The Wisconsin-River Falls football team is making the most out of its first Division III playoff appearance since 1996.
The Falcons (12-1) will host Johns Hopkins at noon Saturday with a berth in the Stagg Bowl (Division III championship game) on the line. The Falcons reached the semifinals for the first time in program history with a 46-21 victory over visiting Wheaton (Ill.) in frigid conditions on Dec. 13.
Despite a temperature of 1 degree Fahrenheit and a 13 mph wind at kickoff, Falcons quarterback Kaleb Blaha completed 32 of his 50 passes for 407 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Falcons past the Thunder.
“I’m proud of this group,” Falcons coach Matt Walker said in his postgame news conference. “We came out and threw for 407 yards in conditions like that. Pretty special stuff by this group.”
Blaha, a senior from Fridley High School, was named a first-team All-American by the AFCA on Dec. 10. Blaha leads Division III this season with 4,160 passing yards. Falcons linebacker Gage Timm, the WIAC Defensive Player of the Year, was named a second-team All-American by the AFCA.
After defeating Chapman, St. John’s and Wheaton, the Falcons will face Johns Hopkins, from Baltimore, for the first time. It’s expected to be 20 degrees and partly sunny at kickoff Saturday.
The Blue Jays, who are in the semifinals for the second consecutive season, defeated Susquehanna 40-10 on Dec. 13 in the quarterfinals. Johns Hopkins (12-1) has won 12 games in three straight seasons. The Blue Jays lost to Mount Union 45-37 in the semifinals last season.
Johns Hopkins has defeated Springfield, Salisbury and Susquehanna in the playoffs after losing to Franklin and Marshall 29-28 in overtime in its regular-season finale.
