http://cslab.uwlax.edu/~ander_rj/foot/preSP.html (Internet on a CD, 07/1998)
No. 1 ranking offers no surprise
From the Journal Sentinel staff
October 17, 1996 The first official NCAA Division III football rankings of the season were released Monday, and surprise, surprise, UW-La Crosse is ranked No. 1 in the West Region.
Considering that the Eagles are the defending national champion, have the nation's longest winning streak (19 games) and disposed of powerful UW-River Falls last week, 42-31, with a fourth-quarter rally, the ranking could hardly be classified as a shocker.
What is somewhat surprising, however, is the reaction of Eagles coach Roger Harring.
"All that is is ammunition for everybody we play," Harring said. "We already get everybody's best effort, but this settles it.
"It's not like everybody isn't trying to beat us now. One time I was in Eau Claire's weight room and they had a sign up that said, 'What have you done today to beat La Crosse?'
"I hear Stevens Point has a sign in its locker room that ranks its goals for the season. Their No. 1 goal is to beat La Crosse and their No. 2 goal is to win the conference."
According to UW-Stevens Point coach John Miech, Harring's second-hand information is a bit off base.
"At the beginning of the season we have every kid on the team make a list of five goals, and it wouldn't surprise me if somebody listed that as their goals. But there is no sign, as such, that says that," Miech said. "La Crosse is so dominant in this conference that the two goals go together. There's no way you can win the WSUC without going through La Crosse."
The Pointers could go a long way toward accomplishing their goals on Saturday. The two unbeaten teams meet at 1 p.m. in a game that should begin to unravel the snarled mess on top of the Wisconsin State University Conference.
In another key game involving contenders, UW-Whitewater (6-0) travels to River Falls, which suffered its only defeat Saturday at La Crosse. Whitewater is ranked No. 2 in the West Region, while Stevens Point is No. 6.
It may not show in the record, but La Crosse showed some distinct signs of mortality against River Falls. The Falcons led in the fourth quarter, 31-21, but couldn't hold off the determined Eagles.
Despite injuries that have ransacked the La Crosse depth chart at running back, the Eagles rallied with three rushing touchdowns. Mike Bechtel, a transfer from UW-Stout, started the comeback with a 71-yard scoring run on a draw play. And Toby Krause added two more short touchdown runs, his second and third scores of the game.
Bechtel and Krause will be spotlighted again this week because La Crosse's leading rusher, Beau Coulter, is still out with a hairline fracture of the fibula. John Barrett, who replaced Coulter in the starting lineup, suffered a severe leg bruise against River Falls and also has been ruled out for Saturday. Additionally, Matt Unertl, a highly recruited freshman from Sussex Hamilton High School, recently was ruled out for the season with a case of mononucleosis.
"That's what you're up against with La Crosse," Miech said. "Their second team could beat a lot of teams on their schedule."
Novara rolling
Lakeland College can take a giant step toward winning the Illini-Badger Conference title when it plays host to undefeated MacMurray College of Illinois (5-0) at its homecoming game in Sheboygan at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Muskies are 4-2 overall, but they have won four straight and are 2-0 in the conference after a 50-21 victory over Concordia of Wisconsin last Saturday. Lakeland crushed MacMurray last season, 67-14.
The Muskies' resurgence can be traced to the play of quarterback Mark Novara, who is having a spectacular season. Novara, a junior from Kingsford, Mich., completed 28 of 44 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns against Concordia, and for the season he has completed 152 of 254 for 2,024 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Novara's 507 passing yards against Franklin on Sept. 28 were the most by a Division III quarterback this season. Novara had 37 completions against Franklin, the second-highest total for a single game in the nation this season, and his 29 completions against Maranatha Baptist on Sept. 14 ranks ninth.
Untangling the Midwest
The tangle atop the Midwest Conference North Division should shake down somewhat when two of the division's three 2-0 teams, Ripon and St. Norbert, tangle in Green Bay at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Carroll College (5-1), the other team that's 2-0 in the division, should continue on its merry way with Lake Forest (0-6) scheduled to visit Waukesha at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Ripon, with hot quarterback Eric Rich, would appear to have the edge over St. Norbert. Rich, who passed for 292 yards and three touchdowns in the Red Hawks' 31-14 victory over Lake Forest last week, has completed 71% of his passes (130 of 183) for 20 touchdowns.
St. Norbert had to win its last three games to even its record at 3-3, and the Knights did it the hard way in their 24-20 victory over Lawrence last week. Tim Pierret filled in for regular quarterback Dan Luedtke, who missed the game because he was the best man in his sister's wedding.
Short yardage
Carthage College showed some guts in scheduling Augustana, a team the Redmen hadn't defeated since 1973, as its homecoming opponent last Saturday. The Redmen, coached by Tim Rucks in his first season at the Kenosha school, broke the 22-game losing streak, 28-18. Carthage rushed for 224 yards against a Vikings defense that entered the game ranked ninth in the nation against the run. . . . UW-Platteville's seven-game winning streak over UW-Oshkosh appears to be in danger. The Pioneers' season-long injury plague, which sidelined eight starters in a 35-29 loss to UW-Eau Claire last week, doesn't figure to go away soon. . . . UW-La Crosse's 19-game winning streak is the longest current streak in Division III, seven games longer than any other team's. . . . River Falls coach John O'Grady's reflection on La Crosse, after the 42-31 loss to the Eagles last week: "That is one hell of a football team down there. They are better than I thought. I thought we were better than them, but (Saturday) we weren't." . . . La Crosse wide receiver Troy Harcey of Rochester, Minn., has been given a Burger King scholar athlete of the week award. The fast-food chain will donate $10,000 to the school's general scholarship fund in Harcey's name.