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December 2007 News
Posted by Ric 12/24/07
From my family to yours... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! And let's not forget the reason for the season!
Posted by Ric 12/18/07
Mount Union finished second in the final 2007 AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll following its loss to national champion Wis-Whitewater in the Stagg Bowl, while Capital finished 15th in the final poll, moving up one place from it's final regular season spot. You can see the entire final AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll here.
Posted by Ric 12/17/07
Mount Union finished second in the final D3football.com Top 25 poll of 2007 following its loss to national champion Wis-Whitewater in the Stagg Bowl. Capital finished 13th, moving up one spot from the final regular season poll, while Ohio Northern received votes. You can see the entire final D3football.com Top 25 here.
I've also added our game story of the 35th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. You can read it here.
Posted by Ric 12/16/07
Mount Union had a record seven players named to the D3football.com All-American Team, which was announced following yesterday's championship game.
Receiving first-team honors on offense were senior guard Derek Blanchard, senior center Eric Safran, senior wide receiver Pierre Garcon, junior running back Nate Kmic and junior quarterback Greg Micheli.
Defensively, senior tackle Patrick McCullough and senior strong safety Matt Kostelnik were tabbed to the first-team.
Posted by Ric 12/15/07
Wis-Whitewater scored the game's first 17 points in defeating Mount Union 31-21 to win the school's first football national championship this evening at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia. It's Whitewater's first win in five meetings with Mount Union.
Justin Beaver ran for 249 yards and scored once in being named the game's Most Outstanding Player.
The Raiders cut the Warhawk lead to 17-14 late in the third quarter but could never pull even or take the lead. It marks just the second loss in 11 championship games for the Purple & White.
The loss also ended the school's 37-game winning steak, which had been the nation's longest current winning streak.
Mount Union outgained Whitewater 445 yards to 410, but could not overcome four turnovers and finished minus-2 in takeaways.
Posted by Ric 12/13/07
Mount Union College placed five players on the 2007 Associated Press Little All-America Team, including one first-team, one second-team and three third-team selections.
Senior strong safety Matt Kostelnik earned first-team honors and senior offensive guard Derek Blanchard was named to the second-team, while senior defensive tackle Pat McCullough, junior quarterback Greg Micheli and junior running back Nate Kmic were named to the third-team.
This is the most players the Purple Raiders have ever placed on the AP Little All-America Team in a single season. The previous high was four players from the 2002 squad.
The AP Little All-America Team includes collegiate football players competing at Division II, Division III and NAIA institutions.
Posted by Ric 12/12/07
Mount Union senior left guard Derek Blanchard has been named to the 2007 American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches' All-America Team. The AFCA Coaches' All-America Team is one of the most prestigious honors for a player as it consists of only 25 players nationally (11 offense, 11 defense and three special teams) and is chosen exclusively by Division III coaches
In addition, I've added some audio highlights from the Purple Raiders semifinal playoff win over Bethel at Mount Union Stadium. You can hear them here.
Posted by Ric 12/11/07
Mount Union College sold out its allotment of tickets for the 35th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, to be played Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in Salem, Virginia.
You will be able to still purchase tickets in Alliance, as more tickets will arrive at the college and be on sale today at the Timken Physical Education Building from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. or until they sell out.
You can also purchase tickets by calling the Salem Civic Center at (540) 375-3005. Adult tickets are $12.50 if purchased in advance and $15.00 on game day. Cost for students is $7.00.
The Purple Raiders will face Wis-Whitewater in the championship game for the third consecutive season. Mount Union won each of the last two title tilts and are unbeaten in four previous meetings with the Warhawks.
Posted by Ric 12/10/07
The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some game notes for Saturday's NCAA Division III National Championship game between the Purple Raiders and the Wis-Whitewater Warhawks in Salem, Virginia. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 12/9/07
Tickets for the 35th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl will be available in Alliance Monday through Wednesday at the Mount Union College Timken Physical Education Building from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased by phone by calling the Salem Civic Center at (540) 375-3005. Adult tickets are $12.50 if purchased in advance and $15.00 on game day. Cost for students is $7.00. The Purple Raiders will be the visiting team in this year's championship game and Mount Union fans will be located on the east side of Salem Stadium.
In addition, I've posted our game story of Mount Union's 62-14 victory over Bethel in the national semifinals. You can read it here.
Posted by Ric 12/8/07
Mount Union scored on all seven of its first half possessions to build a 41-0 halftime lead in defeating Bethel (MN) 61-14 this afternoon before 2,791 fans at Mount Union Stadium in the national semifinals.
Greg Micheli completed 16 of 19 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, while Nate Kmic ran for 104 yards on 19 carries and scored three times to lead the Purple & White.
Pierre Garcon caught five passes covering 111 yards and scored once, while Chad Reynolds and Cecil Shorts scored offensive touchdowns, Craig Nickoli returned an interception for a touchdown and Mike Zimmerman booted two field goals to lead the Raiders.
Mount Union will face Wis-Whitewater next week in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. The Warhawks advance with a 16-7 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor today.
The Purple Raiders will be looking for their 10th national championship while Whitewater is after its first. This will be a rematch of the last two title games, both won by Mount Union. The contest will be broadcast live from Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia on ESPN with kickoff set for 4:00 p.m.
Posted by Ric 12/7/07
Mount Union senior defensive tackle Patrick McCullough has been named the D3football.com North Region Defensive Player of the Year and junior running back Nate Kmic has been tabbed the North Region's Offensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season.
A total of eight Purple Raiders made the All-Region Team, including seven to the First-Team. Along with Kmic, first-team honorees on offense include senior guard Derek Blanchard, senior center Eric Safran, senior wide receiver Pierre Garcon and junior quarterback Greg Micheli. Defensively, McCullough and senior safety Matt Kostelnik were first-team selections.
In addition, senior linebacker Tony DeRiggi was named to the All-Region Second-Team. The All-Region Team is selected by North Region sports information directors and the D3football.com staff.
Posted by Ric 12/6/07
Mount Union senior left guard Derek Blanchard is one of four regional finalists for the 15th annual Gagliardi Trophy.
The award, presented to the outstanding football player in NCAA Division III, honors excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award program is sponsored by Jostens, Inc. and conducted by the J-Club of St. John's (MN).
The four regional finalists along with Blanchard, from the North Region, are: Justin Beaver, RB, Wis-Whitewater (West Region); Jason Boltus, QB, Hartwick (East Region); and Drew Smith, WR, Hampden-Sydney (South Region).
The national winner will be announced on Monday, December 10th and the recipient will be presented with the trophy on Thursday evening at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA.
Four Purple Raider football players have previously won the trophy: Dan Pugh (2002), Chuck Moore (2001), Bill Borchert (1997) and Jim Ballard (1993). No offensive lineman has won the award in the 14 year history of the trophy.
Posted by Ric 12/5/07
The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some quotes from Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres and Bethel Head Coach Steve Johnson during their media conference call. You can read them here.
In addition, I've added some audio highlights from the Purple Raiders quarterfinal playoff victory over St. John Fisher at Mount Union Stadium. You can hear them here.
Posted by Ric 12/4/07
Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres has
been named the 2007 American Football Coaches Association Division III Region Four
Coach of the Year.
This marks the 12th time Kehres has received an AFCA District/Regional Coach of the Year honor, a record for any coach at any level.
Kehres, who holds a career record of 259-20-3 (92%), has built one of the most successful programs in all of college football, winning 18 conference titles and nine national championships during his 22 year coaching career.
His unbeaten and number one ranked Purple Raiders enter this weekend's national semifinal against Bethel (MN) in Alliance.
Posted by Ric 12/3/07
The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has posted some game notes for Saturday's NCAA Division III National Semifinal playoff game between the Purple Raiders and the Bethel Royals at Mount Union Stadium. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 12/2/07
I've posted our game story of Mount Union's 52-10 victory over St. John Fisher in the national quarterfinals. You can read it here.
Posted by Ric 12/1/07
Mount Union scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions in building a 21-0 first quarter lead on the way to a 52-10 drubbing of St. John Fisher before 2,678 fans this afternoon at Mount Union Stadium in the national quarterfinals.
Nate Kmic ran for 199 yards and scored twice, while Pierre Garcon added three touchdown receptions.
Greg Micheli completed 15 of 22 passes for 189 yards and three scores, while Justin Wray and Cecil Shorts each rushed for touchdowns.
The Raiders as a team ran for 410 yards and had 599 total yards, while the Cardinals managed just 52 rushing yards and 358 yards overall.
The Purple & White will host Bethel (MN) next Saturday in the National Semifinals. The Royals advance with a 27-13 victory over Central (IA) today. Kickoff from Mount Union Stadium is set for 12:00 p.m.