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| UW-La Crosse file photo by James Garvey |
UW-La Crosse, Rowan, Millsaps, Heidelberg, Brockport and Carroll all started the season off with victories, as Division III football got underway on Thursday night with a half-dozen games to start the 2024 season.
UW-La Crosse won its season opener for the 10th season in a row and did so in shutout fashion, turning a 14-0 halftime lead into a 35-0 rout at RPI. The Eagles, who made the 1,100-mile trip by bus to Troy, N.Y., scored on their very first possession, taking the opening kickoff and then taking a 7-0 lead on just three offensive plays. Zach Weir connected with Jack Studer on a 64-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Weir scored on a 7-yard run.
The Eagles scored on three consecutive possessions in the third and fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Weir went 12-of-14 for 279 yards with three touchdowns and one rushing touchdown while fellow quarterback Kyle Haas finished eight-of-13 for 69 yards and one touchdown.
For Rowan, Matt Welsey threw for three touchdowns and ran for another while the defense totaled three interceptions including one for a score as the Profs gave new head coach Pat Ruley his first career win with a 35-16 victory at Stevenson. Ruley, a standout for the Profs from 2009 to 2012, came back to his alma mater after spending the last six seasons as the defensive coordinator at Susquehanna.
Rowan outgained the Mustangs, 411-249, while yielding the home team to just 36 rushing yards. Welsey was 18-of-28 for 250 yards in the air with an interception and added 47 yards on the ground.
Brockport jumped out to a 13-0 lead against its I-90 rival, Buffalo State, but didn't put the game away until two fourth-quarter touchdowns gave the Golden Eagles a 27-0 win. Isaiah Simmons ran for touchdowns of 77 and 8 yards in the first 13 minutes of the game before the teams settled into a defensive stalemate. Brockport held Buff State to just nine first downs as the Bengals lost for the 47th time in their past 51 games.
Heidelberg roared out to a 38-0 lead, on drives totalling just 16 plays, and cruised to a 38-14 opening night win against Hiram. Mark Wilder ran for three first-half touchdowns and backup Alex Arledge threw a 48-yard TD to Ithan Cholewa in the second quarter of the win.
Millsaps won the Riverside Rumble against its backyard neighbor, Belhaven, for the first time since 2019 as the Majors defeated the Blazers 23-21. The Majors, who have their third head coach in as many seasons, won when Belhaven snapped the ball over its quarterback's head while driving at the Millsaps 4-yard line with under a minute to play. Millsaps pounced on it to secure the victory.