2025 Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football team

2025 Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football
NCAA Division III national champion
WIAC champion
Stagg Bowl, W 24–14 vs. North Central
ConferenceWisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Ranking
AFCANo. 1
D3Football.comNo. 1
Record14–1 (6–1 WIAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJoe Matheson (7th season)
Offensive schemeTop Gun[1]
Defensive coordinatorJake Wissing (5th season)
Base defenseMultiple
Home stadiumRamer Field
2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Wisconsin–River Falls $^   6 – 1     14 – 1  
No. 10 Wisconsin–Platteville ^   5 – 2     9 – 3  
No. 18 Wisconsin–Whitewater ^   5 – 2     8 – 3  
No. 8 Wisconsin–La Crosse ^   5 – 2     8 – 3  
Wisconsin–Stout   3 – 4     6 – 5  
Wisconsin–Oshkosh   3 – 4     5 – 5  
Wisconsin–Stevens Point   1 – 6     4 – 6  
Wisconsin–Eau Claire   0 – 7     3 – 7  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
Rankings from D3Football.com

The 2025 Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football team was an American football team that represented University of Wisconsin–River Falls of River Falls, Wisconsin, as a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division III football season. In their fourteenth year under head coach Matt Walker, the Falcons compiled a 14–1 record (6–1 in conference games), won the WIAC championship, and were ranked No. 3 in Division III at the end of the regular season.

The team advanced to the Division III playoffs for the first time since 1996,[2] defeating Chapman in the second round, Saint John's (MN) in the third round, Wheaton (IL) in the quarterfinals, Johns Hopkins in the semifinals, and North Central (IL) in the Stagg Bowl to win the first national championship in program history.

On offense, the Falcons were led by senior quarterback Kaleb Blaha, who finished the season with 6,189 individual yards, breaking the NCAA record across all divisions previously set by LSU quarterback Joe Burrow in 2019.[2] Blaha broke several single-season records for the Falcons, including pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns, while also becoming the program's all-time leader in passing yards and total touchdowns.[3] Blaha won the Gagliardi Trophy, awarded to the best player in NCAA Division III football.[4]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 61:00 p.m.Alma*No. 19
W 45–331,684
September 132:00 p.m.Coe*No. 13
  • Ramer Field
  • River Falls, WI
W 59–471,581
September 2012:30 p.m.at Belhaven*No. 12
W 65–01,789
October 42:05 p.m.at No. 15 Wisconsin–OshkoshNo. 11
L 17–211,692
October 112:05 p.m.No. 6 Wisconsin–PlattevilleNo. 14
  • Ramer Field
  • River Falls, WI
W 31–213,106
October 182:05 p.m.at Wisconsin–Stevens PointNo. 12
W 52–72,488
October 252:05 p.m.at Wisconsin–Eau ClaireNo. 10
W 73–212,852
November 12:05 p.m.No. 8 Wisconsin–WhitewaterNo. 9
  • Ramer Field
  • River Falls, WI
W 52–141,811
November 82:05 p.m.No. 9 Wisconsin–La CrosseNo. 8
  • Ramer Field
  • River Falls, WI
W 41–72,255
November 152:05 p.m.at Wisconsin–StoutNo. 4
W 29–193,249
November 291:00 p.m.Chapman*No. 3
W 58–72,006
December 612:55 p.m.No. 7 Saint John's (MN)*No. 3
  • Ramer Field
  • River Falls, WI (NCAA Division III Third Round)
W 42–143,205
December 133:00 p.m.No. 19 Wheaton (IL)*No. 3
  • Ramer Field
  • River Falls, WI (NCAA Division III Quarterfinal)
W 46–211,849[5]
December 201:00 p.m.No. 8 Johns Hopkins*No. 3
  • Ramer Field
  • River Falls, WI (NCAA Division III Semifinal)
W 48–412,897[6]
January 4, 20268:00 p.m.vs. No. 1 North Central (IL)*No. 3
W 24–142,403[7]

[8]

Rankings

See also: 2025 NCAA Division III football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011Final
D3football.com191312111114121098431 (25)
AFCA191413121217121098541 (51)

WIAC preseason poll

The WIAC released its preseason coaches' prediction poll on August 21, 2025. The Falcons were predicted to finish third in the conference.[9]

Game summaries

Alma

1 2 3 4 Total
Scots 6 0 14 13 33
No. 19 Falcons 7 17 14 7 45
Statistics ALM WRF
First downs 26 28
Total yards 449 561
Rushing yards 207 118
Passing yards 242 443
Turnovers 3 2
Time of possession 27:45 32:15
Team Category Player Statistics
Alma Passing Carter St. John 22/42, 242 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Eddie Williams 28 rushes, 142 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Zach Poff 6 receptions, 95 yards, TD
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 28/47, 443 yards, 5 TD, INT
Rushing Trevor Asher 22 rushes, 65 yards
Receiving Stephen Reifenberger 5 receptions, 185 yards, 3 TD

Coe

1 2 3 4 Total
Kohawks 0 14 21 12 47
No. 13 Falcons 21 7 10 21 59
Statistics COE WRF
First downs 33 38
Total yards 643 733
Rushing yards 124 394
Passing yards 519 339
Turnovers 0 0
Time of possession 25:00 35:00
Team Category Player Statistics
Coe Passing Brady Kelly 32/45, 519 yards, 6 TD
Rushing Brady Kelly 11 rushes, 108 yards
Receiving Jeron Senters 11 receptions, 133 yards, 2 TD
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 30/38, 335 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Kaleb Blaha 27 rushes, 234 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Blake Rohrer 6 receptions, 110 yards, TD

At Belhaven

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 12 Falcons 7 28 16 14 65
Blazers 0 0 0 0 0
Statistics WRF BEL
First downs 39 7
Total yards 615 123
Rushing yards 274 35
Passing yards 341 88
Turnovers 0 5
Time of possession 33:15 26:45
Team Category Player Statistics
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 23/33, 268 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Cade Fitzgerald 16 rushes, 95 yards, TD
Receiving Jonah Mallberg 4 receptions, 51 yards
Belhaven Passing Jack Crawford 9/17, 67 yards, 2 INT
Rushing Clayton Mains 4 rushes, 22 yards
Receiving R. J. Garrison 5 receptions, 25 yards

At No. 15 Wisconsin–Oshkosh

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 11 Falcons 0 7 3 7 17
No. 15 Titans 0 14 0 7 21
Statistics WRF UWO
First downs 27 15
Total yards 416 335
Rushing yards 213 168
Passing yards 203 167
Turnovers 3 0
Time of possession 31:25 28:35
Team Category Player Statistics
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 29/47, 203 yards, 2 INT
Rushing Kaleb Blaha 24 rushes, 128 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Jonah Mallberg 6 receptions, 62 yards
Wisconsin–Oshkosh Passing Quentin Keene 14/27, 167 yards, TD
Rushing Ben Vallafskey 17 rushes, 114 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Londyn Little 4 receptions, 60 yards

No. 6 Wisconsin–Platteville

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 6 Pioneers 0 7 7 7 21
No. 14 Falcons 14 10 7 0 31
Statistics UWP WRF
First downs 19 33
Total yards 323 631
Rushing yards 38 155
Passing yards 285 476
Turnovers 4 4
Time of possession 27:30 32:30
Team Category Player Statistics
Wisconsin–Platteville Passing Caden Casimino 14/22, 145 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Caden Casimino 5 rushes, 26 yards
Receiving Trevor Syse 9 receptions, 141 yards, TD
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 35/53, 443 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Jaylen Reed 2 rushes, 65 yards, TD
Receiving Blake Rohrer 4 receptions, 167 yards, TD

At Wisconsin–Stevens Point

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 12 Falcons 7 14 21 10 52
Pointers 0 7 0 0 7
Statistics WRF WSP
First downs 35 11
Total yards 648 262
Rushing yards 307 50
Passing yards 341 212
Turnovers 2 3
Time of possession 34:11 25:49
Team Category Player Statistics
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 31/36, 287 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Cade Fitzgerald 15 rushes, 117 yards, TD
Receiving Daniel Stokes 7 receptions, 74 yards, TD
Wisconsin–Stevens Point Passing Charlie Smith 13/25, 212 yards, TD, 3 INT
Rushing Brycen Cashin 13 rushes, 29 yards
Receiving Brayden Wiczek 5 receptions, 64 yards, TD

At Wisconsin–Eau Claire

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 10 Falcons 28 14 17 14 73
Blugolds 0 21 0 0 21
Statistics WRF WEC
First downs 30 15
Total yards 633 286
Rushing yards 341 16
Passing yards 292 270
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 32:11 27:49
Team Category Player Statistics
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 17/17, 195 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Cade Fitzgerald 16 rushes, 136 yards, TD
Receiving Jake Hilton 3 receptions, 67 yards, TD
Wisconsin–Eau Claire Passing Ayden Helder 25/41, 270 yards, 3 TD, INT
Rushing NaKiye Mercado 4 rushes, 16 yards
Receiving Yaach Chuol 3 receptions, 92 yards, 2 TD

No. 8 Wisconsin–Whitewater

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 8 Warhawks 0 7 7 0 14
No. 9 Falcons 14 17 7 14 52
Statistics UWW WRF
First downs 12 30
Total yards 239 619
Rushing yards 46 115
Passing yards 193 504
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 30:30 29:30
Team Category Player Statistics
Wisconsin–Whitewater Passing Justin Klinkner 18/35, 193 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Darrick Hill 3 rushes, 16 yards
Receiving Jacques Brooks 5 receptions, 102 yards
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 30/51, 492 yards, 5 TD
Rushing Kaleb Blaha 13 rushes, 63 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Blake Rohrer 5 receptions, 135 yards, TD

No. 9 Wisconsin–La Crosse

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 9 Eagles 7 0 0 0 7
No. 8 Falcons 21 3 7 10 41
Statistics UWL WRF
First downs 15 31
Total yards 201 534
Rushing yards 42 226
Passing yards 159 308
Turnovers 3 2
Time of possession 24:58 35:02
Team Category Player Statistics
Wisconsin–La Crosse Passing Jacob Huber 7/17, 87 yards, INT
Rushing Gabe Lynch 12 rushes, 28 yards, TD
Receiving Jack Janke 5 receptions, 93
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 35/50, 307 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Trevor Asher 18 rushes, 128 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Austin Rush 9 receptions, 67 yards, 2 TD

At Wisconsin–Stout

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 4 Falcons 10 3 6 10 29
Blue Devils 0 0 13 6 19
Statistics WRF WST
First downs 24 17
Total yards 443 322
Rushing yards 135 52
Passing yards 308 270
Turnovers 5 4
Time of possession 27:30 32:30
Team Category Player Statistics
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 29/49, 308 yards, TD, 3 INT
Rushing Kaleb Blaha 20 rushes, 97 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Ben Wesolowski 6 receptions, 119 yards
Wisconsin–Stout Passing Adam Moen 19/38, 270 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing Adam Moen 25 rushes, 51 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Davonte Evans 6 receptions, 104 yards, TD

Chapman (NCAA Division III Second Round)

1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 0 7 0 0 7
No. 3 Falcons 14 20 10 14 58
Statistics CHA WRF
First downs 16 23
Total yards 322 492
Rushing yards 150 190
Passing yards 172 302
Turnovers 6 0
Time of possession 34:33 25:27
Team Category Player Statistics
Chapman Passing Tyler Pacheco 15/39, 172 yards, 3 INT
Rushing Fischer Huss 11 rushes, 51 yards
Receiving Kash Henjum 6 receptions, 72 yards
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 17/23, 227 yards, 4 TD
Rushing Kaleb Blaha 15 rushes, 81 yards, TD
Receiving Blake Rohrer 3 receptions, 86 yards, TD

No. 7 Saint John’s (MN) (NCAA Division III Third Round)

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 7 Johnnies 7 0 7 0 14
No. 3 Falcons 7 7 14 14 42
Statistics SJU WRF
First downs 18 29
Total yards 295 433
Rushing yards 22 188
Passing yards 273 245
Turnovers 4 1
Time of possession 25:59 34:01
Team Category Player Statistics
Saint John's Passing Trey Feeney 33/59, 274 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Corey Bohmert
Caden Wheeler		 2 rushes, 8 yards
3 rushes, 8 yards
Receiving Dylan Wheeler 12 receptions, 93 yards, TD
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 22/28, 245 yards, 3 TD, INT
Rushing Kaleb Blaha 26 rushes, 97 yards, TD
Receiving Jaylen Reed 4 receptions, 58 yards, TD

No. 19 Wheaton (IL) (NCAA Division III Quarterfinal)

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 19 Thunder 0 7 7 7 21
No. 3 Falcons 7 13 13 13 46
Statistics WHE WRF
First downs 21 29
Total yards 429 507
Rushing yards 64 100
Passing yards 365 407
Turnovers 2 1
Time of possession 29:53 30:07
Team Category Player Statistics
Wheaton Passing Mark Forcucci 27/53, 331 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing Matt Crider 18 rushes, 68 yards, TD
Receiving Caleb Titherington 9 receptions, 153 yards, TD
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 32/50, 407 yards, 4 TD
Rushing Trevor Asher 22 rushes, 106 yards, 3 TD
Receiving Jake Hilton 3 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD

No. 8 Johns Hopkins (NCAA Division III Semifinal)

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 8 Blue Jays 14 13 7 7 41
No. 3 Falcons 14 7 20 7 48
Statistics JHU WRF
First downs 25 28
Total yards 461 632
Rushing yards 233 108
Passing yards 228 524
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 35:24 24:36
Team Category Player Statistics
Johns Hopkins Passing Bay Harvey 14/31, 213 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Geoff Schroeder 25 rushes, 159 yards, TD
Receiving Cole Crotty 6 receptions, 99 yards, TD
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 30/48, 520 yards, 5 TD, INT
Rushing Jaylen Reed 4 rushes, 52 yards, TD
Receiving Blake Rohrer 9 receptions, 236 yards, 3 TD

Vs. No. 1 North Central (IL) (Stagg Bowl)

See also: 2026 Stagg Bowl
1 2 3 4 Total
No. 3 Falcons 3 7 7 7 24
No. 1 Cardinals 7 7 0 0 14
Statistics WRF NCC
First downs 25 23
Total yards 436 363
Rushing yards 145 169
Passing yards 291 194
Turnovers 0 3
Time of possession 23:45 36:15
Team Category Player Statistics
Wisconsin–River Falls Passing Kaleb Blaha 27/41, 291 yards, TD
Rushing Kaleb Blaha 19 rushes, 128 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Jake Hilton 4 receptions, 85 yards
North Central Passing Garret Wilson 18/28, 194 yards, 2 INT
Rushing Donovan McNeal 23 rushes, 133 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Thomas Skokna 5 receptions, 77 yards

Roster

2025 Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 1 Joel Humphrey Jr
WR 2 Ben Wesolowski Jr
WR 3 Austin Rush Jr
RB 4 Jaylen Reed Sr
WR 5 Daniel Stokes Sr
WR 6 Ethan Chromy Jr
WR 7 Jeremy Sherlock Fr
RB 8 Jake Barnard Jr
QB 9 Frank Daniels Fr
QB 10 Cade Fitzgerald Jr
WR 11 Johnny Frank So
QB 13 Caden Wick Fr
QB 14 Kaleb Blaha Sr
WR 15 Jake Hilton So
QB 16 Max Erb Fr
WR 17 Jonah Mallberg So
WR 18 Blake Rohrer Jr
WR 19 Arthur Russell Jr. Fr
WR 20 Cody Rezny Fr
RB 21 Rudy Kletsch Fr
RB 24 Trevor Asher So
RB 25 Diego Schmitt Fr
RB 27 D. J. Stewart II Fr
RB 34 Ashten Quade Jr
WR 35 Kaleb Neuenfeldt Fr
TE 40 Drew Kuempel So
OL 52 Will Heger Fr
OL 55 Caleb Campbell Sr
OL 57 Jack Dietz Fr
OL 58 Ben Gallus So
OL 61 Devin Johnson Fr
OL 62 Kevin Spahn Sr
OL 63 Tyler Schneidewind So
OL 64 Blake Ramlet Fr
OL 65 Alec Pelkey Fr
OL 66 Hunter McKinney Sr
OL 67 Landon Weinman Fr
OL 68 Vincent Peterson So
OL 69 Payton Kopp So
OL 70 Owen Hansel Fr
OL 71 Jai Kalvik So
OL 72 Kyle Norman Jr
OL 73 Grayden Thatcher So
OL 74 Rhowan Smith So
OL 75 Tenzing Sonam Fr
OL 76 Levi Oevering Fr
OL 77 D. J. Fox Jr
OL 78 Paul Miley So
OL 79 Jack Boraas So
TE 80 Reece Brenna Fr
WR 81 Stephen Reifenberger Jr
WR 82 Marcus Lomanga Fr
WR 83 Sam Helgestad Fr
WR 84 Andrew Karls Sr
WR 85 Levi Hahn Fr
WR 86 Evan Olson Fr
TE 87 Oliver Liffrig Fr
TE 88 Colin Lifshitz Fr
TE 89 Adam Johnstone Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 0 Trent Cherry Jr
DB 6 Evan Krien Jr
DB 10 Israel Ogunleye Fr
DB 11 Andre Hall Jr
LB 12 Gage Timm Sr
DB 14 Derek Murphy Fr
DB 16 Taylor Sussner Fr
DB 20 Riley Ashburn Sr
DB 21 Braden Jones So
DB 22 Conner Preston Jr
DB 23 Brian Ball Jr
LB 24 Owen Rose So
LB 25 Carter Klein So
LB 26 Alex Carr So
DB 27 Alex Anderson Fr
DB 28 Peter Ladu So
LB 29 Owen Sommmer Fr
DB 30 Nolan Miller Jr
DB 31 Jared Schultz Fr
DB 32 Adam Hamed Jr
DB 35 Von Trueheart Sr
LB 36 Nolan Israelson So
DL 37 Rory Lane Fr
DB 38 Gage Monpas So
DB 39 Kellen Quast So
DB 40 Nick Shade Fr
DB 41 Bradley Arndorfer So
DB 42 Nick Wasko Jr
DB 43 Boyd Hunt Fr
LB 44 Tanner Kaufman So
LB 45 Ethan Perkins So
LB 46 Noah Nusbaum Fr
DL 47 Levi Bolstad So
LB 48 Cade Kuempel Sr
LB 49 Korey Maloney Jr
DL 50 Brady Block Jr
DL 51 Mitchell Kallies Jr
LB 53 Jax Breitenfield Fr
DL 54 Sebastian Layer Fr
LB 55 Cooper Cornish Fr
DL 56 Connor McKenzie Sr
DL 59 Cayden Kershaw So
DL 60 Max Dietzman Fr
DL 66 Carsen Hauser So
DL 77 Xavier Hankes Fr
DL 88 Sam Aho Fr
DL 90 Hunter Pletka So
DL 91 Beau Schrot So
DL 92 Jesse Truax So
DL 93 Carter Quam Sr
DL 95 Brian Mikel So
DL 96 Jack Olson Sr
DL 97 Dominic Miller Fr
DL 98 Kody Curtis So
DL 99 John Klefstad Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
LS 23 Brandon Bedalov So
K 28 Justin Scheberll Sr
K 29 Carter Eklund Fr
P/K 30 Jeffrey Freund Fr
LS 44 Logan Zywiec Fr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Joe Matheson (offensive coordinator/wide receivers)
  • Jake Wissing (defensive coordinator/linebackers/assistant)
  • Parker Kizer (special teams coordinator/tight ends)
  • Alex Wood (defensive backs/defensive pass game coordinator)
  • Kristian Crabb (offensive line/run game coordinator)
  • Scott Imrie (running backs)
  • Craig Miles (assistant)
  • Pete Range (defensive line)
  • Bobby Patterson (kicker/punter)
  • Ethan Wegscheider (safeties)
  • Michael Noll (assistant defensive line)
  • Jake Kreuter (offensive assistant)
  • Charlie Korbein (assistant offensive line)
  • Aaron Borgerding (free safeties)
  • Michael Brown (defensive assistant)
  • Alex Klecker (offensive assistant)
  • Austin Biwer (student assistant)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster
Last update: January 6, 2026

References

  1. ^ Thomas, Greg (January 2, 2026). "Defense putting it together in wake of Top Gun". D3football.com. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  2. ^ a b Vannini, Chris (January 4, 2026). "UW-River Falls upsets North Central for DIII title as Kaleb Blaha breaks Joe Burrow's record". The Athletic. The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  3. ^ Rippel, Joel (January 2, 2026). "UW-River Falls QB Kaleb Blaha wins Gagliardi Trophy". The Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  4. ^ Cleveland, Justus (January 2, 2026). "UWRF's Blaha wins Gagliardi Trophy as D3 football's best player". WEAU. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  5. ^ Radcliffe, J.R. (December 13, 2025). "River Falls wins in lopsided fashion again, advances to NCAA football semis". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  6. ^ "Wisconsin-River Falls beats North Central for first D-III title". KSTP-TV. December 20, 2025.
  7. ^ "Wisconsin-River Falls beats North Central for first D-III title". ESPN. January 4, 2026.
  8. ^ "2025 Football Schedule". University of Wisconsin–River Falls. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  9. ^ "2025 WIAC Football Preview". WIAC. August 21, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
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