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Warhawks hit the road to play UW-River Falls

The UW-Whitewater football team members will be experts at riding buses by Saturday night.

The Warhawks will make their second straight cross-state tour Saturday when they travel to UW-River Falls to play the Falcons on Saturday afternoon.

Last week, Whitewater took a 400-mile round trip to Eau Claire, handing the Blugolds a 45-0 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference defeat. The win moved the No. 1-ranked Warhawks to 3-0 in the conference and 6-0 overall.

"Hopefully, we can repeat that," Whitewater coach Lance Leipold said Wednesday. "It's the second leg of a back-to-back, and that's a concern. It's another long trip."

The Warhawks will face a winless River Falls team. Still, Leipold said preparations would be as stringent as ever.

"Our main focus is getting better as a team," Leipold said. "(River Falls) has played an extremely difficult schedule. They've played everybody highly competitive."

John O'Grady, the Falcons head coach who is leaving the post after this, his 22nd season, said his team is capable of having a better record.

"I know every team in our nonconference schedule was ranked in the top 20," O'Grady said. "We do some things really well. Our O-line has handled most everyone we played.

"But we make too many mistakes, we turn the ball over, and our defense is extremely young. You can ask anybody that has seen us on film that offensively, we look pretty good."

The Warhawk defense should be up to the task of stopping the Falcons.

Whitewater leads the WIAC in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 6.3 points per game. Stout ranks second at 17 ppg.

The Warhawks also are the toughest team in the league to run against (42.2 ypg) and pass against (150.7 ypg).

Janesville Parker High graduate Matt McCulloch added to the Warhawk point total against the Blugolds when he returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown. The senior ranks second on the team in defensive points with 23, which includes 20 solo and six assisted tackles.

Linebacker Lane Olson leads the team with 26 points on 18 solo and 16 assisted tackles. Olson and Lou Minett, a freshman out of Whitewater High, are tied for the team lead in sacks with 3.5 each.

The Warhawks also lead the league in offense, averaging 531 yards, 44 points, 298 yards rushing and 233 yards passing a game.

Even without Booker Stanley, who has an arm injury, the Warhawks rushed for 237 yards against Eau Claire.

Levell Coppage, the conference's leading rusher with 113 yards a game, has overcome a thigh injury that has hampered him in the last couple of games.

"He should be full speed," Leipold said. "Booker's status is more unknown. We're leaning toward doubtful at this time."

The Warhawks' kicking game, which had been the biggest weakness this season, rebounded against Eau Claire.

Freshman kicker Eric Kindler converted all six of his conversion attempts, and made a 37-yard field goal in the win, and earned WIAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

"We need to keep building on the performances of the last couple of weeks," Leipold said.