It was fairly obvious Friday night at Salem Stadium that the Wisconsin-Whitewater football team doesn’t like watching the Stagg Bowl on TV.
Putting a dominating smack down on perennial Division III Stagg Bowl participant Mount Union, the Warhawks virtually ran the Purple Raiders off the field in the 52-14 win..
“This is wild,” Wisconsin-Whitewater quarterback Matt Behrendt said as the Warhawks celebrated. Behrendt, who methodically carved up the Mount Union secondary with four touchdown passes, was named the championship most valuable player.
The Warhawks, who defeated Mount Union three straight times from 2009-2011 on this same Salem Stadium turf, were not a finalist in 2012 when St. Thomas lost to the Purple Raiders in the final.
“Awesome !,” Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold proclaimed, offering a fist bump at midfield as his players hoisted the trophy.
Both teams have become a championship staple in the City of Champions, meeting for the eighth time in nine years in the Stagg Bowl. As usual, Salem and its staff put on a winning atmosphere in front of 5,371 fans and an ESPN television audience on a perfect night for football.
Both teams had entered the showdown with perfect 14-0 records. It was Mount Union’s first loss in 29 games dating back to 2011.
Things were tight through the first half with Whitewater holding a 21-14 at the break. The Warhawk defense flexed its muscle in the second half, forcing four turnovers while Whitewater scored at will against the Purple Raider defense.
Whitewater outscored Mount Union 31-0 in the second half, leading 31-14 after three quarters and dominating with three unanswered TDs in the final 15 minutes. Behrendt completed 20-of-28 passes on the evening for 249 yards. and the prolific Warhawk ground game added another 201.
Warhawk receiver Jake Kumerow hauled in two touchdown passes from 17 and 3 yards from Behrendt ,while Tyler Huber also pulled in a pair of scoring tosses from 23 and 7 yards out. Warhawk running back Jordan Ratliffe was the workhorse for Whitewater, rushing for 146 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns.
– Bill Turner
