UW-W Athletics earn another honor!

UW-W Athletics earn another honor!

Friday, October 28, 2011

WIAC PROJECTIONS

UW-Eau Claire at UW-Platteville
The Blugolds have been unable to gain any consistency on the ground this year putting a lot of pressure on QB Austin Neu. Neu has responded by leading the WIAC in passing yardage per game with 230.4. He has thrown 10 TD's against only 2 interceptions.  The Blugolds lost to Stevens Point last week after leading by 10 points with less than 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.  UW-Platteville needed a FG with 3 seconds left in the game to beat winless River Falls last week.   Eau Claire seems to be playing better right now, but with the WIAC being the WIAC.....

UW-Platteville 23
UW-Eau Claire 20

UW-LaCrosse at UW-Oshkosh
The Eagles hope to catch the Titans on a let-down after their emotional homecoming loss to UW-Whitewater last week.  LaCrosse has had their share of offensive struggles this year, culminating in last week's shutout loss to Stout.  The Titans rank second in the WIAC in both scoring offense and total offense.  If UW-O plays a clean game, they have too much for the Eagles.

UW-Oshkosh 24
UW-LaCrosse 10


UW-Stout at UW-River Falls
Falcons only win in the last 19 games was in former coach John O'Grady's last game to close out 2010.  The Blue Devils are one of four WIAC teams entering Saturday's play at 2-2.  Stout's offense has been inconsistent enough to give the Falcons some hope of giving Coach Matt Walker his first win.

UW-Stout 28
UW-River Falls 20


UW-Stevens Point at UW-Whitewater
Coming into the season ranked #23 by D3football.com, the Pointers got off to a disappointing 2-3 start this year.  They head into Whitewater coming off a come from behind 28-24 victory over Eau Claire.  The Pointers are the last team to beat UW-W in both the WIAC and in Perkins Stadium.  Stevens Point comes in second in the league in total defense and scoring defense, but dead last in total offense.  The Warhawks are fighting through a stretch of some recent injuries and coming off a hard fought 3 point win at Oshkosh.  If UW-W establishes an early lead, the Pointers don't figure to have the firepower to catch up.

UW-Whitewater 34
UW-Stevens Point 14

Saturday, October 22, 2011

"Titan-ic" Challenge

    UW-Whitewater passed a major test in responding to adversity on Saturday, defeating UW-Oshkosh 20-17 on a beautiful afternoon in Oshkosh.  The Warhawks knew they were going to be challenged on the home turf of the Titans, who entered the afternoon 3-0 in WIAC play and ranked #20 by d3football.com.  And challenged they were as the Titans made a serious bid to end the Warhawks' nation leading winning streak at 36 games.  On an afternoon that saw the Warhawks lose three starters in the first half due to injury, Oshkosh seized the lead three separate times on their way to a 17-10 halftime advantage.  Senior linebacker Greg Arnold made a valiant effort by starting in spite of injuring his ankle in last week's victory over UW-Stout.  However, he was able to play only three plays before limping off the field for the afternoon.  Defensive back Sam Overton was hurt in a jarring collision with Oshkosh running back Justin Budiak at the one yard line.  Overton left the game with over 12 minutes left in the first half and did not return.  Starting center Grant Poenitsch left the game with an apparent leg injury in the first half and did not return.

    UW-Oshkosh struck first with a 29 yard field goal by Nate Becker with 2:04 remaining in the first quarter.  The Titans carried that 3-0 lead into the second quarter until QB Matt Blanchard gave the Warhawks the lead with a 23 yard designed quarterback run, capping an 89 yard TD drive with 14:52 to go in the half.  UW-O responded with a 68 yard drive, capped by a Charlie Weissman  one yard touchdown run.  The Warhawks tied the score on a 47 yard Eric Kindler field goal with 4:49 to play in the half, but the Titans weren't done yet.  They proceeded to drive 80 yards on 10 plays, culminated by a 14 yard TD run by Jeremy Roach and a 17-10 halftime lead for the Titans. Oshkosh gained 236 yards in the first half to Whitewater's 203 yards.

    UW-Whitewater's defense and Levell Coppage proved to be the difference in the game in the second half.  The Warhawks' defense forced four punts, made one huge fourth quarter defensive stand on downs, and made a game sealing interception with one second remaining in the game.

    With less than two minutes left in the third quarter and Whitewater still trailing 17-10, Whitewater QB Matt Blanchard hit a wide open Tyler Huber for a 62 yard gain to the Oshkosh 4 yard line.  After Levell Coppage was dumped for a 4 yard loss, Blanchard hit tight end Jason Ford for an 8 yard touchdown, tying the game at 17.  The game was still tied when Whitewater took over the ball at their own 20 with 5:51 left in the game.  Coppage and Blanchard put together consecutive 9 yard runs to give the Warhawks a first down on the 38.  Coppage gained 9 yards on two carries and Blanchard converted a third and one with a 3 yard run to midfield.  Then Coppage broke into the secondary and raced 47 yards to the Oshkosh 3.  Coppage ran twice advancing the ball to the one.  On third and one, Blanchard faked to Coppage and sprinted out to the right.  He was knocked out of bounds just short of the goal line by Austin Blashka.  Kindler then kicked what turned out to be the game winning field goal with 1:18 remaining.

    The Titans had one final chance to pull the upset.  The Titans began at their own 25.  On first down, Cole Myhra ran up the middle for 3 yards.  Oshkosh then used their final time out.  Nate Wara then hit Caleb Voss for 20 yards and a first down at the UW-O 48.  After an incomplete pass, Wara hit Garrie Fox for 15 yards to the Whitewater 37.  Defensive end Casey Casper then broke through and sacked Wara for a 3 yard loss.  Wara then scrambled the Titans to the line and spiked the ball to stop the clock.  After another incompletion, it was fourth down and 8 seconds remained.  Wara dropped back and rolled to his right.  He launched the ball into the end zone, but it was intercepted by Ryan Wenkman with one second left in the game.  The Warhawks then ran out the clock with one of the sweetest victory formations they have been able to enjoy during their nation leading 37 game winning streak.

    Blanchard finished the game 17-25 for 209 yards, a TD and an interception. He also gained 95 yards and scored a rushing TD in 14 carries. Levell Coppage led the Warhawks in rushing with 139 yards in 28 carries.  For Oshkosh, Wara was 17-33 for 148 yards and had 2 interceptions.  The interceptions were desperation passes at the end of each half.  Wara also ran the ball 14 times for 53 yards.  Six Titans gained at least 20 yards rushing, paced by Cole Myhra who ran it 7 times for  66 yards.  On the afternoon, the Warhawks out-gained the Titans 429 yards to 362 yards.

    The Warhawks return home to play their homecoming game against UW-Stevens Point at 1:00 PM on Saturday, October 29th.

Friday, October 21, 2011

WIAC PROJECTIONS

UW-LaCrosse (2-4, 1-2) at UW-Stout (2-4, 1-2)
Both teams are looking to bounce back to .500 in the WIAC after losing last week. UW-L has been undermined offensively by an inability to protect the passer, which has made it very difficult for the Eagles to sustain drives.  UW-Stout's defensive front does create pressure and the Blue Devils are better in the red zone on both sides of the ball.

UW-Stout 17
UW-LaCrosse 14




UW-Platteville (2-2, 3-3) at UW-River Falls (0-3, 0-6)
The Pioneers hit the road looking to break a two game losing streak.  They find the perfect opponent to get well in the Falcons.  Coach Walker's turnaround project at River Falls will take some time.

UW-Platteville 38
UW-River Falls 10




UW-Stevens Point (3-3, 1-2) at UW-Eau Claire (2-1, 4-2)
The Pointers head into the most difficult part of their schedule after a disappointing 3 losses in their first 6 games.  They lost on this same field last year when they visited with a stronger team.  The Blugolds may have their strongest team since their '07 playoff team. The Blugolds have too much offense for the Pointers.

UW-EC  31
UW-SP  17




UW-Whitewater (3-0, 6-0) at UW-Oshkosh (3-0, 5-1)
The winner of this game is in the driver's seat to win the WIAC championship and the automatic playoff bid that goes with it.  And as eager as the Titans are to take on the defending national champions, the importance of this game is not lost on UW-W.  Seems like UW-O may have been better off if they would have been able to sneak up on Whitewater.  This game will have UW-W's full focus. Both teams will likely score some points, but UW-O's chances probably rest on their defense's ability to slow down the Warhawks.  UW-O's defense came up big against Platteville last week and will have to play just as well in this one.  While the Titans are ranked second overall in total defense, they are ranked in the middle of the conference pack (4th) in defending both the pass and the run.  That won't be good enough against UW-W

UW-Whitewater 41
UW-Oshkosh     17








Thursday, October 20, 2011

Mid-Term Exam

     It would be a stretch to say that UW-Oshkosh Head Coach Pat Cerroni had Saturday's game against UW-Whitewater in mind when he scheduled both Central College and Mount Union as non-conference games to open each of the last two seasons.  But he undoubtedly had big things in mind.  After losing both games to begin the 2010 season, the Titans defeated Central 31-28 to open 2011.  UW-O then traveled to Alliance, OH and lost to Mount.  Overall, Cerroni felt like the Titans played a pretty good game against the traditional powerhouse.  "The first quarter we played really well and then in the second quarter we lost our focus and they jumped on us pretty good," UWO head coach Pat Cerroni said. "In the second half, we tied them 7-7 so I thought we came out after halftime, settled down and played football."


     Cerroni is hoping to use the rugged non-conference schedule as a building block in building his own program to WIAC and national prominence.  Whitewater took much the same path in 2002 and 2003.  For UW-W and UW-O, the results of the games against Mount Union were remarkably similar.  In 2002, UW-W lost to Mount 44-21.  In 2010, UW-O fell 45-28.  In 2003, UW-W lost to Mount 40-17.  This year, UW-O lost 41-17.  
    
    Oshkosh comes into Saturday's game 3-0 in conference play and 6-1 overall.  The Titans have won their last 4 games, all WIAC opponents,  by an average of over 27 points per game.  Although Saturday's game is hardly a final exam, it could be considered a mid-term in Coach Cerroni's building program.


     The Titans certainly don't seem intimidated by the thought of playing against the number one ranked, two time defending national champions.  "I feel that the ranking is just a number.  The confidence our team has is with each other.  Although the stakes are a little higher this week, we are just looking at it as another game and preparing like we would for any team,"  said defensive end Andrew Thompson.  The Titans have been strong on both sides of the ball, ranking second in the WIAC to the Warhawks in both total offense and total defense.  


     The centerpiece of the Titans offense is quarterback Nate Wara, who ranks 3rd in the WIAC in Total Offense.  Wara also provides the biggest mystery to the game.  He suffered an injury in the first half last week against UW-Plateville and did not return to the game.  According to www.warhawkfootball.com, Wara injured his leg while running the football and no more information has been made available to the public.  Wara is a duel threat as he is the third leading rusher in the conference and the fourth leading passer.  Nick Olla, the UW-O back up QB finished the game and went 7-12 throwing the ball for 100 yards and carried the ball 10 times for 24 yards.  Olla, a 6'1" sophomore, threw only 3 passes all year before Saturday.  Wara has carried the ball twice as much as anyone else on the Titans' roster this year.  Running backs Cole Myhra and Justin Budiac have been effective when called upon.  Myhrahas averaged 6.7 yards per carry (47 carries) and Budiac 7.8 yards per carry (36 carries).  The receiving corps is led by Garrie Fox, who has caught 22 passes for 368 yards and 4 TD's.  Fox is the WIAC's fourth leading receiver.  


     Defensively, the Titans are led by playmaking strong safety Ryan Stefaniak, linebackers Nick Jolin and Taylor Goodman and free safety Jack Breese.   On the defensive line, defensive end Thompson leads the pass rush with 3 sacks.   The  Oshkosh defense has been very strong against the pass all year long.  They have allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete less than 50% of their passes.  They have also been an improved unit against the run in the last couple of weeks.  Prior to the Titans' last two games, Mount Union's  Jeremy Murray averaged 6.2 yards per carry, Stout's Paul Bernier averaged 4.5 ypc, and River Falls' Taylor Edwards averaged 4.9 ypc for an accumulated total of 344 yards over 3 consecutive weeks.  However in the last two games, they have given up a combined average of only 3.54 yards per carry to their opponents primary ball carrier.  In their last four games against WIAC opponents, the Titans have given up only 9 points per game.


     "We do have a little momentum with how we have been playing, and hopefully it can keep rolling through this weekend and the rest of the season,"  said Thompson.  Saturday will provide the ultimate test.  UW-Whitewater comes into the game first in the conference in scoring offense, total offense, rushing offense, passing offense, scoring defense, total defense, and rushing defense.  The Warhawks rank second in the WIAC in pass defense. 


     While Saturday's game may not be the reason Coach Cerroni subjected his Titans to a brutal preseason schedule for the last two seasons, he certainly believes UW-W provides the ultimate litmus test.  "It's time for all of us to step up our game and challenge ourselves," said Cerroni when discussing his teams' rugged schedule before the season.  "We've had a young team, but we're not young anymore.  Our players are really excited about it.  We talk about raising the bar of the program and that's what we are doing."  Has the bar risen high enough to vault the Titans into national prominence? They will find out Saturday afternoon.  

Friday, October 14, 2011

WIAC PROJECTIONS

UW-Stout at UW-Whitewater
The Blue Devils come in with a 3-2 record after a much needed 22-19 victory over UW-Stevens Point last week.  UW-S relies on it's 3rd ranked (WIAC) rushing attack and is ranked last in the conference in passing efficiency, completing 46.9% of their passes with 8 interceptions and only 3 passing TD's.  Defensively, the Blue Devils are giving up an average of 4.6 ypc on the ground.  On paper, this team seems made to order for the Warhawks' "stop the run first" mentality.  Look for another grinding, pull away win for UW-W

UW-Whitewater 38
UW-Stout  10




UW-Eau Claire at UW-LaCrosse
The Blugolds (3-2) must avoid a letdown after a hard fought homecoming loss that went down to the final play last week against UW-Oshkosh.  They will be meeting an Eagle team (2-3) that is riding high after two straight victories.  While UW-LaCrosse may get the emotional edge, the Blugolds clearly have the most overriding match-up edge.  The high flying UW-EC offense, leading the WIAC in passing offense, faces the a UW-L team ranked dead last in defending the pass.  Blugold QB Austin Neu leads the WIAC in total offense.  UW-L's limited offense will be hard pressed to keep up.

UW-Eau Claire 27
UW-LaCrosse  17




UW-Oshkosh at UW-Platteville
The quick-strike UW-Oshkosh offense takes it's act to Platteville  on Saturday as the Titans (4-1) square off against the Pioneers (3-2) in a pivitol WIAC clash for both teams.  Oshkosh faces a stiff Pioneer defense that ranks 2nd to only UW-Whitewater heading into Saturday's action.  UW-O QB Nate Wara, who hurts opponents as much with his legs as he does his arm, comes into the game ranked 2nd in the WIAC in total offense.  The Pioneers are rested and healthy after a bye week while Oshkosh barely hung on the beat Eau Claire last week.  Pioneers look for the ambush on their homecoming Saturday.

UW-Platteville  23
UW-Oshkosh   21




UW-Stevens Point at UW-River Falls
Both teams are looking for their first WIAC victory.  The Pointers, highly regarded entering the season, may try to take out some frustration on the Falcons in this one.

UW-Stevens Point  31
UW-River Falls  14


Saturday, October 8, 2011

Ya' Gotta Pull For....

Inspired by Keith McMillan's "Around the Nation" article on D3football.com this week, I have been thinking about small college campuses all around the nation on a football Saturday.  Every environment unique and evoking different  memories for the local faithful.  Every team attempting to overcome it's own set of challenges and working hard all week preparing for the game.  Game day changes the feel, the mood, and the setting of the D3 campus.  Not in the over-the-top commercial way it does on many D1 campuses, but in more subtle, real, and genuine way.  The setting and sense and feel on a D3 campus on game day appeals to the part of us that wishes life could be simpler.  For most of us, Saturday is a special reward from Monday through Friday.

With the perspective that every team and every game holds its own treasure chest of memories, just waiting to be opened,  I thought I'd take a glance at the other end of the D3 spectrum.  Putting analysis and power rankings and even the color purple on the shelf for a moment, let's take a moment and look at a couple of teams ya' gotta pull for:

Husson University
The Eagles reached out of their class in scheduling 3 non-conference games and were rewarded with an 0-3 start, getting outscored 212-26 in the process.  They came back to conference last week and lost a heartbreaker 20-14 to Becker in overtime.  Today, they travel to Gaullaudet, who beat them by merely a touchdown last year.  Let's see if the Eagles can fly for one Saturday after such a trying start to the season.

Maranatha Baptist
The Crusaders suffered through the nation's longest losing streak at 33 games until breaking it on the last Saturday of the season last year with a 14-6 win over Rockford.  All of this only a half an hour away from the campus of UW-Whitewater!  They opened the 2011 season with two straight victories!  Today, MBC steps up in class to face Concordia (WI) trying to stop their current losing streak at only two.

Frostburg State
The entire nation's heart goes out to the Bobcats and the family of Derek Sheely after his loss in August.  Clearly, this team is playing with a perspective much different than other D3 teams this year.  Frostberg has already won two games this year, matching it's highest total since 2008.  Saturday, the 'Cats face nationally ranked Wesley and will fight with all they have to represent.

Pacific
The Boxers, from Forest Grove, Oregon, are in their second year and seeking their first program victory.  It may have to wait awhile as their next three games are against Willamette, Linfield, and Whitworth. Hopefully, Pacific can survive the stretch, continue to improve, and savor the taste of victory one of these Saturdays.

Behind each game and each team lies a storyline every Saturday game day in the fall.  Behind each storyline is a committed group of players and their loyal fans putting their hopes on the line.  For those of us who come along for the ride, it's easy to appreciate the break from our Monday through Friday. And it's both easy and fun to look around the nation, pick a storyline, and fine someone to root for.

Friday, October 7, 2011

WIAC PROJECTIONS

Jamestown (ND) at UW-LaCrosse
Jamestown plays against only six different teams this year.  This game represents a mid season break as the next three games will be against teams they have already played.  The Eagles look to build on last week's win over UW-Stevens Point before heading into the meat of their WIAC schedule.  Butterfield may have to continue to pull it down and run if Lauters continues to be out with his hamstring issue.

UW-LaCrosse  24
Jamestown  13


UW-Oshkosh at UW-Eau Claire
The rubber meets the road at Carson Park on Saturday as UW-O and UW-EC attempt to build on solid starts to their respective seasons.  UW-O has been better offensively and QB Nate Wara will be the most dangerous weapon on either side. Also UW-EC's wins have come against teams with a combined 2-9 record against D3 competition.

UW-Oshkosh  31
UW-Eau Claire  17


UW-Stout at UW-Stevens Point
Both teams are off to disappointing 2-2 starts.  While UW-S continues to struggle offensively, UW-SP finally opened up their offense allowing Casey Barnes to throw 41 passes last week.  The Point put up their highest total of the year in a 31-28 loss at LaCrosse.  Although the Pointers have had trouble running and stopping the run, the Blue Devils might be hard pressed to take advantage.

UW-Stevens Point  24
UW-Stout 23


UW-Whitewater at UW-River Falls
The Falcons return home for the first time in a month after being outscored 122-44 in three consecutive road losses.  In their first home game, UW-RF hosted (now) 3rd Ranked St. Thomas. Now they host #1 UW-W.  The Falcons have given up between 38 and 45 points in every game so far this year.  They should probably be glad if that trend continues Saturday.

UW-Whitewater 56
UW-River Falls   7

Thursday, October 6, 2011

In and Around the D3 Top 25

Should be another fun weekend in D3.  In looking at those in the Top 25 or on various pollster's watch list, here are some games to keep on the radar:

St. Thomas at Augsburg
Not trying to kid anyone here. Tommies a huge favorite, but Auggies off to a great 4-0 start and freshman RB Tyler Maxwell looks like the real deal averaging over 137 yards rushing per game in an offense that features the pass.

UMHB at Mississippi College
MC has not shown the defense to compete with the Crusaders, but their offense gives them a puncher's chance.

Bethel at St. John's
Could Johnny pride jump up and bite one dimensional Royals?

Buffalo State at Kean
If balanced Bengals can protect Kacz and take care of the ball, this one could surprise.  This series plays close.

Cortland State at Montclair State
Color it red. As expected, Dragons and Hawks battle for NJAC automatic qualifier.  This year Kean is the wild card.

Washington at Wabash
Little Giants should roll, but Bears played them to a 4 point game last year.

Wittenberg at Huntingdon
Hawks are off to a nice start and Witt not the same team on the road.


Elmhurst at Wheaton
If Wheaton doesn't bounce back well from a loss, balanced Blue Jays capable of handing them 2nd straight loss.

Wartburg at Dubuque
We will know a lot more about the high flying Spartans after Saturday.  The Knights will likely have to win out to make the playoff field.

Springfield at Salisbury
Salisbury enters the meat of their first ever E8 schedule by hosting the Pride.  Springfield championship hopes will likely be dashed with a second E8 Loss.


East Texas Baptist at Louisiana College
Tigers win over Hardin-Simmons last week opened some eyes.  Whether their defense holds together a 2nd straight week will determine whether they can be in position to upset the Wildcats.

UW-Oshkosh at UW-Eau Claire
Both QB's, Nate Wara and Austin Neu, have been playing lights out so far this year.  UW-EC started UW-O's three game slide to end last season.  Should be a lot of points and an entertaining game.


Heidelberg at Muskingum
Neither team is used to the air in the upper atmosphere of the OAC but both find themselves there coming into this game.  The winner continues a sold start to 2011.

Monday, October 3, 2011

These are the Good Old Days

    My memories of Warhawk football extend back to the '60's.  Those were the good old days.  There was nothing quite like game day.  Packed little Hamilton Field, tucked away behind old Hamilton Gym, whose open windows served as press row.  The sometimes perspective clash of academia and a small rural Wisconsin community set aside for a common purpose: to root for a Whitewater Warhawks victory.  Hot dogs, popcorn, and soda? Absolutely.  A half-time spread in the press box?  Only if you consider an ancient building a press box and a run to the concessions stand a spread.  Bathrooms? If you could find them.  Winning football? More often than not. People from many different walks of life from professors to farmers to cops to students came together to set aside differences and the burdens of the world, to escape to a good and fun and increasingly important part of their life known as Warhawk football.  Excitement continued to build throughout the decade as the dream of a new stadium became a specific vision.  The vision of a top notch football stadium to serve as a centerpiece for Whitewater's campus, community, and football program.   The vision spawned a theme for the drive: "Open the Gate by '68". The vision of Warhawk Stadium began becoming a reality as construction began and the stadium began taking shape.  Many in the community made a quick drive to the north end of campus to check on the progress of the new stadium a part of their weekly routine. Warhawk Stadium became a reality and the dream was fulfilled when "the gate" was opened in 1970.  Whitewater now had the centerpiece that so many people had sacrificed so much for.
    Fast forward to October 1st, 2011.  The smell of burgers on the grill filled the air through the sea of purple in the parking lot of what is now known affectionately as "The Perk".  Friends reuniting, music, bean bag toss, football catch, plenty of food and drink, and plenty of anticipation all helped paint the portrait of Gameday 2011 at UW-Whitewater.  A crowd of over 10,000 people looked on as UW-Whitewater won their 34th consecutive game in defeating UW-Platteville 34-14. Even those who dared to dream big dreams and sacrificed so much in the 1960's couldn't have possibly known how out of control successful this venture and this program would become.   Six straight National Championship Game appearances and three National Championships is ridiculous for anyone not named Larry Kehres or Mount Union.  National Championships do wonders for a tailgate party.  As former UW-W coach Forrest Perkins says concisely about both fans and players,  "You win a National Championship and everyone wants to come here."
    When you are talking about a dream, a vision, and finally, a reality that spans 50 years, you are talking about way too many people sacrificing way too much to try to get into naming names.  But for those tossing the football and reflecting through the grill smoke outside the Perk, there is one name that needs to NOT be overlooked.  Bob Berezowitz.  "Brez" quarterbacked the Warhawks back in the 1960's and led his 1966 team to Whitewater's first National Championship game.  He became head coach in 1985 and stayed through the 2006 season.  He took his final two teams to the National Championship game.  Brez is one of three head football coaches UW-W has had over the past 55 seasons.  Perkins, who coached UW-W from 1956 to 1984 had the dream and demonstrated the vision and the leadership to bring people together to make the dream a reality.  Coach Lance Leipold, a rare coaching talent who is also a former UW-W quarterback under both Perkins and Berezowitz, has been the ultimate closer in this 5 decade marathon to the top of the mountain in Division III football.  In 64 games since taking over the program, Leipold has a gaudy 61-3 record, winning the WIAC Championship all four years and winning three National Championships.  And while Perkins rightfully has been honored by having the stadium named after him and Leiopold rightfully gets the spoils and hardware that comes with taking a program to the best in the nation, it is Berezowitz who had what it took to keep it all moving forward for 22 years.  Berezowitz won 8 WIAC Championships in additional to his teams' national championship appearances.  He had the vision and commitment to find out what it took to build a program to succeed on the national level and, like Perkins, has seen his dream fulfilled.  
      Winning games and championships are not a birthright, they are the result of a lot of commitment, sacrifice, vision, and leadership by a lot of people.  They are the result of the tremendous support and leadership of Athletic Director Paul Plinske, Chancellor Richard Telfar, and those who preceded them. 
     It's impossible to know how long this all may or may not last for Warhawk football.  The incredible string of victories and championships could end this season for all we know.  There will be a festive game day at the Perk that ends with a loss at the end of the day sometime in the future.  There will be a season that ends with more losses than wins.  And knowing that just makes the smell of the grilled burgers even better, the sight of the current sea of purple even brighter, and the thrill of victory even sweeter.  
     On Saturday afternoon, as the clock ticked toward kickoff, I took a moment as I arrived up near the back of the home field stands to turn back.  This time, not turning back the clock to the memories of the '60's, but to turn back to look at the sea of purple, the flying bean bags and footballs, and the smoke that filled the parking lot.  I listened to the laughter and the sound of distant conversations. And I realized something I will take with me to every Warhawk football game for the rest of my life.  These ARE the good old days.