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December 2003 News

Posted by Ric 12/30/03

Mount Union's Larry Kinnard, an All-American offensive tackle out of Alliance High School, has been invited to play in the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas All-American Classic on Saturday, January 17th. 

Kinnard will play for the West Squad, coached by longtime NFL offensive coach Joe Pendry.  The game will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas (NV) and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net. 

Posted by Ric 12/25/03

From my family to yours... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  And let's not forget the reason for the season! 

Posted by Ric 12/23/03

Mount Union finished second in the final 2003 AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll following its loss to national champion St. John's in the Stagg Bowl.  It marks the first time since October 3, 2000 that the Purple Raiders are not in the number one spot, a string of  39 consecutive polls.  Baldwin-Wallace finished eighth in the final poll, while Capital also received votes.  You can see the entire poll here.

Posted by Ric 12/22/03

Senior offensive tackle Larry Kinnard was named to the First-Team of the D3Football.com All-American Team, while senior defensive tackle Antoine Dillard received Second-Team honors.  Senior wide receiver Randell Knapp, senior linebacker Anthony Frate and senior cornerback Mike Miller were Third-Team honorees, and senior offensive guard Brent Miller was named Honorable Mention.  You can see the entire D3Football.com All-American Team here.

Mount Union finished second in the final D3Football.com Top 25 following its loss to St. John's in the Stagg Bowl.  Ohio Athletic Conference rival Baldwin-Wallace finished ninth in the final poll, while Capital came in 26th.  You can see the entire season ending D3Football.com Top 25 here.

I've also added our game story of the 31st Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.  You can read it here.  We'll add game pictures soon.

Posted by Ric 12/21/03

 
St. John's defeated Mount Union 24-6 in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl yesterday to win the Division III football national championship and end the Purple Raiders' winning streak at 55 games.  For Mount Union, its just the program's second loss in the last 111 games played, dating back to the beginning of the 1996 season.

The Johnnies scored a touchdown on the final play of the first half to take a 7-6 lead at intermission, added a field goal in the third quarter, and then two huge fourth quarter plays, a 51-yard run by Blake Elliott and a 100-yard interception return by Mike Zauhar, put the game away.  Mount Union had taken a 6-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter on a one-yard run by Ricky Ciccone, but the extra point was blocked.  Our complete game story will be posted soon.

Posted by Ric 12/19/03

 
Mount Union has placed four players on the 2003 Sports Information Directors' Football All-America Team.  Senior offensive tackle Larry Kinnard and senior middle linebacker Shaun Spisak earned First-Team All-America honors, while senior wide receiver Randell Knapp and senior defensive tackle Antoine Dillard were Second-Team SID All-America selections.

The 26th annual Division III SID All-America Team is the oldest Division III All-America Team in the country. This year, 123 players representing 76 institutions earned honors. The 2003 squad was chosen by a select panel of 30 sports information directors from across the country.

Posted by Ric 12/18/03

 
I've added a number of pictures to our game story of the semifinal playoff win by Mount Union over Bridgewater.  They were taken by Carol & Gary McDonald and you can see them here.

Posted by Ric 12/17/03

The Mount Union College Office of Alumni Activities has planned a number of activities for Purple Raider football fans in Salem, Virginia prior to and following the football game between Mount Union and St. John's this weekend.

On Friday, everyone is invited to a reception in the ballroom of the Wyndham Roanoke Airport Hotel at 7:00 p.m.

On Saturday, a pregame tailgate party will be held from 9:30 a.m. until kickoff in the parking lot of Salem Stadium. Spirit items will be given away and fans can enjoy complimentary donuts and hot chocolate.

Following the game, a postgame reception will be held near the entrance of Salem Stadium.  Cookies and punch will be served.

You can call the Office of Alumni Activities for additional information at (330) 823-2030 or (800) 992-6682, Ext. 2030.

Posted by Ric 12/16/03

Mount Union's senior offensive tackle Larry Kinnard has has earned American Football Coaches Association Division III All-America status for his play during the 2003 season.  Kinnard joins 20 other seniors and four juniors on this year’s AFCA All-America squad.  The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945.

In addition, Mount Union landed six players on Don Hansen's Football Gazette NCAA Division III 2003 All-American Team.  Senior offensive linemen Bob Bradley and Larry Kinnard were named to the First-Team, while senior wide receiver Randell Knapp and senior defensive tackle Antoine Dillard received Second-Team recognition, and senior cornerback Mike Miller and senior middle linebacker Shaun Spisak were named to the Third-Team.

Sports Information Directors from around the country selected the 77 players that make up the 2003 Football Gazette All-American team.  You can see the entire squad here.

Posted by Ric 12/15/03

 
The Mount Union College SID's office has posted a preview of this weekend's Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl between the Mount Union Purple Raiders and the St. John's Johnnies.  You can read it here.

If you are planning on attending the national championship game and do not live in Alliance, you can reserve your seats by calling the Salem Civic Center.  The ticket office phone number is (540) 375-3004.  Tickets can still be purchased at Mount Union College for those living in Alliance.  Mount Union fans will be located on the east side of Salem Stadium.

Posted by Ric 12/14/03

 
I've posted the game story written by Dick Ross of the Purple Raiders semifinal playoff victory over Bridgewater at Mount Union Stadium.  You can get to it here.  We'll have game pictures later in the week.  Unfortunately there will be no audio highlights this week as the recording mechanism didn't perform quite as well as the Purple Raiders did yesterday.

Posted by Ric 12/13/03

Mount Union defeated Bridgewater 66-0 this afternoon in the NCAA Division III semifinal playoffs before 3,782 fans at Mount Union Stadium.

The win is the Purple Raiders' 55th consecutive victory and  breaks the all time consecutive win streak mark the Purple & White originally set from 1996 to 1999.  Mount Union will play for its fourth straight national championship, and eighth overall, next Saturday in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia vs. St. John's (MN).

The Purple Raiders jumped on Bridgewater early with two first quarter touchdowns and led 35-0 at halftime before adding 28 third quarter points to grab a 63-0 lead after three on its way to the 66-point whitewashing of the Eagles.

Jesse Burghardt and Zac Bruney combined to complete 17 of 21 passes for 265 yards, with six touchdowns and one interception as Nick Sirianni and Randell Knapp had three touchdown receptions each.  Sirianni led all receives seven catches for 130 yards, while Jeff Strauch led the ground attack with 82 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.

Andrew Doak and Ken Whitfield each scored defensive touchdowns as Doak returned an interception 16 yards for a score and Whitfield returned a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown.  Mike Miller and Jason McElhaney also recorded fumble recoveries for Mount Union and Shaun Spisak led the team in tackles with eight.

The Purple Raiders had 476 total yards of offense, averaging 7.0 yards per play, while limiting Bridgewater to 214 yards, an average of 3.0 yards per play.

St. John's defeated Rensselaer 38-10 in the other semifinal for the right to face Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl.  The Purple Raiders own a 3-0 advantage in the series vs. the Johnnies, including a 10-7 victory in the 2000 championship game.  Kickoff from Salem Stadium is set for 11:00 a.m. Saturday.  You can see all the playoff results here.

Posted by Ric 12/10/03

I've added a number of pictures taken by Bill Gough and Carol & Gary McDonald from the sidelines during Mount Union's quarterfinal playoff victory over Wheaton to our game story.  You can see them here.

Posted by Ric 12/9/03

I've added a few audio highlights from Mount Union's quarterfinal playoff win over Wheaton.  You can hear them here.

Posted by Ric 12/8/03

The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has previewed this Saturday's Division III semifinal playoff game between the Purple Raiders and the Bridgewater Eagles at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read it here.

Posted by Ric 12/7/03

I've posted the game story by Dick Ross of Mount Union's quarterfinal playoff victory over Wheaton.  You can get to it here.  We'll have game pictures later in the week.

Mount Union will face Bridgewater (VA) in the Division III semifinals Saturday at Mount Union Stadium for the right to play in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl on December 20th.  The Eagles advance to face the Purple Raiders after defeating Lycoming this afternoon 13-9 in a game that was postponed yesterday due to field conditions.  Saturday's semifinal will be a rematch of the 2001 Stagg Bowl in which Mount Union defeated Bridgewater 30-27.  Kickoff is set for 12:00 noon.

Posted by Ric 12/6/03

Mount Union equaled its record 54-game win streak with a victory today over Wheaton 56-10 before 3,015 fans at Mount Union Stadium in the NCAA Division III quarterfinal playoffs.

The Purple Raiders answered a Thunder field goal by scoring 42 straight points, including 29 in the second quarter, to blow open the contest.  Mount Union led 35-3 at halftime, increased the advantage to 42-3 after three periods, and scored a touchdown on eight consecutive possessions to win by 46 points.

Zac Bruney and Jesse Burghardt combined to complete 17 of 25 passes for 252 yards and six touchdowns, while Jeff Strauch led the ground attack with a career high 128 yards on 23 carries and a score.  Michael Deitrick added a rushing touchdown while Brian Miller caught a pass for a score as well.

Randell Knapp led all receivers with six catches totaling 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Drew Hanley had two touchdown receptions and John Healy one.

Defensively, Mount Union was paced by Shawn Spisak's eight tackles, while Jason McElhaney, Johnny Josef and Joe Culler each recorded a sack, and Ross Watson had a fumble recovery.

The current 54-game win streak equals the mark set by the Purple Raiders from 1996-1999.  Mount Union has won 108 of the last 109 games they’ve played.

The Purple Raiders will face the winner of the Bridgewater (VA) / Lycoming game that was postponed today and rescheduled for tomorrow at noon.  The winner of that game will travel to Mount Union Stadium next Saturday for a semifinal match-up with the Raiders.  Kickoff will be at 12:00 noon.  You can see all the playoff results here.

Posted by Ric 12/5/03

Seven Mount Union Purple Raiders were named to the 2003 Football Gazette NCAA Division III All-North Region Football Team, including six first-team selections.

Offensively, First-Team honors went to senior offensive guard Bob Bradley, senior offensive tackle and Larry Kinnard and senior wide receiver Randell Knapp.

Defensively, First-Team honors went to senior defensive tackle Antoine Dillard, senior cornerback Mike Miller and senior middle linebacker Shaun Spisak. Additionally, Third-Team honors went to senior defensive end Johnny Josef.

There were 25 players named to the First-Team All-North Region, 26 named to the Second-Team and 26 were Third-Team picks, for a total of 77 players chosen overall. Those receiving All-Region status will now be forwarded for All-American consideration.

Posted by Ric 12/4/03

I've added some pictures from Carol & Gary McDonald that were taken from the sidelines during Mount Union's second round playoff victory over Wis-La Crosse to our game story.  You can see them here.

Posted by Ric 12/3/03

I've uploaded a number of Mount Union audio highlights to the site from this past Saturday's second round playoff win over Wis-La Crosse.

I've also added one of the most exciting plays in Purple Raider football history... Chuck Moore's final career touchdown, which also happens to be the 95-yard run he had against Bridgewater in the 2001 Stagg Bowl.  You can get to the new audio files here.

Posted by Ric 12/2/03

Mount Union College placed three players on the 2003 All-Ohio Athletic Conference Academic football team.

Offensively, senior wide receiver Randell Knapp, a biology major with a 3.85 GPA and 2002 First-Team Academic All-OAC selection, and junior quarterback Zac Bruney, an exercise science major with a 3.78 GPA and Second-Team Academic selection in 2002, both earned 2003 Academic All-OAC status by unanimous selection.

Defensively, senior middle linebacker Shaun Spisak, a physical education major with a 3.46 GPA, also earned Academic All-OAC status.

A total of 25 football players from the 10 OAC institutions earned Academic All-OAC status this season.

Posted by Ric 12/1/03

The Mount Union College SID's office has posted its preview of this Saturday's Division III quarterfinal playoff game between the Purple Raiders and the Wheaton Thunder at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read it here.