St. Thomas senior running back Colin Tobin and Wisconsin-Whitewater senior Levell Coppage shared the spotlight as high school football stars in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park. They will play against each other for the first time Saturday in Whitewater when the Tommies take on the Warhawks in the NCAA Division III semifinals. 

While Tobin was catching St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso’s eye at Fenwick High, Coppage was tearing it up at Oak Park High just nine blocks away. The two backs have been unstoppable in the 2011 playoffs. Tobin has racked up 605 yards and seven touchdowns in three games, and Coppage has 514 yards and 10 touchdowns.  

“We know each other through friends,” Tobin said. “It’s been cool to see how well he’s been doing. His numbers are pretty hard to keep up with.”

After three home playoff games, the Tommies leave Palmer Field Saturday with a spot in the NCAA semifinals for the first time in school history.

“I told the guys before the game last week, ‘I want to walk off the field knowing we’ve taken St. Thomas football where it’s never

gone before,’” Tobin said. “Knowing that winning one game will send us to the national championship game is pretty awesome.”

But winning one game against Whitewater is rare. The Warhawks have won 43-straight games and 25-straight at home. They’ve taken three of the last four national titles, and Caruso calls them “the standard” in Division III football.

“They’ve not only been to the mountaintop, but they’ve been able to maintain their time up there,” Caruso said. “I  understand we are the underdog, but we don’t judge ourselves based on other teams. We judge ourselves based on how well we can play.”

Tommies, Warhawks “eerily similar”

Caruso said coach Lance Leipold has the Warhawks in a place he’d eventually like the Tommies to be. The teams are incredibly similar from philosophies to purple jerseys.

“The statistics only tell so much of the story,” Caruso said. “But the statistics are eerily similar, within one yard or one percentage point on so many of the statistical categories.” 

Both teams have balanced offenses and defenses that stop the run well. St. Thomas has 5,747 yards of total offense this year, and Whitewater has 5,746. St. Thomas has 2,682 passing yards and Whitewater has 2,713. St. Thomas has given up less than two yards per carry, and Whitewater has given up less than three.

Both Caruso and Leipold are finalists for D-III Coach of the Year. Tommie wide receiver Fritz Waldvogel and Warhawk quarterback Matt Blanchard are both finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy given to the best D-III player.

Caruso and Leipold even have similar maxims. Caruso drills his players to “never quit, never whine and never get embarrassed,” and Leipold preaches “be on time, be coachable and give your best effort.”

The most glaring difference in the numbers is six, which is the number of NCAA championship appearances for Whitewater, compared to St. Thomas’ zero.

Slowing down Coppage

Coppage is a big time talent but injuries in his senior year at Oak Park ended his chances at playing for a Division I school. He has fit in well at Whitewater though and is second all-time in career D-III rushing yards. 

“Coppage is a very talented back, but we really pride ourselves defensively in stopping the run,” senior defensive end Blake Brix said. “It should be a fun challenge for us on Saturday.”

Coppage’s 1,919 rushing yards this season are top in D-III. That is 335 more than the second leading back Tobin.

“I don’t know if you can stop (Coppage), but we hope to slow him down a little bit,” Caruso said. “He is just such a good back because his combination of open field speed and strength. His elusiveness in tight spaces is uncanny.”

A history lesson

This is St. Thomas’ first appearance in the semifinals, but it is not its first game at Whitewater. The Tommies beat the Warhawks in the opening round of the NCAA playoffs in 1990.

St. Thomas broke open a 14-0 lead at halftime. The Warhawks rallied late needing an extra point to tie the game at 24. The Warhawks’ kicker clanked it off the upright, and the Tommies advanced with a 24-23 win.

“That was a long time ago,” Leipold said. “It was a good football game, and it shows that St. Thomas has a good football history.”

Tobin and the Tommies would not remember the 1990 game, but they have a chance to create their own history Saturday in Whitewater.

Alex Keil can be reached at amkeil@stthomas.edu.