RIVER FALLS — The UWRF Falcons are still tearing their way through the Division III football bracket, smacking Wheaton 46-21 in the quarterfinals. Now at 12-1 on the season, River Falls will host Johns Hopkins in the semi-finals Saturday in the program’s first ever semi-final appearance.

Wheaton was no stranger to tough road games this year, playing Mount Union, Wartburg and North Central College on the road, just to name a few powerhouses. Temperatures well into the negatives were not on the minds of a River Falls team that focused on the task at hand rather than the hurdle in the way. It was the coldest game on-record in Ramer Field history.

“We knew we’d be in for a tougher fight,” Head Coach Matt Walker said. “Very proud of us… All week, everyone was going to tell us, ‘What are you going to do different? You’re not going to feel normal. It’s going to be so cold.’ I’m like, we’re going to prove to everybody we can just play our brand of football and do our thing no matter the conditions.”

Junior receiver Blake Rohrer said it was a challenge, but they practiced all week long in the same weather. The Falcons came in with a plan, using hand warmers, rotating players into the tent and keeping jackets warm when players were on the field.

“We made a rule in the middle of the week. We said no one was allowed to say the word cold anymore,” Walker said. “Obviously it was going to be cold, so shut up about it being cold. Let’s do something about it.”

No one was allowed to front as a tough guy, as all players were required to wear sleeves and leggings to stay warm.

On the field, it may as well have been 85 degrees and sunny.

“We knew we wanted to throw it vertically down the field. That front’s good. I think they’re hard to run the football against,” Walker said. “We thought we had the ability to take advantage of our matchups.”

Senior quarterback Kaleb Blaha went an astounding 32-of-50 for 407 yards and four touchdowns. Jake Hilton had 126 receiving yards and two touchdowns while Rohrer had 119 yards and a touchdown. Elmwood-native running back Trevor Asher took 22 carries for 106 yards and a hat trick of three touchdowns.

“We’re good at home. We’ve got some of the best fans in the country. They’re going to pack the stands. They’re going to show us all the love and support that we need,” Rohrer said. “Winning at home means a lot to us because we know that we can give them a good show. We can beat anybody that comes here.”

Walker said it was unbelievable that the fans filled the stadium despite the frigid temps. He talked to Mike Farley Jr. ahead of the game, son of who he called a Mount Rushmore leader in the school’s history in Mike Farley Sr. Farley Jr. said his dad would have been smiling from ear to ear, and it reminded him of a 1971 win over No. 1 Whitewater, a win that Farley Sr. considered a turning point in the program’s history.

“It means a lot to me. I do have a ton of respect for the history of the program,” Walker said. “That means a lot to me to cherish that history, to teach our players that history, to cherish it a lot and then to know now with no arguments, you currently now have the best season in the history of this program is pretty special for me.”

The conference-opening 21-17 loss to UW-Oshkosh was where everything started to change for River Falls. The Falcons knew the work that was needed to avenge it, and here they are months later, standing near the peak of the mountain.

“I think it was a turning point in the season,” Walker said. “Nobody wanted that or would even say, ‘Oh, that was the best thing that happened to us.’ But something happened that day. We’ve sure answered the call since then.”

Defensively, River Falls swooped in for a pair of interceptions. Freshman defensive back Taylor Sussner led the charge with 11 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. He credited the defensive line with getting hands in the quarterback’s passing vision and tipping balls.

“During the week and throughout the season, our coaches put a big emphasis on our D-linemen getting their hands up,” Sussner said. “It provides us opportunities to get interceptions.”