Today is Sunday, July 28, 2024
By Angela Kelm
Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
Warhawk Football Falls to Aurora in First Round of NCAA Playoffs
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team fell to Aurora University 33-28 in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Saturday.
The Warhawks have historically been nearly unbeatable in the first round — this loss is just the second for the Warhawks in the first round of playoff action and first since 1997. However, Aurora is one of the best first round opponents UWW has faced with one of the top scoring offenses and stifling defenses in the nation.
Aurora won the toss and elected to receive the opening kick. They marched down the field and took an early 7-0 lead following a six-play, 66-yard scoring drive that took under three minutes.
Later in the quarter, the Warhawks responded with Evan Lewandowski capping a 91-yard drive with a punch in up the gut from three-yards out.
The teams traded touchdowns in the second with the Spartans reclaiming the lead on a 71-yard drive before UWW came back to tie it on a Lewandowski-Drake Martin connection.
Aurora added another score before the half, capitalizing on a 16-play, 91-yard drive to take a 21-14 lead. They held the lead the rest of the way.
The Spartans opened up a 33-21 lead in the fourth but the Warhawks put the pressure on. Lewandowski drove UWW 73-yards on six plays with a 28-yard strike to Tyler Holte hitting paydirt to pull the Warhawks within six, 33-28 with 4:10 remaining.
On the third play of Aurora’s next drive, Kyle Koelblinger jumped a passing lane for an interception at the Spartans’ 32-yard line. The momentum seemed to be in favor of UWW. On the Warhawks’ second play of the drive, Lewandowski had an open receiver near the endzone but his pass was a bit short in the windy conditions and an Aurora defensive back jumped the passing lane for the interception.
With 3:37 left to play, Aurora picked up a first down and was able to run out the clock for the final.
Tamir Thomas led UWW’s rushing attack with 81 yards on 10 carries. Lewandowski was 21-36 for 262 yards with three passing and one rushing touchdown in the contest. Steven Hein was the favorite target on the day hauling in seven catches for 119 yards.
Defensively, Ryan Liszka posted a game-high 12 tackles including five solo and a tackle for a loss. Luke Nelson registered a sack for the Warhawks.
UW-Whitewater ends the season with an 8-3 mark after securing a share of the program’s 39th Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and claiming the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III playoffs.
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From the La Crosse Tribune:
WAVERLY, Iowa — The wind blew punts, kicks, passes and more at Walston-Hoover Stadium on Saturday, but none blew into the sails of the UW-La Crosse football with their season on the line.
The seventh-ranked Eagles fell in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs to the 12th-ranked Wartburg Knights 14-6, ending one of the most successful seasons in recent memory for this season’s co-WIAC champions.
Six points is the fewest the Eagles (9-2) have scored in a game since Oct. 31, 2015 — scoring only three points against UW-Stevens Point — as the Knights (11-0) defense helped them advance to the second round.
For the full article click here.
The inventor of the Lambeau Leap was honored by having his name unveiled on the stadium facade on November 17. The following excerpts are from an article by Jason Wilde in the State Journal.
“At the same end of Lambeau Field where he once leapt into the stands to create one of the most iconic celebrations in NFL history, Green Bay Packers legendary safety LeRoy Butler saw his name was unveiled on the stadium’s historic façade during Thursday’s prime-time matchup with the Tennessee Titans.
And then, he did one last Lambeau Leap for good measure.
Joined on the field by his family and a host of his 1990s teammates — Frank Winders, Sean Jones, Santana Dotson, Antonio Freeman, Earl Dotson and others — Butler thanked the fans (and his sponsors) during a brief address to the crowd.
But first, team president/CEO Mark Murphy called for the unveiling of Butler’s name. Calling him “an integral part of our dominant defenses of the 1990s” and introducing him as the “inventor of the Lambeau Leap,” Murphy had the green tarpaulin removed from the wall, where Butler’s name and tenure with the team (1990-2001) appeared on the façade in the stadium’s southeast corner.”
Editor’s note: The following announcement was posted to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association website.
UW-Whitewater’s Patzka and Miller Receive USTFCCCA North Region Honors
NEW ORLEANS–University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Christian Patzka was named the 2022 NCAA Division III North Region Men’s Athlete of the Year, while the Warhawks’ Jeff Miller was selected the North Region Men’s Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Patzka claimed the individual title at the NCAA Division III North Regional in 24:08.4. Earlier this season, he took top individual honors at the Tom Hoffman Invitational and the Ken Weidt Classic, as well as placing second at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship and NCAA Division III Pre-National Invitational. Patzka is the second Warhawk to receive the regional distinction, joining David Fassbender, who won the USTFCCCA award a year ago.
Miller, in his 41st season as head coach at UW-Whitewater, collected the honor for the second straight season. He led the Warhawks to the team title at the NCAA Division III North Regional with 75 points. UW-Whitewater was the team runner-up at the WIAC Championship with 51 points.
The Whitewater Girls’ Basketball team played their season opener against the Cambridge Bluejays on Tuesday night, November 15, at home.
The Whippets got off to a slow start on offense, but got a spark on defense forcing some turnovers and closing the scoring gap to within 1 point with just over 5 minutes left in the first half, trailing by one, 13-14.
Cambridge then got their spark, outscoring the Whippets 0-7 in the last 2 and a half minutes of the first half, putting them in the lead, 13-21.
In the second half, the Whippets offense picked up, scoring nearly even with Cambridge with 23 to their 25 points. The final score was a loss for the Whippets, 36-48.
Defensively, the Whippets forced 29 turnovers overall, including 3 ten-second violations in the backcourt.
Statistical leaders included Kindyl Kilar with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Cali Kopecky shot 50% from the field with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal. Zoe Kohl added 5 points and 2 steals.
The Whippets will travel to McFarland Friday for their first conference matchup.
Article Submitted by Kristen Lippens
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
klippens@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
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