In the days since beating St. John’s two weeks ago in a third-round game in the NCAA Division-III football playoffs, University of Wisconsin-River Falls coach Matt Walker identified a win over the Johnnies as “big in itself” given the proximity of the schools and their inherent recruiting battles.
Those bouts were Round 1 knockouts a decade ago. If St. John’s expressed interest in a player, that guy probably wasn’t going to River Falls.
“It sure felt that way at times,” said Walker, who has led the Falcons since 2011.
Gray-shirt freshman linebacker Noah Nusbaum attended St. Croix Central High School — where Walker is a frequent presence in recruiting efforts — in Hammond, Wis., just across I-94 from River Falls.
Nusbaum’s dad frequently brought him to Falcons games as a kid, and he fondly recalled throwing the ball around on the outskirts of the venue. Subsequently, River Falls was firmly on his radar when it came time to pick a school.
That story is a rare one.
“I’m the only person from my high school who committed here and stuck it out,” Nusbaum said.
Because the more common experience was that of senior defensive lineman Jack Olson, who grew up in Prescott, Wis. He knew of the Falcons, but not much beyond that. A teacher at his high school played for the Falcons in the 90s and spoke of their success decades ago.
But Olson came to a few games when he was in high school and …
“I just knew they struggled,” he said.
Mightily, with the Falcons recording zero seasons with winning records over from 2001 to 2021 — essentially the opposite of programs such as St. John’s, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Bethel and others in the region. Recruits had numerous options in the area, and little reason to pick up the Falcons’ phone calls.
Finally, in 2017, the university’s new, $63.5 million athletic complex opened. A door cracked open.
“More people would come to take a peek,” Walker said.
And once he had their ear, he had them.
“Even on my first visit here, talking to the coaches and seeing how they’re really heartfelt and care about you as a person, who you are and success for you is just a huge thing, and something you notice right away,” Olson said.
Falcons star quarterback Kaleb Blaha opened his collegiate career at Division II Winona State, the highest level at which he received an offer. But the moment he entered the transfer portal, he knew he was going to River Falls.
“They didn’t have a good team at the time, but that didn’t play a factor,” Blaha said. “I really liked Coach Walk and how he recruited me, how bad he wanted me.”
The Falcons won nine games in 2021, including a win in the first-ever Isthmus Bowl. a postseason contest created to feature the top Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin teams that didn’t qualify for the NCAA bracket. They did so with a high-powered, lightning fast offense that now leads the country in plays per game and total offense.
All were major attractions to potential recruits.
“That tipped the horse and brought River Falls to the spotlight in the WIAC for football,” Olson said.
“It’s taken off since then,” Walker added.
And shows no signs of slowing down following this season’s playoff run into the national semifinals. The Falcons (12-1) play host to Johns Hopkins (12-1) Saturday at Smith Stadium. The winner advances to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, Division III’s national title game, Jan. 4 in Canton, Ohio.
Now, Walker said, “You’re in every fight you want to be in right now recruiting.”
Junior receiver Stephen Reifenberger, a Hastings native, said the Falcons football team has “the coolest culture I’ve been a part of in my sports career.”
“It’s so easy to come here every day and want to go to work,” Nusbaum said, “because you trust your brothers and you trust your coaches so much.”
That, Walker said, has always been a piece of River Falls’ “great story,” along with its small-town charm and history. He loves telling it. Now, everyone is listening.
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