Today is Thursday, November 28, 2024
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Quinn Meinerz NFL Draft Profile
- Position: Offensive Line
- School: Wisconsin-Whitewater
- Current Year: Senior
- Height: 6’3 1/4″
- Weight: 320 pounds
- Wingspan: 82″
- Arm: 33″
- Hand: 10 1/4″
Quinn Meinerz, a 2021 UW-W graduate whose senior year’s football season was canceled by COVID-19, didn’t let that slow him down, and his efforts were rewarded as he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the NFL draft on April 30, the 98th pick overall. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Meinerz became the first Whitewater player drafted since wide receiver Derek Stanley was taken by the Rams in the seventh round in 2007.
Meinerz, a graduate of Hartford High School, developed into an All-American guard as a junior at UW-W. Nicknamed “ The Gut ” for sticking out his belly on hot days, Meinerz put himself through a strenuous training regimen during the past year, losing weight and teaching himself the center position. That earned him an invitation to the Senior Bowl in Alabama in January, where he attracted a lot of media attention. Since then he had been rumored to be on draft radar by a number of teams.
“He did kill people,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said during the network’s broadcast. “And if you’re going to play in the NFL, you better dominate. And this kid did.
“He will be a center-guard option in the NFL. You look at the way he played. Heavy punch. The alertness to pick up stunts I love. Run blocker, he drives defenders off the ball.”
“This is a guy that went down to the Senior Bowl and made a name for himself,” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said during the network’s broadcast. “He was the show.”
Broncos general manager George Paton, meeting with reporters, noted it was difficult to evaluate Meinerz because Whitewater’s 2020 season was canceled. “There were a lot of unknowns about him,” Paton said. “Then when you see him in one-on-one drills blocking these guys who are first- and second-round picks, it was pretty amazing.
“It’s been an amazing process,” Meinerz said. “To be Division III, have my season canceled. … To be able to climb up the boards like I did, it doesn’t happen very often.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz becomes the first UW-Whitewater player drafted in 14 years
The Denver Post: Broncos draft offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz at No. 98 overall
This rainbow accompanied the WHS Boys’ Soccer 7-2 victory over Cambridge-Deerfield Thursday night, April 29. Photo credit to Jenny Rule.
The boys are the #4 seed in their part of the WIAA Division II Sectional and will host #5 Edgerton on May 4. Check out the full bracket at https://halftime.wiaawi.org/CustomApps/Tournaments/Brackets/HTML/2021_Soccer_Boys_Div2_Sec3_4.html
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
University of Kansas (KU) announced today that it has hired Lance Leipold as the head football coach for the Jayhawks, with a six year contract. Leipold, age 56, has served as the head football coach at the University of Buffalo since 2015, and at University of Wisconsin – Whitewater from 2007 to 2014. Per Wikipedia, “during his tenure at UW-W, the Warhawks won the NCAA Division III Football Championship in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014. During his time at Whitewater, Leipold led the Warhawks to five undefeated seasons. Leipold reached 100 victories faster than any coach in NCAA history, doing so in his 106th game on October 18, 2014.”
Leipold, a Jefferson native and former UW-W Hall of Fame quarterback, finished his eight seasons with the Warhawks with a 109-6 record, and with his hiring at Buffalo jumped from Division III to Division I, a rare accomplishment. He was 37-33 at Buffalo with two division championships and three consecutive bowl appearances, going 24-10 since 2018. In recent times he had been speculated to be under consideration for a number of other college programs.
“I can’t thank Lance enough for everything he has done for our football program,” Buffalo Athletic Director Mark Alnutt said. “His vision and leadership helped elevate the UB football brand. We are grateful for what Lance has done here and we wish him and his family all the best as they embark on this new journey.
“Since entering the FBS ranks in 1999, the UB football program continues to rise to unprecedented heights. From bowl victories to top NFL Draft picks, UB has established itself as one of the top programs in not only the Mid-American Conference, but the entire Group of Five. With our success on the field as well as facilities rivaling some of the best in the country, we know we are an attractive coaching destination and look forward to selecting the next leader of our football program,” concluded Alnutt.
“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Coach Leipold, Kelly, Lindsey and Landon to the Jayhawk Family,” KU Director of Athletics Travis Goff said. “He is a man of integrity, a developer of young men, a program builder and a winner. His track record of sustained excellence is exactly what we were looking for in our next leader, and is what the University of Kansas and our fans deserve.”
“It is an exciting and humbling opportunity, and this is a day I will never forget,” Leipold said in a release. “We are going to build this program through developing players, discipline and determination. The philosophies ingrained in our programs along the way will be key as we turn this around. This is a program that has a lot of young talent on the roster and has the infrastructure in place to succeed. The best days for this program are ahead, and my family and I are ecstatic to be a part of it.”
Some media stories are linked below:
Kansas hires Buffalo’s Lance Leipold as football coach – espn.com – “Kansas is 18-90 since 2011 and last had a winning season under Mark Mangino in 2008. Leipold will be the team’s sixth head coach since that last winning campaign.”
Kansas Football can make considerable growth under Lance Leipold – throughthephog.com
Kansas Hires Buffalo’s Lance Leipold as Football Coach – usnews.com
Information Provided by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
UPDATE: Since we posted the meet information on Monday, April 26th, we have had three teams opt-out from our sectional on Tuesday, April 27th. In addition, several teams are bringing incomplete teams which has dropped us below the 76 runner threshold that has been approved for the WIAA State Meet. Lastly, the weather forecast has indicated that it is going to be near 80 degrees in Whitewater on Saturday. This new race schedule is also an attempt to reduce the chances of medical emergencies and avoid the hottest point of the day. For these reasons, we have been given clearance to run one race per gender. We will not move the beginning part of the schedule as we need to accommodate teams traveling a far distance. Box assignments will be changing and Coach Carstens will update the Meet Information when those become available.
Whitewater High School is hosting one of four Sectional Cross Country meets taking place around the state on Saturday, May 1st. There will be a $6 per person charge to enter the meet.
10:30 am: Spectators/Buses can arrive and begin unloading
11:00 am: Course Opens for Preview
12:00 pm: Girls’ Race
12:45 pm: Boys’ Race
Please check out this meet information for race times and other pertinent information.
Check out the digital course map that will highlight how the traffic will flow, spectator routes, etc.
You can also preview the course faster than the world record pace by watching this video of the course.
The top two teams and top 5 individuals not on those qualifying teams will earn a trip to the WIAA State Meet on Saturday, May 8th.
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