Falcons End Season on High Note With 24-22 Victory

The Falcon football team (3-7, 3-4) ends the season on a high note crushing the conference title hopes of Stevens Point (6-4, 4-3) with a 24-22 victory. With a win the Pointers would have gotten at the least a piece of the WIAC title. River Falls controlled the game by controlling the ball for almost twenty more minutes than the Pointers. Stevens Point battled from 14 points down in the second half to pull within two with seven minutes to play. The Pointers found themselves losing by two because of a missed extra point by freshman kicker John Ryan and then a failed two point conversion.

UWRF had a total of 377 yards on 73 plays while UWSP racked up 409 yards on 74 plays. The Falcons ran the ball 71 times for 351 yards while the Pointers threw the ball 49 times for a total of 307 yards. Each team turned the ball over once, Stevens Point threw an interception while the Falcons lost one of their two fumbles. Both teams were solid on third downs, the Pointers were 7-17 while RF was 8-16. River Falls played a gutsy game kicking two onside kicks, recovering one and going for it on fourth down three times converting two of them. UWSP didn’t convert their only fourth down attempt. Stevens Point scored four out of five times in the red zone while the Falcons capitalized on their only two trips.

Senior John Peterlik led the Falcons in his final game at Ramer Field with 168 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. He also completed two passes to senior receiver Corey Strinmoen, one on a two point conversion and one third down for 26 yards late in the game. Freshman fullback Nathan Anderson carried the ball 31 times for 122 yards and 21 yard touchdown. Freshman quarterback Dave Affeldt played the whole game after sidelined for second half last week with a knee injury. Affeldt didn’t complete his only pass attempt but ran the ball nine times for 31 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Brett Borchart led the Pointers in rushing and passing. Borchart carried the ball 10 times for 65 yards and completed 27-49 passes for 307 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Wide out Tony Romano was Borchart’s favorite target catching 10 balls for 109 yards and a TD. Sophomore running back Cody Childs and senior wide receiver Kurt Kielblock each had five receptions.

With the Pointer loss UW-La Crosse wins the WIAC title for the second year in a row.

Falcons Lose at UWL, 38-14

Nov. 6, 2004

The Falcon football team lost a 38-14 WIAC decision at UW-La Crosse Saturday afternoon.

UWRF had climbed to within 28-14 in the fourth quarter and had the ball at the UWL one-yard line. But a Falcon lost fumble ended the drive. UWL went on to score after the fumble to put the game away.

Fumbles played a key role in the game. UWRF fumbled six times and lost five.

UWL started the scoring at 5:20 of the first quarter. Scott Burnoski caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Steve Tennis to cap a nine play, 74-yard drive that took 2:39. The Eagles went ahead 14-0 at 8:27 of the second quarter when Robin Finco scored on a 47-yard pass from Tennies. The drive was set up when the Falcons fumbled and UWL recovered at their 47.

The Falcons took the ensuing kick off and drove 81 yards in nine plays to get back in the game. John Peterlik scored on a 51-yard run with 3:34 to play in the first half. But UWL responded quickly with a touchdown of their own before the half ended. Corey Geldernick scored on a 45-yard run with 1:59 to go in the half to make it a 21-7 game. That drive took five plays and covered 80 yards in just 1:35.

La Crosse opened a 28-7 lead with 6:36 to play in the third wquarter when Andrew Lehman caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Tennies. That capped a nine play, 76 yard drive that took 4:27.

The Falcons took the kick off and drove to the UWL 11 before losing a fumble. The Falcon defense held UWL and the Falcons took over after a 41-yard punt return by Peterlik that gave UWRF the ball at the UWL 35. Three plays later Nathan Anderson scored on a 25-yard run to cut the lead to 28-14 with 10:48 to play in the game.

The Falcons recovered an on side kick and drove to the UWL one before fumbling the ball away with 5:23 to play in the game.

La Crosse scored on a 60-yard run by Robin Finco to put the game away. The drive took seven plays and covered 93 yards in 3:41. UWL's Jedediah Jensen kicked a 43-yard field goal with just 1:20 to play.

The Falcons were led in rushing by Anderson who carried the ball 29 times and gained 185 yards. Peterlik finished with 111 yards. The Falcons rushed for 391 yards. Quarterback Tim Bittner, playing for injured starter Dave Affeldt, rushed for 23 yards and completed 1-3 passes for 29 yards. UWL was led in rushing by Geldernick who finished with 205 yards and one TD. Tennis was 8-20 passing for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Linebacker Ben Gillett led the Falcon defense with six solo and 17 total tackles. Matt Farmer finished with seven tackles and intercepted his second pass of the season. Adam Schneider led UWL with 16 tackles and Dustin Powell had 12. Steve Teeples, who had five tackles, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass.

The Falcons, now 2-7 overall and 2-4 in the WIAC, will end its regular season on Saturday when they host UW-Stevens Point at 2 p.m. at Ramer Field.

Falcons Drop 28-25 Decision to UWO

Oct. 30, 2004

The Falcons lost a 28-25 decision to UW-Oshkosh Saturday afternoon at Ramer Field.

After trailing all of the game, the Falcons grabbed a 25-21 lead with 6:49 to play. But UWO took the ensuing kick off and drove 81 yards in eight plays to get the go-ahead touchdown to get the win.

The Falcons trailed 12-3 at the half. UWO opened the scoring at 9:34 of the first quarter when Aaron Chaltry scored on a one-yard run. The point after kick failed. The Falcons got to within 6-3 with 1:34 to play inhe half when Spasimir Bodurski kicked a 41-yards field goal. But UWO took the kick off and drove 78 yards in eight plays to score. Joe Patek caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Nick Wara for the score. The Titans took just 1:09 off the clock. The extra point kick attempt was blocked.

The Falcons got to within 12-10 at 11:40 of the third quarter. Nathan Anderson scored the touchdown on a 15-yards run. UWRF drove 78 yards in eight plays and took 3:13 off the clock. UWO responded with a 15 play, 65 yards drive that took 4:58. Wara scored on a four-yard run and once again the UWO point after kick attempt was blocked, giving UWO an 18-10 lead with 6:36 to play in the third quarter.

The Falcons responded by scoring the next time they had the ball. John Peterlik raced 50 yards to score and finished a five play, 85-yard drive that took just 2:16. Peterlik ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game, 18-18, with 4:14 to play in the third quarter.

With 12:17 to play in the game, UWO's Lucas Raschke kicked a 25-yard field goal to give the Titans a 21-18 lead. The field goal capped a 19 play, 69-yard drive that took 6:52 off the clock. The Falcons took back the lead with 6:49 to play in the game when Peterlik scored his second rushing TD of the game on a one-yard run. With the point after the Falcons led 25-21. That drive took 11 plays and went 61 yards in 5:21.

That set up the winning UWO drive and touchdown by Wara.

Peterlik finished with 175 rushing yards and quarterback Dave Affeldt rushed for 113 yards on 23 carries. The Falcons did no attempt a pass in the game. Four Falcon defenders finished with 11 or more tackles - Dan Buker had 15, Nate Gray 14, Matt Farmer 12 and Ben Gillett 11. Bruce Baillargeon intercepted a pass and Dylan Dabrowski recovered a fumble.

Wara led Oshkosh with 144 rushing yards. He was 14-21 passing for 147 yards and one TD. Patek made four catches for 26 yards. Bryan Kent made 11 tackles to lead the Titans and Dan Mulqueen made 10 stops. Ryan Neff recovered two fumbles and had one tackle for loss.

The Falcons fumbled four times and lost them all - the final one game with 1:49 to play at the UWRF 26 and stopped the Falcons last attempt to score.

If the Falcons could have won, they would have been tied for first place in the WIAC. League leaders Eau Claire, La Crosse and Whitewater all lost on Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons, now 2-6 overall and 2-3 in the WIAC, will play at UW-La Crosse on Saturday. Action starts at 1 p.m.

Four Touchdown Second Half Spurs Falcons to 28-10 Homecoming Victory

Oct. 23, 2004

The Falcon football team (2-5, 2-2) scored on four out of its last five drives to beat UW-Stout 28-10 (3-3, 1-3). It was the story of two halves as Stout controlled the ball for almost twenty minutes in the first half, driving inside the Falcon 20 yard line on their first four possessions. The Blue Devils only came away with three points on the four drives. Stout finally got into the end zone in the third quarter to go up 10-0, but RF responded scoring on their next three possessions to take a 21-10 lead. The Falcons controlled the second half, possessing the ball for 21 minutes and 53 seconds. Stout was within 11 and driving, early in the fourth when senior Matt Farmer recovered a fumble by running back Andy Reese at the RF two. The Falcons sealed the game with an 18 play 80 yard drive that took up almost nine minutes and resulted in a three yard touchdown run by quarterback Dave Affeldt.

The Falcons finished with 315 yards of total offense, 280 on the ground, while Stout had 321 yards of offense. Affeldt didn’t throw a pass but ran for 84 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns. Sophomore halfback Jeremy Wolff threw RF’s only pass, completing it to senior running back John Peterlik for a 35 yard touchdown. Peterlik finished with 35 yards on 11 carries and a TD. Freshman fullback Nathan Anderson led the Falcons in rushing with 127 yards on 29 carries. Senior linebacker Ben Gillett led the River Falls defense with 16 total tackles, 10 solo, two tackles for a loss, one forced fumble and one sack. Roman Johnson grabbed an interception to go along with eight total tackles, six solo, and two pass breakups. Defensive lineman Aaron Retzlaff and Josh Meyer each had a sack.

Senior QB Nick Ohman led the Stout offense completing 17-28 for 176 yards with two interceptions. Ohman ran the ball 14 times for 46 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Ryan Englebert only played in the first half but led the Blue Devils with 50 yards on 15 rushing attempts. River Falls native Evan Larsen made one of three field goals in his return to Ramer Field. Linebacker Travis Phillips led the Stout defense with 14 tackles, eight solo, and one tackle for loss. Linebacker Nate Rykal chipped in 13 tackles, six solo.

The Falcons will host UW-Oshkosh next week at one p.m. at Ramer Field.

Falcons Drop Home Opener to Whitewater, 42-3

Oct. 16, 2004

The River Falls football team (1-5, 1-2) didn’t give the Ramer Field crowd much to cheer for in the home opener with a 42-3 loss to Whitewater (6-1, 3-1). The Warhawks warmed up quickly in the frigidly cold temperatures scoring on their first two possessions of the game and returning a blocked punt for a touchdown to go up 21-0 by the end of the first quarter. UWW had a 28-3 lead at halftime and held the Falcons to 60 total yards in the second half to secure the win.

The Warhawks were led on the ground by WIAC rushing leader Colin Burns. The sophomore gained 152 yards on 24 carries and had one touchdown. Burns backfield mate Keiya Square had three touchdowns, all in the first half, to go with 33 yards on eight rushes. Square led the Warhawks in receiving with two catches for 37 yards. Sophomore quarterback Justin Jacobs was 5-9 for 78 yards and a TD. Whitewater was 5-6 in red zone scoring opportunities.

The River Falls offense couldn’t get it going all game long against the WIAC’s top rated rush defense. The RF offense was 2-13 on third downs and 1-3 on fourth downs. Punter Jovin Kroll had six attempts with an average of 27.5 yards a punt. The Falcon offense coughed the ball up four times, only losing two. Senior John Peterlik led the Falcons with 132 yards on 18 carries. Freshman fullback Nathan Anderson snapped his two game 100 yard plus rushing streak, only gaining 56 yards on 17 attempts. Sophomore QB Andy Kolstad ran the ball 17 times for 41 yards.

The Falcons hope to rebound next week in their homecoming game versus UW-Stout at Ramer Field at one p.m.

Falcons Earn 25-21 WIAC Win at Platteville

Oct. 9, 2004

The Falcon football team came back with a strong second half and earned a 25-21 win at UW-Platteville Saturday afternoon.

UWRF trailed 21-3 at the half, but the Falcon defense held the Pioneers scoreless and the offense scored 22 second half points. The Falcons, a rushing team, did most of the damage through the air in getting points in the second half.

In the second half the Falcons opened the scoring at 12:36 of the third quarter when John Peterlik caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Dave Affeldt. The score was set up when Ben Gillett recovered a fumble at the UWP 39. The drive took four plays and covered 39 yards. Gillett was playing in his first game in three weeks.

The Falcons drew to within 21-18 at 8:24 of the fourth quarter. The Falcons covered 76 yards in nine plays capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Andy Kolstad to Corey Strinmoen. Peterlik ran in the important two-point conversion. The Falcons took the ball after stopping UWP on a fourth-and–eight play at the RF 24.

The Pioneers took the kick off and drove to the RF 48. On a third-and-eight play at the RF 48, Falcon safety Kyle Hoegh intercepted a UWP pass and gave the Falcons great field position at the Pioneers 44. On the next play Peterlik took a pitch and hit a wide open Strinmoen who walked into the end zone for the winning points. The pass play covered 44 yards and there was 4:19 to play.
The Pioneers went three and out on their next possession and the Falcons worked the final 3:16 off the clock to preserve the win.

After stopping the Falcons on their first possession of the game, UWP started the scoring in the first quarter. The Pioneers dove 81 yards in 12 plays capped off on a three-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Munz to Dan Holz. John Heck's extra point gave the Pioneers a 7-0 lead with 8:08 to go in the first quarter.

UWP, ranked 20th in last week's D3football.com Top 25, jumped out to a 14-0 lead at 14:28 of the second quarter. Damian Droessler scored on a 12-yard run to cap a 12-play, 72-yard drive.

UWRF made it a 14-3 game at 9:48 of the second quarter when Spasimir Bodurski kicked a 23-yard field goal. That capped a 12-play, 49-yard drive.

UWP, now 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the WIAC, scored with 4:14 left in the first half to take a 21-3 lead. Holz caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brent Nelson. That capped an 11-play, 65-yard drive that took 5:34 off the clock.

The Falcons drove inside the UWP 20 on their next possession, but a fumble killed the effort.
Nathan Anderson led the Falcon rushing attack with 170 yards on 31 carries. It was his best rushing game of his career. Peterlik finished with 86 yards on 17 carries. The Falcon finished with 264 rushing yards. Kolstad finished 2-6 passing for 29 yards and one TD, Affeldt was 1-2 for 28 yards and one score and Peterlik was 1-1 for 44 yards and the TD. Strinemoen caught two passes, both touchdowns, for 62 yards.

Matt Farmer led the Falcon defense with nine tackles. Arron Retzlaff and O'Neal Hampton made eight tackles.

UWP finished with 105 passing yards and 222 passing yards. Nelson was 28-40 for 219 yards. Holz caught nine passes for 83 yards and two TDs.

The Falcons, now 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the WIAC, finally play at home next weekend when they host Whitewater at Ramer Field. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

Falcons Lose WIAC Opener 37-15

Oct. 2, 2004

The Falcon football team (0-4, 0-1) wore down in the second half and lost thier WIAC opener 37-15 at Eau Claire (3-1, 1-1). The Falcons gave up 30 points in the second half after giving up a total of seven in the first.

UWRF senior running back John Peterlik capped off a five play 27 yard drive with a one yard TD run to tie the Blugolds at seven with 9:18 to play in the third quarter. From their the Blugolds went on a 30 point streak to seal a 37-15 homecoming victory. Falcon quarterback Dave Affeldt ran a touchdown in from one yard late in the game.

The story to the Blugolds success was junior running back Joe Gast. Gast carried the ball 30 times for 135 yards and four touchdowns. The junior earned the yards the hard way averaging 4.5 yards per carry. EC senior quarterback Nels Fredrickson threw 26 times, completing 16 for 188 yards with one TD and one interception. Wide out Tony Hull had five catches for 55 yards and one touchdown to lead the Blugolds in recieving. On defense Eau Claire held River Falls to 11 first downs and 180 total yards, zero through the air. The Blugold defense had one interception and forced three RF fumbles, recovering all three. Linebacker Jared Roeker led EC with 11 total tackles, seven solo.

The Falcon offense gained all of their 180 yards on the ground. Freshman fullback Nathan Anderson accounted for 100 of those yards on 21 carries. Senior running back John Peterlik fumbled once and was held to 68 yards on 19 carries, but did score one touchdown. Quarterback Dave Affeldt started the game at quarterback and ran eight times for 26 yards and fumbled twice, both lost. Sophomore QB Andy Kolstad alternated under center and completed none of his three passes while gaining a net of negative eight yards on six carries. The RF defense gave up a total of 393 yards but did force three EC turnovers, two fumbles and one interception. Senior safety Matt Farmer made the pick and had nine tackles. Linebacker Ryan Agrimson led the Falcons in tackles with 11 while filling in for injured linebacker Ben Gillett.

River Falls will look for their first victory of the season next Saturday at two p.m. at UW-Platteville. The trip to Pioneer country will be final stop on the Falcons five game road trip.

Falcons Lose 28-24 Decision at PLU

Sept. 25, 2004

The Falcon football team played a strong game, but lost 28-24, at Pacific Luther Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons grabbed a 7-0 lead, but trailed 14-7 at the end of the first quarter. UWRF came back to tie the game early in the second quarter, but trailed 21-14 at the half. The Falcons tied the game, 21-21, early in the second half but PLU came back to take a 28-21 lead late in the third quarter. The Falcons drew to within four early in the fourth quarter but that was all of the scoring for the day.

PLU took the ball first to open the game but on the team's third play from scrimmage a Lutes pass was intercepted by Falcon linebacker Nate Gray giving the Falcons a first down at the PLU 23. Two plays later fullback Nathan Anderson scored on a 22-yard run to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead at 13:32. Spasimir Bodurski kicked the extra point.
PLU took the ensuing kick off and drove 74 yards in 10 plays to tie the game. Ryan Simpson scored the TD on a one-yard run with 9:06 to play in the first quarter.

The Falcons fumbled the ball away on its first play giving PLU a first down at the UWRF 28. Seven plays later Mark McCall scored on a three-yard run to put the Lutes ahead, 14-7.

The Falcons took control of the ball late in the first quarter and finished the drive in the second quarter with a touchdown to tie the game. Halfback John Peterlik scored the TD on a three-yard run with 12:07 to play in the half. UWRF drove 72 yards in nine plays to score. Jeremy Wolff caught a 15-yard pass from Andy Kolstad and he rushed for 14 yards later in the drive.

Falcon linebacker Matt Farmer intercepted a PLU pass to give UWRF the ball at the PLU 40 with 1:34 to play in the half. The Falcons drove to the PLU 21 and lined up for a 38-yard field goal. The attempt was blocked and PLU's Andy Hamilton returned the ball 10 yards before pitching the ball to Alex Jefferies who went 55 yards untouched to give the Lutes a 21-14 lead with :12 to play in the half.

The Falcons took the second half kick off and scored to tie the game, 21-21. Ward picked up five yards on first down and then Peterlik took a pitch 73 yards to the end zone with 14:10 to go in the third quarter.

On the Falcons second drive after the TD, UWRF fumbled the ball away at the PLU 35. The Lutes drove 65 yards in 11 plays to regain the lead on a three-yard run by MaCall.

UWRF took the ensuing kick off and drive for a field goal. The Falcons went 70 yards in 10 plays to the PLU 10. A 27-yard field by Bodurski made it a 28-24 game. Wolff gained 24 yards on one run and Kolstad hit wide receiver Corey Strinmoen on a 21-yard pass.

The Falcon defense held PLU to a three and out on the next possession and took over after a punt at the RF 43. The Falcons methodically drove the ball down field on eight rushing and one passing play. On a fourth and two at the PLU 13 Kolstad was dropped for a two yard loss ending the drive.

The Falcon defense held PLU for a second third and out and UWRF took over at its 30 with 6:10 to go. But the Falcons could pick up only one first down and the drive stalled. UWRF punted the ball away and PLU took over at its 14 with 3:52 to play. This time the PLU offense was able to control the ball and they ran out the clock.

The Falcons rushed for 295 yards led by Peterlik who finished with 140 yards on 16 carries. Kolstad was 4-6 passing for 63 yards. Wolff had two catches for 30 yards. PLU finished with 298 total yards. Matt Steiner led the PLU rushing attack with 109 yards. PLU quarterback Dusty Macauley was 10-26 passing for 122 yards.

Ryan Agrimson led the Falcons with 10 solo and 14 total tackles. Bob Nesvig had seven solo tackles and Gray had four solo and six total stops.

The Falcons, now 0-3 overall, open WIAC play on Saturday at Eau Claire. Kick off is second for 1 p.m. at Carson Park.

Falcons Lose, 58-14, at Bemidji State

Sept. 18, 2004

The Falcon football team fell behind 38-7 at the half and lost a 58-14 decision at Bemidji State on Saturday afternoon.

BSU led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and 51-7 at the end of three quarters.

Trailing 17-0, the Falcons got on the scoreboard when halfback John Peterlik scored on a 21-yard run with 9:11 to go in the first half. Spasimir Bodurski added the point after. UWRF drove 70 yards in just five plays with the big play in the drive a 32-yard pass complete from quarterback Andy Kolstad to halfback Jeremy Wolff. That play gave the Falcons a first down at the BSU 21. On the next play Peterlik scored. The drive took just 1:28 off the clock.

BSU came back to score 21 points before the end of the half to take a 38-7 lead into the locker room.

The Beavers added two more touchdowns in the third quarter, and one in the fourth, before the Falcon scored again. On the last play of the game, Kolstad hit Wolff with a 21-yard pass play for the final points of the game.

Peterlik led the Falcon rushing attack with 82 yards on 15 carries. Wolff added 32 yards. The Falcons finished with 178 rushing yards. Kolstad was 2-4 passing for 53 yards and the one TD. For BSU, Alvaro Carvajal rushed for 138 yards and scored three touchdowns. Tyler Olson rushed for 84 yards and also scored three times. Quarterback Nathan Saanes was 10-13 passing for 171 yards and one score. Mike Nordyke led the BSU receivers with six catches for 101 yards and one touchdown.

Ben Gillett led the Falcon defense with five solo and 12 total tackles. Matt Jordan, O'Neal Hampton, Josh Meyer and Nate Gray all had seven tackles. Dan Buker came up with the only turnover, recovering a BSU fumble.

The 58 points is the most given up by a Falcon team since a 58-2 loss to Whitewater in the 1970 season.

The Falcons, now 0-2 overall, travel to Pacific Lutheran on Saturday for a non-conference game against the Lutes. Kick off is set for 3:30 p.m. (CT).

Falcons Lose Opener at Concordia, 47-25

Sept. 11, 2004

The UW-River Falls football team dropped its season opener at Concordia, 47-25. The Falcons had 404 net rushing yards on 75 carries and 87 passing yards on 5-7. Concordia ran the ball 33 times for 263 yards and went 16-24 in the air for 242 yards. River Falls fumbled the ball six times, losing five of them while Concordia lost one of two fumbles.

UWRF opened the game recovering two onside kicks. The first onside kick led to Freshman fullback Beau DeBruin scoring his first career touchdown on his first career carry as a Falcon from 16 yards out. DeBruin finished the day as RF’s second leading rusher with 7 carries for 94 yards including a 57 yard run. Senior running back John Peterlik led the Falcon rushing attack with 26 rushes for 150 yards and one touchdown while catching four passes for 41 yards to lead River Falls in receiving.

Golden Bear quarterback James McNear was 13-20 for 164 yards with one touchdown and became Concordia’s all time passing leader with a total of 5541 yards. McNear also led the Golden Bears in rushing with 16 carries for 150 yards and three TDs.

Sophomore Andy Kolstad threw for 63 yards on 3-4 passing and ran for 44 yards on 14 carries. Kolstad rotated at quarterback with Freshman Dave Affeldt who went 2-2 for 47 yards and had 13 rushes for 55 yards with a 23 yard touchdown run. A negative on the quarterback’s was that Kolstad fumbled three times and Affeldt fumbled once.

Senior safety Matt Farmer led the Falcons with 7 tackles, six were solo. Senior defensive end Josh Meyer had River Falls’ only sack of the day while Junior linebacker Nate Gray had a forced and recovered fumble. Senior defensive back Jeremy Axel led Concordia with 12 total tackles and a forced fumble. Golden Bear Senior linebacker Brian Doyle was second on the team in tackles and had two fumble recoveries including one that he took 57 yards for a touchdown.

River Falls Kicker, Sophomore Spasimir Bodurski, went one for two in field goals today. Bodurski made his first attempt from 37 yards out on the left hash mark and then pulled his second attempt wide left from 37 yards away in the middle. River Falls was within 10 (27-17) going into halftime but was outscored 20-7 in the second half.

Falcons Open Season at Concordia

Sept. 10, 2004

The 2004 season looks to be a turn around year for Coach John O’Grady and the River Falls Falcons and that starts on Saturday when UWRF plays its first game at Concordia-St. Paul. Kick off is set for 1:30 p.m.

O’Grady and the Falcons are coming off three consecutive losing campaigns which include losing conference records the last two. O’Grady’s only other losing season as head coach of the Falcons was in 1991. The head coach is entering his 16th season and has an overall record of 85-59-3. O’Grady has the third most wins among active WIAC coaches and is 10th all time. He could move up to eighth all time with four wins. O’Grady’s record shows that it is time for a winning season for UWRF.

The head coach isn’t the only reason to have optimism this fall. The Falcons return eight starters on offense and defense, including two-time team most valuable player, senior running back John Peterlik. The two-time first team All-WIAC selection tied for the conference lead in touchdowns(14), was fourth in rushing(109.3 y/g - 984 total) and was first in all purpose yards(185.4 y/g - 1669 total) in 2003. Peterlik will be without last year’s backfield mate, All-WIAC fullback Owen Schmidt, who transferred to the University of West Virginia. Schmidt led River Falls with 1,063 rushing yards (third in the WIAC). The leading candidates to replace Schmidt are junior Neal Folta and freshman John Ward. Helping to fill the rushing void left by Schmidt will be halfback Jeremy Wolff. Wolff was the Falcons third leading rusher last year with 289 yards on 39 attempts (7.4 avg.) with one touchdown.

A positive for the Falcon running game is the return of four starters from an offensive line that cleared the way for an RF offense that led the WIAC in rushing (318.6 y/g) in 2003. Senior Jeremy Hotz returns at the right guard spot while juniors Alan Nutt and Nate Cook come back at the tackles. Junior tight end Chris Ammann will move inside to play center. The new man of the group will be junior Dave Kapping at left guard.

Under center will be sophomore quarterback Andy Kolstad. Kolstad started six games as a true freshman and is considered a student of the game by O’Grady. The sophomore put on 25 pounds in the off season to help take the blows that an option QB has to absorb. Kolstad ran for 191 yards on 62 carries with three touchdowns and completed 11-16 passes for 182 yards with one TD and two interceptions as the head of the RF wishbone attack in 2003.

The big story on defense is the departing of 14 year assistant coach and defensive coordinator Tom Journell who took the head coaching position at Elmhurst, Ill., College. Nine year assistant coach Kevin Bullis was promoted from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator. Bullis was the defensive coordinator for Gustavus Adolphus in 1993-94.

Eight starters return from a defensive unit that gave up the third most points in the WIAC (305). O’Grady says the Falcons are going to simplify the defensive scheme with the goal of giving up less big plays and being harder to score on.

One of the strongest parts of the defense seems to be the secondary with 2003 leading tacklers Kyle Hoegh (66) and Matt Farmer (57) leading a defensive backfield that also includes junior speed burner Roman Johnson and up and coming sophomore O’Neal Hampton. The only downfall is the loss of 2003 All-WIAC cornerback Lewie Parish. Sophomore corner Matt Jordan will look to fill Parish’s shoes.

The defensive line will be a question mark with the loss of 2003 All-WIAC defensive linemen Jeff Horton, Nate Hendrickson and Nick Rue. To combat these losses the Falcons will go with only three down linemen. Senior Josh Meyer and junior Josh Graham will make up the book ends while junior Aaron Retzlaff will be in the middle.

The linebacker core will be led by seniors Ben Gillett and Nate Gray. Gray was River Falls’ fourth leading tackler last season (48). The Falcons fifth leading tackler in 2003, junior Dan Buker (35), fills out the line backing unit on the outside. The RF defense hopes that their new look will help improve a unit that gave up the third most yards (431.1 y/g) and the third most points (305) in the WIAC in 2003.

Special teams looks to be a strong area in 2004 with Johnson and Peterlik handling kickoff and punt returns. Both players have the ability to make game breaking plays. Also there is a lot of optimism about River Falls’ new kicker sophomore transfer Spasimir Bodurski. O’Grady feels that Bodurski has the ability to kick the ball in the end zone more and give the Falcons better field position. Helping with field position is returning sophomore punter Jovin Kroll. As a freshman Kroll punted 11 times with a 31.3 average and a long of 40 yards.