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2014 FDL HS Football schedule
AUGUST 22 @ APPLETON NORTH
Varsity FDL 27 Appleton North 7
JV FDL 7 Appleton North 6
AUGUST 29 VS APPLETON WEST
Varsity FDL 54 Appleton West 0
JV FDL 39 Appleton West 0
Frosh FDL 50 Oshkosh North 20
SEPTEMBER 5 VS MARSHFIELD
Varsity FDL 61 Marshfield 14
JV FDL 57 Marshfield 0
Frosh FDL 12 Neenah 7
SEPTEMBER 12 @ SPASH
Varsity FDL 27 SPASH 21
JV FDL 44 SPASH 14
Frosh FDL 48 Oshkosh West 14
SEPTEMBER 19 VS NEENAH
Varsity FDL 14 Neenah 7
JV FDL 32 Neenah 20
Frosh FDL 14 Appleton North 32
SEPTEMBER 26 VS OSHKOSH NORTH (Homecoming)
Varsity FDL 14 Oshkosh North 21
JV FDL 28 Oshkosh North 26
Frosh FDL 49 Kaukauna 8
OCTOBER 3 @ OSHKOSH WEST
Varsity FDL 49 Oshkosh West 0
JV FDL 47 Oshkosh West 0
Frosh FDL 14 Appleton West 38
OCTOBER 10 VS HORTONVILLE
Varsity FDL 28 Hortonville 26
JV FDL 40 Hortonville 34
Frosh FDL 38 Appleton East 20
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 @ WISCONSIN RAPIDS
Varsity FDL 49 Wisconsin Rapids 13
JV FDL 66 Wisconsin Rapids 0
Frosh FDL 33 Kimberly 20
WIAA Division 1 Level 1 playoff game
FDL 46 Janesville Craig 7
WIAA Division 1 Level 2 playoff game
FDL 27 Middleton 20
WIAA Division 1 Level 3 playoff game
FDL 15 Kimberly 41
VARSITY Regular Season in Review
Varsity FDL 27 Appleton North 7
Varsity FDL 54 Appleton West 0
Varsity FDL 61 Marshfield 14
Varsity FDL 27 Stevens Point 21
Varsity FDL 14 Neenah 7
Varsity FDL 14 Oshkosh North 21
Varsity FDL 49 Oshkosh West 0
Varsity FDL 28 Hortonville 26
Varsity FDL 49 Wisconsin Rapids 13
Totals FDL 323 Vs 109
WIAA Division 1 Level 1 playoff game
FDL 46 Janesville Craig 7
WIAA Division 1 Level 2 playoff game
FDL 27 Middleton 20
WIAA Division 1 Level 3 playoff game
FDL 15 Kimberly 41
JV Season in Review Record 8-0
JV FDL 7 Appleton North 6
JV FDL 39 Appleton West 0
JV FDL 57 Marshfield 0
JV FDL 44 Stevens Point 14
JV FDL 32 Neenah 20
JV FDL 28 Oshkosh North 26
JV FDL 47 Oshkosh West 0
JV FDL 40 Hortonville 34
JV FDL 66 Wisconsin Rapids 0
Totals FDL 360 pts Opponents 100 pts
Freshmen Season in Review Record 6-2
Frosh FDL 50 Oshkosh North 20
Frosh FDL 12 Neenah 7
Frosh FDL 48 Oshkosh West 14
Frosh FDL 14 Appleton North 32
Frosh FDL 49 Kaukauna 8
Frosh FDL 14 Appleton West 38
Frosh FDL 38 Appleton East 20
Frosh FDL 33 Kimberly 20
Totals FDL 258 pts Opponents 159 pts
2014 Freshmen Football Team
| 2014 Valley Football Association | |||
| Southern Division All-Conference | |||
| 1st Team Offense | |||
| * Peter Andrew 12 | Lineman | 6′ 3″ | 260 |
| * Aaron Wehner 12 | Lineman | 6′ 3″ | 220 |
| * Brian Luteyn 12 | Receiver | 6′ 4″ | 210 |
| * Justin Maratik 11 | Running Back | 6′ | 185 |
| Jack Nejedlo 12 | Quarterback | 6′ | 190 |
| * denotes unanimous selection | |||
| Offensive “Lineman of the Year” Peter Andrew | |||
| Offensive “WR/TE of the Year” Brian Luteyn | |||
| 2nd Team Offense | |||
| Wyatt Holzman 12 | Lineman | 6′ | 270 |
| Honorable Mention Offense | |||
| Charlie Immel 12 | Lineman | 6’4″ | 245 |
| Jace Laning 12 | Lineman | 5’8″ | 230 |
| Mark Dilling 11 | Fullback | 6’1″ | 205 |
| 1st Team Defense | |||
| * Robert Windsor 12 | Lineman | 6′ 6″ | 265 |
| * Lucas Raube 12 | Outside LB | 6’1″ | 215 |
| Jake Walgenbach 11 | Safety | 6’3″ | 170 |
| Defensive “Lineman of the Year” Robert Windsor | |||
| Defensive “Co-Players of the Year” Robert Windsor | |||
| 2nd Team Defense | |||
| Tyler Miller 11 | Lineman | 5’10” | 225 |
| Jason Toshner 12 | Inside LB | 6′ | 205 |
| Honorable Mention Defense | |||
| Tanner Koenigs 11 | Lineman | 6′ | 225 |
| Jacob Stadler 12 | Outside LB | 6’2″ | 215 |
| Ryan Collien 11 | Cornerback | 5’10” | 155 |
| Matt Ryan 12 | Cornerback | 5’8″ | 180 |
Week 8 WisSports.net Coaches Poll
Released 10/14/2014
LW = Last Week
Division 1
| Rank | Team | Record | LW |
| 1 | Kimberly | 8-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Bay Port | 8-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Germantown | 7-1 | 2 |
| 4 | Fond du Lac | 7-1 | 4 |
| 5 | Middleton | 7-1 | 5 |
| 6 | Superior | 7-1 | 8 |
| 7 | Oak Creek | 7-1 | 9 |
| 8 | Marquette | 6-2 | UR |
| 9 | Mukwonago | 6-2 | UR |
| 10 | Muskego | 6-2 | 6 |
Fondy crushes Rapids 49 – 13
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Fond du Lac football team wanted to end the regular season with momentum on its side.
It’s safe to say the Cardinals will have that when the playoffs begin next week.
Jack Nejedlo threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Fond du Lac (8-1, 6-1) crushed Wisconsin Rapids (2-7, 1-6) 49-13 in Valley Football Association South action on Thursday night.
The Cardinals wasted no time taking control of the game, using a 5-yard Justin Maratik touchdown run to grab an early lead only a few minutes into the game. Nejedlo followed with a 39-yard sprint to the end zone.
In the second quarter, Maratik got his second TD run of the game and Nejedlo threw a five-yard scoring strike to Mark Dilling and a 68-yard bomb to Brian Luteyn.
Quinn Woelfel and Joe Kuber scored on short runs in the second half to cap off scoring for the Cardinals.
Fond du Lac…14 21 0 14 — 49
Wisconsin Rapids…0 0 6 7 — 13
Scoring summary:
FDL— Justin Maratik, 5 run (Danny Behlke kick), 9:25.
FDL— Jack Nejedlo, 39 run (Behlke kick), 0:21.
FDL— Mark Dilling, 5 pass from Nejedlo (Behlke kick), 8:04.
FDL— Maratik, 1 run (Behlke kick), 3:24.
FDL— Brian Luteyn, 68 pass from Nejedlo (Behlke kick), 0:19.
WR— Logan Wimme, 1 run, :03.
FDL— Quinn Woelfel, 5 run (Behlke kick), 9:47.
WR— Ben Olson, 17 run, 5:45.
FDL— Joe Kuber, 4 run, 0:42.
Week 7 WisSports.net Coaches Poll
Released 10/7/2014
LW = Last Week
Division 1
| Rank | Team | Record | LW |
| 1 | Kimberly | 7-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Germantown | 7-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Bay Port | 7-0 | 4 |
| 4 | Fond du Lac | 6-1 | 6 |
| 5 | Middleton | 6-1 | 7 |
| 6 | Muskego | 6-1 | 3 |
| 7 | Janesville Craig | 6-1 | 10 |
| 8 | Superior | 6-1 | 8 |
| 9 | Oak Creek | 6-1 | UR |
| 10 | Appleton North | 5-2 | 9 |
Fond du Lac holds off Hortonville in thriller
From the opening series of Friday night’s game, the Fond du Lac football team struggled defensively. The Cardinals had trouble slowing down the run, the pass and everything in between, even allowing a big gainer on a fake punt.
But when the Cardinals needed a stop — with the outcome of the game riding on one play — the defense came through, just like it has time and again this season. After giving up a touchdown with 36 seconds left, Fond du Lac stopped Hortonville on the potential game-tying 2-point conversion as the Cardinals held off the Polar Bears 28-26 in a thrilling Valley Football Association South contest Friday night at Fruth Field.
“For us, we just live by the motto of the next play,” Fond du Lac linebacker Jason Toshner said. “When we gave up that big play (on the touchdown), we just thought to the next play and we just had to stop them next play. That’s what we did.” Clutching a 28-20 lead with a few minutes remaining, Fond du Lac (7-1, 5-1 VFA South) appeared in decent position to hold on for the victory with Hortonville (5-3, 4-2 VFA South) starting its final drive on its own 2-yard line following an interception.
But on the very first play of that drive, Hortonville quarterback Braden Stoeger hit wideout Kyle Witthuhn on a 56-yard pitch-and-catch that immediately put the Polar Bears in business. Following that play, Hortonville matriculated its way down to the Fond du Lac 12-yard line. Facing a 4th-and-6, Stoeger again found Witthuhn, this time in the end zone, as the Polar Bears closed to within two points.
With overtime riding on the conversion play, Stoeger rolled to his right and appeared to have an open receiver, but pressure forced an offline throw with the ball glancing off the receiver’s hands and harmlessly to the turf. Fond du Lac’s Devon Krzanowski then recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the win.
“I just said it’s gut check time,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said about his message to the defense before the two-point try. “I said we’ve got to get lined up properly and we’ve got to get to the football however we can get there. We were able to stop them. I’m proud of the way the guys responded. There was so much adversity they had to overcome tonight and some of it was us shooting ourselves in the foot. They found a way to win.”
The Cardinals started out Friday’s game on a roll, marching down the field with a 10-play, 68-yard opening drive and capping it off with a 1-yard Justin Maratik touchdown run to take an early 7-0 lead. But Hortonville quickly responded as quarterback Jack Sommers hit Witthuhn for a 5-yard touchdown pass minutes later and took a 14-7 lead less than a minute into the second quarter on a Mitch Gerhartz touchdown run.
The turning point in the contest seemed to occur near the end of the first half following a missed field goal attempt by the Polar Bears. Getting the ball at its own 20-yard line, the Cardinals needed only seven plays to get Maratik his second score of the night, this one also from a yard out.
Sommers was then picked off by Jake Walgenbach deep in Hortonville territory and Jack Nejedlo threw a 22-yard strike to Brian Luteyn just four plays later as Fond du Lac re-took the lead, 21-14. “We said it was probably going to come down to turnovers and unfortunately we turned the ball over more than they did, but we got a couple key ones that swung momentum our way a little bit,” Gnewuch said.
The Cards then extended their lead to 28-14 midway through the third quarter on a 10-yard TD run from Nejedlo and seemed in control. But a Nejedlo fumble set Hortonville up near midfield a few minutes later and Gerhartz punched it in from three yards out with 1:32 left in the third. However, the extra point was no good — something that would come back to haunt the Polar Bears.
On the Cardinals’ final two drives, they were able to eat up both time and yardage, but couldn’t find the scoreboard — giving Hortonville life. The first drive ended with a turnover on downs at the Hortonville 20-yard line and the next one halted when a bad snap led to an eight-yard loss on third down and Nejedlo followed with an interception on fourth down, giving the Polar Bears one last chance from their own two-yard line. Stoeger, who took over for an apparently injured Sommers in the third quarter, would then lead Hortonville down the field for its final touchdown.
Maratik led the Cardinals with 159 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 29 carries, while Nejedlo also had a nice night on the ground, piling up 127 yards and a score on 17 attempts. Nejedlo was also 6-of-13 passing for 79 yards with a touchdown and interception.
While Nejedlo had a nice night on the ground and the offense as a whole piled up nearly 400 yards, the senior quarterback was not happy with Friday’s performance. “Our offense shot ourselves in the foot so many times,” he said. “We put the defense in a terrible spot. We should have executed on multiple drives and putting our defense in that kind of spot was awful for us.”
Gerhartz led Hortonville with 78 yards rushing, while Stoeger had 70 yards passing and a touchdown in relief of Sommers. The Polar Bears gained 293 yards on offense and consistently gashed Fond du Lac through the air early on. The Cardinals would eventually tighten up their pass defense, but then began to have a bit of trouble against the run as the Polar Bears were one of the few teams to have moderate success against what’s been a stingy defense so far this season.
Fond du Lac is off until Thursday, when it heads to Wisconsin Rapids for its regular-season finale. With only one game separating the Cardinals from the postseason, it’s safe to say they are itching for the playoffs. “We’re ready,” Gnewuch said. “We’ve got to get some guys healthy yet, injuries always hurt. So we’ve got to get some guys healthy and I think we’re in a good spot right now because we’re scoring some points and teams are having a hard time running the football on us. We’re where we need to be right now.”
Hortonville…7 7 6 6 — 26
Fond du Lac…7 14 7 0 — 28
Scoring summary:
FDL— Justin Maratik, 1 run (Danny Behlke kick), 8:39.
HOR— Kyle Witthuhn, 5 pass from Jake Sommers (Trevor Coenen kick), 5:38.
HOR— Mitch Gerhartz, 1 run (Coenen kick), 11:14.
FDL— Maratik, 1 run (Behlke kick), 2:06.
FDL— Brian Luteyn, 22 pass from Jack Nejedlo (Behlke kick), 0:18.
FDL— Nejedlo, 10 run (Behlke kick), 5:50.
HOR— Gerhartz, 3 run (kick fail), 1:32.
HOR— Witthuhn, 12 pass from Braden Stoeger (pass fail), 0:36.
Team stats
HOR FDL
First downs…14 17
Total yards…293 373
Rushing…159 294
Passes (C-A-I)…11-27-1 6-13-1
Passing yards…134 79
Fumbles…0-0 2-2
Individual leaders
Rushing: HOR— Mitch Gerhartz, 27-78. FDL— Justin Maratik, 29-159; Jack Nejedlo, 17-127.
Passing: HOR— Jake Sommers 7-15-64-1; Braden Stoeger, 4-12-70-0. FDL— Jack Nejedlo, 6-13-79-1.
Receiving: HOR— Kyle Witthuhn, 5-92. FDL— Brian Luteyn, 2-33.
Prep Q&A: Brian Luteyn
For the past two years, Brian Luteyn has undoubtedly been the go-to wide receiver for the Fond du Lac football team. Already having an impressive season in 2014, Luteyn had his best game yet last Friday — catching five passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns as the Cardinals crushed Oshkosh West 49-7.
The fact that Luteyn is having such a good year isn’t exactly a surprise as the 6-foot-5 senior led the team with 26 receptions and five touchdowns a season ago. So far this year, Luteyn has 32 receptions for 626 yards and six touchdowns as Fond du Lac is 6-1 and is heading to the playoffs after clinching a spot with its win against the Wildcats.
The Reporter stopped by Monday’s practice to chat with Luteyn about his big game on Friday, what it’s like to be a part of such a dynamic offense and what the Cardinals hope to accomplish the rest of the season.
The Reporter: You had a huge game against Oshkosh West last Friday. What got you going?
Brian Luteyn: I was still building off last week (against Oshkosh North). I had a drop in the last game and I wanted to make sure I didn’t have any drops. I was hoping to have a good game. We started off and the first play was a touchdown.
TR: Coming off your first loss of the year against Oshkosh North, how big was it for the team to rebound like it did against Oshkosh West?
BL: It was really big. It really got us down, that Oshkosh North game. Especially because it was Homecoming. During practice last week, we were really focused on making sure we got the win and we got it.
TR: You’re once again the primary receiving threat for the team this year after leading Fond du Lac in receptions last year. What’s been the key to your success this season?
BL: Our run game has been extremely strong so the defenses really have to pack it in the box, which is leaving me one-on-one normally. I get a lot more one-on-one opportunities where it’s easier to make a bigger play.
TR: Last year, quarterback Jack Nejedlo went down with an injury early in the season. How big is it for you to have a quarterback like that back on the field?
BL: I really like having Jack because we’ve played together for a good amount of years and we have really good chemistry. He knows what I’m going to be running if I change my route during the play. He knows that I’m going to be doing that. He’s got a great arm, obviously.
TR: How much do you think your height helps as a wide receiver?
BL: It’s huge. Most defensive backs are short so being able to go over the top of them helps a good amount.
TR: This offense has a bunch of different weapons, including yourself. How much do you think having so many options has helped the offense this year?
BL: It’s huge because if I have a bad game, I know (running back) Justin (Maratik) or Jack will have a good game. Or if Justin is struggling all game, he knows that Jack and I will pick him up or whoever else is out there. There’s always someone that steps up in games and that’s huge for us.
TR: What are some goals this team has for the rest of the season?
BL: Obviously make a good run in the playoffs now that we’re in. Take it one game at a time and hope to see how far we can get in the playoffs.
TR: What other sports do you play? Do you have a preferred sport?
BL: Basketball and track. It’s pretty close between basketball and football.
TR: What’s the sporting event you’d most like to attend?
BL: NCAA Basketball Final Four game (with Wisconsin playing).
Game 7
Fondy bounces back with big win over Oshkosh West 49 – 7
It took Fond du Lac all of one play to show there were no ill-effects from last week’s gut-wrenching loss to Oshkosh North. Jack Nejedlo and Brian Luteyn connected for a 65-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and the Cardinals created big plays the entire night in a 49-7 romp over Oshkosh West on J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium Friday night.
The win boosts Fondy’s record to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the VFA South, securing the team’s second straight WIAA playoff berth. “I just said to them it’s a great team victory,” head coach Mike Gnewuch said. “We played well on both side of the ball and got a lot of kids in the game. That’s what we needed. We needed to bounce back from a good Oshkosh North team and get a good solid win.” The final outcome was never in doubt although Oshkosh West was able to keep things close in the first quarter.
The Wildcats foiled the Cardinals on a fourth down at the West 22-yard line and then went on a 13-play march to even the score at 7 with just more than two minutes left in the first quarter. “We have one series a game on defense where we have a costly penalty and for whatever reason we just don’t finish. It happened early this week,” Gnewuch said. “We rallied back and played great football from there on in.” It took two plays and about 30 seconds for the Cardinals to regain the lead. After a long kickoff return by Luteyn gave Fondy the ball near midfield, Justin Maratik rattled off an 11-yard run and then Nejedlo connected with Caleb Goldstein for a 37-yard touchdown.
Things just got better from there.
Luteyn, who caught five passes for 155 yards, hauled in touchdown catches of 31 and 13 yards in the second quarter, while Maratik added a 42-yard dash to the end zone as the Cardinals built a 35-7 halftime lead. Then, on Fondy’s first play of the second half after stopping West on downs, Maratik burst through the Wildcat defense for a 56-yard touchdown run and reserves would play the rest of the way. “We figured if we could come out and establish the line of scrimmage early, we’d have a good chance of winning the football game,” said Gnewuch, whose team piled up 512 yards of offense. “From day one, we’ve kind of said we’re going to be very difficult to defend because we’re able to throw the ball and we’re able to run the ball. We did a great job tonight.”
Maratik finished with 230 on just 16 carries and registered three runs of at least 42 yards in the game, while Nejedlo finished 6-of-11 for 192 yards — all of which came in the first half.
Robert Windsor led a fierce Cardinal defense with a pair of sacks as West mustered just 129 yards of total offense in the game, while scratching out only 11 yards rushing on 22 carries.
Fond du Lac, which was ranked ninth in last week’s large school poll, will host Hortonville this Friday before wrapping up the season at Wisconsin Rapids.
Fond du Lac 14 21 7 7 — 49
Oshkosh West 7 0 0 0 — 7
Scoring summary:
FDL: Brian Luteyn, 65 pass from Jack Nejedlo (Danny Behlke kick).
OW: Matt Rebholz, 6 pass from Alex Lowney (kick good).
FDL: Caleb Goldstein, 37 pass from Nejedlo (Behlke kick).
FDL: Luteyn, 31 pass from Nejedlo (Behlke kick).
FDL: Justin Maratik, 42 run (Behlke kick).
FDL: Luteyn, 13 pass from Nejedlo (Behlke kick).
FDL: Maratik, 54 run (Behlke kick).
FDL: Joe Kuber, 32 run (Behlke kick).
Team stats:
FDL OW
First downs 14 7
Total yards 512 129
Rushing 32-317 22-11
Passes 6-12-0 14-25-1
Passing yards 192 118
Fumbles 0-0 1-0
Individual leaders:
Rushing: FDL — Justin Maratik 16-230.
Passing: FDL — Jack Nejedlo 6-11-0-192.
OW — Alex Lowney 14-22-0-118.
Receiving: FDL — Brian Luteyn 5-155.
OW — Matt Rebholz 4-27, Connor Arneson 2-27, Billy Courchene 2-24, Josh Boyce 2-27.
Week 6 WisSports.net Coaches Poll
Released 9/30/2014
Division 1
| Rank | Team | Record | LW |
| 1 | Kimberly | 6-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Germantown | 6-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Muskego | 6-0 | 4 |
| 4 | Bay Port | 6-0 | 5 |
| 5 | Mukwonago | 5-1 | 7 |
| 6 | Fond du Lac | 5-1 | 3 |
| 7 | Middleton | 5-1 | UR |
| 8 | Superior | 5-1 | 10 |
| 9 | Appleton North | 4-2 | 9 |
| 10 | Janesville Craig | 5-1 | UR |
Game 6
Fond du Lac sloppy in loss to Oshkosh North
As the spotlight becomes brighter, the magnifying glass only gets stronger — especially when it comes to mistakes. Facing fellow conference-unbeaten Oshkosh North in a crucial Valley Football Association South game, the Fond du Lac football team found that out the hard way. The Cardinals committed three turnovers and repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with careless penalties as they dropped their first game of the season in the form of an ugly 21-14 loss to the Spartans Friday night at Fruth Field.
“Oshkosh North came ready to play,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said. “I think they outplayed us, they outcoached us. They beat us in all facets of the game.” Tied 7-7 at the half, Oshkosh North (5-1, 4-0 VFA South) began to assert control midway through the third quarter following the Cardinals’ first turnover, arguably the turning point in the contest. On that play, Fond du Lac quarterback Jack Nejedlo’s pass was on the money to Kyle Pierce, but it was knocked out of the senior receiver’s hands by an Oshkosh North defender and consequently intercepted by Jared Dittmer. Dittmer returned it to the Cardinals’ 33-yard line and a few plays later was on the receiving end of a nine-yard go-ahead touchdown pass from Alex Hintze. After the Spartans forced Fond du Lac (5-1, 3-1 VFA South) into a three-and-out on its next drive, Dittmer scored his third touchdown of the night — this one coming on a 34-yard pitch-and-catch from Hintze — and North had suddenly grabbed a two-score lead.
Hintze, Oshkosh North’s star running back who was converted to quarterback on Friday, threw for 147 yards and three touchdowns while also running for 51 yards as he proved to be a tough matchup for Fond du Lac’s defense. “We had to make some changes offensively,” Oshkosh North coach Chris Kujuwa said. “I think you can see what kind of athlete Alex Hintze is. He’s a running threat, he’s a throwing threat. This is a team win. Our kids came together. Nobody’s given us a chance all year long. I think finally we maybe showed somebody that yeah, we can play ball.” Despite a 14-point deficit, the Cardinals didn’t go away as they put together their first lengthy drive of the game midway through the fourth quarter. Starting at its own 7-yard line, Fond du Lac made its way down the field mostly on the strength of Nejedlo and running back Justin Maratik’s legs. Nejedlo eventually found Ryan Collien on a gorgeous 31-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone to cut the Spartans’ lead in half with 7:02 to go.
But that would be the closest the Cardinals got. The next drive ended with a Hintze interception following a failed wide receiver pass trick play. After a defensive stand, Fond du Lac had one last chance starting at its 16-yard line with 2:29 left. A few short passes moved the Cardinals near midfield, but Nejedlo was sacked on consecutive plays and his final desperation pass was picked off — setting off a wild celebration on the Oshkosh North sideline over a win that may ultimately decide the VFA South champion. “We’ve been in adversity all year long,” Kujuwa said of his team’s late-game mindset. We’ve been in so many tight ballgames. We don’t win pretty. We are definitely not as sexy as we were last year, but we’re just as effective.”
Maratik led the Cardinals with 131 yards rushing and a touchdown on 25 carries, but was unable to find open space for most of the night as the Spartans stacked the box. His only lengthy rush of the game was a 42-yarder in the first half that eventually led to a Fond du Lac punt. Nejedlo finished with 98 yards passing, but threw his first two interceptions of the season and dealt with constant pressure whenever he dropped back. Brian Luteyn led the team with six receptions for 59 yards.
On a night where turnovers may have been the difference, especially considering the Cardinals actually outgained the Spartans 275-223, penalties also reared their ugly head for Fond du Lac. Trailing 7-0 in the first half following Dittmer’s first touchdown reception of the night, the Cardinals appeared poised to tie it up after driving inside the Spartans’ 20-yard line. Facing a third-and-one, the Cardinals false started, backing the team up five yards. Two plays later, Fond du Lac turned it over on downs. Only minutes later, a holding penalty inside the 10-yard line wiped out what would have been a punt return touchdown for Quinn Woelfel. Fortunately for Fond du Lac, that drive still ended with a score as Maratik punched it in from a yard out just before halftime. In the third quarter, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Cardinals erased a sack on the drive where Oshkosh North took the lead. A quarter later, Fond du Lac was flagged for unnecessary roughness, which allowed the Spartans to burn more time off the clock. As the Cardinals prepare for Oshkosh West next Friday, cleaning up unforced errors such as those will undoubtedly be on their minds. “We’ve got to do a better job coaching,” Gnewuch said of his team’s mistakes. “We’ve got to prepare a little bit better. Ultimately that falls on me and is my responsibility.”
Oshkosh North…7 0 14 0 — 21
Fond du Lac…0 7 0 7 — 14
Scoring summary:
ON— Jared Dittmer, 10 pass from Alex Hintze (Sam Herkert kick), 6:36.
FDL— Justin Maratik, 1 run (Danny Behlke kick), 0:58.
ON— Dittmer, 9 pass from Hintze (Herkert kick), 3:39.
ON— Dittmer, 34 pass from Hintze (Herkert kick), 1:11.
FDL— Ryan Collien, 31 pass from Jack Nejedlo (Behlke kick), 7:02.
Team stats
ON FDL
First downs…7 15
Total yards…223 275
Rushing…76 177
Passes (C-A-I)…10-20-0 12-23-3
Passing yards…147 98
Fumbles…0-0 0-0
Individual leaders
Rushing: ON— Alex Hintze, 12-51. FDL— Justin Maratik, 25-131.
Passing: ON— Alex Hintze, 10-20-0-147. FDL— Jack Nejedlo, 12-22-2-98.
Receiving: ON— Jared Dittmer, 6-98. FDL— Brian Luteyn, 6-59.
Week 4 WisSports.net Coaches Poll
Division 1
| Rank | Team | Record | LW |
| 1 | Kimberly | 4-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Germantown | 4-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Fond du Lac | 4-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Arrowhead | 3-1 | 4 |
| 5 | Bay Port | 4-0 | 5 |
| 6 | Middleton | 4-0 | UR |
| 7 | Muskego | 4-0 | UR |
| 8 | Neenah | 4-0 | 7 |
| 9 | Superior | 3-1 | 8 |
| 10 | Kenosha Indian Trail | 3-1 | 10 |
Game 5
Fond du Lac survives unbeaten battle with Neenah
The Fond du Lac football team was on the ropes. The Cardinals were struggling on offense, had bent just enough on defense and were only minutes away from their first defeat of the season. Then things just clicked. The defense made a stop. The offense found rhythm for the first time since the first half. With momentum firmly on Neenah’s side late in the game, Fond du Lac planted its foot in the ground and defended its home turf.
Justin Maratik scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge with 1:34 left and the Cardinals came back to knock off Neenah 14-7 Friday night at Fruth Field in a battle between the last two undefeated teams in the Valley Football Association South “It’s a good win against a good team,” Fond du Lac quarterback Jack Nejedlo said. “We struggled offensively. Defense made us stay in that game. They were just tremendous. A win against Neenah, you can’t really put words in. We came through in the fourth quarter and put some points up and got the win. It was a statement game for us and we’re just proud to win.” Trailing 7-6 late in the game, Fond du Lac (5-0, 3-0 VFA South) was forced to punt from its own 36-yard line and needed a stop from its vaunted defense if it was to have any shot of staying unbeaten.
Following a terrific punt by Jason Toshner that pinned Neenah (4-1, 2-1 VFA South) back at its own 17-yard line, the Cardinal defense came through — forcing a three-and-out in which the Rockets actually lost two yards. Facing a stiff breeze, Neenah punter Jose Alba-Zielinski managed only an 18-yard kick, giving the Cardinals prime field position at the 33-yard line. After a couple of Maratik runs set Fond du Lac up with a third-and-five, Nejedlo found his star running back wide open on a screen pass and Maratik rumbled nine yards for a first down. Four plays later, Maratik was in the end zone and the Cardinals were back in control. Nejedlo and Quinn Woelfel connected for the two-point conversion to give Fond du Lac the seven-point edge. “We just said ‘Stick with the game plan,'” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said about his message to the team late in the game. “We knew it was going to be the more patient team that won the game and we just stuck to the game plan and finally busted out a long run and were able to pull out the win. We just beat a really good football team.” For Nejedlo, the game-winning drive was simply about staying poised under pressure.”Just stay calm,” he said. “I knew my offensive line and my team, we could come through. We worked hard in the summer and I knew were going to be able to come through and beat Neenah in that situation. So I just tried to stay positive with my team and then hopefully we could get it done.”
However, even after Maratik’s TD seemingly gave the Cardinals another win, the defense still needed to make one last stop against the Rockets. With nearly 90 yards to go and only a minute to do it, Neenah tried a wide receiver pass trick play in the hopes of fooling Fond du Lac’s defense. Ryan Collien wasn’t fooled, sticking with his man and making a picture-perfect interception to seal the victory.”We worked on (the trick play) all week, we were watching film on it,” Collien said. “Our defense was just in the right scheme and I happened to be in the right spot at the right time.”Fond du Lac held Neenah to just 157 total yards on offense, including only 47 through the air. Quarterback Jake Resch did find some success in the second half, hooking up with Joe Jung for a 16-yard touchdown pass with five seconds left in the third quarter to give the Rockets the lead. Resch also led Neenah with 76 yards on the ground.
But aside from a couple drives early in the second half, Fond du Lac’s defense was virtually immovable. The Cardinals also picked off three passes, two by Jake Walgenbach and the clincher from Collien. “I liked the game plan we had going in (on defense),” Gnewuch said. “I knew they would have to change some stuff up significantly if they wanted to have consistency moving the football as long as we were sound with our assignments. … We’ve been preaching all year to get hats to the football. We played hard tonight, we played fast.”
Offensively, the Cardinals did have their struggles, gaining 249 yards — well below their season average. Nejedlo’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Alex Ruppel late in the first half seemed to spark the offense a bit, but it didn’t carry over into the final 24 minutes until the very end. Maratik led Fond du Lac with 168 yards rushing on 37 carries, rarely finding open field. His 30-yard run with under a minute left allowed the Cardinals to run out the clock, but that was about the only time he didn’t deal with almost immediate contact. Nejedlo finished with 77 yards through the air and Brian Luteyn had three receptions. “I think you can see we’ve still got a lot of work to do yet,” Gnewuch said. “There’s a lot of things we need to clean up. Getting rid of the foolish penalties and trying to get some of our guys back off injury as well. We had three key players that didn’t play tonight. … We’re in a good spot right now, we just need to clean some stuff up.”
Neenah…0 0 7 0 — 7
Fond du Lac…0 6 0 8 — 14
Scoring summary:
FDL—Alex Ruppel, 25 pass from Jack Nejedlo (kick fail), 1:09.
NEE— Joe Jung, 16 pass from Jake Resch (Rob Schmidt kick), :05.
FDL— Justin Maratik, 1 run (Quinn Woelfel pass from Nejedlo), 1:34.
Team stats
NEE FDL
First downs…10 14
Total yards…157 249
Rushing…110 172
Passes (C-A-I)…4-15-3 6-15-0
Passing yards…47 77
Fumbles…0-0 2-1
Individual leaders
Rushing: NEE— Jake Resch, 18-76. FDL— Justin Maratik, 37-168.
Passing: NEE— Jake Resch, 4-14-47. FDL— Jack Nejedlo, 6-15-77.
Receiving: NEE— Brandon Diedrich, 2-24; Joe Jung, 2-23. FDL— Brian Luteyn, 3-21, Alex Ruppel, 1-25.
Game 4
Fondy improves to 4-0 with win over SPASH
Fond du Lac 27, Stevens Point 21: Tied at 21 with just under five minutes left in the game, Cardinals’ Justin Maratik scored from 10-yards out to give Fondy a conference win on the road.
Maratik finished with two touchdowns and 70 yards rushing. Jack Nejedlo added 76 yards on the ground, while going 14-for-21 through the air for 284 yards. Nejedlo threw for two touchdowns — a 50-yard screen to Kyle Pierce and a 15-yard pass to Brian Luteyn. Luteyn caught seven balls for a team-high 117 yards.
Fondy was down 6-0 after the first but took a 14-6 halftime lead. After a 21-7 lead going into the fourth, Stevens Point scored two more times to tie things up before Maratik scored the game-winner.
Fond du Lac…0 14 7 6— 27
Stevens Point…6 0 0 15— 21
Scoring summary:
SP— Victor Kizewski, 61 pass from Sam Hauser (conversion failed).
FDL— Justin Maratik, 1 run (Danny Behlke kick).
FDL— Kyle Pierce, 50 pass from Jack Nejedlo (Behlke kick).
FDL— Brian Luteyn, 15 pass from Nejedlo (Behlke kick).
SP— Kizewski, 5 pass from Keith Hoffman (kick).
SP— Kizewski, 82 pass from Hoffman (kick).
FDL — Maratik, 10 run (kick failed).
Team stats
FDL SP
First downs…18 16
Rushing…47-159 20-66
Passes (C-A-I)…15-22-0 16-36-4
Passing yards…284 276
Fumbles…1-1 0
Individual leaders
Rushing: FDL— Justin Maratik 26-70, Jack Nejedlo 18-76, Kyle Pierce 3-13. SP— Ethan Clark 16-55.
Passing: FDL— Jack Nejedlo 14-21-284. SP— Sam Houser 9-19-2-137, Keith Hoffman 7-17-2-139.
Receiving: FDL— Brian Luteyn 7-117, Kyle Pierce 4-145, Mark Dilling 3-23. SP— Victor Kizewski 8-193.
Game 3
Maratik leads Fond du Lac stampede over Marshfield 61-14
There was no stopping Justin Maratik Friday night. Between the tackles or near the sidelines, bursting through defenders or leaving them in the dust — Maratik was a running back on a mission.
By the time Maratik exited the game in the second half, he was a school record-holder…twice.
On the strength of six Maratik touchdowns, the Fond du Lac football team obliterated Marshfield 61-14 Friday at Fruth Field, picking up a dominant win in its Valley Football Association South opener and sending a message to the rest of the area: the Cardinals are for real.
“As a staff, we would never have anticipated that it would have been 61-14,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said. “That’s a storied program. There’s a lot of gold balls in their trophy case back in Marshfield. The way our kids came out tonight, we came out ready to play on both sides of the ball.” In walloping a team like Marshfield — a program that’s a regular playoff qualifier and one that’s advanced to state five times — the Cardinals showed they are a squad to be reckoned with.
But the story of the night was Maratik. In scoring six times — five on the ground, one through the air — the junior running back set Fond du Lac individual game records for touchdowns (6) and points scored (36).
“I feel good, but I really have to give credit to my line,” Maratik said about his performance. “I really think they put up the six touchdowns and not really me. But we just executed and got it going.” Aside from Maratik, who rushed for 259 yards on 30 carries, the rest of the Cardinals’ offense certainly did their part against the Tigers. As a team, Fond du Lac (3-0, 1-0 VFA South) piled up a diabolic total of 666 yards — 488 of them coming on the ground.
Quarterback Jack Nejedlo was 9-of-17 passing for 178 yards with one touchdown, which went to — who else — Maratik. On defense, the Cardinals held Marshfield (1-2, 0-1 VFA South) to just 207 total yards, many of which came in the second half with the outcome already decided.
It didn’t take long for Fond du Lac, or Maratik, to find the board Friday. Three minutes into the game, after steadily working its way down the field, the Cardinals grabbed the only lead change of the contest when Nejedlo found Maratik wide open on a 15-yard screen pass. After Fond du Lac forced a Marshfield three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Maratik scored his first touchdown run on a 12-yard burst that saw him overpower two defenders near the goal line. Following a short scoring lull during the end of the first and beginning of the second quarters, Maratik scored touchdown No. 3 on a 4-yard run with three minutes left in the half. The Tigers did find some life with a long kickoff return that set up a short touchdown, but Maratik and the Cardinals wiped out any possible momentum shift with his fourth score of the night with only a minute to go before halftime. Following a Ryan Collien interception that set up Fond du Lac at the Marshfield 22-yard line midway through the third quarter, Maratik scored his fifth TD. Then, after another pick — courtesy of Kyle Pierce — Maratik blew by the Marshfield defense en route to his sixth and longest touchdown of the night, this one coming from 48 yards out. “He ran the ball exceptionally well,” Gnewuch said of Maratik. “He ran the ball hard. The offensive line, it was exceptional as well. I think you’ve got to give some credit to coach (Steve) Jorgensen and the whole offensive staff because we don’t do the same thing over and over. We’re extremely hard to scout.” Keon Jefferson, Quinn Woelfel and Levi Burns would cap off Fond du Lac’s scoring for the night, with Burns scoring on a 47-yard dash late in the contest.
With a win like this, paired with two impressive victories against Appleton North and Appleton West, Fond du Lac is looking every bit like one of the best teams not only in the area, but in the state. That said, it’s still only three weeks into the season and the Cards realize they can’t relax against any of the opponents they have coming up — starting with Stevens Point next week. “Stevens Point is going to be a tough game next week and we just need to go one at a time,” Maratik said. “Have a great week of practice and execute better. We still had a lot of mistakes and we’ve got to clean it up.” Added Gnewuch: “Our motto is ‘Never Satisfied.’ We know there’s stuff we need to clean up on film. We gave up a kickoff return (that led to) a touchdown tonight. We gave up the edge a couple times on defense. We had a couple foolish penalties on the offensive side of the ball tonight. So there’s plenty of stuff we’ve got to clean up.”
Marshfield…0 7 7 0 — 14
Fond du Lac…14 14 20 13 — 61
Scoring summary:
FDL— Justin Maratik, 15 pass from Jack Nejedlo (Danny Behlke kick), 9:13.
FDL— Justin Maratik, 12 run (Danny Behlke kick), 4:13.
FDL— Justin Maratik, 5 run (Danny Behlke kick), 2:57.
Marsh.— Derek Coffren, 1 run (Zach McManus kick), 2:40.
FDL— Justin Maratik, 4 run (Danny Behlke kick), 1:00.
FDL— Justin Maratik, 6 run (Danny Behlke kick), 5:36.
FDL— Justin Maratik, 48 run (kick fail), 5:00.
Marsh. — Nick Hoheisel, 9 run (fumble recovered in end zone) (Zach McManus kick), 1:02.
FDL— Keon Jefferson, 5 run (Danny Behlke kick), 0:29.
FDL— Quinn Woelfel, 13 run (kick fail), 7:31.
FDL — Levi Burns, 47 run (Danny Behlke kick), 4:27.
Team stats
Mar. FDL
First downs…12 29
Total yards…207 666
Rushing…64 488
Passes (C-A-I)…15-31-4 9-17-0
Passing yards…143 178
Fumbles…1 1
Individual leaders
Rushing: Marsh.— Thomas Gisvold, 11-29. FDL— Justin Maratik, 30-259.
Passing: Marsh.— Derek Coffren, 15-31-143-4. FDL— Jack Nejedlo, 9-17-178-0.
Receiving: Marsh.— Kegan Fassler, 3-49. FDL — Brian Luteyn, 4-95.
Game 2: Fond du Lac stomps Appleton West 54-0
A win over a struggling Appleton West program may not, in itself, validate just how good the Fond du Lac football team thinks it can be this year. When that victory comes in the form of a 50-point blowout — a margin indicative of just how thoroughly the Cardinals dominated — it’s pretty good evidence of the quality of Fond du Lac football in 2014.
The Cardinals piled up over 500 yards of total offense and stifled Appleton West on defense as they crushed the Terrors 54-0 Friday night in a nonconference game at Fruth Field.”We had a good game plan coming in,” Fond du Lac quarterback Jack Nejedlo said. “We saw what they did on defense and thought we could go around it with our blocking scheme. It wasn’t just our offense. It was a team effort. Our defense stepped up. They had a shutout, which is impressive.” It didn’t take long for Fond du Lac (2-0) to impose its will on Appleton West (0-2). After forcing a three-and-out on the Terrors’ initial drive, the Cardinals needed only two plays to score the first of what was to be many touchdowns. After a short run to start the drive, Nejedlo found wide receiver Brian Luteyn for what looked to be a moderate gain down the sideline – Luteyn never stopped running. Breaking a tackle here, tiptoeing along the sideline there, Luteyn rumbled 75 yards for the score and just like that the Cardinals had the lead only two minutes in.
The next two drives saw Nejedlo score on short runs before Justin Maratik scored the first of his two touchdowns on a one-yard plunge with 8:43 left in the half. Four drives, four touchdowns. And the Cardinals were far from done. After a Ryan Collien interception set Fond du Lac up on their own 30-yard line, Maratik scored his second TD — this one coming from 60 yards out. Rushing for nearly 180 yards on the day on only 14 carries, the 6-foot, 185-pound Maratik showed the ability to break away in the open field, yet still get the tough yards between the tackles. Like any smart running back, Maratik credited his offensive line. “The line really got me going,” he said. “If it’s not for them, I can’t do my job. They just did a really good job of executing and getting the blocks down. Kyle Pierce added a 13-yard touchdown run to close out the half and with the Cardinals up 40-0, most of the starters were pulled. Backup quarterback Quinn Woelfel scored both of Fond du Lac’s touchdowns in the second half. Apart from Maratik’s big night, Nejedlo threw for 124 yards and ran for 35. Luteyn was Nejedlo’s favorite target on Friday, catching all four of his completions.
Woelfel made the most of his playing time in second half, rushing for 78 yards on nine attempts, scoring twice. He also completed two passes for 35 yards. Although 54 points on offense is what will draw the most attention, Fond du Lac’s defense played as well, if not better, than its counterparts. In pitching the shutout, the Cardinals allowed a total of only 35 yards to the Terrors. This comes after allowing just a touchdown to Appleton North last week. “It’s all 100 percent effort on every play,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said of his team’s success defensively. “We want 11 hats on the ball every single play. We’re doing a great job getting hats to the football right now.”
With two impressive wins to start the season, Fond du Lac is looking every bit the team many thought they could be. Nejedlo pointed out that while the Cardinals are certainly a confident bunch right now, they’re not letting it get to their heads. “We feel confident, but we don’t want to be too cocky about that,” he said. “These are two nonconference games. We’ve got a lot of good conference games coming up. …These games are good confidence-boosters, but we don’t want to think about them too much because in reality they don’t mean anything.”
Fond du Lac hosts Valley Football Association South powerhouse Marshfield next Friday and despite two lopsided wins to start the year, the Cardinals know they have work to do in certain areas. “We still need to improve on our fits on defense,” Gnewuch said. “We’re fitting a few plays wide. We need to work on setting the edge a little bit better. Offensively, we’ve got to clean up some mistakes, some footwork-type issues. When you watch film and you go back and look at it, there’s always plenty to improve upon.”
Appleton West…0 0 0 0 — 0
Fond du Lac…20 20 0 14 — 54
Scoring summary:
FDL— Brian Luteyn, 75 pass from Jack Nejedlo (Aaron Wehner kick), 9:46.
FDL— Jack Nejedlo, 5 run (kick fail), 6:27.
FDL— Jack Nejedlo, 3 run (Danny Behlke kick), 0:57.
FDL— Justin Maratik, 1 run (Danny Behlke kick), 8:43.
FDL— Justin Maratik, 60 run (Danny Behlke kick), 5:30.
FDL— Kyle Pierce, 13 run (pass fail), 1:48.
FDL— Quinn Woelfel, 20 run (Danny Behlke kick), 10:04.
FDL— Quinn Woelfel, 1 run (Joe Kuber kick), 3:07.
Team stats
…AW FDL
First downs 5 23
Total yards 35 506
Rushing…31 347
Passes (C-A-I)…6-13-1 6-8-0
Passing yards…4 160
Fumbles…1-1 3-1
Individual leaders
Rushing:FDL— Justin Maratik, 14-176.
Passing:FDL— Jack Nejedlo, 4-6-124.
Receiving: FDL— Brian Luteyn, 4-124.
Game 1: Nejedlo, Fondy opens with win over Appleton North
The Fond du Lac football team opened up its season with a big 27-7 win over Appleton North Friday night, in a game played in Appleton. Trailing 7-0 at the half, Fondy scored 13 points in the third and 14 more in the fourth while shutting out the Lightning.
Jack Nejedlo, who played in his first game since tearing his ACL in the second week of last season, finished with 195 yards passing, while rushing for 86 more. After a Lightning touchdown in the second quarter, Brian Luteyn tied it up with a 37-yard TD grab from Nejedlo. A Justin Maratik 1-yard TD gave Fondy a 13-7 lead and it never trailed again. Kyle Pierece added a 40-yard touchdown and Nejedlo ran one in for 35 yards in the fourth quarter.
Fondy totaled 344 yards in the win, while holding Appleton North to just 214. Maratik led Fondy in rushing with 106 yards while Luteyn had a game-high 52 yards receiving.
Fond du Lac… 0 0 13 14— 27
Appleton North…0 7 0 0— 7
Scoring summary:
AN — Ethan Danz 1 run (Alex Macke kick).
FDL — Brian Luteyn 37 pass from Jack Nejedlo (Aaron Wehner kick).
FDL — Justin Maratik 1 run (kick failed).
FDL — Kyle Pierce 40 pass from Nejedlo (Wehner kick).
FDL— Nejedlo 35 run (Wehner kick).
Team stats
… FDL AN
First downs 9 13
Total yards 344 214
Rushing… 30-195 48-176
Passes (C-A-I)…10-15-1 8-20-0
Passing yards…149 38
Fumbles…0-0 1-0
Individual leaders
Rushing: FDL— Justin Maratik 18-106-1, Jack Nejedlo 11-86.
AN— Danz 24-151.
Passing: FDL— Nejedlo 10-15-1-195.
AN— Bruce Schroeder 8-20-0-38..
Receiving: FDL — Brian Luteyn 3-52, Kyle Pierce 3-45, Marcus Ruch 3-40.
AN— Spencer Christiansen 4-25.