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November 2006 News

Posted by Ric 11/30/06

The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has selected Mount Union assistant football coach Jeff Wojtowicz as the 2006 Division III Assistant Coach of the Year.

Wojtowicz has been a member of the football staff at Mount Union College for 20 years, currently serving as the secondary coach and lead recruiting coordinator.

He was a three-year letter winner for the Purple Raiders as a defensive back (81-83) and was a co-captain of the football team his senior year, earning Honorable-Mention All-OAC honors that season.

Wojtowicz is the second assistant coach from Mount Union to win the award.  Don Montgomery, former defensive coordinator and current head coach at Emory & Henry, was honored by the AFCA in 1999.

A total of five assistant coaches receive the award each year, including one each from Division I-A, Division I-AA, Division II, Division III and the NAIA.

Posted by Ric 11/29/06

I've added some audio highlights from the Purple Raiders second round playoff victory over the Wheaton Thunder at Mount Union Stadium.  You can hear them here.

Posted by Ric 11/28/06

The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has posted some quotes from Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres and Capital head coach Jim Collins during their media conference call.  You can read them here.

Posted by Ric 11/27/06

The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some game notes for this Saturday's Regional Final NCAA Division III playoff game against Capital at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read them here.

Posted by Ric 11/26/06

I've posted our game story of Mount Union's win over Wheaton in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.  You can read it here.

Posted by Ric 11/25/06

Number one ranked Mount Union defeated 17th ranked Wheaton (IL) 35-3 this afternoon before 3,124 fans at Mount Union Stadium in second round playoff action.

Nate Kmic rushed for 293 yards and scored three times as Mount Union advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs for the 15th straight season.

Kmic's 52-yard run put the Raiders on the board less than four minutes into the contest and gave the Purple & White all the points they would need.

The sophomore running back added a second touchdown with one minute remaining in the first period on a 28-yard scamper to account for all of the first half scoring.

Wheaton managed a Tim Ellingsen 25-yard field goal five minutes into the second half but Mount Union scored the final 21 points on a 22-yard run from Greg Micheli, a 13-yard pass from Mike Jorris to Pierre Garcon and a one-yard run by Kmic for the 32-point victory.

The Purple Raiders will host Capital next Saturday at Mount Union Stadium in a rematch of last season's regional final.  The Crusaders beat North Central (IL) 41-13 this afternoon.  Kickoff next Saturday is set for 12:00 p.m.

Posted by Ric 11/22/06

The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some quotes from Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres and Wheaton head coach Mike Swider during their media conference call, which you can read here.

Also, I've added some audio highlights from the Purple Raiders first round playoff win over Hope at Mount Union Stadium.  You can hear them here.

Posted by Ric 11/21/06

Two Mount Union football players and an assistant coach were honored with 2006 Ohio Athletic Conference Special Awards today and a total of 17 players were named to the All-Conference Team.

The Special Award winners were senior offensive tackle Jason Lewis, who received the Mike Gregory Award as most outstanding offensive lineman for the second consecutive season, and junior wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who earned the Ed Sherman Award as the most outstanding receiver.  Defensive line coach Vince Kehres was honored as the OAC Assistant Coach of the Year.

In addition, Mount Union placed eight players on the All-Conference First-Team, seven on the Second-Team, and two as Honorable Mention.

Those named to the First-Team Offense include Lewis, Garcon, junior guard Derek Blanchard, junior center Eric Safran and sophomore running back Nate Kmic.  Named First-Team Defense were senior defensive end Justen Stickley, junior strong safety Matt Kostelnik and junior linebacker Matt Rees.

Second-team honorees include senior tight end Anthony Antonucci, junior running back Justin Wray, junior linebacker Tony DeRiggi, junior defensive tackle Nick Parr, junior cornerback Jonah Wilson, special teams’ standout senior offensive tackle Ryan Creachbaum and junior place kicker Mike Zimmerman. 

Receiving Honorable Mention status were senior defensive end Sam Vucelich and junior free safety Nick Barren. 

Congratulations to all the Purple Raiders!

Posted by Ric 11/20/06

The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has posted some game notes for this Saturday's second round NCAA Division III playoff game against Wheaton at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read them here.

Posted by Ric 11/19/06

I've posted our game story of the Purple Raiders' first round playoff victory over the Hope Flying Dutchmen at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read it here.

Posted by Ric 11/18/06

Mount Union defeated Hope 49-0 this afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs at Mount Union Stadium in Alliance.

Seven different players scored touchdowns as the Purple Raiders jumped out to a 42-0 halftime advantage and cruised to the 49-point win.

Nate Kmic, Mike Jorris, Greg Micheli and Terrance Morring each scored rushing touchdowns, while Pierre Garcon, Chad Reynolds and Justin Wray had touchdown receptions. 

Mount Union racked up 584 total yards of offense while Hope managed just 75. 

With the win, the Purple Raiders will host Wheaton next Saturday in a second round playoff game at Mount Union Stadium.  The Thunder beat Mount St. Joseph 42-28 today to advance.  Kickoff next Saturday is set for 12:00 p.m.

Posted by Ric 11/16/06

The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has posted some quotes from Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres and Hope head coach Dean Kreps during their media conference call.  You can read them here.

Posted by Ric 11/15/06

I've added some audio highlights from Mount Union's regular season ending victory at Marietta.  You can hear them here.

Posted by Ric 11/14/06

Mount Union finished the regular season number one in the AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll, receiving 36 of 40 first place votes, while Capital moved up two places to the seventh spot.  The entire poll is here.

Posted by Ric 11/13/06

The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some game notes for this Saturday's NCAA Division III first round playoff game against Hope at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read them here.

In addition, Mount Union remained number one in the final regular season D3football.com Top 25 poll, receiving 22 of the 25 first place votes.  Capital moved up one spot to fourth on the list, while Baldwin-Wallace and Ohio Northern received votes.  The entire Top 25 here.

Posted by Ric 11/12/06

Mount Union will host Hope on Saturday in the First Round of the 2006 NCAA Division III playoffs.  Kickoff at Mount Union Stadium will be at 12:00 p.m. 

Mount Union qualified for the playoffs by winning the Ohio Athletic Conference and finished the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record.  Hope is in as champions of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and will enter the playoffs with a 7-3 mark.

Should the Purple Raiders win, they would host the winner of the Mount St. Joseph at Wheaton (IL) game on November 25th.  OAC rival Capital also made the Field of 32 and will host Wittenberg in the first round.

The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl will be played on December 16th in Salem, Virginia, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m..  You can see the entire playoff bracket here.

Also, I've posted our game story of Mount Union's regular season finale win over Marietta, which you can read  here.

Posted by Ric 11/11/06

Mount Union rushed for a school record 503 yards in defeating Marietta this afternoon 45-17 before 975 fans at Don Drumm Stadium.  With the win Mount Union wins the Ohio Athletic Conference football championship outright and will host a NCAA Division III playoff game next Saturday with the opponent to be announced tomorrow.

Justin Wray ran for career high 189 yards on 19 carries and Nate Kmic add 175 yards on 24 totes and each scored two touchdowns.  Pierre Garcon also scored twice, on a nine-yard reception from Greg Micheli and on a 27-yard run.

The Purple Raiders finished with 587 total yards of offense compared to 235 for the Pioneers.  Mount Union ends the regular season 10-0 for the 13th time in the last 15 years and will begin defense of its national championship in a first round playoff game next Saturday at Mount Union Stadium with kickoff set for 12:00 noon.  The opponent will be determined tomorrow when the playoff field of 32 is announced.

Posted by Ric 11/10/06

Mount Union placed three football players on the 2006 ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America College Division All-District 4 Academic Team.

Junior center Eric Safran was named to the First-Team while junior guard Derek Blanchard and sophomore quarterback/punter Greg Micheli received Second-Team honors.

Safran, a business administration major, carries a 3.7 GPA, Blanchard, a physical education major, has a 3.5 GPA and Micheli, an undecided major, has a 3.8 GPA.

Posted by Ric 11/9/06

I've added some audio highlights from Mount Union's 31-14 victory over John Carroll.  You can hear them here.

Posted by Ric 11/8/06

Mount Union is number one again in the North Region in this week's Division III Football Regional Rankings.  Capital moved up one spot to third while Baldwin-Wallace remained seventh in the region.  You can see the NCAA's entire ranking of each region's top ten teams here.

Posted by Ric 11/7/06

Mount Union remained the number one ranked team in this week's AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll, receiving 36 of 40 first place votes.  Capital moved up one spot to ninth this week, while Baldwin-Wallace received votes.  You can see the entire poll here.

Posted by Ric 11/6/06

The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has posted some game notes for this Saturday's regular season finale at Marietta.  You can read them here.

Posted by Ric 11/5/06

Mount Union remained number one in this week's D3football.com Top 25 poll, receiving 22 of the 25 first place votes.  Capital is fifth again this week while Baldwin-Wallace received votes.  The entire Top 25 here.

Also, I've posted our game story from Mount Union's Ohio Athletic Conference championship clinching victory over John Carroll.  You can read it here.

Posted by Ric 11/4/06

Mount Union defeated John Carroll 31-14 this afternoon before 4,572 in Alliance to clinch a share of a 15th straight Ohio Athletic Conference football championship.

The Purple Raiders got on the board just over a minute into the contest when Matt Kostelnik intercepted a pass and returned it 29 yards for a 7-0 lead.  Nate Kmic scored his first of three touchdowns on a one-yard run late in the period, making it 14-0 after one.  It was 14-7 at halftime after the Blue Streaks got the only score of the second stanza.

Mike Zimmerman's 17-yard field goal late in the third quarter increased Mount Union's lead to 17-7, and Kmic added two fourth quarter scores on runs of two and 27 yards sandwiched around a John Carroll touchdown to make the final 31-14.

The Purple Raiders finished with 393 yards of total offense while the Blue Streaks managed 222.  Mount Union improved to 9-0 overall and 8-0 in OAC play with the win, and will try to finish off a perfect regular season with a victory in Marietta next Saturday.  Kickoff from Don Drumm Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m.

Posted by Ric 11/2/06

I've added some audio highlights from top ranked Mount Union's dominating performance over fourth ranked Capital.  You can hear them here.

Posted by Ric 11/1/06

Mount Union remains number one in the North Region in this week's Division III Football Regional Rankings.  Capital is ranked fourth and Baldwin-Wallace seventh in the region.

The regional rankings use a similar criteria used to determine playoff seeding at the end of the regular season with basically the top eight teams in each region making the playoffs in a Pool A, B and C format.  You can see the NCAA's entire ranking of each region's top ten teams here.