The Whitewater Warhawks should have more incentive to repeat as WIAC champs than ever.
Their coach, Bob Berezowitz, announced at the conference media day that this will be his last season.
"Retiring from this game of football is not easy," said Berezowitz, who first walked onto the Whitewater campus in 1963 as a freshman quarterback. "I decided three years ago that 2006 would be my last so I could prepare for this day. I have not lost my enthusiasm or fire to coach this great sport."
Berezowitz should have a powerhouse in his last season. The Warhawks, picked to repeat as WIAC champions, have 16 starters returning from their 2005 team that went 14-1 and lost to Mount Union in the NCAA Division III title game.
For the third time, Whitewater is ranked second in a preseason poll of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III teams. The Football Gazette is the latest to list UW-W second, following earlier number two rankings by Lindy's National College Preview and D3football.com. The only "dissenting" opinion was Street and Smith's College Football Yearbook, which listed the Warhawks third in Division III.
"Yes, we have a target on our back," Berezowitz said. "It’s a target that’s getting bigger and bigger. But as a football team and staff, you work for that. Now you have to respond to it."
Whitewater running back Justin Beaver and offensive tackle Brady Ramseier, both juniors, were named to Street and Smith's preseason All-America team. Beaver is also among six players listed in the D3football.com preview as a "player to watch."
Beaver was the leading rusher in college football last year, setting a Division III record with 2,420 yards. Both Beaver and Ramseier earned All-America honors in 2005.
UW-W is the only Wisconsin school mentioned in any of the preseason polls. The Warhawks will open their home season when Lakeland College visits Perkins Stadium at 1 p.m. on Sept. 2.
UW-La Crosse might not challenge the Warhawks, but hopes to be strong again. Two La Crosse football players have been selected to the 2005 Don Hansen’s Football Gazette NCAA Division III All-America Team. Senior center Adam Dow of Plover has been named to the All-America Second Team Offense while senior guard Kent Anderson of Wisconsin Rapids (Lincoln) was selected to the All-America Honorable Mention Offense.
Stout also is optimistic. "The big thing we're looking to do is not be satisfied being a 6-3, 7-4 team, which we've kind have been since 2000 (when the Blue Devils won the league and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs)," head coach Todd Strop said.
"We want to compete at the highest level. We felt like we had a good spring and the kids are taking care of things in the off-season. The big thing is we've been pretty good at home. We need to figure out how to go on the road and win football games. If we do that, we'll be pretty tough."
River Falls coach John O’Grady believes the WIAC has parity despite Whitewater’s high rankings. "The WIAC is as good as it’s ever been in terms of parity," he said. "Whitewater was a great team last year. The league is at its best in terms of athleticism and parity. Whitewater has several great players returning and you'd be crazy not to choose them to win the title. But La Crosse is always there also."
WIAC was shaken by a death of am Eau Claire player before pre-season workouts. Commissioner Gary Karner said Eau Claire sophomore defensive lineman Mike Plese, 19, died in his sleep Aug. 6 in Eagle River. The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram also reported that Plese’s mother said he had an enlarged heart, but had not received results of an autopsy.
In other conferences:
Lakeland College and Concordia-Wisconsin (CUW) were tabbed among the favorites in the annual Illini-Badger Football Conference preseason coaches’ poll.
Lakeland, the two-time defending IBFC champion, and Concordia finished in a tie for first with nine points each.
The Muskies open the season Sept. 2 at Whitewater. Lakeland's home opener is Sept. 9 against Carthage , the first of four straight home games. The Muskies host CUW for their homecoming game on Oct. 21. Since 2003, both Lakeland and CUW have 19-2 records in the IBFC.
Carthage, which has been competitive in the CCIW, only was picked for sixth in that conference this season.
Beloit College, Carroll, Lawrence, Ripon and St. Norbert are Wisconsin schools in the Midwest Conference. Lawrence and St. Norbert traditionally have strong teams, and Carroll expects to have a competitive team this season.
But, Monmouth, located in western Illinois between Chicago and St. Louis, is the conference favorite and was rated 22nd in the Street & Smith’s national pre-season poll.
Midwest coaches ranked Monmouth as the favorite in an Aug. 21 poll, followed by St. Norbert, Carroll and Ripon.
