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ATN Podcast 281: Could spring games lead to spring practice?

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There is so much here to talk about as we are midway through March in Division III football, and one of the things that Division III football coaches are pointing to right now is how all of the old excuses given for why D-III can’t have pads in practice in the spring are being proven wrong.

They said it would be impossible to find field time, that athletic training staffs would be stretched too thin. Well, here we are having had coming up on 100 games in Division III this spring — and we’re not talking about asking for games: We’re talkin’ about practice.

We’re joined by three head coaches who each give their take on renewing the drive to add pads and helmets in the spring, as we hear from Hendrix coach Buck Buchanan, Lake Forest coach Jim Catanzaro and Whitworth coach Rod Sandberg. Plus, we talk with Berry coach Tony Kunczewski about his team’s 4-0 spring, and with Trinity (Texas) coach Jerheme Urban about what his team accomplished with its spring football as well.

But the best part of this podcast may well be our chance to catch up with former Berry defensive back Justus Edwards. You may remember his name because in 2018, he suffered a catastrophic spinal injury during the Vikings’ game at Centre. He has continued to inspire his classmates and former teammates on the sidelines, and he was at the team’s appearance at the SAA championship in Little Rock, Arkansas. We talked with him about the work he is doing to get stronger, plus the foundation he has started to help people who have suffered similar injuries and have nowhere to turn.

That interview starts just before the 40:00 mark, if you are so inclined to skip ahead.

Meanwhile, we talk about the big games from Week 6, hand out two weeks’ worth of game balls, and bring back a well-known name to talk about Montez Archer and offer some advice to the Bluffton freshman who has intercepted six passes over the past two games.

Plus, we tackle a listener question. All that and more in Podcast 281.

Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation covering the wide range of Division III football.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.

Full episode: [display_podcast]

You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in Apple Podcasts, and many other places. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

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Theme music: DJmentos. Trinity/Birmingham-Southern photo by Hendrix athletics, Justus Edwards photo from Instagram

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ATN Podcast 280: Return of game balls

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The first-ever February football in Division III is in the books, and Pat and Keith are here to hand out game balls and talk about the goings-on. Coaches were getting a bit of a breather in the fall, but those whose teams are playing now are making up for it. That’s what we heard from our guest, Randolph-Macon coach Pedro Arruza.

It’s a great conversation about a program setting expectations for what’s important during this abbreviated spring schedule, about making sure that the student-athletes got through the downtime with their mental health intact, and about being gracious with players who have had to make decisions about whether they compete this spring, whether they are enrolled, or whether they choose to graduate and not return.

In addition, of course, student-athletes at Wesley are facing much bigger decisions, with a large number of football players and members of other sports trying to find new homes for the fall, because Wesley’s athletics programs will be no more after this spring. We bring Greg Thomas back in to talk about this, because as the new Around the Nation columnist for D3football.com, Greg has been talking to Wesley and is working on a story. What does Wesley hope to accomplish, and where might all of those student-athletes end up?

Plus, we tackle a listener question. All that and more in Podcast 280.

Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan and guests covering the wide range of Division III football.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.

Full episode: [display_podcast]

You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in Apple Podcasts, and many other places. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

Here’s how to find us on some of the major podcasting apps:

Theme music: DJmentos. Photo by Keith Lucas for Randolph-Macon athletics

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ATN Podcast 279: On the move

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We are mere weeks away from getting games in this Division III football spring season, with nine games slated to go on Feb. 6. And one Division III prospect is getting his crack at the NFL this month as well.

UW-Whitewater guard Quinn Meinerz, a D3football.com All-America pick in 2019, just found out he was getting an invite to the Senior Bowl, the same place that St. John’s guard Ben Bartch got his big break in 2020 before getting drafted. Meinerz had to make the decision to pull out of whatever UW-Whitewater’s spring season would be in order to do so, and he tells us about it, plus the unusual training regimen he had to go through at times to get to this point.

Bridgewater coach Mike Clark is ready to take up fly fishing — but not yet, as the longtime Eagles coach will be coaching one final season for Bridgewater this spring before retiring. Clark talks about what the spring season is going to require from coaches and players, what he did with his unforeseen free time this fall and Pat tells his favorite Mike Clark story. And we hear from one coach that is jumping right in to get a team ready for Week 1, as Jason Bachtel returns to his alma mater just days before practice starts at Howard Payne for a Feb. 6 opener.

Plus, we take three listener questions. All that and more in Podcast 279.

Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan and guests covering the wide range of Division III football and Greg Thomas is guest co-hosting this episode.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.

Full episode: [display_podcast]

You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in Apple Podcasts, and many other places. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

Here’s how to find us on some of the major podcasting apps:

Theme music: DJmentos. Meinerz photo by Larry Radloff; Clark by Bridgewater athletics; Bachtel by ETBU athletics

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