All WIAC Football Team

Hot off the presses out of the WIAC home page:

MADISON, Wis.--The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) announced today the Football All-Time Team that will be recognized in conjunction with the conference’s upcoming Centennial Celebration. All-Time Teams are being selected in those men’s and women’s sports that have been classified as “championship” sports at some point during the conference’s 100-year history. Additional teams will be released on a weekly basis throughout much of the 2011-12 academic year. 

Football All-Time Team
Name	School	Years Participated	Hometown (High School)*
Brent Allen	UW-Whitewater	2004-07	Mukwonago, Wis.
Bill Barwick	UW-Whitewater	1973-75	Beloit, Wis. (Memorial)
Kirk Baumgartner	UW-Stevens Point	1986-89	Colby, Wis.
Justin Beaver	UW-Whitewater	2004-07	Palmyra, Wis. (Palmyra-Eagle)
Tony Beckham	UW-Stout	1998-2001	Ocala, Fla. (Forest)
Wil Beech	UW-Eau Claire	1984-87	Milwaukee, Wis. (Pius)
Willie Berzinski	UW-La Crosse	1952-55	Arcadia, Wis.
Chuck Braun	UW-Stevens Point	1978-81	Athens, Wis.
Joe Bullis	UW-Stout	1975-76, 78-79	Lake Geneva, Wis. (Badger)
Jim Byrne	UW-La Crosse	1980-83	Brooklyn, N.Y.
Luke Bundgaard	UW-Stout	2000-03	Weyerhaeuser, Wis. (Bruce)
Chris Charnish	UW-Platteville	1967-70	Milwaukee, Wis. (Pius)
Levell Coppage	UW-Whitewater	2008-11	Oak Park, Ill.
Greg Corning	UW-River Falls	1984-87	McFarland, Wis.
Al Equi	UW-Whitewater	1966-67	Glenbard, Ill. (East)
Reed Giordana	UW-Stevens Point	1974-77	Kaukauna, Wis.
Eric Halverson	UW-La Crosse	1993-96	Tomahawk, Wis.
Mike Hintz	UW-Platteville	1984-87	Waukesha, Wis. (South)
Justin Jacobs	UW-Whitewater	2002-05	Sun Prairie, Wis.
Jared Jenkins	UW-Stevens Point	2007-10	Milwaukee, Wis. (Rufus King)
Spencer Johnson	UW-Whitewater	1992-94	Madison, Wis. (Memorial)
Ryan Kleppe	UW-Whitewater	2003-06	Mount Horeb, Wis.
Ben Knepper	UW-Stout	2000-03	Rice Lake, Wis.
Scott Krause	UW-Stevens Point	2000-03	Waunakee, Wis.
Clint Kriewaldt	UW-Stevens Point	1995-98	Shiocton, Wis.
Craig Kusick	UW-La Crosse	1993-95	Apple Valley, Minn. (Eagan)
Derrick LeVake	UW-Whitewater	1995-97	West Allis, Wis. (Central)
Mike March	UW-Eau Claire	1979-82	Antigo, Wis.
Mike Maslowski	UW-La Crosse	1993-96	Thorp, Wis.
Mike Miller	UW-Whitewater	1982-84	Madison, Wis. (Memorial)
Andy Moriarty	UW-Oshkosh	2003-07	Mequon, Wis. (Homestead)
Tom Newberry	UW-La Crosse	1982-85	Onalaska, Wis.
Ted Pretasky	UW-La Crosse	1985-88	Holmen, Wis.
A.J. Raebel	UW-Whitewater	2003-06	Cary Grove, Ill.
Claire Rasmussen	UW-Oshkosh	1966-69	Green Lake, Wis.
Jace Rindahl	UW-Whitewater	2005-08	Cambridge, Wis.
Barry Rose	UW-Stevens Point	1988-91	Baldwin, Wis. (Baldwin-Woodville)
Aaron Rusch	UW-Whitewater	2008-10	Hartford, Wis.
Max Sakellaris	UW-Whitewater	2003-06	Oak Park, Ill.
Jeff Schebler	UW-Whitewater	2006-09	Davenport, Iowa (Assumption)
Bill Schroeder	UW-La Crosse	1993	Sheboygan, Wis. (South)
Randy Simpson	UW-Stevens Point	1991-94	Phillips, Wis.
Gerard Sonsalla	UW-River Falls	1978-81	Arcadia, Wis.
Darrell Souhrada	UW-Eau Claire	1998-2001	Riceville, Iowa
John Stanek	UW-La Crosse	1972-75	La Crosse, Wis. (Aquinas)
Derek Stanley	UW-Whitewater	2003-06	Verona, Wis.
Doug Sutherland	UW-Superior	1966-69	Superior, Wis. (Central)
Jim Van Gorden	UW-Eau Claire	1961-64	Eau Claire, Wis. (Memorial)
Roger Vann	UW-Eau Claire	1978-81	South Bend, Ind. (La Salle)
Jim Walters	UW-Whitewater	1969-73	Pottsville, Pa.
Matt Weber	UW-Whitewater	2008-10	Oregon, Wis.
Lee Weigel	UW-Eau Claire	1982-85	Marshfield, Wis.
Joel Williams	UW-La Crosse	1976-78	Miami, Fla. (North)
Football All-Time Coach:  Roger Harring (UW-La Crosse) (1969-99)
*Indicates hometown and high school while attending school

WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner remarked that this has been an extremely difficult process given the 100-year span and incomparable success the conference has experienced in most of its sports. Karner noted that in some sports, even achieving All-American status didn’t necessarily guarantee an athlete a spot on the team. He also acknowledged that while disagreement is inherent and expected whenever there is a selection of an all-time anything (be it a team, restaurant or movie), the conference nonetheless felt it important to recognize student-athletes and coaches who have contributed to the success of the most accomplished Division III conference in NCAA history.
The student-athlete representation on each team has relied heavily on input provided by the sports information director from each of the nine WIAC campuses, while the process for selecting the head coach(es) for each team also includes input from a panel of media representatives. The number of individuals selected per team varies depending upon the nature of the sport itself as well as the number of years the sport has/had been sponsored within the conference.
The conference has also elected to establish a special “legacy” category to recognize those student-athletes and coaches who had extremely accomplished careers but competed during an era(s) when the compilation of statistical data was spotty at best and/or the style of play at that time does not translate for comparative purposes to the stats prevalent in the modern era. The WIAC “Legacy Team” will also be named at a later date.
All-Time Team members will receive certificates from the conference and it is hoped that most, if not all, of the recipients will be in attendance or represented at the WIAC Centennial Banquet to be held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison on August 4, 2012.

Stagg Bowl XXXIX - Mount Union Purple Raiders

If you listened carefully you could have almost heard the collective annoyed "sighs" of DIII fans, while simultaneously rolling their eyes when discovering who emerged from the semifinals to meet in Stagg Bowl - for the seventh straight season. The fact is, I can't blame the fans who desire new blood in the Stagg Bowl. It's easy to offer up suggestions like "Why can't those two programs just move up to DII already?" Or "Why do the Purple Raiders always get to play home games during the playoffs." It has also been suggested to put both teams on the same side of the bracket to guarantee a different outcome. If a tournament is designed to have the two best programs face each other at the end of the season...then it succeeded. I think we all can agree on that. I say rather than trying to change the end result through legislation, fix it by proving to the DIII world that these two programs are beatable. Both UMU's and UWW's time will come to an end (sooner or later). Just like it eventually did for Wittenburg, Ithaca, Augustana, Rowan, La Crosse and (most recently) St. John's. The law of averages will eventually prevail, however it appears it takes a little longer for some.

The Purple Raiders entered the playoffs winning the Ohio Athletic Conference and received the Pool A automatic bid. Like Whitewater, Mount Union got to the Stagg Bowl with an undefeated 14-0 record, and is currently ranked No. 2 in the D3football.com poll. As far as common opponents go, both programs faced Oshkosh earlier in the season. The Raiders won convincingly at home against the Titans 41-17, while the Whitewater narrowly escaped at Oshkosh 20-17. So does that mean Mount Union is 21 points better than Whitewater? Lets just say I don't think any self-respected Mount Union fan will spot a Whitewater fan 21 points if a bet was placed. The Purple Raiders will be going for its 11th Stagg Bowl title since winning its first in 1993. This 18-year stretch for the Purple Raiders has been the best sports dynasty we've witnessed this side of the Harlem Globetrotters.



Mount Union Running Back Jeremy Murray

This year, compared to previous seasons, Mount doesn't have its typical prolific offense that makes defensive coordinators cry at night. That's probably because this is the first time since 2004 that the Raiders don't have a NFL caliber wide receiver running circles around defenses. Don't get me wrong, their offense still manages to put up nearly 39 points per game. I'm just saying Mount's offense in previous seasons has been like a 12 (on a scale of 10), and now they're just a nine (out of 10). Most schools could only dream of being a nine. Like last season quarterback Neal Seaman led this offense through the better part of the season. Only to get banged up, and turn the signal-calling duties over to Matt Piloto. This year Seaman and Piloto shared duties during the regular season, only to have Piloto emerge as the primary QB when Seaman went down. The junior, Piloto, has thrown for 2068 yards thus far and has tossed 20 touchdowns (with seven ints). What makes this offense tick is the legs of Jeremy Murray. The junior rushed for 1671 yards along with scoring 22 total touchdowns this year. Murray was named First-Team All OAC as he led the conference in rushing. Despite missing some time earlier in the playoffs with an injury, Murray has looked great in the semi and quarterfinals. He rushed for 152 yards against Wabash, then put up 120 on Wesley last weekend. Thanks to ESPN3 I was able to watch Murray against Wesley. He is very quick and bounced off would-be tacklers throughout the game. One last skill position player worth mentioning is preseason All-American Jasper Collins. The wide receiver missed four-plus games (if you include the Capital game) during the regular season, but came back in time for the second round of the playoffs. Collins absolutely tore apart Wesley catching nine balls for 139 yards and three touchdowns. He did a great job of finding the holes in Wesley's secondary throughout the game last weekend. On the season, this First-Team All-Conference wideout has 776 receiving yards on 58 receptions for 13 touchdowns with only playing in ten games this year.



Purple Raiders' Defensive Back Nick Driskill

With all but three defensive starters listed on the All-OAC list this year (1st team, 2nd team or honorable mention), it's no secret that the Purple Raiders have an outstanding defense. When it comes to defensive backs, it's hard to find someone with the same abilities as Mount Union's Nick Driskill. However, the Warhawks did have to go up against La Crosse's Derek Dreher (twice) who, like Driskill, was named to the 2011 AFCA Coaches All-American team as a DB. Driskill was also awarded the Lee J. Tressel Award, which is given to the OAC's most outstanding defensive back. On the season the junior accumulated a team high 105 tackles, along with four interceptions, nine pass breakups, 6.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. Driskill is extremely skilled at attacking and swarming to the ball. It'll be a huge challenge for Whitewater to keep him off the ball carrier. The Raiders' defensive line is led by First-Team All-OAC defensive lineman Charles Dieuseul. The junior leads the team with 9.5 sacks on the season, and is the second leading tackler with 74. Mount Union plays the unique 4-2-5 base defense to perfection. Not too many programs stick with only two linebackers in its formation. But when you are athletic and fast like the Purple Raiders, you can more than make this defensive style affective. The entire team has very good sideline-to-sideline speed, preventing running backs from turning the corner and taking the ball up field. As usual it's going to be a great matchup to see the speed and athleticism of the Mount Union defense go up against the speed and athleticism of Levell Coppage.


2011 Statistics (National Rank)

Mount Union Rushing Offense: 238.93 ypg (21)
Whitewater Rushing Defense: 90.57 ypg (12)

Mount Union Passing Offense: 212.64 ypg (86)
Whitewater Passing Defense: 163.07 ypg (50)

Mount Union Total Offense: 451.57 ypg (20)
Whitewater Total Defense: 253.64 ypg (14)

Mount Union Rushing Defense: 72.29 ypg (3)
Whitewater Rushing Offense: 229.00 ypg (25)

Mount Union Passing Defense: 130.50 ypg (7)
Whitewater Passing Offense: 206.57 ypg (96)

Mount Union Total Defense: 202.79 ypg (2)
Whitewater Total Offense: 435.57 ypg (28)

Whitewater's Stagg Bowl Games
2005 - Mount Union over UWW, 35-28
2006 - Mount Union over UWW, 35-16
2007 - UWW over Mount Union 31-21
2008 - Mount Union over UWW, 31-26
2009 - UWW over Mount Union, 38-28
2010 - UWW over Mount Union, 31-21

Looks like most of the DIII fan base expects Whitewater to take home its fourth Stagg Bowl title. But I'm not ready to rule out Mount Union quite yet. I remember back in 2007 when Whitewater was heavy underdogs against an extremely talented Mount team, and the Warhawks managed to pull one out for its first Stagg Bowl title. Over the past few seasons it seems Whitewater builds off of beating strong-playoff competition to get themselves the Bronze and Walnut, while Mount Union gets the easy road to Salem. However, this year, it seems the roles are reversed. Mount Union actually had the tougher road to the Stagg Bowl, while Whitewater was barely tested (outside of maybe St. Thomas) in the playoffs. We'll see if the tougher road pays dividends for the Purple Raiders as it did for Whitewater in the past. I think UWW is playing its best football of the year right now all while staying healthy. Mount, on the other hand, is a tad dinged up at some key positions, but is playing very well through them. I have to believe the Warhawks will win this game. The outcome will be something close to the final score of the 2007 and 2010 Stagg Bowl game - probably even closer. This one is for bragging rights, the pivotal game seven is on its way!

Fourth-Round Matchup - St. Thomas Tommies

When looking at the brackets, when they were released not quite a month ago, it was hard not to imagine these two teams meeting in the semi-finals. St. Thomas will be the first undefeated team Whitewater will face this post season. With a 13-0 record the Tommies won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and were awarded an automatic Pool A playoff bid. For comparison purposes, it's nice to see that Whitewater and St. Thomas share a common opponent this year. However, both teams manage to win that game convincingly. St. Thomas beat River Falls 45-22, while Whitewater beat them 42-10. Both games were at played at River Falls. So what does that boil down to? Absolutely nothing. In fact, very little was revealed when looking at each team's River Falls game on who might have an edge. At first glance these two teams are almost mirror images of each other. Both are very strong upfront on both sides of the ball, both have athletic/mobile quarterbacks and both teams are extremely balanced in all aspects of the game.



St. Thomas Wide Receiver Fritz Waldvogel



The 2011 Gagliardi Trophy finalist, Fritz Waldvogel, is the Tommies' standout player on offense. The 5'9" senior wide receiver raked in just about every possible award he could in his four years. Besides being a Gagliardi finalist, he's also been awarded All-MIAC, MIAC MVP, All-Region and All-American (soon to be). He's been one of the better wide receivers in Division III this season - this side of Michael Zweifel. Waldvogel has 72 receptions on the year, totaling 1193 yards along with 17 total touchdowns. What he lacks in height, he more than makes up for in skill and speed. Waldvogel is extremely explosive and dangerous when he gets his hands on the ball, as demonstrated when he also takes the field as the team's kick and punt returner. Equally as talented, but at a less glamorous position is Tommies' offensive lineman Dan Chapman. Chapman was awarded with the Mike Stam Award, which is given to the MIAC's top lineman. Along side Chapman, two other lineman were named to the all conference team (Curtis James - 1st Team, and Chad Vandergriff - 2nd Team). UST's massive offensive line did take a blow last week when starter Jason Flesher was carted off the field in the win over St. John Fisher. It's unclear if he'll be able to go this week, but we wish him the best. I can spend all day talking about their offense, but I wanted to quickly mention two other very talent athletes at the skills position. Quarterback Dakota Tracy (1st Team All-MIAC) is a very capable signal caller and is proficient both in and out of the pocket. Look for him to keep the Whitewater linebackers busy this weekend. The 5'10" senior has thrown for 2213 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions so far this year. He is also the team's second leading rusher with 437 yards on the season. There's also running back Colin Tobin, who leads the conference in rushing. The senior - also 1st Team All-MIAC - averages better than 121 yards per game and has 22 rushing touchdowns on the season. The three-headed monster of Tracy, Tobin and Waldvogel have been doing some serious damage to defenses all year long. It's going to take a very strong game from the Warhawk's defense to slow down this team that's been averaging over 40 points per game.



Tommie Linebacker Tony Danna

 It might be hard to believe, but as good as the offense has been this year, St. Thomas' defense has been arguably better. The Tommies rank third in the country, giving up a measly 9.38 points per game. UST's defense consists of three All-Region players (LB Tony Danna -1st team, DT Danny Kane -2nd team and CB Chinni Oji - 3rd team), along with four others that made the all-conference team. Needless to say they had a good season considering over 63 percent of its starting defense received all-conference accolades (either first or second team). Danna is the anchor of the Tommie defense with 17 tackles for loss, four sacks and five pass breakups this year. The senior leads the team with 58 tackles (45 solo), and I have a funny suspicion he would have a lot more if he played all four quarters each game. UST's front seven have been setting up shop in the opponents' backfield quite often this year. The Tommies rank sixth in the country averaging over 3.5 sacks per game. This is a defense that accumulated three shutouts this season. During a particular seven-game stretch (10/1 - 11/19) the Tommies allowed just 29 total points. That's barely over four points per game during that time frame. Whitewater's offense has been known to wear defenses down throughout the duration of a game. After an abundance of pounding away at an opponent, eventually the defense will break. That's where UWW breaks off big plays to put the game away. With that being said they will have their work cut out for them this weekend if they want to wear down this Tommie defense.

2011 Statistics (National Rank)

St. Thomas Rushing Offense: 235.62 ypg (22)
Whitewater Rushing Defense: 86.0 ypg (11)

St. Thomas Passing Offense: 206.31 ypg (97)
Whitewater Passing Defense: 170.69 ypg (64)

St. Thomas Total Offense: 441.92 ypg (28)
Whitewater Total Defense: 256.69 ypg (14)

St. Thomas Rushing Defense: 47.85 ypg (1)
Whitewater Rushing Offense: 233.31 ypg (24)

St. Thomas Passing Defense: 158.23 ypg (37)
Whitewater Passing Offense: 208.69 ypg (91)

St. Thomas Total Defense: 206.08 ypg (3)
Whitewater Total Offense: 442.0 ypg (26)

Whitewater's Fourth-Round Games (Since 2005)
2005 - UWW over Wesley, 58-6
2006 - UWW over Wesley, 44-7
2007 - UWW over Mary Harden-Baylor 16-7
2008 - UWW over Mary Harden-Baylor, 39-13
2009 - UWW over Linfield, 27-17
2010 - UWW over Wesley, 27-7

There's one more interesting stat I wanted to post before I wrapped this up. I always thought there would be a game where Whitewater's ample amount of penalties taken might actually cost them a victory. I thought this weekend might be that day considering all the fire power St. Thomas has to take advantage of a penalty-happy team. What I found astonished me when looking at each of the four remaining teams in the playoffs and the amount of penalties committed. It's rare to say that Whitewater has an advantage over other teams when talking about penalties committed. I figured this would be one glaring weakness for the Warhawks, but as the numbers suggest it's practically a rare advantage:

Fewest Penalties Per Game (out of 239 D3 programs)
UWW: 6.38 (143rd in D3), 58.62 yards per game
Mount Union: 7.08 (180th), 56.15 yards per game
UST: 7.54 (198th), 71.23 yards per game
Wesley: 9.08 (231st), 85.08 yards per game

I believe this game will have a similar outcome to Whitewater's 2007 semi-final game against Mary Harden-Baylor. This will be a low-scoring defensive battle, where one big play on offense could determine who goes to Salem. In a low scoring game, field position and special teams could very well determine the outcome. If that's the case, that'll play right into the hands of St. Thomas considering they have an all-region punter (Garrett Maloney), an all-region kicker (Tim Albright) and all-region kick returner (Waldvogel). Unlike previous years, I don't think there is a clear-cut favorite on who's going to make it to the Stagg Bowl this year. That goes both semi-final games, even with Whitewater and Mount Union in the field of four. The next two games on Saturday should be a thing of beauty for DIII fans everywhere. Except if you're a fan of the two losing teams.....

Stevens Point's John Miech Steps Down

(from the Stevens Point athletics website)

John Miech steps down as head football coach
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Athletic Department announced today that John Miech, winningest coach in Pointer football history, has decided to step down as head coach to pursue other football opportunities.

Defensive coordinator Tom Journell will take over head coaching duties, effective immediately. Student-athletes along with the coaching staff were informed of Miech's decision at a team meeting held earlier today.

“Coach Miech has been an asset, not only to the Pointer football team, but to the entire University,” said Director of Athletics Daron Montgomery. “His impact on this program is one that should not be measured by all the winning seasons on the field, but more for the difference John made in the lives of young people. Everyone who knows Coach Miech knows that making a difference is what John tried to do in every aspect of his job.”

Miech, who spent 24 seasons at the helm of the UW-Stevens Point football program and 30 years overall on the sidelines at Point, will remain on staff as a lecturer in the School of Physical Education and Athletic Training through the end of the academic year.

“To all players past and present, thank you for coming to UWSP,” said Miech. “It has been an honor to coach you. To all the assistant coaches whom I have had the privilege to work with, your dedication and work ethic has made UWSP one of the top teams in the best conference in the country.”

Miech's association with Pointer football began in 1972 when he first joined the program as an offensive lineman, providing protection for the nation's top passing offense in both 1973 and 1974.  He received his B.S. degree in Business and Economics in 1975 and shortly thereafter moved on to coach at Stephen F. Austin State University (Texas) as a graduate assistant, where he would go on to earn a master's degree in Health and Physical Education.

Miech returned to Wisconsin in 1979 and served as the head coach at Whitnall High School and then Jefferson High School for three seasons each before returning to UW-Stevens Point in 1985 as defensive coordinator. In three seasons, his defenses allowed an average of just over 275 yards per game and four yards per play, statistics that led the conference.

He assumed the role of head coach of the Pointers in 1988 and over 24 seasons amassed a 156-83-2 record, ranking fourth on the all-time Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference wins list. His 156 career wins is the most all-time in school history. Miech was just two wins away from tying Whitewater's Bob Berezowitz for third all time in the WIAC. In the history of the WIAC only five coaches have coached in more seasons that Miech has.
 
Miech posted 21 seasons with a .500 or better record during his 24 years. He won four WIAC championships and earned Coach of the Year accolades three times (1998, 2001, 2008).

Along the way, he developed more than 60 players who went on to play professionally, including a dozen who saw action in the NFL, CFL, AFL and European leagues. Most notable among them was Clint Kriewaldt, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Detroit Lions in 1999 and played in the 2006 Super Bowl as a member of the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Others include Barry Rose, who had stints with both the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos; Kirk Baumgartner, a draft choice of the Green Bay Packers; and Pete Lucas, a draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons. Most recently, Jared Jenkins (Milwaukee/Rufus King), a member of the 2010 UW-Stevens Point squad, was a free agent member of the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams organizations.

“I would like to thank Don Amiot and Frank O'Brien, former athletic directors, for being great mentors, win or lose,” said Miech. “I also want to thank my wife Sheila, who has always been there to help me keep life and football in perspective. Lastly, a huge thank you to my two sons, Ryan and Jessie, who have sacrificed the most for our success at UWSP by sharing their father with the thousands of student-athletes who called their father 'Coach'.”


THE MIECH FILE
*22 NCAA All-Americans
*10 players that have gone on to play in the NFL
*124 First Team All-WIAC honorees
*Six WIAC Players of the Year
*Three NCAA Playoff appearances (1999, 2001, 2008)
*2005 Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee
 Year     Overall        WIAC2011         4-6              2-5
2010         7-3              5-2
2009         7-3              6-1
2008         9-2              6-1
2007         6-4              3-4
2006         6-4              4-3
2005         4-6              3-4
2004         6-4              4-3
2003         8-2              5-2
2002         6-4              4-3
2001         8-3              5-2
2000         2-8              1-6
1999         9-2              6-1
1998         7-2              5-2
1997         6-4              3-4
1996         6-3              4-3
1995         8-2              5-2
1994         7-3              5-2
1993         8-2              6-1
1992         5-4              4-3
1991       6-3-1             6-2
1990         6-4              4-4
1989       8-2-1           6-1-1
1988         7-4              5-3
24 yrs  156-83-2     107-64-1