defense.
Its schedule does not do it any favors, as Augustana plays six road games. However, the Vikings will get Wheaton at home on Nov. 13.
If there is a team designed to counter the high-powered offense of HCAC stalwart Hanover, it's the defensively stout Mt. St. Joseph Lions. The Mount provided the Panthers with their stiffest competition in 2003 and that may be the case again this year. The linebacking corps looks to be the strength of the defense with All-HCAC picks Andrew Ackerman and Brooks Kloosterman returning, along with its leading tackler in P.J. Volker. On offense, the Lions return their leading rusher, Ricky Story (908 yards), and top pass-catcher, Andy Wellendorf (42 receptions, eight TDs).
Mt. St. Joseph will be able to find out how they measure up to Hanover very early in the season, as the Lions and the Panthers will square off in week one of HCAC competition (Oct. 2).
After going to the playoffs in 2001 and 2002, MacMurray fell off the regional radar in 2003, posting a 5-5 record. But the Highlanders have 17 starting returnees who would like nothing more than to improve upon that disappointing mark. Sophomore quarterback Mike Schmidtke, who earned All-IBFC honorable mention honors last season despite starting just five games, will key MacMurray's offense. The Highlanders also have back their leading rusher in Peter Ereg and all-conference wideout Anthony Ballerino. Linebacker Orlando Hughes and defensive lineman Peter Bray headline a defense that returns eight starters.
MacMurray must be quick from the gates if it is to regain its elite status because the Highlanders face defending IBFC champion Concordia (Wis.) on September 25, the opening week of conference play.
In the MWC, it's not a question of which team will challenge conference kings St. Norbert for the crown but if a team will challenge the Green Knights. From all appearances, Lake Forest might be the lone chief challenger to St. Norbert's reign in 2004. On offense, Forester leading receiver Nick Hildreth (41 receptions, four TDs) represents the nucleus of the group but who will get him the ball is the big question with 2003 starting quarterback Don Lackey departed. The defensive is fronted by All-American end David Bleitner and cornerback Drew Holman. Bleitner, a 6-0, 227 senior, recorded 15.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss a year ago. Holman has picked off 11 passes in the last two seasons.
The Foresters showdown with St. Norbert comes on Nov. 6, the final week of the season, in DePere.
In the perennially unpredictable WIAC, it is difficult to determine which teams are favorites and contenders but if its No. 9 preseason national ranking is any indication of its potential, then UW-Stevens Point will make some noise this year. The one area of doubt that may persist for the Pointers is at quarterback. First-team All-American Scott Krause is gone to the CFL, leaving the signal-calling duties to Jake Dickert. The sophomore took all of five snaps in 2003. On the less dubious side, leading receiver running back Cody Childs, tight end Ross Adamczak, and receivers Kurt Kielbock and Tony Romano return, along with four of five offensive linemen. The defense stars unanimous first-team All-WIAC selection, lineman Clint Bakken and defensive back LaRon Ragsdale (five INTs in 2003). Brett Maxwell and Brett Ehret, who combined for 123 tackles a year ago, will lead the linebacking unit.
Mark Oct. 2 on your calendars. No. 4 UW-La Crosse at No. 9 Stevens Point. Enough said. Two weeks prior to that matchup, though, should be another good one, as the Pointers face western power, No. 3 Linfield.
Dark Horses
Millikin has big holes to fill, but the D3football.com pollsters and the CCIW coaches obviously feel that it is up to the task. The Big Blue received votes in the preseason poll and was chosen to place second in the league. If they are right, then the Big Blue could be more deserving of contender status. Keep an eye on North Central. The Cardinals have improved their record one game each of the previous two years and are loaded with returning talent, led by preseason All-American linebacker Lenny Radtke.
Anderson is without three-time HCAC Offensive Player of the Year Joel Steele but receives dark horse status because, besides Hanover and Mt. St. Joseph, no other conference team seems ready to crack into the upper echelon of the league.
Lakeland may have been a better choice for an IBFC contender than MacMurray, especially after posting a 6-1 conference record in 2003. The Muskies return their leading rusher, Marcus Denham, and top tackler, Sam Scharinger.
Monmouth will miss MWC Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Rob Purlee but is coming off seven consecutive victories to end last season. The Fighting Scots last loss was a 38-15 defeat to St. Norbert on Sept. 20, 2003. Ripon gets mention because it is the only other team besides St. Norbert to finish with an overall winning record each of the last five years.
UW-Whitewater will be without the program's all-time rushing leader and a host of other offensive starters, but its great depth should help make up for those losses. Speedster and preseason All-American kick returner Derek Stanley should be a difference-maker. Eleven of 14 top tacklers return on defense, including Nick Zolper, Andy Walters, and Colin Price.
Midwest Preseason All-Americans
Eight players from the Midwest region were named to the 2004 D3football.com Preseason All-American team. Represented are three conferences from the region � the MWC (2), the CCIW (3), and the WIAC (3). Listed below are the eight standouts, six offensive and two defensive players, followed by statistics or accomplishments each garnered in the 2003 season.
First Team
Sean Rierdon, OT, Sr., St. Norbert (helped SNC amass a school-record 2,587 yds. rushing)
David Bleitner, DE, Sr., Lake Forest (60 tackles, 26 TFLs, 15.5 sacks)
Mike Clark, K, Sr., Augustana (9-13 FGs, 54 long, 32-34 PATs, 59 points)
Second Team
Dante Washington, RB, Sr. Carthage (1,876 yds. rushing, 12 TDs, 16 rec., 179 yds., 1 TD)
Scott Burnoski, WR, Sr. UW-La Crosse (76 rec., 1100 yds., 9 TDs)
Andrew McGlenn, OT, Sr., UW-La Crosse (paved the way for All-American Anthony Mocadlo to gain 1,989 rushing yds.)
Lenny Radtke, LB, Jr., North Central (113 tackles, 3 INTs, 2 fumble recoveries)
Derek Stanley, RET, So., UW-Whitewater (443 kick return yds., 36.9 avg., 2 TDs)
Games of the Week
St. Norbert at UW-Whitewater, Perkins Stadium, Whitewater, Wis., 6:00 p.m.
An in-state matchup of two teams who were on the cusp of cracking the D3football.com preseason Top 25 poll. St. Norbert is coming off its fifth consecutive MWC championship and a season in which the Green Knights became the first MWC team since Lawrence in 1981 to win a playoff game. UW-Whitewater is looking to improve upon its 7-3 mark and second-place WIAC finish of a year ago. If you plan on attending, get there early: The Warhawks were ranked in the top 25 nationally in attendance in 2003. History tends to favor UW-Whitewater in this game, as MWC teams have rarely fared well against WIAC competition.
UW-Eau Claire at No. 2 St. John's (Minn.), Clemens Stadium, Collegeville, Minn., 3:00 p.m.
The Blugolds of UW-Eau Claire get first crack at defending national champion and second-ranked St. John's in this border-war battle. The WIAC Sports Information Directors slotted Eau Claire to place fifth in this year's league race but five returning all-conference players will try to improve upon that prediction. On the contrary, the Johnnies begin defense of their title missing all four players that received All-American honors in 2003. But St. John's doesn't have college football's all-time winningest coach at its helm and isn't the winningest program in Division III history for nothing. This interstate contest was originally to be hosted by Eau Claire but construction delays in the installation of FieldTurf to Carson Park forced the game to Collegeville.
Millikin at No. 6 Wartburg, Walston-Hoover Stadium, Waverly, Iowa, 4:00 p.m.
Millikin, 7-3 in 2003, has the daunting task of traveling to take on sixth-ranked Wartburg in its season opener. However, this should be a good early-season test for a team that has its sights set on toppling the traditional elite of the CCIW, Wheaton and Augustana. Wartburg, the favorite to win the IIAC this season, is a genuine Division III power, having lost just seven games total in the past five years.
Augustana at Central, Kuyper Stadium, Pella, Iowa, 1:00 p.m.
The second CCIW-IIAC preseason matchup to be featured in the first installment of the Midwest Region's Games the Week. This is a clash of teams with recent strong winning traditions -- over the past five years the Vikings have compiled a 40-12 record while Central has notched a 44-12 mark. Augustana received 19 votes in the D3football.com preseason poll and Central was picked to place sixth in the always highly competitive IIAC. For the second consecutive year, this game will be played at Central. The Dutch won last year's game in a defensive struggle, 3-0.
