Quote from: cardinal773 on September 07, 2024, 05:29:41 PMWhat's the deal with that call against Oshkosh?  The Wheaton
db got absolutely Mossed, Oshkosh has a 30 yard competition and it gets taken away with a loss of downs for a "disconcerting act"? 

Was hoping Wheaton would have accepted the gift and sealed the deal with a win.  It wasn't meant to be, I guess.  It's going to be tough to wash the stink off the CCIW after this afternoon's slate of games.

It was an illegal touching. Receiver stepped out of bounds in his route and was the first to touch the ball.

Quote from: izzy stradlin on September 21, 2015, 07:08:34 PM
Swider's comments after Saturday night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldg6imNrvpY

He talks about their general injury situation.  Is Peltz injured?  I only caught parts of the game at the airport on my phone, but I noticed Bowers took over permanently before the game was out of hand and after Peltz went down on a QB keeper.

I was only passively paying attention to the game at that point, but I thought I remembered seeing Peltz go out after a pass in which it looked like he hit a helmet on his follow through.  Considering that's probably either a hand, elbow or shoulder, that's a bit concerning.  I might be miss-remembering but either way, it's hopefully just a short-term injury and the bye week will allow him to come back without missing any time.

Bowers has proven he can be a dangerous runner and the TD he threw against UWEC was a very impressive throw.  Wheaton's best shot at winning comes with Peltz at the helm, but there doesn't seem to be much of a drop off with Bowers in there.   

Quote from: Gregory Sager on November 20, 2014, 11:03:09 PM

Quote from: AndOne on November 20, 2014, 09:58:33 PM

Quote from: Gregory Sager on November 20, 2014, 05:47:50 PM

Quote from: HScoach on November 20, 2014, 04:21:00 PM

Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 20, 2014, 02:02:12 PM

Quote from: AndOne on November 20, 2014, 01:59:17 PM
I think your use of the word "someday" with regard to NCC making the playoff field, could have used some modifiers. It isn't like it hasn't happened before, and recently at that. You can look it up. 
Perhaps something like "again someday soon." 

I am pretty sure HSCoach meant it as such:

The AQ could very well be the reason your team makes the field someday. (As in the ONLY reason.)

Exactly what I was trying to say, but obviously not so well.

The supposed strength of teams and conferences are very hard to gauge with so little national cross over games in the regular season.  And things change in time.  It wasn't too long ago the WIAC champ was considered a one-and-done team, but now that conference is home to the King.  Without AQ's it may keep a conference from stepping forward.

Beyond that, it's a question of fairness and equity. As is the case across the board in NCAA sports -- not just in D3, but in D1 and D2 as well -- the principle is that every member institution and conference that pays its NCAA dues is entitled to equal access to championships. That's why March Madness always features schools such as Mercer, Cal Poly, Wofford, and Stephen F. Austin every year. And people like that, because it's fun to cheer for an underdog. I can understand why that same sentiment doesn't seem to apply here, at least for CardinalAlum and other disgruntled NCC fans, because the D3 football tourney field is much smaller and there's far fewer at-large berths available.

You'll never see an NCAA tournament in any of the three divisions in which the field consists of the best 32 teams in the nation, or the best 61 teams in the nation, or the best 64 teams in the nation, or whatever size the tournament field happens to be for that sport and that division. That's life. As long as all of the teams that have a legitimate shot at winning the national championship are represented, the system works. And I guess that that's the question here: Do people really think that NCC had a legitimate shot at winning the national championship this season if the Cardinals had been awarded a playoff berth?

Asking that question is like the aged philosophy professor asking "what proof is there that the chair you're sitting on is really there?"
Define "legitimate." Where do you draw the line between legitimate and illegitimate? Wherever it is, one thing is for certain and that is NCC had at least as "legitimate" of a chance as teams like Macalester, Benedictine, Hampden-Sydney, and Christopher Newport have.
That is as undeniable as the fact that if the chair wasn't there, my arse would have been on the floor. 

The term "legitimate" is subjective. We all know that. Like the All-CCIW question, I'll leave it up to the consensus of this room. We all saw NCC play, right? How many of us think that this Cards team would have had a realistic shot at winning the Stagg Bowl if it had gotten a Pool C berth?

Yes, with respect to overall ability NCC would have at least as good a chance at winning the Big Doorstop in Salem as do Macalester, Benedictine, Hampden-Sydney, and Christopher Newport. In the case of at least a couple of those teams, I'd say that NCC would have had a much better chance. But that's not really germane to the issue, because only the most self-deluded fans of those teams would ever say that they have legit shots at the title. Rather, we're talking about that small, select group of teams -- most of which wear purple -- that can realistically aspire to hoisting the Walnut & Bronze on the last day of the D3 football season.

Greg, I think this year's North Central team had just as much a shot (or more) at winning the national championship as the 2010 Illinois Wesleyan baseball team did   

There will never be a perfect playoff selection process and every single year a handful of very deserving teams will be left out in favor of less deserving teams.  I've been a part of that as well as now observing it.  But why would we want it any other way?  That's part of what makes reading these boards so entertaining! 

Quote from: TitanPride on May 21, 2013, 10:11:57 AM
I think you can also argue against your premise that Wheaton's students and football players need to have the monetary resources to afford an expensive school.  A school with an endowment of 350 million probably has the ability to provide substantial financial aid for students and families who need/deserve it.  This is backed up by the fact that Wheaton states that their average need-based grant (not including loan) is around $28,000.  If that's the average, I would imagine this means that the school has the resources to provide 40-50k per year for students who need it.


Sources:  http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/wheaton
                http://wheatoncollege.edu/admission/tuition-fees/

As an '08 Wheaton football and baseball alum who also happened to spend my freshman year at Carthage, I can tell you this assumption is so far off base and somewhat frustrating to read.  Carthage was able to provide me with more than double the financial aid I was provided at Wheaton.  Without going into detail, from a financial perspective I was much more qualified to receive more financial aid given my family situation by the time I was at Wheaton, but ended up receiving much less and having to take on the burden of heavy student loans.  (God bless my parents who did as much as they could financially to put 3 kids through Wheaton over an 8 year period!)

Sure, Wheaton tends to draw a large population of students from wealthy families and has a large endowment but if that leads you to believe that far fewer Wheaton students have to face the challenge of affordability than other CCIW schools or Christian schools around the nation than, than your opinion is very tainted. 

It's been a while since I've contributed anything to the board, but as a Wheaton transplant up in Minneapolis, and having been at the Bethel-St. Thomas game this year, I felt the need to give my input on the Wheaton-Bethel matchup.

As a Wheaton fan and former player, this game scares me.  The St. Thomas game was Bethel's to lose, and they lost it, thanks in large part to their kicking game.  It baffles me that Bethel has not been able to bring in at least a decent kicker for the better part of the last 6-7 seasons.  My first year at Wheaton, I played with Andrew Day, who was an all-american at the end of that year.  Interestingly enough, Day went to Mounds View high school, which is not far at all from Bethel. Needless to say, Bethel's inablility to convert PAT's and especially field goals could play a huge role in this game.

Flannery is an absolute stud.  His ability to make something out of nothing is amazing.  There were numerous times he should have been stopped at the line of scrimmage against the Tommies, but was able to break free for 5-10 yard gains.  I hate to keep dropping names, but he reminded me a lot of Garrett Granberg.  Outside of their solid run game, I was not impressed at all with their passing attack.  Aakre's mobility is decent, but his arm strength and accuracy leave a lot to be desired.  In addition to that, they have no real threat on at receiver.  I feel very confident that Wheaton's secondary will be able to handle bethel's passing game, so the only question will be how they handle Flannery and the running attack.

What scares me even more than Flannery is Bethel's defense.  They absolutely shut down a very good St. Thomas offense.  They are a bit undersized overall, but have great team speed and are extremely disciplined.  Their SS, Vavra is a beast and will make plays all over the field.  If Wheaton cannot establish the run game early against these guys, Their secondary is good enough to limit the pass game and make it very difficult for Wheaton to move the ball.

To me the Wheaton O vs. Bethel D is the key to this game.  Bethel's offense, outside of Flannery, is very subpar.  If Wheaton is able to get into the endzone, they should be able to pull this one out. 

Fortunately, I'll be making my way back to the Wheaton area for Thanksgiving, so I will be able to enjoy what sholuld be a great game, in person.  My prediction is 13-6 Wheaton.

My predictions:

Wheaton
Carthage
North Park
Augie
North Central
Wesleyan
Millikin
Elmhurst

My thoughts...

-Wheaton's series win against Carthage was huge.  They should be able to take care of business against the lower half of the conference.

-I see North Park and North Central as very similar teams.  They can both swing it, but will struggle on the mound.  The only difference between the two is that the top end of North Park's rotation is much stronger.

-Augie just sneaks into the tourny field thanks to second half series' against Elmhurst and Millikin.

-The downfall of North Central will be their pitching staff.  Their bats will keep them in most games, but they don't have enough solid arms to outlast Wheaton, Carthage, and Augie.

Since it is farily evident that The General Public is either a friend, family member, or even a player involved in the mass exodus of players during the Coach Elder era at Wheaton, it is pretty safe to say his opinion is very tainted. 

I will tell you this, and I know warrior can back me up, that I am 100% sure that Wheaton's recent success... and especially the 2008 team that finally cracked 20 wins... would have never reached the level it's at had the "talented" freshman never quit.  I am friends personally with a few of the guys that quit the team, and I mean absolutely no slight towards them personally, because I think they are great guys, but it takes a certain type of attitude to buy into a program, regardless of whether you are a fan of the coach or not.  That is what the 2008 team had with Coach Elder, and it only continues to grow stronger with Coach Driggers.  I'll be the first to admit that I was not a big fan of Coach Elder, but every single player on that team bought into the program and each other, and that plus the talent we had is exactly what the Coach Elder teams in the past were missing.   

Wheaton takes care of business the unconventional way today, taking two from Augie 10-9 and 12-11, both ending by way of walk off hits... the second game ending with a walk off 2-run HR. 

Rough start to the CCIW season on the mound for both teams.  With what seems to be a strong offensive conference so far this season, these types of scores might be pretty typical in conference play.   

I forgot to mention that Pete also made a great pass breakup midway through the 3rd quarter on a sideline route.  I'm not sure if he'll get credited with it but from what i could see (a pretty grainy feed online) it appeared that he definitely batted the ball.

Pete had a great showing in his first NFL game tonight.  He played on special teams in the first half covering kickoffs and was a gunner on punts and was at corner for most of the second half.  He showed of his great speed on a punt beating the double team to the inside but got caught up further down the field and ended up diving at the returners legs and just got an arm on the returner.  the highlight of the night was by far the interception.  It was a pass thrown by white to the underneath receiver to pete's side and was tipped in the air for pete to be able to hop up and grab it.  other than that he got in on a couple tackles.  I hope Pete continues to have the opportunity to show what he is able to do the rest of the preseason... if so I would think he is at least a good shot at the PS. 

Wheaton completes the sweep of Wesleyan with a 10-5 victory today and now holds 2nd place in the CCIW holding the tie breaker against them.  Wheaton scored all 10 runs in the 7th inning highlighted by an absolute bomb from Antal that drove in 3 runs (if anyone has been the alexian, it cleared the miller light party deck beyond the left field fence by at least 30 feet). 

Now Wheaton needs to take care of Millikin, which is a lot easier said than done... especially since the series is in decatur.  Millikin has been in nearly every game it's played in the CCIW this year and if they start looking past them to the tourny, they will lose the series. 

Quote from: Gregory Sager on April 15, 2009, 02:43:40 PM
Incidentally, in light of the earlier conversation in which a former Wheaton player expressed doubts about NPU sophomore hurler Mike Giovenco, I should note that in the doubleheader's opener Giovenco threw a complete-game two-hitter, giving up only one run and walking only three batters while striking out 13. He was named last week's CCIW Co-Pitcher of the Week for that performance, the second time this season he's won Pitcher or Co-Pitcher of the Week.

He's proving me wrong, that's for sure.  Kudos to him.  I was at that game and he looked a ton better than last year.  His slider was very impressive. 

Greg,
I completely agree with you there. I should have elaborated on what I meant by his numbers. I was referring more to his strikeouts and hits allowed. It goes without saying that his era is going to rise once conference season starts. I was just saying that I won't consider him a solid starter until he proves it in conference, not just in nonconference games.  And like I said, he has a ton of potential, but even with his solid start, his walks are still somewhat high which makes me believe he is still struggling with his control. 

Quote from: cciwlover74 on March 19, 2009, 09:41:10 PM
i hear NPU has two solid starters at the top of their rotation and they are a soph and fresh.?

Joel Bonnett... you should probably worry more about your performance on the mound rather than wondering if anyone has noticed yet.  I hope I'm not alone on the board in saying that I'll wait until the CCIW season is well underway until I crown a freshman pitcher a solid top end starter.  Either way, I would suggest leaving the posting to us until your 4 years are over.  

As for Giovenvo... Im not too sold on him quite yet either.  He is off to an outstanding start this season, but we'll see how he does once the conference season hits.  Obviously he throws hard and can probably touch around 93-94 a couple times a game, but he is also very wild.  Having faced him a couple times last year, he had trouble grooving fastballs when he would get behind in the count.  When he started against us (Wheaton) last year, he was pulled after allowing 6 earned runs on 3 hits and 3 bb's before recording an out.  I will say that he has a ton of potential and could very easily prove me wrong, but once he starts facing CCIW hitters I can't imagine his numbers staying where they are at.  Again, I would have no problem with him proving me wrong because of the potential he has.  

Wheaton splits with Macalester(MN) today in Chandler to end their spring trip at a 5-4 clip.  The Thunder won game 1 12-8 with Tim Urbanowicz earning the victory in 6+ innings and lost the 2nd 7-4 with Josh Weaver taking the loss.  Not sure what the official stats were since i was just listening over the internet, but a big day for Kolb and freshmen OF Justin Zeller at the plate.  Kolb extended his hit streak to 35 and 36 games respectively while hitting a HR in game one and hit two more triples on the day to break the Wheaton single season triple record with 5 total on the year already.  Zeller gave the offense a boost in the first game blasting 2 home runs. 

Wheaton had a tough time with the Macalester ace in game 2. While they were able to get base runners on, they had a hard time stringing hits together to get the runners in.  They need to start stringing some wins together, but overall a pretty solid day today for the Thunder.