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November 2007 News
Posted by Ric 11/30/07
The Sports Information Director's office at St. John Fisher College has posted some game notes for tomorrow's regional final playoff game between the Purple Raiders and Cardinals. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 11/29/07
The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has posted some quotes from Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres and St. John Fisher Head Coach Paul Vosburgh during their media conference call. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 11/28/07
I've added some audio highlights from the Purple Raiders second round playoff win over The College of New Jersey at Mount Union Stadium. You can hear them here.
Posted by Ric 11/27/07
Mount Union College placed seven players on the 2007 Football Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference squad.
Five players earned Academic All-OAC status, including senior defensive tackle Patrick McCullough, a Spanish major with a 3.39 GPA, senior guard Derek Blanchard, a physical education major with a 3.67 GPA, senior center Eric Safran, a business administration major with a 3.68 GPA, senior running back Justin Wray, a physics major with a 3.63 GPA, and junior quarterback Greg Micheli, a math and physics major with a 3.82 GPA.
In addition, senior safety Chris Kappas, a physical education major with a 3.70 GPA and sophomore punter Jay Carpenter, a biology major with a 3.97 GPA, were named as Honorable-Mention All-OAC picks.
Blanchard, Safran and Micheli each earned Academic All-OAC status last season. The trio, along with McCullough and Kappas, were previously named to the 2007 “ESPN The Magazine” College Division All-Academic District Four Team.
Mount Union had the most football student-athletes, among the OAC institutions, earn Academic All-Conference status this fall.
Posted by Ric 11/26/07
The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some game notes for Saturday's NCAA Division III Regional Final playoff game between the Purple Raiders and the St. John Fisher Cardinals at Mount Union Stadium. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 11/25/07
I've posted our game story of Mount Union's 59-7 victory over The College of New Jersey in the Second Round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. You can read it here.
Posted by Ric 11/24/07
Mount Union limited The College of New Jersey to just 46 yards of total offense, while gaining 508 itself, in posting a 59-7 second round playoff win this afternoon before 2,593 fans at Mount Union Stadium.
Bryson Davis caught six passes for 188 yards and scored three times to lead the Purple & White to the Regional Final. Greg Micheli completed 18 of 25 passes for 354 yards while Nate Kmic and Pierre Garcon each scored twice and Daryl Ely forced and recovered a fumble on a Lion punt return and returned it 28 yards to open the scoring.
Mount Union led 14-0 after the first quarter, 42-7 at halftime and 59-7 through three periods. The Raiders will host St. John Fisher in a rematch of last season's National Semifinal next Saturday. The Cardinals advance with a 38-7 victory over Curry today. Kickoff from Mount Union Stadium is set for 12:00 p.m.
Posted by Ric 11/23/07
The College of New Jersey's Sports Information Director's office has posted some game notes for tomorrow's second round playoff game between the Purple Raiders and Lions. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 11/22/07
The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some quotes from Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres and The College of New Jersey Head Coach Eric Hamilton during their media conference call. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 11/21/07
Mount Union senior left guard Derek Blanchard is one of 10 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 10 finalists along with Blanchard are: Justin Beaver, RB, Wis-Whitewater; Jason Boltus, QB, Hartwick; Thomas Brew, LB, Case Western Reserve; Eric Dube, LB, Dickinson (PA); Paul Keeley, QB, Alfred; Alex Kofoed, QB, St. John's (MN); Adrian Pynenberg, LB, Wabash; Drew Smith, WR, Hampden-Sydney; and P.J. Thiesen, WR, St. Thomas.
The field will be cut to four finalists, one from each region, prior to the awards ceremony in Salem, VA, on Thursday, December 13th, at the Salem Civic Center, kicking off festivities for the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, which will be played there on Saturday, December 15th.
The Gagliardi Trophy winner is determined by a combined fan vote on one ballot, along with votes by a 33-member national selection committee, which includes college coaches, former athletes, college administrators, business leaders and members of the media.
You can place your vote on the fan ballot here. Fan voting will run through December 4th.
Four Purple Raider football players have previously won the trophy: Dan Pugh (2002), Chuck Moore (2001), Bill Borchert (1997) and Jim Ballard (1993).
Posted by Ric 11/20/07
I've added some audio highlights from the Purple Raiders first round playoff win over Ithaca at Mount Union Stadium. You can hear them here.
In addition, the Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has posted some game notes for Saturday's NCAA Division III Second Round playoff game between the Purple Raiders and The College of New Jersey Lions at Mount Union Stadium. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 11/19/07
Four Mount Union football players were honored with 2007 Ohio Athletic Conference Special Awards today and a total of 18 players were named to the All-Conference Team.
The special award winners were senior defensive tackle Pat McCullough, named the OAC’s Paul Hoernemann Award winner as the conference’s top defensive lineman, senior Derek Blanchard, the Mike Gregory Award winner as the conference’s best offensive lineman, senior wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who earned the Ed Sherman Award for the second consecutive season as the most outstanding receiver in the conference, and junior quarterback Greg Micheli, named the OAC’s Mike Gregory Award winner as the conference’s top offensive back.
In addition, Mount Union placed 13 players on the All-Conference First-Team, three on the Second-Team, and two as Honorable Mention.
Those named to the first-team offense include Blanchard, Garcon, Micheli, senior guard Tim Reash, senior center Eric Safran and junior running back Nate Kmic.
Named first-team on defense were McCullough, senior tackle Nick Parr, senior linebacker Tony DeRiggi, senior strong safety Matt Kostelnik and senior cornerback Jonah Wilson.
On special teams, First-Team All-OAC honors went to senior place kicker Mike Zimmerman and senior return specialist Justin Wray.
Second-team honorees include senior offensive lineman Geoff Dartt, senior defensive end Jonathan Andrews and senior linebacker Matt Rees.
Receiving Honorable Mention status were junior running back Terrance Morring and junior cornerback Daryl Ely. Congratulations to all the Purple Raiders!
Posted by Ric 11/18/07
I've posted our game story of Mount Union's 42-18 victory over Ithaca in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. You can read it here.
Posted by Ric 11/17/07
Nate Kmic ran for a season high 217 yards and scored four times in leading Mount Union to a 42-18 victory over Ithaca before 1,822 fans at Mount Union Stadium this afternoon in the First Round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Kmic scored on runs of 48, 64, two and one yards and became the Ohio Athletic Conference's all-time career rushing leader.
Greg Micheli threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon and a seven-yarder to Bryson Davis to account for the Raider scoring.
Jamie Donovan scored on a one-yard run for Ithaca, while Dan Juvan threw two touchdown passes to Brian Weverbergh, from five and three yards. Those three scores marked the first touchdowns given up this season by Mount Union's first-team defense.
The Raiders will host The College of New Jersey, who were 17-14 winners today over Rensselaer, next Saturday in Second Round playoff action, with kickoff set for 12:00 p.m. at Mount Union Stadium. It will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Posted by Ric 11/15/07
The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has posted some quotes from Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres and Ithaca head coach Mike Welch during their media conference call. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 11/14/07
Mount Union received 39 of a possible 40 first place votes to remain the nation's number one team in the final regular season AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll. Capital moved up three spots to 16th. You can see the entire poll here.
Posted by Ric 11/13/07
The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some game notes for Saturday's NCAA Division III First Round playoff game between the Purple Raiders and Ithaca Bombers at Mount Union Stadium. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 11/12/07
Mount Union received all 25 first place votes to be crowned the unanimous number one team in the final regular season D3football.com Top 25 poll of 2007. Capital moved up three sports to 14th, while Ohio Northern received votes. You can see the entire Top 25 here.
Posted by Ric 11/11/07
In a surprising Division III field of 32 setup, Mount Union is bracketed with seven East Region teams and will host Ithaca on Saturday in the First Round of the 2007 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. Ithaca finished third in the Empire 8 Conference and will enter the playoffs with an 8-2 mark.
Should the Purple Raiders win, they would host the winner of the College of New Jersey at Rensselaer game on November 24th. OAC rival Capital also made the playoffs and will travel to Wis-Whitewater in the first round.
The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl will be played on December 15th 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 11/10/07
Mount Union defeated Marietta 57-0 this afternoon before 4,132 fans at Mount Union Stadium to finish the regular season perfect at 10-0 for the 16th time in Larry Kehres' 22 seasons as head coach.
The shutout sets a new Division III record for shutouts in a season at seven and is the sixth straight for the Purple Raider defense.
Mount Union scored four first quarter touchdowns on Greg Micheli passes to Pierre Garcon and Justin Wray and two Nate Kmic runs.
Kmic added a third score in the second period and Micheli hit Bryson Davis and Cecil Shorts for touchdowns as well to make it 49-0 at halftime.
The Raiders added a safety on a quarterback sack in the third stanza and a Scott Panchik touchdown run in the fourth to account for the scoring.
Mount Union will find out who they play in the First Round of the NCAA Division III playoffs when the playoff field of 32 is released by the NCAA tomorrow morning at 11:30 a.m.
Posted by Ric 11/9/07
Mount Union placed five football players on the 2007 ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America College Division All-District 4 Academic Team.
Senior guard Derek Blanchard, senior safety Chris Kappas, senior center Eric Safran and junior quarterback Greg Micheli were named First-Team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA College Division Academic District 4, while senior defensive tackle Pat McCullough received Second-Team honors.
Blanchard, a physical education major, has a 3.67 GPA, Kappas, a physical education major, has a 3.70 GPA, Safran, a business administration major, carries a 3.68 GPA, Micheli, a physics and math major, has a 3.82 GPA, and McCullough, a Spanish major, has a 3.39 GPA.
Mount Union College has the most ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA College Division District 4 All-Academic recipients in the Ohio Athletic Conference this season.
Posted by Ric 11/8/07
Mount Union remains the number one team in the North Region in this week's Division III Football Regional Rankings released by the NCAA. The Purple Raiders are followed by Wabash, Case Western Reserve, Wheaton (IL), Franklin, Mount St. Joseph, Capital, Wittenberg, North Central (IL) and Carthage in the North Region. You can see the NCAA's entire ranking of each region's top ten teams here.
Posted by Ric 11/7/07
Mount Union received 39 of 40 first place votes to remain the nation's number one team in this week's AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll. Capital moved up one spot to 19th, while Ohio Northern received votes. You can see the entire poll here.
Posted by Ric 11/6/07
The Mount Union College SID's office has posted some game notes for Saturday's regular season finale with Marietta at Mount Union Stadium. You can read them here.
Posted by Ric 11/5/07
Mount Union received all 25 first place votes and is again the unanimous number one team in this week's D3football.com Top 25 poll. Capital is 17th, while Ohio Northern and Baldwin-Wallace received votes. You can see the entire Top 25 here.
Posted by Ric 11/4/07
I've added our game story from Mount Union's 53-0 shutout win over John Carroll. You can read it here.
Posted by Ric 11/3/07
Mount Union held John Carroll to minus two yards of total offense for the game and defeated the Blue Streaks 53-0 before 3,312 today at Don Shula Stadium.
The shutout marked the fifth consecutive game the Raiders have not allowed an opponent to score and the sixth overall this season, tying the Division III mark for shutouts in a season, set originally by Mount Union in 2003. The Purple & White's first team defense has allowed just a field goal all year.
Nate Kmic scored three rushing touchdowns, while Greg Micheli added another and threw for two, one each to Pierre Garcon and Chad Reynolds, as Mount Union jumped out to a 26-0 lead after one quarter and led 43-0 at halftime.
The Raiders also scored on a safety and Mike Zimmerman booted three field goals. Zimmerman broke the Division III record for consecutive successful point after tries, with 104 made in a row dating back to last season. He has made all 61 PAT's he's attempted this year.
With the win, Mount Union clinched its 16th consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference championship and 19th overall. The Purple & White will try to finish a perfect regular season when it hosts Marietta next Saturday at Mount Union Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
Posted by Ric 11/2/07
Mount Union College has announced that its final JV football game, scheduled for this weekend against North Carolina Tech, has been cancelled. This means the junior varsity football team finishes the 2007 campaign with a perfect 9-0 record. You can see the entire JV football results here.
Posted by Ric 11/1/07
Mount Union remains the number one team in the North Region in this week's Division III Football Regional Rankings released by the NCAA. The Purple Raiders are followed by Wheaton (IL), Wabash, Case Western Reserve, Franklin, Mount St. Joseph, Capital, Wittenberg, Illinois Wesleyan and North Central (IL) in the North Region. You can see the NCAA's entire ranking of each region's top ten teams here.