More than 50 SMWC football players and their families gathered in the Woods Student Center on the final day of classes to celebrate the 2025-26 Sprint Football season. Players were presented with their commemorative rings as the 2025 Midwest Sprint Football League Champions, as well as the coaching staff.
Kevin Lanke, associate vice president for athletics, opened the celebration up. “This program has really done a phenomenal job. We went from not having any equipment or even a telephone to recruit players to all of the trophies and accomplishments we’re recognizing today. It really is a testament to the players, the coaching staff, the training and administration,” Lanke said.
Throughout the entirety of its run, Head Coach Blaine Powell shared how intentional the coaching staff is with preparing the roster. “This sprint football program has been a great journey for us over the last four years. We’ve brought in so many great kids who have graduated and more who are going with us to NAIA,” Powell said.
In addressing all ceremony attendees, Powell shared how the ceremony was about more than just about getting a ring. “Last year was probably the most fun I’ve had in my coaching career. You can talk about the wins and everything, but it’s really about your journey. It’s not just about the hardware [rings] you get, it about the journey that leads up to it,” he said.
In addition to their undefeated season (8-0 record), the team closed its chapter as a sprint football program with a 28-4 all-time record before transitioning to NAIA Football in the Fall 2026.
SMWC leaves the MSFL as one of its most accomplished programs:
- 27-4 all-time record
- Four championship game appearances in four seasons
- Two MSFL Championships (2022, 2025)
- 13-0 all-time on the road
- First undefeated season in program history
Powell shared how honored he is to work with SMWC athletes. “This group did an amazing job all year. These guys have bought into our program. They’ve done what we’ve asked them to do and they deserve everything they get,” he said.