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UWW linebacker attends his fourth Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl

WHITEWATER — Four seasons. Four Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowls.

Even some of the best college football players at the Division I level might be jealous of the team success UW-Whitewater senior middle linebacker Jace Rindahl has enjoyed at Division III in his four years with the Warhawks.

Not only has Rindahl been on teams that will have appeared in four straight Stagg Bowls, as the fourth-ranked Warhawks (13-1) will do when they face top-ranked Mount Union (14-0) on Saturday at Salem Stadium in Salem, Va., but he has been a factor.

Rindahl has seen playing time in all four of teams, with his role never greater than it will be this week as the leader of Whitewater’s defense.

“It’s pretty incredible,” said Rindahl, a Cambridge High graduate. “Coming out of high school, you never think you could play 60 college games in your career.

“For me to play 60 games is just a great tribute to the great success we’ve had here at Whitewater and the coaches that we have and the past players that I played under and learned from so much.

“Sixty games is 20 more than most college players play, so it’s been a heck of a ride, and there's no way I want to end it on a loss.”

Rindahl’s career at Whitewater has been a resounding success, and his has senior season served as the crowning jewel.

The school announced on Wednesday that Rindahl has been named an American Football Coaches Association Division III All-American. In addition, Rindahl was named first-team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and was selected for D3football.com’s All-West Region first team.

Rindahl is second on Whitewater’s team this season with 98 total tackles and has added five interceptions, a touchdown and nine tackles for a loss. His stellar play is a key reason why the Warhawks rank third in Division III in scoring defense, yielding just 12.2 points a game.

But Rindahl’s impact on the defense has gone far beyond his statistics and accolades.

In the previous two seasons, Whitewater returned a wealth of experience on both sides of the ball. This year’s roster, however, features only six seniors.

Of the 11 defensive starters from last season’s Stagg Bowl, only four started in Whitewater’s semifinal win over Mary Hardin-Baylor this season, including an entirely new secondary.

So to say Whitewater’s defense has relied on Rindahl’s experience this season, especially early on, is an understatement.

“This year is a whole different story, which really is a great accomplishment for the players,” Whitewater coach Lance Leipold said when comparing this team to last season. “It’s a different deal, but you gotta have somebody kind of take charge of the group, and that's what Jace has done for us.”

To maximize Rindahl’s experience, the coaches moved him from outside linebacker to middle linebacker, which was occupied last season by Tristan Borzick.

“He’s really the only experience at linebacker that we had coming back and our most experienced defensive player, period,” defensive coordinator Brian Borland said. “We try not to just lean on a guy too heavily, but probably as much as anybody, we really leaned on him.”

The transition has been seamless for Rindahl, who played middle linebacker in high school.

“Being captain of the defense and the leader of the defense is kind of where I wanted to be,” he said. “That’s the only way I want it, to tell you the truth.”

Rindahl played spot roles on special teams and defense as a freshman and sophomore, seeing action in his first two Stagg Bowls. He became a full-time starter midway through last season when he replaced an injured linebacker, and he had his coming-out party in Whitewater’s Stagg Bowl victory with a game-high 16 total tackles.

“For him to come out and have that type of game in the national championship, that kind of propelled him into this year where we were able to move him into the middle,” Leipold said.

Rindahl will see Mount Union for the fourth straight time in the Stagg Bowl, of course, and his task may be the biggest of his career. Mount Union enters the game leading Division III in total offense and features running back Nate Kmic, who became the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher at all levels in the Purple Raiders’ semifinal win over Wheaton (Ill.).

“It couldn’t be any better to get back there and face that team again,” Rindahl said. “We get the chance to even up the score at two apiece with them, because we lost my freshman and sophomore years. It should be a great game.”

And the final one of Rindahl’s wildly successful collegiate career, no matter what happens.

“It’s just been unbelievable being able to play this many games in my college career and being able to play in the Stagg Bowl every year,” he said. “I’m just going to go out there and be a playmaker and go around when plays present themselves and make it happen.”