The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team continues its 16th appearance in the NCAA Division III Playoffs this Friday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. as it takes on North Central (Ill.) in Stagg Bowl XLVII, the national championshp game, at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenan- doah, Texas. UW-Whitewater, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference co-champion, earned a Pool C, or at-large, bid to the postseason. North Central also earned an at-large berth in the playoffs. The Warhawks are playing for their seventh national championship, while the Cardinals seek their first-ever title.

The Warhawks, ranked seventh by D3football.com and 10th by the American Football Coaches Association to close the regular season, totaled 397 yards of offense, including 209 on the ground, held St. John's (Minn.) to 21 rushing yards and tied a season high with seven sacks in a thrilling 35-32 victory on Saturday at Perkins Stadium. Wojciech Gasienica (Norridge, Ill./Ridgewood) kicked the go-ahead field goal with 2:10 remaining, and Matt Anderson (Rockford, Ill./Lutheran) posted an interception on the first play of the ensuing drive to help the team preserve the win.

North Central, which is ranked No. 5 by both the AFCA and D3football.com, led 35-0 just past the midway point of the second quarter and clinched its first Stagg Bowl appearance with a 45-14 triumph at No. 4 Muhlenberg (Pa.) on Saturday. Broc Rutter passed for 193 yards and five touchdowns, Ethan Greenfield rushed 21 times for 199 yards and Andrew Kamienski caught 11 passes for 112 yards and four scores to lead the Cardinals, who totaled 486 yards of offense. North Central's defense forced three turnovers and collected three sacks while limiting the Mules to 69 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Jake Beesley paced the Cardinals with seven tackles, and Isiah Ziegler contributed six tackles, including 1.5 for a loss.

ON THE AIR

Friday's game will air live on ESPNU, online at espn.com/watch and on mobile devices through the ESPN app. It can be heard live on KOOL 106.5 FM WKCH in the Whitewater area and online at 940wfaw.com. Fans can also track live statistics through the NCAA.

SERIES

Friday's game is the third meeting between the two teams, with all three coming during the NCAA Division III Playoffs. The Warhawks started strong and finished strong in the 2007 second-round game, totaling 21 first-quarter points and 21 more in the fourth quarter of a 59-28 win on Nov. 24, 2007, at Perkins Stadium. UW-Whitewater traveled to Naperville for a quarterfinal game in 2010, posting 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and forcing three turnovers in a 20-10 triumph on Dec. 4, 2010. Levell Coppage rushed for 107 yards, and Adam Brandes caught five passes for 92 yards and one touchdown. Lane Olsen led the defense with 11 tackles, including 2.0 for a loss, and one forced fumble.

To view the entire version of this week's game notes, click here.