The Carthage College football team (0-0, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), coached by Tim Rucks (87-70-1, 16 years at Carthage/96-103-4, 21 years overall), opens its 2011 season on Saturday, Sept. 3 by traveling to Northfield, Minn., to play Carleton College in a 1 p.m. game at Laird Stadium. Kurt Ramler (17-23, 4 years) coaches the Carleton College Knights, who went 3-7 last year (2-6, 7th tie Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). This is the first meeting between the two teams.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on WLIP-AM Radio (1050) in Kenosha, Wis. Veteran Kenosha radio sports announcer John Weiser, "The Voice of the Red Men and the Lady Reds," will handle the play-by-play chores.
Carthage lost seven of its nine 2010 All-CCIW players to graduation, including quarterback Evan Jones, wide receiver Chris Schulz, offensive lineman Terrance Clark, kicker/punter Tyler Funk, running back Jake Smith linebacker Josh Brennan and defensive lineman Cory Radke. First-team All-CCIW cornerback Brian Hipchen and second-team all-conference wide receiver Mike Koeneman lead the returnees.
Also returning are quarterback T.J. Trepanier (Jr., Winthrop Harbor, Ill./Zion-Benton Township, 238 rushing yards), running back Marty Dwyer (Sr., Kingston, Ill./Genoa-Kingston, 144 rushing yards), running back Reggie Miller (So., Downers Grove, Ill./South), wide receiver Pete Djurickovic (Jr., Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Kenosha-Bradford, 369 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns), middle linebacker Kelly Jauch (Sr., Rolling Meadows, Ill., 62 tackles, 2 passes broken up) and defensive back Erik Solis (Sr., Chicago, Ill./Schurz, 34 tackles, 2 interceptions).
Carthage plays its home-opener on Sept. 10 versus Lakeland College in a 7 p.m. game at Art Keller Field. On Sept. 17, the Red Men play host to the Falcons of Concordia University (Wis.) in a 1 p.m. tilt, also at Art Keller Field. Following an off-week, Carthage opens CCIW-play by entertaining defending-conference-champion North Central College in a 1 p.m. Homecoming game at Art Keller Field.
The Red Men travel to Decatur, Ill., on Oct. 8 to take on Millikin University in a 1 p.m. clash at Frank M. Lindsay Field. On Oct. 15, Carthage travels to Rock Island, Ill., to play Augustana College (Ill.) in a 6 p.m. game at Ericson Field. The Red Men return home on Oct. 22 to play host to Wheaton College (Ill.) in a 7 p.m. contest at Art Keller Field. On Oct. 29, Carthage travels to Chicago to take on North Park University in a 1 p.m. tilt at the Holmgren Athletic Center. The Red Men entertain Illinois Wesleyan University on Nov. 5 in a 1 p.m. clash at Art Keller Field before closing out the season on Nov. 12 with a 1 p.m. game versus Elmhurst College at Langhorst Field in Elmhurst, Ill.
