Mount's Kehres respects Wisconsin-Whitewater

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

WHITEWATER, Wis. — Perhaps he was engaging in a bit of early week gamesmanship. Maybe his sincerity meter read 100 percent.

Either way, Mount Union College coach Larry Kehres doesn’t sound surprised that Wisconsin-Whitewater (13-1) is back in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl to defend its NCAA Division III football championship.

Kehres, with nine NCAA Division III football championships on his resume and a 274-21-3 record (.924) in 23 seasons at Mount Union, intimated that the Warhawks had been the best team in the nation throughout the season.

“Whitewater has consistently received a vote for the No. 1 team in the country throughout the coaches’ poll,” Kehres said Monday during the Stagg Bowl coaches’ teleconference. “There’s a possibility that could have been me.

“I don’t know that we’re supposed to say who we voted for but if I could say who I voted for, I would say I voted for Whitewater.

“Because when you are the champion you are the champion. And the team they have this year is every bit as good as last year’s team.”

Whether Whitewater (13-1) is good enough to beat Mount Union (14-0) in the title game for the second consecutive season will be determined when the teams meet at 11 a.m. Saturday in Salem, Va. The game can be seen on ESPN2.

For more details, read Thursday's Vindicator or visit Vindy.com.