UW-Oshkosh to host St. Scholastica In NCAA football

The College of St. Scholastica football team will face the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs on Saturday.

The Saints, who are making their second consecutive NCAA playoff appearance in just its fifth year as a program, earned the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference’s automatic qualifier. The Saints finished in a three-way tie for the conference title with Northwestern College and Greenville College (Ill.), but received the bid by way of a random draw.

CSS lost to national semifinalist St. Thomas last season in its first-ever playoff appearance by a score of 48-2. Saints head coach Greg Carlson is an alum of UWO where he graduated with an undergraduate degree in Physical Education in 1970.

The Titans finished unbeaten during the regular season for the third time in program history, winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship.

The WIAC had been dominated by UW-Whitewater for the better part of a decade until the Titans dethroned the Warhawks with a 28-13 victory in Whitewater on Oct. 20.

Oshkosh is ranked No. 5 in the D3football.com top 25 poll and will host its first postseason game at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium at noon Saturday.

The winner of the Titans/Saints contest will meet the winner of the Concordia University-Chicago (Ill.)/Bethel University (Minn.) game in a second round affair on Nov. 24.

Area members of the Saints include former Superior Spartans’ Matt LaValley and Jake Turkowski; former Northwestern Tigers’ Michael Parkins and Steven Perry; and Washburn’s John Shuga and Tyler Olson.

Members of the CSS coaching staff include Superior’s Matt Krivinchuk and Geoff Torzewski.

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