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| UW-River Falls head coach Matt Walker interviews after winning the 52nd Stagg Bowl Championship. (Gene Simmons/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
CANTON, Ohio - The University of Wisconsin-River Falls wins the 2026 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl Championship for the first time, coming from behind to defeat North Central with a score of 24-14.
During the chilly nights of January, the Falcons managed to turn things around after a sluggish first half to win the historic championship.
"It wasn't going our way early, it wasn't easy early, and this group just kinda hung in there," said UW-River Falls head coach Matt Walker.
North Central started strong, scoring on its fourth play just minutes into the game. Running back Donovan McNeal dashed through the middle for a 48-yard touchdown, taking a 7-0 lead.
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| UW-River Falls quarterback Kaleb Blaha is tripped up by Danny Nuccio during the Stagg Bowl Championship. Nuccio finished the game with the team tying 12 tackles. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
After a drive that ended with a fumble by quarterback Garret Wilson, which was recovered by Gage Trimm, UW-River Falls would respond by getting set up at the 11-yard line.
They went on an 11-play drive and ended up scoring a successful 25-yard field goal by Justin Scheberl.
During the latter part of the first half, North Central had more possession time, and they managed to score their last points with a 1-yard run by Donovan McNeal, making the score 14-3.
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| North Central defender Matthew Janiak breaks up a pass intended for Stephen Reifenberger. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
Once more, UW-River Falls responded by scoring, and a strong defensive effort brought them within four points as they headed into halftime, thanks to a reviewed touchdown from 13 yards away on a pass from Kaleb Blaha to Blake Rohrer.
"This defense never gets enough credit," said Walker. In the second half, they forced North Central into turnovers and kept them from scoring at all during that time.
The momentum shifted in favor of the team competing for its first championship. "Obviously not the resolve we came here to accomplish, umm, but were so blessed, lords put us in position to play this great game," said North Central head coach Brad Spencer.
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| Taylor Sussner intercepts a pass thrown by Garret Wilson for one of three turnovers for the game by North Central. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
They would ultimately rack up 21 points without any response as quarterback Kaleb Blaha energized the team with his outstanding offensive performance. "It's a dream come true," said Balha, the Falcon quarterback and Gaglia Trophey winner.
Scoring the last two touchdowns with his legs, one a 7-yard rush in the third quarter with 2:51 remaining and a 12-yard rush in the fourth quarter, as he would gain 128 yards on the ground on 19 carries.
A key interception by Jack Olsen, off the arm of Garret Wilson, with 8:50 left in the fourth quarter, would set up the final touchdown by UW-River Falls.
Blaha would conclude a championship performance by throwing for a total of 291 yards. Additionally, he came back for his fifth year this season after getting a medical redshirt due to only playing three games last season.
This team had never gone beyond the quarterfinals in its three previous playoff appearances in its history.
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