Don Richards

Two geezers discussed the pluses and minuses of old age. "A good thing happens on a bus," one said. "Someone will get up and give you their seat." "But that doesn't work well in a toilet," the other responded.

So, for every gain there may be a loss. That seems to be the case with Kaleb Blaha (senior, Coon Rapids, Minn.), UWRF quarterback, in the 41-35 win over seventh-ranked Alma University (Michigan) on Saturday, Sept. 7. Blaha, now the all-time leader in total yards gained, with 8,234, replaced Ryan Kusilek, former RFHS alum and Falcon quarterback (2012-15), by racking up 426 yards and five touchdowns, in only three quarters. He didn't play after that because of a slightly strained hamstring muscle.

Recently. Blaha told me that it was still a little stiff, but that it didn't hurt to walk. He did not plan to play Sept. 21 against Greenville U, (Illinois). "I won't rush it," he said. His replacement will probably be Cade Fitzgerald (junior, Brooklyn Park, Minn.), who threw the winning touchdown pass to Austin Rush, (junior, Yuma, Ariz.) wide receiver, in the Alma game.

Blaha was named WIAC Player of the Week for his efforts. He has won that honor four times previously.

Another star against Alma was Gage Timm (junior, Shawano), Falcon linebacker, who totaled 20 tackles (nine solo, 2.5 tackles for loss), the most for any Falcon since 2019. He also punted three times, one of which traveled 59 yards. For his efforts, he was named Division 3 Player of the Week.

In other WIAC action on Sept. 7, Stevens Point lost to Albion, Mich., 31 - 23; UW-Eau Claire lost to Concordia-Moorhead, 21-10; UW-Oshkosh beat Wheaton, Ill., 21-14; and seventh-ranked UW-Whitewater beat 19^th-ranked John Carroll University, Ohio, 34-7. Recent D3 football rankings have UW-Whitewater at number 3, UW-La Crosse at 6, UWRF at No. 7, UW-Oshkosh at 17 and Platteville is in the "others receiving votes" category.

The Falcons played this previous week on Sept. 21, at Ramer Field against Greenville University, Ill., who were 2-0, going into the UWRF game with wins against Concordia College, Chicago, 54-23 and Eureka College, Ill., 27-7.

Though the win over Alma is a definite plus, a minus in the form of injuries may mar the Falcons' record this season. So far, at least four have occurred: Pre-season, Clement Harris, (sophomore, Houston, Texas), a promising defensive lineman from the Lone Star State, suffered an Achilles tendon rupture and will be out for the season. Then, the resolution to Blaha's injury has yet to be determined. One of the Falcon trainers said he was "cautiously optimistic" about that outcome. In addition, Jake Hilton (sophomore, Prescott, Ariz.), who caught two touchdown passes in the Alma win, had a liver laceration and kidney injury in the game and was hospitalized. He is expected to maybe return to action later in the season, he told me perhaps as soon as the Eau Claire game on Oct. 25. And Kody Curtis, (sophomore, Buffalo, Minn.), an offensive lineman who was expected to contribute this season, is now injured and out for the year.

Coach Matt Walker called the Falcons' performance in the win over Alma "an incredible day." He said the offense, defense, and special teams all played very well, especially early in the game. He added that to build up a 20-point lead against that good a team spoke well for the team. "I knew they would make a run at us in the second half, and we were able to hold them off." He said that the win over Alma is a" big deal" because the new format giving more teams a shot at the D3 playoffs will help decide who gets in, and a win against a ranked team always helps.

Walker went onto say, "Greenville U. will come in super-confident with their 2-0 record. They play super hard and are well coached. But we had a good week of practice even though we had the bye week and we will be up to the challenge." After Greenville, the Falcons play in Cincinnati Sept. 28 against Mount St. Joseph, Ohio, (1-1) before coming home to play UW-Eau Claire in the homecoming game, Oct. 5.

The game vs. Greenville was sponsored by the W.I.N.G.S. Foundation in support of mental health awareness. The Foundation, co-founded by Falcon assistant coach Craig Miles and his wife Cathy, was established to help students, families, and communities in need while emphasizing kindness and a pay-it-forward attitude.

One of the geezers mentioned earlier was asked what he did now that he is retired. Being a former chemical engineer, he responded that what he enjoyed most is converting beer, wine and vodka into urine daily. Do you have to be a chemical engineer to do that? 

Is that a plus or a minus?