WAVERLY, Iowa - The Wartburg football team begins its 2019 season Saturday, Sept. 7 with a non-conference contest at Greenville University in Greenville, Ill.

Saturday, Sept. 7 • 1 p.m. • Greenville, Ill. • Francis Field
Wartburg Knights (0-0, 0-0 A-R-C) at Greenville University Panthers (0-0, 0-0 UMAC)

Series Record: Wartburg leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 1, 2018 (Wartburg won 73-13 in Waverly, Iowa)

Broadcast Information:
Radio KWAY Y99.3 FM (Waverly) - Matt Ray (PBP), Terry Goetzinger (Color)

2018 Recap

The Knights are coming off an 8-3 overall and 7-1 American Rivers Conference record last season, earning its 16th conference championship and 10th under head coach Rick Willis, embarking on his 21st season at the helm of the program in 2019. Wartburg increased its consecutive winning season streak to 26, which is ranked third among all NCAA divisions. The Knights defeated the University of Dubuque 47-28 Nov. 10, 2018 to earn a third-straight A-R-C title and trip to the NCAA Playoffs, falling to Bethel University in the first round. 

Senior quarterback Matt Sacia repeated as the A-R-C Offensive MVP as threw for 3,071 yards with 34 touchdowns. He ended his career as the program's all-time leader in pass completions (688), passing TDs (93), pass completion percentage (66.2), pass efficiency (164.8), passing yards per game (245.1), and second in passing yards (9,069) and pass attempts (1,039). Sacia was a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist, and Honorable Mention All-American (D3football.com), and a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient.

Senior defensive lineman Dillon Rademaker was named a First Team All-American by D3football.com, Kolin Schulte was a CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American, and the Knights earned 13 All-Conference honors.
 
In the polls

The A-R-C released the 2019 Preseason Coaches' Poll Aug. 15, with Wartburg selected to finish first in the conference standings for the third consecutive season. The reigning league champion Knights earned 63 points along with seven first place votes, finishing 10 points ahead of the runners-up from Central and Dubuque, with 53 points each. 

Wartburg received 61 votes in the D3football.com Preseason Poll, finishing just outside of the Top 25. Junior JoJo McNair was named a D3football Preseason All-American Aug. 16, representing Wartburg on the second team defense. The native of Joliet, Ill., is a dual-threat defensive back/wide receiver and return specialist for the Knights and became one of three American Rivers Conference players to garner Preseason All-American honors from D3football.com. McNair is a two-time A-R-C First Team All-Conference member and tallied a team-high nine receiving touchdowns and 11 pass breakups in 2018.  
 
2019 Schedule

Wartburg opens a two-game non-conference schedule starting at Greenville on Saturday, followed by the home opener versus Monmouth College Sept. 14. Five matchups will take place in Waverly at Walston-Hoover Stadium, including contests against Monmouth Sept. 14, Dubuque Sept. 28, Nebraska Wesleyan Oct. 12 (homecoming), Coe Nov. 2, and Loras Nov. 16.

The Knights open American Rivers Conference competition on Sept. 21 at Luther College. 

All Wartburg home games will be streamed via Knight Vision. 
 
2019 Roster

Wartburg returns several starters and impact players from last year's squad, including 27 seniors. Notably returning for the Knights are seniors Lee Bonifas, Cedric Dobbins, Jason Fisher, Jake Kloft, John Patrick, Kolin Schulte, Nic Vetter, Nick Wall, as well as junior JoJo McNair.

Patrick and Vetter will bolster the offensive line as returning starters that helped guide the Wartburg offense to an average of 445.2 yards per game last season. All-A-R-C defensive backs Dobbins and McNair will lead the Knights' secondary, combining for five interceptions last season. Fisher and Kloft are returning starters on the defensive line and linebacker units, respectively, and accounted for 17 tackles for loss and six sacks combined in 2018. Bonifas, Schulte, and Wall return to lead the receiving core.