November 21, 2009
Contact:
Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevich@concentric.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
Carthage Football Upsets No. 21 Wheaton (Ill.), 35-30, on Nov. 14;
Red Men Close Out 2009 Season with a 7-3 Mark and Ranked 31st
2009 Season Finale: The Carthage College football team (7-3, 4-3 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) concluded its 2009 season on Saturday, Nov. 14 with a thrilling, 35-30 win over CCIW-opponent and No. 21 Wheaton College (Ill., 7-3, 4-3 CCIW) at McCully Field in Wheaton, Ill. The win elevated the Red Men to the 31st spot in the final, regular-season “D3football.com” poll.
Last Year: Carthage went 5-5 in 2008 (3-4 CCIW).
Seven Red Men Named All-CCIW: Seven members of the Carthage football team were named 2009 All-CCIW. Wide receivers Jeff Koeneman (Sr., Barrington, Ill./Palatine-Fremd, 103.1 receiving yards per game) and Nick Merchut (Sr., Bartlett, Ill., 100.6 receiving yards per game), offensive lineman Terrance Clark (Jr., Dolton, Ill./Thornridge) and kicker/punter Tyler Funk (Sr., Racine, Wis./Horlick, 44.4 yards per punt, 8-for-10 field goals) were named first-team All-CCIW. Quarterback Evan Jones (Jr., Grayslake, Ill., 355.4 passing yards per game, 32 touchdown passes), center Matt Favero (Sr., Hanover Park, Ill./Bartlett) and defensive end Alex Annes (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice, 37 tackles, 8 tackles-for-loss, 1 sack) earned second-team all-conference honors. In addition, Koeneman was named Wisconsin Private College “Football Player of the Year” and Tim Rucks Wisconsin Private College “Football Coach of the Year.”
2009 NCAA Division III Football Championship: Armed with the CCIW’s automatic qualifier, Illinois Wesleyan University (9-1) wound up as the league’s sole representative in the NCAA Division III Football Championship. The No. 14 Titans will play host to No. 15 Wabash College (9-1) on Saturday, Nov. 21 in a first-round game at Wilder Field at Illinois Wesleyan Stadium. The Illinois Wesleyan-Wabash winner will play the Wisconsin-Whitewater vs. Lakeland College winner in a Saturday, Nov. 28 second-round game.
2008 NCAA Division III Football Championship: With its 41-28 win over Augustana College (Ill.) on Nov. 8, No. 2 North Central College (9-0, 6-0 CCIW) clinched its sixth CCIW title, its third in a row and its first outright championship since 1960. The Cardinals, with the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Football Championship, defeated Thomas More College (8-3), 44-23, in a first-round game on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Ill. North Central (11-1) played host to Franklin College (11-1) in a second-round game on Saturday, Nov. 29 but lost a 38-28 decision. No. 25 Wheaton College (Ill., 8-2) received an at-large berth, and the Thunder blanked No. 20 Trine University (10-1), 14-0, in a first-round game in Angola, Ind. Wheaton (Ill., 10-2) traveled to Crawfordsville, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 29 and won a second-round game over Wabash College (10-2), 59-28. The Thunder defeated Franklin College (11-2), 45-28, in a Dec. 6 quarterfinal game. Wheaton (Ill., 11-3 final record) advanced to a Dec. 13 semifinal contest where the Thunder lost to Mount Union College (14-0) by a 45-24 margin. Wisconsin-Whitewater (13-1) defeated the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (12-2), 39-13, in the other semifinal contest. Mount Union faces Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Dec. 13 Stagg Bowl in Salem, Va.
The Polls: Mount Union College (10-0, 19 first-place votes) was ranked first in the final, regular-season “D3football.com” poll, followed by Wisconsin-Whitewater (10-0, 6 first-place votes) second, Wesley College (10-0) third, St. John’s University (Minn., 10-0) fourth, Linfield College (9-0) fifth, Central College (10-0) sixth, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (9-1) seventh, Monmouth College (10-0) eighth, Case Western Reserve University (10-0) ninth, the University of St. Thomas (Minn., 9-1) 10th, Thomas More College (10-0) 11th, Wittenberg University (10-0) 12th, Ohio Northern University (8-2) 13th, CCIW-member Illinois Wesleyan University (9-1) 14th and Wabash College (9-1) ranked 15th. CCIW-member North Central College (8-2) was ranked 17th, Carthage College (7-3) 31st and conference -member Wheaton College (Ill., 7-3) 33rd in the national poll. Mount Union (8-0 overall record, 7-0 in-region record) was ranked first in the Nov. 4 NCAA Division III North Region poll, followed by Wittenberg University (8-0, 6-0) second, the College of Mount St. Joseph (8-0, 8-0) third, Case Western (8-0, 7-0) fourth, CCIW-member Illinois Wesleyan University (7-1, 7-1) fifth, Wabash College (7-1, 6-1) sixth, CCIW-member Wheaton (Ill., 7-1, 7-1) seventh, Trine University (7-1, 7-1) eighth, Otterbein College (7-1, 7-1) ninth and Allegheny College (7-1, 7-1) ranked 10th.
The Coach: Tim Rucks concluded his 15th season at Carthage in 2009 (81-66-1, 15 years at Carthage/90-99-4, 20 years overall). He was named American Football Coaches Association North Region “Coach of the Year” in 2004, as well as CCIW “Bob Reade Football Coach of the Year.” Rucks is second on the all-time Carthage wins list, trailing Art Keller (177-87-7, 1952-82). Rucks is assisted by special teams coordinator Glen Brittich, offensive coordinator Terry Peebles, defensive coordinator John Sedeska, part-time assistant coaches Jason Atanasoff, Shawn Feuker, Brian Horensky, Henry Johnson, Ryan Leonard, Paul Michalak, Dan Spranger and Jeff Winden, along with graduate assistant coach Erik Keil.
Nick Merchut to Play in “D3Senior Classic”: Carthage College football wide receiver Nick Merchut (Sr., Bartlett, Ill.) was invited to play in the “D3 Senior Classic” in Salem, Va., on Dec 5. Sponsored by the Collegiate Development Football League (CDFL), the event pits 90 players from 238 NCAA Division III football programs in North vs. South format all-star game. The game will be played at the Salem Stadium, site of the annual Stagg Bowl, the title game of the NCAA Division III Football Championship.
Red Men on the Radio and the Internet in 2009: WRJN-AM Radio (1400) in Racine, Wis., will broadcast all 10 of Carthage’s 2009 football games for the ninth-straight year. Veteran Kenosha radio sports announcer John Weiser, "The Voice of the Red Men and the Lady Reds," handles the play-by-play chores. The WRJN-AM broadcasts are also available on the Internet at http://www.carthage.edu/ais/webcast/ “Live stats” for home games are available at http://www.carthage.edu/athleticspages/livestats/xlive.htm.
The Conference: The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, in its 64th year in 2009-10, began sponsorship of football as a championship sport in 1946. Carthage was the dominant football team in the CCIW from 1962 to 1973, as the Red Men captured eight conference titles, including five straight from 1969 to 1973. Under the leadership of the legendary Art Keller, Carthage rattled off six undefeated conference seasons, three 14-game win streaks, and a phenomenal 29-game CCIW unbeaten streak (28-0-1). The CCIW's Outstanding Offensive Player Award is named for Keller, who stands third on the conference's all-time victory ledger with a 105-53-3 mark in his 22 seasons in the league. Augustana College (Ill.) has won or shared a league-leading 21 CCIW titles. Wheaton College (Ill.) has won 15 championships, followed by Illinois Wesleyan University with 13, Millikin University with 11, Carthage College with nine, North Central College with six, and Elmhurst College, Lake Forest College and Carroll College (Wis.) with two championships each. The CCIW football coaches picked North Central (6 first-place votes, 48 points) to repeat as conference champions in 2009, followed by Wheaton (Ill., 1 first-place vote, 42 points) second, Augustana (Ill., 1 first-place vote, 36 points) third, Illinois Wesleyan (30 points) fourth, Elmhurst (28 points) fifth, Carthage (20 points) sixth, Millikin (13 points) seventh and North Park University (seven points) eighth.
CCIW “Players of the Week”: Quarterback David Lee (So., Springfield, Ill./ from Augustana College (Ill.) was named CCIW “Football Offensive Player of the Week” on Nov. 16 for the second time this season. North Central College defensive back Stewart Charles (So., Batavia, Ill.) was named “defensive player of the week,” while teammate Joe Antonacci (So., Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) earned “special teams player of the week” honors. Lee, who also earned "player of the week” honors on Sept. 14, supplanted former NFL MVP Ken Anderson in the school’s record book after breaking Anderson’s single-game record of 410 passing yards with 422 in a 42-13 win over Millikin University. Charles posted a career-high 11 tackles (10 solo) in a 49-24 win over Elmhurst College that clinched a share of the CCIW title for the Cardinals. He also finished with two tackles-for-loss, one quarterback sack and broke up three passes en route to the victory. Antonacci finished the Elmhurst game with 180 return yards, returning five punts for 65 yards (13.0 yards per return) and two kickoffs for 115 yards. Antonacci returned a first-quarter kickoff 81 yards to the Bluejays’ 16-yard line, leading to a North Central score on the next play.
CCIW Leaders: Carthage quarterback Evan Jones (Jr., Grayslake, Ill.) leads in the CCIW in both passing offense (355.4 yards per game thru Nov. 15) and total offense (365.5 yards per game). Wide receiver Jeff Koeneman (Sr., Barrington, Ill./Palatine-Fremd) leads the league in both receptions (9.40 per game) and receiving yards (103.1 yards per game). Wide receiver Nick Merchut (Sr., Bartlett, Ill.) is second in both receptions (6.60 per game), and receiving yards (100.6 yards per game). Cornerback Erik Solis (So., Chicago, Ill./Schurz) is second in interceptions with five in nine games. Tyler Funk (Sr., Racine, Wis./Horlick) leads the league in punting (44.4 yards per game), and Wayne Bolden (So., Lombard, Ill./Willowbrook) is third in kick returns (18.4 yards per return). As a team, Carthage is second in scoring offense (37.0 points per game), sixth in scoring defense (34.4 points per game), first in passing offense (379.6 yards per game), fifth in passing defense (212.2 yard per game), sixth in turnover margin (0.00), seventh in rushing offense (84.3 yards per game), seventh in rushing defense (194.7 yards per game), second in total offense (463.9 yards per game) and seventh in total defense (406.9 yards per game).
NCAA Leaders: Carthage quarterback Evan Jones (Jr., Grayslake, Ill.) is ranked third among NCAA Division III leaders in total offense (365.5 yards per game thru Nov. 15). Wide receiver Jeff Koeneman (Sr., Barrington, Ill./Palatine-Fremd) is sixth in receptions (9.4 per game), and wide receiver Nick Merchut (Sr., Bartlett, Ill.) is tied for 25th in receiving yards (100.6 per game). Tyler Funk (Sr., Racine, Wis./Horlick) would be leading the nation in putting at 44.4 yards per kick, but he’s slightly short of the minimum 3.6 punts-per-game requirement. As a team, Carthage is second in passing yards (379.6 yards per game) behind Kalamazoo College (382.3 yards per game) and is 11th in total offense (463.9 yards per game).
Art Keller Field: In 2000, thanks to a major gift from David and Gael Romoser, a state-of-the-art AstroPlayâ surface was installed on Art Keller Field. AstroPlay is a synthetic surface consisting of soft, low-abrasion nylon fibers surrounded by rubber granules. Installed over a sophisticated drainage system, the surface offers excellent traction regardless of weather, and can accommodate intensive use in a succession of games and practice sessions. Art Keller Field is one of the country's first installations of this technology, now spreading rapidly in professional and NCAA Division I ranks. Art Keller Field, a 1,658-seat facility located on the Carthage campus, opened on Sept. 24, 1966. The home side of the field, on the west, received all-new seating for 986 fans prior to the 1996 season. Lights were added in 1997, a new scoreboard was installed in 2004, a new press box was constructed in 2005, a new entry way and exterior fencing were added in 2006, and the facility was re-surfaced with FieldTurf® in 2008. Carthage set an attendance record for Art Keller Field, in its current configuration, with a crowd of 2,400 at its Oct. 6, 2007 Homecoming game against Illinois Wesleyan University.
The Record Book: Carthage continued its assault on its own record book in the Oct. 17 North Central game, breaking or tying 10 school records, 10 Art Keller Field marks and six CCIW records:
Nov. 14 Wheaton (Ill.) Game Notes: Carthage took a 7-0 lead on the game’s opening drive after covering 76 yards in 11 plays, ending with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Evan Jones to Nick Merchut at 11:04. Wheaton answered with a pair of field goals by Scott Roche, the first a 46-yarder at 8:36 and the other a 37-yarder at 3:02 to cut the Red Men’s lead to 7-6. Roche connected on a third field goal, this one from 41 yards, at 12:12 second period to give the Thunder their first lead of the game, 9-7. Carthage’s Tyler Funk booted a 20-yard field goal at 7:18 second period to put the Red Men back up by a point, 10-9. Late in the first half, Carthage’s John Seigler fumbled a punt return, which the Thunder recovered at the Red Men’s 17-yard line. Five plays later, Sean Norris hooked up with Danny Hindman on a six-yard touchdown pass and a 17-10 Wheaton lead. After the ensuing kickoff, Carthage took at its own 38-yard line with 15 seconds to play. An 11-yard rush by Seigler and a 16-yard pass from Jones to Jeff Koeneman put the ball on the Wheaton 49-yard line, and Tyler Funk booted a 52-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Thunder led at halftime, 17-13. Funk’s 52-yard boot tied his own school record set in the Nov. 7 North Park University game.
The Thunder opened the second half with a 61-yard scoring drive that ended with a one-yard TD pass from Norris to Hindman at 12:24 for a 24-13 Wheaton lead. Tyler funk converted his third field goal of the game, a 20-yarder at 7:28 third period to make it a 24-16 contest. On the ensuing kickoff, Wheaton fumbled the return and the Red Men’s Chris Kempton recovered at the Thunder 38-yard line. Eight plays later, Evan Jones carried the ball in from the one-yard line for touchdown, and the Red Men trailed by a point, 24-23, with 3:57 to play in the third quarter. Carthage took a 29-24 lead at 9:51 fourth quarter on a five-yard TD pass from Jones to Nick Merchut, but an attempted two-point conversion failed. Wheaton re-gained the lead, 30-29, on a six-play, 68-yard drive that ended with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Norris to Fredy Ellis with 1:30 to play in the game. The Thunder’s two-point conversion also failed. The Red men scored the game-winning touchdown with 39 seconds to play on a 21-yard pass from Jones to Jeff Koeneman. Back-to-backs sacks by Carthage’s Brad Fortney helped thwart the final Wheaton drive. Carthage collected 471 total offensive yards, 121 rushing and 350 passing, while Wheaton had 380 total yards, 110 on the ground and 270 in the air. Carthage set a school record with 34 first down, breaking a mark of 33 set in this year’s Lakeland College game and matched against North Central College. Evan Jones completed 40-of-56 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. Jeff Koeneman caught 14 passes for 134 yards.
Quoting Coach Tim Rucks on the Nov. 14 Wheaton (Ill.) Game: “It was a great effort on both sides of the ball. I really believed we’d score on that final drive. I didn’t get worked up at all. You give us the ball, and we’re as good as anyone. Our kids believed we’d score, too. You get the ball to Jeff Koeneman and give him some space, and he’s going to make some people miss. He’s a bug-time player, and I told our guys this week that they had the pleasure of playing with one of the better football players ever to play at Carthage. Tyler Funk is certainly an All-American in his own right. I couldn’t believe he could make another 52-yard field goal, only a week after setting that record. Nothing is too short for us, and that comes with confidence. This team turned out to be extremely resilient. Our season was headed south, big time, and we came back strong at the end against some very good teams. We developed some confidence that we’d been lacking. Going into the off-season at 7-3 is huge for our program. In our minds, we feel better about ourselves than we would have at 6-4, and we know we can beat the top teams in the CCIW.”
The Record Book: Quarterback Evan Jones (Jr., Grayslake, Ill.,) set season records for total offensive yards (3,655), passing yards (3,554), passing attempts (464), passing completions (309) and touchdown passes thrown (32), all bettering his own marks set in the 2008 season…with 6,651 total offensive yards, 4,253 passing yards, 59 touchdown passes in three years, Jones surpassed Patrick Brown’s Carthage career records of 5,435 total yards, 4,253 passing yards and 42 touchdown passes set between 1999 and 2002…wide receiver Jeff Koeneman (Sr., Barrington, Ill./Palatine-Fremd) set a season record with 94 passing receptions, breaking his own 2008 mark of 77…Koeneman wound up his career as Carthage’s all-time leader in both passing receptions (258) and receiving yards (3,006)…Tyler Funk (Sr., Racine, Wis./Horlick) set a school record with a 44.4 punting average, bettering a 1955 record of 42.3 set by Carthage Hall of Fame member John Eakins…wide receiver Nick Merchut (Sr., Bartlett, Ill.) wound up his career as the Red Men’s all-time leader in touchdown passes caught (40), and his total matched Carthage’s overall mark of 40 set by tailback Kevin Burris between 1996-1999…as a team, Carthage’s 4,639 total offensive yards, 3,796 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns and 327 passing completions set school records, and its 257 first downs matched a 2008 season mark.