Warhawks seek bounce back in WIAC opener

WHITEWATER — For four seasons, Jace Rindahl and Peter Jennings were on the same staff as coaches for Whitewater’s football program.

Now, in his second year as head coach of the Warhawks (2-1), Rindahl is preparing to face Jennings, who’s in his third year calling the shots for the UW-Oshkosh Titans (2-1) in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association conference opener for both schools Saturday 1 p.m. at Perkins Stadium.

“We coached together for three years. We were neighbors, so we have a good relationship,” said Rindahl of the 2018 through 2021 seasons on the Warhawk staff.

Rindahl continued on saying he thinks highly of coach Jennings and the Titans as a team.

The Warhawks defeated the Titans, 37-21, last year with Rindahl leading the program in his first season.

Both the Warhawks and the Titans will use their previous game as a reference when preparing for their upcoming battle at Perkins Stadium on Saturday, Oct 5th at 1p.m.

“We definitely look back at last year. It’s the same coach, same coordinator [and] a decent amount of players returning,” said Rindahl. “I think there’s a lot of similarities. A lot of tells that we can grab from that film.”

Three rushing touchdowns from a trio of Warhawks, along with 262 passing yards from senior quarterback Alec Ogden played a big role in the Warhawks’ 2023 victory.

Forcing opposing QB Kobe Berghammer to throw three interceptions significantly boosted the Warhawks’ odds of securing a road triumph. Using their 17-point second quarter, the Warhawks never trailed and opened their 2023 campaign with a 1-0 conference record in the WIAC.

And just like last year, the Warhawks followed up their game against Mary Hardin-Baylor with one against UW-Oshkosh.

Three quarterbacks have seen the field for UW-Oshkosh this season: Cole Warren, Quentin Keene, and AJ Korth.

It must have been a strange sight for Titans who have been used to seeing Kobe Berghammer under center since the 2019 season. Berghammer graduated in the spring and is now on UW-Stout’s coaching staff.

Warren, a freshman from Roscoe, Illinois, earned the starting job against Michigan Tech, and it appears he will again be the starter against the Warhawks.

Although the inexperienced quarterback had no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions against Michigan Tech, his 244 yards on 28-of-41 attempts is impressive given his lack of starts at the collegiate level.

Warren and Keene share a similar playing style, making preparation easier for the Warhawks

“They’re pretty similar in playstyle, so I don’t think that’s affected us much,” Rindahl said.

The big question Warhawk fans are asking is how the team will respond to their 34-17 loss to Mary Hardin-Baylor.

The Crusaders made life difficult for senior quarterback Jason Ceniti two Saturdays ago.

Not only did the visiting team intercept three of his passes, but they returned two of them for touchdowns. The Warhawks’ 35-17 loss to the Crusaders would have been a lot worse if not for their two special teams touchdowns.

“He’s been working hard,” said Rindahl on Ceniti in preparation for Saturday. “I think he’s back in a good spot, but we gotta see that on Saturday when the lights are the brightest.”

Rindahl continued on by reaffirming the confidence he and the staff have in their senior quarterback.

The Warhawks started their season with two non-conference wins against John Carroll University (34-7) and Roosevelt University (24-14) before running into the brick wall that University of Mary Hardin-Baylor proved to be.

With the Titans coming to town Saturday looking to hand Whitewater a loss to start conference play, the Warhawks will need to return to form to secure a victory against a team they’ve beaten many times before.

The 17th-ranked Titans will provide the Warhawks with a challenge.

“We’re going to have our hands full. They’re a good team and they’re playing well. So we gotta show up and be a lot better than we were in our last two games, “ said Rindahl.

The all-time record between the two UW schools favors the Warhawks 79 wins to the Titans’ 31. The Warhawks have won the previous three matchups, the latest being last year’s 37-21 road-win.

Just like the Warhawks, the Titans opened their season with two wins and one loss. Both wins came against ranked opponents, defeating Wheaton College (Illinois) 22-14 and Linfield University (Oregon) 28-21. Their one loss in non-conference play came against division II school Michigan Tech in a 44-7 blowout.

As always, the WIAC is full of top-25 teams full of talented players. Third-ranked UW-Lacrosse and sixth-ranked UW-River Falls, in addition to the Titans, all stand in the way of the Warhawks in their quest to win the conference.