Vince Kehres finally got his first national title as a head coach. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com

By Ryan Tipps
D3sports.com

SALEM -- Only two active Division III head coaches have helmed a team to a Stagg Bowl championship -- the second of them traveled an emotional, momentum-changing game to that distinction Friday evening.

In his third trip as a head coach to Salem, Vince Kehres extended a family legacy that began more than two decades ago and has again elevated Mount Union into the nation's best team.

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Kehres carried a calm demeanor with him on the sidelines -- a show of maturity and experience. He has been on this stage repeatedly as a player, as an assistant under his father and as a head coach in 2013 and '14. The format and the flow feels natural. Kehres is attune with the Stagg Bowl's finickiest qualities of game play.

Winning it all "means a lot," Kehres said. "I had a great mentor -- a lot of great mentors -- to get to this point."

One of those mentors was surely Larry Kehres, Vince's dad, who earned Mount Union its first 11 national championships. Larry Kehres turned over the reins of his team after the finale of the 2012, which, coincidentally, ended with a Purple Raiders victory over St. Thomas.

Vince Kehres sloughed off the chill of the December day to command his team, which came out of halftime with a clear sense of ownership of this field and this game. Momentum was in Mount Union's back pocket, even with lots of time left on the clock and as the Tommies found ways to hang on.

The 49-35 final closed out an elusive part of Kehres' short career.

"We're going home winners," linebacker Jonathan Gonell said.

Kehres joins Jay Locey, Lewis and Clark's head coach, as the only current coaches to have Stagg Bowl wins. Locey, however, hoisted the Walnut and Bronze as the head of Linfield in 2004, one of the rare years since 1993 in which Mount Union did not have a presence in Salem.

Throughout Friday's game, there was no hesitation by Kehres or his opposition, Glenn Caruso, to be creative. There was no sign that the Purple Raiders could relax at any part of the game. There was no taking a knee when the program milestone was at stake.

Foreshadowing the nature of the game and perhaps a nod to the epic history of the Purple Raiders, the Imperial March from "Star Wars" filed Salem Stadium as Mount Union emerged from the tunnel at the start of the game. Although in 2015, there were no heroes and villains, only purple powers looking to fulfill the destiny of a dynasty under new leadership.

In humble fashion, the elder Kehres deflected all attention onto his son, simply saying that he was "extremely" proud of his accomplishment.

Friday's game started with defensive struggles, and after the first quarter, Mount was playing under its biggest deficit of the season, 14-0. Things changed in the second quarter -- the literal winds didn't shift, rather, they were now at Mount's back.

A consistent 20 mph surge accompanied the full 60 minutes, with gusts even stronger. Vince Kehres tapped into the knowledge of his young coordinators to help the Purple Raiders adjust and, soon, dominate on the field.

Kehres also had a deep roster of experience to work with this season, particularly on defense. All-Americans Alex Kocheff and Tom Lally and Jonathan Gonell have all played in 60 games during their collegiate careers, the most of any players at any level. Several other players have more than 50 games under their belts.

Kehres said that the players help to keep each season fresh for him. With each new mixture of starters, "the challenge of trying to get back" to Salem is prominent.

The day ended in exuberance, with smiles, hugs and a fanbase chanting "U.M.U." from the stands. Kehres walked among his players, carrying his young son proudly in his arms.

He wasn't the center of attention as much as was the spirit of Mount Union and the regeneration of its championship history.