Reusse: Kaleb Blaha leads the way as UW-River Falls faces St. John’s in Division III football playoffs

RIVER FALLS, WIS. - You’re a strong believer in public education and yet opposed to the pay-for-play concept that has taken over major college football? You live in the Twin Cities and are willing to drive a short distance and watch some low-cost, high-level action on a chilly Saturday afternoon?

We have the deal for you: On Saturday, the four-year state college football team closest to us — with a roster bursting with 66 Minnesotans among 118 on the roster — will be hosting the most important game in its long football history.

It will only take a couple of gallons of petrol to get there, and tickets will be much cheaper than for last Saturday’s Gophers-Badgers slog. There were a total of 486 yards for the two teams in that one. They could give you a money-back guarantee for more yards than that in the first half this Saturday at Ramer Field and not worry about refunds.

Take Allianz Field as the midpoint of the Twin Cities. The drive to the stadium in River Falls is 33 miles. That’s 55 miles closer than Blakeslee Field in Mankato, which is where the nearest Minnesota four-year state university team plays football.

So there it is: St. John’s, the long-time powerhouse from the private MIAC, taking on at noon what could be our home team … as long as you ignore the whole Wisconsin border deal.

The UW-River Falls Falcons (10-1) won the mighty WIAC with a 6-1 conference record this season. They have the likely John Gagliardi Award winner as Division III’s Player of the Year in quarterback Kaleb Blaha.

Where did Blaha play high school football? Things have gotten a little tough up there with enrollment changes, but nothing said rugged, hard-nosed football around here more than Fridley — unless it was Columbia Heights.

Matt Walker came to River Falls in 2011 as a young head coach and spent eight years looking up at Whitewater and the other WIAC powers, but two things changed that:

The dilapidated athletic facilities with which Mike Farley (1970-88) and other River Falls coaches operated were replaced by the $63.5 million Falcon Center in 2017. And then Blaha, looking for a place to transfer after being at Division II Winona State during the non-season of 2020 (canceled by pandemic), saw those facilities, saw a collection of enthused athletes and joined the program.

“Apparently, they had been looking at Kaleb to play in the slot down there [Winona],” Walker said. “He wanted to be a quarterback.”

Walker smiled and said: “Thank goodness.”

As a pandemic freshman, Blaha came to River Falls with four seasons of academic eligibility. He was the backup to Farmington’s Kole Hinrichsen as a freshman in 2021, then took over in 2022. The two Minnesota QBs had this in common:

“It is a Division III bowl game that a fellow named Mike Shaw got started a few years ago,” Walker said. “It’s for the best teams in the WIAC and the Illinois-Wisconsin conference that don’t make the playoffs. We beat Washington [of St. Louis] both years.”

Blaha averaged 388 yards per game in total offense as a junior in 2023, but the Falcons went 4-3 in the rugged WIAC and missed the playoffs. He was projected as a strong contender for the Gagliardi Trophy as a senior in 2024, but he suffered an ankle injury and played in four games.

That preserved a redshirt and brought Blaha back for a fifth Falcons season. They were upset by Oshkosh in the conference opener, then ran the table — including a 52-14 win over Whitewater (not quite making up for years of indignity, but highly satisfying to the Ramer Field crowd).

This was the Falcons’ first outright WIAC title since 1985. With it came the league awards: Blaha, the Offensive Player of the Year; linebacker Gage Timm, the Defensive Player of the year; and defensive back Taylor Sussner of Chaska, the Freshman of the Year.

Last Saturday, the Falcons demolished Chapman 58-7 in their first playoff game since 1996. Now they face the Johnnies at high noon on Saturday.

Long enough that if Blaha wins the trophy as Division III’s best player, it will be one named for the Johnnies coach for 60 years. The Gagliardi.

“In my opinion, he has to win it,” Walker said. “He has been incredible — for a career here, and this season more than ever."