RIVER FALLS — Week one football can often be a case of the good, the bad and the ugly, but not for UWRF when they took the field for the first time since winning the Division III National Championship. In fact, it was more of a case of the good, the great and the stupendous, as the Falcons decimated Southern Virginia 73-7.

After winning the national title, the Falcons lost head coach Matt Walker, who moved to the FCS level to coach Drake University in Iowa. Many talented student-athletes graduated on both sides of the ball, and others used the coaching change to hit the transfer portal to find a new home. Defensive Coordinator Jake Wissing was named the interim head coach, and that was all the returning Falcons needed to be itching to take the field again for another season.

Starting sophomore quarterback Peter McDevitt then took the field with massive shoes to fill. Kaleb Blaha, who was the River Falls quarterback for the title run, broke about every record imaginable, dominated about every defense and wound up getting a tryout for the New Orleans Saints. McDevitt wasted no time sparking his own legacy.

After a false start on the opening play, McDevitt hit Austin Rush for 44 yards. Elmwood-native running back Trevor Asher took a carry for a short gain, and then McDevitt found Ben Wesolowski for 25 yards and a touchdown on the team’s third offensive play of the season. The rest of the first team offense’s day would go just about the same.

McDevitt completed 13-of-15 passes for 231 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown, leading the team to seven touchdowns on seven drives. That success allowed his day to end extremely early, taking a seat with a 49-0 second quarter lead.

Some familiar faces got it done on the ground for UWRF. Asher led the team with 10 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Ellsworth graduate Ashten Quade took seven carries for 51 yards and two touchdowns, including a 28-yard scamper. Rush led the team in receiving with three catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.

“Fun to be back on the field. Fun to score again. Fun to be out there with the offense as a group,” Asher said. “I think we were a little tired of playing our defense [in practice]. They’re pretty good, so it’s fun to beat up on someone else for a change.”

The defense was its usual brand of great. Southern Virginia was shut out in the first half 56-0, struggling to muster up any type of threatening drive. Southern Virginia had 10 first downs over 15 drives.

“The love we have for each other as a team, it goes beyond football. When you have that, it’s pretty hard to beat somebody,” Quade said.

The stands were filled with fans well over 30 minutes before the opening kick-off, and many fans stuck around all the way to the end of the game despite the scoreline. The team knew they would be well-received in their return home from winning a title, but this crowd exceeded those lofty expectations.

“Pretty awesome, that’s for sure. I was not disappointed by the crowd,” Quade said.

Getting to the top of the mountain is one thing, but staying there will be another challenge. River Falls has the target on its back and needs to remain as hungry to win in 2026 as they were in 2025.

“Knowing that we’re in the WIAC, knowing that we’ve got to bring it every week,” Asher said. “It’s gearing up and proving that we can do it again. We lost a few guys, but proving that we’ve got enough to do it right now.”