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| In front of a huge crowd, Hawk Heffner makes sure that Connor Mullins does not hang onto the pass that would have secured a win for Mary Hardin-Baylor. Photo by Doug Sasse |
By Greg Thomas
D3sports.com
November 5, 2016 was a relatively innocuous Saturday in Division III football. One of the biggest stories of that day involved No. 2 UW-Whitewater having to rally from 10 points down to beat UW-River Falls in overtime at home. They did it with defense on that day — trailing 20-10 in the third quarter, the Warhawks forced five turnovers in the final eight Falcons possessions. Then No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor beat Belhaven 59-21 on that same Saturday, which isn’t that noteworthy, but the Blazers did drive 99 yards for a touchdown late in that game, something that no team has done against the Crusaders since. Until Saturday.
By now, you know that UW-Whitewater defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor 28-24 in one of the most improbable and dramatic games that I can remember watching. Whitewater, responding to a disappointing Week 1 defeat at St. John’s, relished the challenge of its opening gauntlet.
“We knew that they were going to be two tough battles, obviously,” senior quarterback Evan Lewandowski said. “But we also knew that we, you know, keep on getting better and learn a lot through those two games. We learned all the things that we need to correct and fix. Obviously we did that for Week 2 against Mary Hardin-Baylor.”
Junior linebacker Hawk Heffner was eager for the chance to see the Crusaders again early this season. “Excitement, especially after losing Mary Hardin-Baylor last year in the semis at home. To be able to play them again, back at the Perk, I think for me, and I think everybody else, that was pretty exciting once we found out,” Heffner said.
Heffner and his teammates weren’t the only ones excited to welcome the Crusaders back to Perkins Stadium. 14,213 fans packed the Perk, making this the 13th most attended game in Division III history. “It was a great atmosphere. Our fans always show out for us, so anytime we're playing at home, we know we're gonna draw big crowds,” senior linebacker Shane McGrail said.
McGrail gave that big Warhawk crowd plenty to cheer about with a pair of the biggest tackles UW-Whitewater will make this season. Facing second-and-goal with the ball spotted roughly five inches from the goal line and trailing 24-21, Crusader running back Aphonso Thomas took the handoff and rushed forward to the goal line. “What's going through my mind, just do your assignment, read your key, and then if I see a gap, just shoot the gap and go make the play to stop him from getting in the end zone,” he said. That’s exactly what he did, making a solo tackle to prevent UMHB from picking up those five inches and a decisive score.
McGrail had one more denial left on Saturday. On the following play, the Crusaders attempted to sweep KJ Miller to the right side of the field and run around the Warhawk defense to the end zone. Except McGrail shed a block just in time to get the speedy Miller slowed before he could score. “Coaches just want us to stretch the play out on that.” McGrail continued, “I really give the props to Kyle Koelblinger and Parker Bruenig because I stretched the block out, but they finished the play for me.”
On fourth down, UMHB showed a similar look, but Heffner reacted just in the nick of time., “We were actually manned up there and I was manned up on the fullback. I saw him kind of down block and just kind of sit there,” Heffner said. “They ran the same thing as the play before where KJ (Miller) was in motion. So I kind of just instinctively as a linebacker, stepped off it. Once I saw they were passing it there really wasn't much time. I just knew I had to get there and do something once the ball was thrown.” Just as UMHB fullback Connor Mullins looked like he was about to secure the fourth down pass for a touchdown, Heffner did get there to disrupt the catch and complete the Warhawks’ goal line defense.
And what was Lewandowski thinking on the sideline as this defensive masterclass was playing out? “I knew we were going to have a 99-yard drive cause I knew they were going to stop. So I was getting ready for that.”
Sophomore wide receiver Tommy Coates bookended the 99-yard game winning drive with two of his three receptions in the game. The first, a 26-yard gain that got the Warhawks out of their own end zone. “The play before I kind of ran a wrong play,” Coates said “So it was kind of nice to make up for it. Lew threw a great ball and I made it.”
After having success against the Crusaders all afternoon, Lewandowski was confident that he could direct the team down the field. “We had a lot of time, so I'm thinking that coach is going stick with our quick game that we kind of ran the whole game,” Lewandowski said. “I knew those reads and how the defense was going to react. The offensive line was protecting and I just trusted my receivers. I threw to, I think, six different guys on that drive.”
Lewandowski did indeed target six receivers on that drive. The last target of the afternoon, however, was to a well-covered Tommy Coates in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown to punctuate a 99-yard drive and a victory over the top ranked team in the division.
It was a conclusion fitting of the build up to a game between two powerhouses of the Division. “It had a playoff feel to it just because when you have the number one team coming into the Perk, a lot of people are going to show up and then obviously they're a great team.”
“It's by far the most fun and the best game that I've ever played in. High school, college, and up to now,” Heffner said reflecting on Saturday’s experience. “Just everything going into it the week of, and all the history from before made this game a lot more special going into it, but just being able to play in that game at home, made it a lot more memorable for sure.”
The other top ten matchup on Saturday also returned an instant classic when Trinity (Texas) defeated Wheaton (Ill.) 17-16, in a game that featured a game tying field goal as time expired in regulation, and a game winning extra point block.
Trinity players were excited to have the opportunity to play a team with Wheaton’s pedigree. “This was a great chance for us to prove ourselves,” senior linebacker Caleb Harmel said. “I think this was one of the first times that Trinity has ever had a game where it's two top ten teams, being able to face each other. It was a great opportunity for us to be able to prove that we deserved that number nine ranking.”
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| Caleb Harmel and the Trinity defense had a lot to be happy about on Saturday. Trinity (Texas) athletics photo |
Where UWW is very familiar with UMHB (UWW has played UMHB twice in their last three games), Trinity had not previously played Wheaton. Adding to their challenge, Wheaton did not play in Week 1, so there was no recent game film for Trinity to study.
“We knew it was going to be the same schemes, but maybe some different personnel. We knew our goal was to stop the run, which I think we did a pretty good job of,” senior linebacker Mac Douglas said. “[Preparing] was definitely tough because we didn't have a lot of film. So they told us just focus on the schemes that uh, that you see on the film and not necessarily the personnel.”
Despite having limited opportunities to scout their opponent, Wheaton met Trinity’s competitive expectations. “They’re not ranked No. 8 for no reason,” Harmel said. “They're a very physical run dominant team, which we had expected. They had five seniors on their line and an All-American running back. So, why not make that the strength of your offense? And they did just that, you know, they ran the ball hard.”
Harmel continued, “It was a game like it should have been. No. 8 vs. No. 9, it was a big defensive battle at the end of it, which maybe not a lot of people would've expected.”
The defenses did indeed dominate this contest, with each side surrendering just 10 hard-earned points apiece through 60 minutes. Fittingly, it was a defensive player that made the game’s decisive play.
Douglas told ATN about his new experience with kick blocking. “That's something I haven't gotten to do a whole lot, but we started practicing it this year. I lined up on the guard and just hit the guard as hard as you can and then get your hands up and jump.”
“I did that jump and it was kind of like it was in slow motion. I saw the ball coming right at me and that's how it went. It was awesome. And then everybody went crazy. It was amazing.”
“Honestly, it was kind of one of those movie scene experiences where everybody rushes the field. They get the Gatorade and throw it on the coach,” Harmel said of the moments following Douglas’s blocked kick. “It was actually my first time ever going to an overtime in my football career. So it was a new experience, fun experience for me, but, it was just an awesome experience, knowing how hard everybody had worked in the week to prepare and knowing how hard everybody had gone during the game.”
September 10, 2022, was anything but an innocuous Saturday in Division III football. Yes, UMHB was still the top ranked team, UW-Whitewater would need to come from behind. There would be a dramatic 99-yard game winning drive. But fans also got another storybook ending from the day’s other marquee game. To say nothing of incredible games in Alabama, California, and all over the Division III map. It’s all too rare in sports when the expectations for marquee matchups are exceeded, but Week 2 delivered a symphony of small-college football that we won’t soon forget.
There was more in this week's podcast:
Big time feel, but ...
UW-Whitewater vs. UMHB was played at a championship level in front of crowds that rival a lot of games that you’ll find on network television on Saturdays, but open wide for a quick dose of perspective. By the time this column hits the site on Thursday, the Warhawks are going to be in the midst of a 12-plus hour bus ride to Georgia for this weekend’s game at Berry. No regular season charter jets, or even flying commercial, even for the club that just knocked off No. 1!
We’re going streaking!
A pair of 16 game streaks got snapped in Week 2. The nation’s longest winning streak of 16 games had been held by defending champion UMHB. The longest active win streak in Division III now? Give yourself points if you had Williams ready to go. The Ephs are currently on a 10-game win streak as NESCAC play gets underway this week. The five longest active win streaks are:
10 games – Williams
9 games – Carnegie Mellon
8 games – Randolph Macon
7 games – Hardin-Simmons
6 games – Centre
The other 16-game streak that ended was Alvernia’s 16-game losing streak as the Golden Wolves defeated Oberlin on Saturday. The five longest active losing streaks in Division III are:
39 games – Thiel
32 games – Finlandia
17 games – Beloit
15 games – Whittier
15 games – Buffalo State
On tap
The Week 3 schedule won’t offer top ten matchups (we’ve been spoiled so far this season), but there are plenty of intriguing games as we reach the end of the non-conference play for some and the beginning of conference play for most. Here’s what you can watch for every week at D3football.com:
Tomorrow: Quick Hits featuring our panel’s predictions and insights into this weekend’s games
Saturday: Game day. The D3football.com Scoreboard has all of your links for stats and broadcasts.
Sunday: New Top 25 poll
Monday: Around The Nation podcast. Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas recap the weekend that was and preview the weekend to come in Division III football.
Tuesday/Wednesday: Team of the Week honors, features columns
Thursday: Around the Nation column
Read options?
Small college football is actually pretty massive. Division III is home to 240 teams, many thousands of student-athletes and coaches. There are so many more stories out there than I can find on my own. Please share your stories that make Division III football so special for all of us! Reach out to me at greg.thomas@d3sports.com or on Twitter @wallywabash to share your stories.
