Go to link below for complete FVA Varsity Football – Stats & Standings
http://www.fvasports.net/page/show/1251325-football
0 – 1 | 28 – 35 | Kimberly | Fruth Field |
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1 – 1 | 38 – 7 | @ DC Everest | Steihm Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
2 – 1 | 35 – 21 | Appleton North | Fruth Field |
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3 – 1 | 49 – 21 | @ Menominee MI | ||||||||||||||||||
4 – 1 | 42 – 19 | @ Hortonville | Hortonville High School |
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5 – 1 | 56 – 0 | Oshkosh North | Fruth Field |
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6 – 1 | 48 – 14 | @ Oshkosh West | Titan Stadium |
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7 – 1 | 7 – 3 | Neenah | Fruth Field |
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7 – 2 | 24 – 26 | @ Stevens Point | Goerke Field |
WIAA Division 1 Playoffs
8 – 2 42 – 2 Milwaukee King Fruth Field
9 – 2 17 – 14 Arrowhead Fruth Field
9 – 3 21 – 28 Kimberly @ Kimberly
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Varsity Roster
No. Name Grade Position Ht. Wt.
1 Noah Wenger 12 WR/DB 6′ 170
2 Eben Sauer 11 RB 5’9″ 155
3 Nic Flitcroft 12 DB 5’9″ 155
4 Carson Raddatz 11 QB/LB 6′ 185
5 Alex Balthazor 11 WR 6’3″ 175
6 Joshua Little 11 DB 5’9 170
7 Garret Sphatt 12 DL/FB 6′ 1″ 235
8 Jack Cole 12 QB 6′ 165
9 Eli Sieckman 11 DB 5´11¨ 155
10 Zach Dilling 12 SE 6′ 180
11 Henry Lange 12 TE/DL 6’2″ 215
12 Jonah Deitte 11 QB/WR 6’2″ 155
13 Drew Jorgensen 12 WR 5’11” 180
14 Ben Viau 11 LB 6´3″ 205
15 Ben Birschbach 10 QB 6’1″ 160
16 Ethan Kissinger 10 QB/DB 5’10” 160
17 Nick Pieper 12 DB 6’1″ 160
18 Nick Behnke 10 WR/DB 5’8″ 140
19 Julian Murillo 10 WR/DB 5’8″ 140
20 Cole Seigworth 11 WR/DB 5’10” 155
21 Zach Walljasper 12 DB 6′ 180
22 Austyn Olson 12 DB 5’8″ 165
23 Caeleb Plante 10 WR/DB 5’11” 145
24 Peyton Nett 12 WR/DB 6′ 180
25 Jake Towell 11 WR/DB 6′ 160
26 Drew Bonlander 11 WR/DB 6’0″ 165
27 Sam Schmidt 11 WR/DB 5′ 7″ 135
28 Jared Scheberl 11 DB/K 6’0″ 155
30 Kaidyn Thern 10 WR/DB 5’8″ 145
31 Dylan Sieloff 11 RB/DB 5´9¨ 165
33 James Riehl 10 RB/LB 5’6″ 150
35 Moses Riehl 10 RB/DE 6′ 180
36 Fletcher Haus 10 RB/LB 5’7″ 150
38 Gavin Baseley 10 RB/LB 5’9″ 155
39 Jon Vanna 10 RB/LB 5’7″ 145
40 Sam Hernandez 11 DB/WR 5’10” 175
41 Colton Wasieleski 12 RB 5’9″ 210
42 Parker Veness 12 RB/LB 5’6″ 190
43 Sam Peterson 10 RB/LB 5’8″ 165
44 Hunter Hansen 10 RB/LB 5’10” 165
47 Blake Schneider 10 RB/LB 5’7″ 155
48 Adam Hopper 11 LB/TE 6’3″ 200
49 Zavier Ellis 10 RB/LB 5’8″ 155
50 Brady Immel 11 OL/DL 5’11” 190
51 Elijah Diederich 10 OL/DL 6′ 180
52 Andrew Stone 11 LB/OL 6’1″ 255
54 Austin Baatz 11 DE 5’9″ 185
55 Austin Farr 12 DL 5’8″ 220
56 Joe Schlagenhaft 11 OL 5´11” 255
58 Hunter Etheridge 11 LB 5’11” 220
60 Riley Neal 11 OL 5’11” 230
62 Noah Harmsen 10 OL/DL 6′ 180
64 Jonah Gutzmann 11 OL/DL 5′ 9″ 205
70 Dalton Peters 12 OL 5’9″ 220
73 Paul Thielman 10 OL/DL 6′ 215
74 Luke Mueller 11 OL/DL 6’1″ 260
75 Carson Camacho 12 OL/DL 6′ 190
77 Brock Mayer 10 OL/DL 5’11” 180
78 Logan Berandt 11 OL 6´3¨ 265
79 Jacob Cotton 11 OL/DL 6’1” 295
80 Brayden Collien 10 WR/DB 5’8″ 145
81 Isaiah Diederich 10 TE/DL 6’1″ 165
83 Brennan Lund 10 TE/DL 6’4″ 165
84 Owen Nitkowski 10 TE/DL 5’10” 150
85 JoJo Cruthers 10 DB/RB 5’7″ 140
93 Sean Jurgensmeier 11 DL 5’9″ 195
95 Hunter Thyrion 10 DL 5’8″ 220
96 Byron Sabel 11 DL 6’4′ 255
97 Hunter Murtha 11 FB/LB 6’0″ 200
98 Michael Meyers 10 OL/DL 6’1″ 160
99 Nick Asmus 11 DL 6’2″ 215
Head Coach: Mike Gnewuch
Assistant Coaches:
Steve Jorgensen – Justin Budiac – Nathan Wara – Steven Jorgensen – Arik Gunderson – Andy Selgrad – TJ Severson –
Joe Guyette – Brian Harney – Jim Bond – Brian Shea – Eric Gross – Dominic Tangredi
Team Chaplain: Rev. John Slotten
Superintendent: Dr. James Sebert
Principal: Matthew Steinbarth
Athletic Director: David Michalkiewicz
Athletic Trainer: Ashlee Baer
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Mike Gnewuch steps down as Fond du Lac head football coach
Mike Gnewuch has stepped down as head football coach at Fond du Lac High School, it was announced by the school on Tuesday. Gnewuch, who will resign as a social studies teacher at the school effective at the end of the school year, has led the Cardinals football program since 2012 after coming to Fond du Lac from Arrowhead.
Gnewuch went 46-21 in his six seasons with the Cardinals and qualified for the WIAA playoffs the last five seasons. Fond du Lac was 32-14 in conference play under Gnewuch and claimed the 2015 VFA South title.Fond du Lac won at least nine games in each of the past four seasons and reached Level 3 of the WIAA playoffs in each of those four years.
Mike Gnewuch has constructed a football powerhouse at Fond du Lac.There are 282 days to go. Mike Gnewuch knew the number off the top of his head Nov. 8. It’s the amount of time that must pass before the 2018 football season opener. On that day, his Fond du Lac football team will get a chance to do something it came achingly close to accomplishing twice this season: beat Kimberly.The Papermakers brought a nation-best 68-game winning streak into the state semifinals after a narrow win over Fond du Lac in Level 3, and they sat two wins away from a fifth consecutive state title.
Safe to say, Gneuwch — who spent nine years as an assistant at Arrowhead — would love to see that streak on the line come the start 2018, too. “You got that right,” he said with a laugh.Gnewuch, who wasn’t the choice to lead Arrowhead’s football program when it hired Greg Malling in 2011, has helped turn the Cardinals into one of the top programs in the state, one that looked like the best bet to put that Kimberly streak to bed.It took a 52-yard run on fourth down late in the game and a gut-wrenching fumble on the goal line thereafter to help Kimberly escape with the 28-21 win in Level 3, and a touchdown in the final minute to lift Kimberly past Fondy in the first week of the season, 35-28.“Playing Kimberly in Week 1, it exposes who you are, and we were really young on D this year,” said Gnewuch, a former defensive coordinator and special-teams coordinator with Arrowhead. “We had nine of our starters that were underclassmen. We knew we’d have some growing pains early on. Kimberly exposed that right away, and we made some changes primarily but after that, but we just continued to get better. We don’t feel we played especially well, so I think that was somewhat a confidence booster because we realized we didn’t play that well and still hung with the best in the state until the end. Same thing Friday night (in Level 3). Our effort was there; we just made way too many mistakes.”
Building a winner
Gnewuch knows another series of numbers off the top of his head: the number of free and reduced lunches (50 percent) at Fond du Lac, as well as how that compares to other programs in the Fox Valley Association. It’s a significantly larger number than what one would find in Lake Country, and it suggests that the school’s large enrollment — one of the biggest in the state — might be misleading when it comes to athletics.“The dynamics that accompany that are huge,” Gnewuch said. “There’re a lot of issues we have to overcome, and our kids to a pretty darn good job of it. Arrowhead’s numbers are so different. There were always 225 kids in the program; we’re sitting at 105 and roughly the same-sized school. Their participation numbers are a lot bigger.”Gnewuch has done his part to help the culture grow. In his first year at Fond du Lac in 2012, the squad won three games. The program hasn’t missed the playoffs in the five years since, and the past four teams have won at least nine games apiece. “It was a culture thing,” he said. “A big piece of it was accountability, as well. Now, we have every single one of our kids in the program lifting weights. Maybe 25 percent of them prior to that lifted. The multisport athlete piece was a big one as well. We have almost 100 percent are multisport athletes. That was a big thing, just trying to get our kids to do the right things.”The social studies teacher also teaches a course on character development and leadership. “I didn’t come here expecting to develop the course and teach it, but it didn’t take long for me to see that it was something that was drastically needed,” he said. “I teach eight sections every year.”Now, Gnewuch will look ahead to 2018, where his team’s clash with Kimberly could be the spotlight game in the state of Wisconsin to kick off the season.“(Being a head coach) is everything I expected,” he said. “I was ready a year or two prior to me leaving Arrowhead, and when I stepped into it, it was everything I expected. It’s just been awesome. I love every aspect of being the head coach. Coach Taraska gave me so much freedom and so many responsibilities to do things that would prepare me for this role. The mentorship that he gave me will always be appreciated.”
Gnewuch led the Cardinals to the playoffs the past five seasons (with at least nine wins each of the past four years and Level 3 appearances each time). Three of the past four years, state powerhouse Kimberly has been the one to end Fondy’s season, though his team twice nearly snapped Kimberly’s state-record winning streak in the process. The Cardinals fell by a touchdown both in the season opener and in Level 3 of the playoffs against the Papermakers.Fondy will get another swing to snap the 70-game record in the 2018 season opener. But Gnewuch will be coaching at Mukwonago on Aug. 17 against Catholic Memorial.“I’m leaving the program in a good state right now,” Gnewuch said. “We have 16 starters returning for next year, and we’ve made Level 3 playoff appearances the last four years. I was asked how successful I view it. I’ll let you know that in a decade when the young men (whose lives) that I was so fortunate to have been a part of are off doing jobs in the professional world and are husbands and fathers … That’s a true success of a coach, if they’re able to impact young men and turn them into men and make their lives better. “As far as wins and losses, we’ve been pretty darn successful but obviously didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish here (in a state title). I’m not going to let that define me, and I hope that the guys that I’ve been so fortunate to coach and teach, that they’ve been impacted and their life is better in the long run.”
http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0139/1990/2017_WFCA_All-State.pdf
http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0139/1991/2017_WFCA_HonorableMentionAllState.pdf
Honorable Mention All-State
Punter
Adam Hopper Fond du Lac 6′ 3″ 205 JR
Tight End / Fullback
Henry Lange Fond du Lac 6′ 1″ 225 SR
2017 WFCA All-Region Teams
http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0139/1992/2017_WFCA_All-Region.pdf
Defensive End
Garret Sphatt Fond du Lac 6′ 1″ 235 SR NE
Outside Linebacker
Carson Raddatz Fond du Lac 6′ 0″ 185 JR NE
Punter
Adam Hopper Fond du Lac 6’3″ 205 JR NE
Offensive Lineman
Joe Schlagenhaft Fond du Lac 6’0″ 265 JR NE
Tight End / Fullback
Henry Lange Fond du Lac 6’1″ 225 SR NE
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Go to link below for complete 2017 Valley Football Association results
http://www.fvasports.net/page/show/1251325-football
Go to link below for complete Valley Football Association 2017 Southern Division All Conference
http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0136/8365/FBSouth2017.pdf
1st Team Offense – Fond du Lac HS
* Unanimous selection
* Joe Schlagenhaft 11 Off. Lineman 6’0 255
* Luke Mueller 11 Off. Lineman 6’1 260
* Andrew Stone 11 Off. Lineman 6’1 255
* Henry Lange 12 Fullback/Tight End 6’1 225
* Colton Wasieleski 12 Running Back 5’9 210
Eben Sauer 11 Running Back 5’9 155
Jack Cole 12 Quarterback 6’0 165
Head Coach Mike Gnewuch — VFA SD “Coach of the Year”
Honorable Mention Offense – Fond du Lac HS
Riley Neal 11 Off. Lineman 5’11 230
Drew Jorgensen 12 Receiver 6’0 180
Noah Wenger 12 Receiver 6’0 165
Peyton Nett 12 Receiver 6’0 175
1st Team Defense – Fond du Lac HS
* Unanimous selection
* Garret Sphatt 12 Defensive End 6’1 235
* Ben Viau 11 Inside Linebacker 6’3 205
* Carson Raddatz 11 Outside Linebacker 6’0 185
* Nick Pieper 12 Cornerback 6’1 160
* Drew Bonlander 11 Safety 6’0 165
* Adam Hopper 11 Punter 6’3 2022
Honorable Mention Defense – Fond du Lac HS
Byron Sabel 11 Def. Lineman 6’5 255
Dylan Sieloff 11 Cornerback 5’10 165
Jared Scheberl 11 Kicker 6’0 165
Jack Cole has broken the Fond du Lac HS “Season Passing Record” with 2,139 passing yards
The previous season passing record was set by Lee Groeschl during the 2001 season with 779 passing yards
Jack Cole has also broken the Fond du Lac HS “Career Passing Record” with 3,920 passing yards
The previous career passing record was set by Larry Bornemann during 1964-65-66 seasons with 2,712 passing yards
Present day Goodrich/Fond du Lac HS Football passing records as of November 8, 2017
Game Passing 357 yds 2010 Joey Schroeder
Season Passing 2,139 yds 2017 Jack Cole
Career Passing 3,920 yds 2017 Jack Cole
Season TD’s 23 2001 Lee Groeschl
Head Coach Mike Gnewuch has constructed a football powerhouse at Fond du Lac
There are 282 days to go. Mike Gnewuch knew the number off the top of his head Nov. 8. It’s the amount of time that must pass before the 2018 football season opener. On that day, his Fond du Lac football team will get a chance to do something it came achingly close to accomplishing twice this season: beat Kimberly.
The Papermakers brought a nation-best 68-game winning streak into the state semifinals after a narrow win over Fond du Lac in Level 3, and they sat two wins away from a fifth consecutive state title. Safe to say, Gneuwch — who spent nine years as an assistant at Arrowhead — would love to see that streak on the line come the start 2018, too. “You got that right,” he said with a laugh.
Gnewuch, who wasn’t the choice to lead Arrowhead’s football program when it hired Greg Malling in 2011, has helped turn the Cardinals into one of the top programs in the state, one that looked like the best bet to put that Kimberly streak to bed.
It took a 52-yard run on fourth down late in the game and a gut-wrenching fumble on the goal line thereafter to help Kimberly escape with the 28-21 win in Level 3, and a touchdown in the final minute to lift Kimberly past Fondy in the first week of the season, 35-28.
“Playing Kimberly in Week 1, it exposes who you are, and we were really young on D this year,” said Gnewuch, a former defensive coordinator and special-teams coordinator with Arrowhead. “We had nine of our starters that were underclassmen. We knew we’d have some growing pains early on. Kimberly exposed that right away, and we made some changes primarily but after that, but we just continued to get better. We don’t feel we played especially well, so I think that was somewhat a confidence booster because we realized we didn’t play that well and still hung with the best in the state until the end. Same thing Friday night (in Level 3). Our effort was there; we just made way too many mistakes.”
Building a winner
Gnewuch knows another series of numbers off the top of his head: the number of free and reduced lunches (50 percent) at Fond du Lac, as well as how that compares to other programs in the Fox Valley Association.
It’s a significantly larger number than what one would find in Lake Country, and it suggests that the school’s large enrollment — one of the biggest in the state — might be misleading when it comes to athletics. “The dynamics that accompany that are huge,” Gnewuch said. “There’re a lot of issues we have to overcome, and our kids to a pretty darn good job of it. Arrowhead’s numbers are so different. There were always 225 kids in the program; we’re sitting at 105 and roughly the same-sized school. Their participation numbers are a lot bigger.”
Gnewuch has done his part to help the culture grow. In his first year at Fond du Lac in 2012, the squad won three games. The program hasn’t missed the playoffs in the five years since, and the past four teams have won at least nine games apiece. “It was a culture thing,” he said. “A big piece of it was accountability, as well. Now, we have every single one of our kids in the program lifting weights. Maybe 25 percent of them prior to that lifted. The multisport athlete piece was a big one as well. We have almost 100 percent are multisport athletes. That was a big thing, just trying to get our kids to do the right things.”
The social studies teacher also teaches a course on character development and leadership. “I didn’t come here expecting to develop the course and teach it, but it didn’t take long for me to see that it was something that was drastically needed,” he said. “I teach eight sections every year.”
Ties to Lake Country
Arrowhead got to know what Gnewuch’s Fond du Lac team can do on the field, though the Warhawks gave the Cardinals a run in Level 2 of the playoffs in a 17-14 battle. “I still know some of the parents and have a lot of close friends who have kids over there,” Gnewuch said. “A couple former players are coaching there now, and it was neat to meet up with them and talk a little bit.”
The satisfying victory for Gnewuch also came with a dash of “What if?” When Tom Taraska stepped down from his long tenure as AHS head coach in 2011, Gnewuch was among the applicants. The position went to Malling, who eventually led the program to four straight state-title games. “I was crushed,” Gnewuch admitted. “When I first got hired at Arrowhead and throughout my entire career, I never saw myself leaving. I loved it there. I loved the teaching aspect of it, the people I worked with were fantastic, the parents were so supportive, the kids worked hard. I never pictured myself going somewhere else, and so when I didn’t get the job, I was crushed. I just had to keep doing what I had done my whole career at Arrowhead, try to work hard and try to be better each day.”
Gnewuch stayed one more year before the Fond du Lac job opened. It gave him an opportunity to build it back with the assistance of Steve Jorgensen, a former Kimberly coach who remains one of the assistant coaches today. But Gnewuch had another chance to come back two years ago when he applied for the Kettle Moraine head position. He ultimately took himself out of the running, and the vacancy was filled by Justin Gumm, who has since led the Lasers to their first playoff appearance since 2008.
“(KM athletics director) Mike Fink and (principal) Jeff Walters, they’re wonderful men,” Gnewuch said. “It came down to timing. I don’t know if there’s ever a good time, but we had started our summer program already. I just couldn’t pull the trigger and leave my kids at that point. I think it worked it really well for Kettle Moraine because Justin Gumm was a great hire for them. Everything has worked out for the best.”
Now, Gnewuch will look ahead to 2018, where his team’s clash with Kimberly could be the spotlight game in the state of Wisconsin to kick off the season. “(Being a head coach) is everything I expected,” he said. “I was ready a year or two prior to me leaving Arrowhead, and when I stepped into it, it was everything I expected. It’s just been awesome. I love every aspect of being the head coach. Coach Taraska gave me so much freedom and so many responsibilities to do things that would prepare me for this role. The mentorship that he gave me will always be appreciated.”
2017 WIAA Division 1 Football Playoffs
Go to link below for complete WIAA Division 1 bracket
http://halftime.wiaawi.org/CustomApps/Tournaments/Brackets/HTML/2017_Football_Boys_Div1_Sec1_2.html
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Fond du Lac 0 7 7 7 21
Kimberly 0 21 0 7 28
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
2 1:48 14 TD pass from Jack Cole To Drew Jorgenason, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
3 6:56 19 TD Run Dylan Sieloff, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
4 9:37 1 TD Run Dylan Sieloff, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 12 19 190 1 0
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Noah Wenger 1 42 0 0 15
Drew Jorgenson 2 27 1 0 2
Payton Nett 7 103 0 0 37
Dylan Siefoff 1 5 0 0 2
Parker Vaness 1 13 0 0 8
Fond du Lac Totals 12 190 1 0 64
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD Fum
Jack Cole 6 -21 0 1
Dylan Sieloff 16 98 2 0
Colton Wasieleski 14 57 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 36 134 2 1
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Colton Wasieleski 0 0 0 0 0
Jared Scheberl 0 3 0 0 3
Drew Joregneson 1 0 0 0 6
Dylan Sieloff 2 0 0 0 12
Defensive Stats Asst Sack
Player TCK TCK TFL Sacks Yds
Carson Raddatz 2 2
Joshua Little 1 1
Garret Sphatt 5 3 2
Julian Murillo 2
Ben Viau 5 6 1
Nick Pieper 1
Drew Bonlander 3 1
Dylan Sieloff 4
Sam Hernandez 4 2
Hunter Hansen 4 4 1
Adam Hopper 2 3 1 2 15
Byron Sabel 1 1 1 1 1
Hunter Murtha 1 1
Fond du Lac Totals 35 24 6 3 16
KIMBERLY – The Kimberly football team has won almost every way imaginable as it compiled the nation’s longest wining streak over the last four-plus years.
On Friday, the Papermakers saw the ball bounce their way in the most crucial of times in their 28-21 victory over Fond du Lac in a WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinal game at Papermakers Stadium. Fond du Lac fumbled a snap at the Kimberly 1-yard line on a fourth-and-goal situation in the closing minute that prevented a possible tying touchdown as Kimberly escaped with the win.
The win propels Kimberly to next Friday’s state semifinal game against rival Appleton North at Titan Stadium in Oshkosh. Kimberly has won four consecutive state championships, including the last three in Division 1, and has won 68 consecutive games.
“I’m really proud of our defense,” Kimberly coach Steve Jones said. “They put themselves in position because they forced them to a fourth down. Luckily and fortunately, the ball bounced our way there.”
Fond du Lac rallied from a 21-7 deficit with touchdown runs of 19 and 1 yards from backup running back Dylan Sieloff in the third quarter.
Kimberly converted in spectacular fashion on a critical 4th-and-1 with just over six minutes remaining to take the lead. Quarterback Alec Rosner hurried his team to the line coming off a timeout, ran a few hard counts and then pitched the ball to DJ Stewart off the right side. Stewart cut back against the grain and covered 52 yards for the eventual game-clinching touchdown. Stewart finished with 201 yards on 29 carries and also had a 15-yard score in the first quarter. Rosner was sharp in the first half, directing three second-quarter scoring drives with two of them ending on touchdown passes of 46 and 3 yards to Joe Lemancik and Zach Lechnir, respectively. Rosner finished 11-of-12 passing with 193 yards.
Fond du Lac’s Jack Cole had a 14-yard touchdown to Drew Jorgensen in the second quarter and Cole finished with 175 yards passing on 10-of-17 attempts. Cole drove Fondy to the Kimberly in the closing minutes, but the fumble thwarted a possible game-tying situation.
It was the third excruciating loss by the Cardinals to the Papermakers in a year. Kimberly beat Fond du Lac 35-28 in Week 1 and the Papermakers also beat Fond du Lac 32-29 in last year’s state quarterfinal. Both games saw the Cardinals make crucial mistakes at key times that helped Kimberly get the victory. “We just had too many errors and we battled, but with the amount of mistakes that we made we just weren’t able to overcome,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said. “It wasn’t because of lack of effort, it was just a lack of execution. We weren’t able to execute as well as what we need to.”
Fond du Lac 0 7 14 0 — 21
Kimberly 0 21 0 7 — 28
SCORING
Second Quarter
K – Joe Lemancik 46 pass from Alec Rosner (Owen Johnson kick)
K – D.J. Stewart 15 run (Johnson kick)
FDL – Drew Jorgensen 14 pass from Jack Cole (Jared Scheberl kick)
K – Zach Lechnir 3 pass from Alec Rosner (Johnson kick)
Third Quarter
FDL – Dylan Sieloff 19 run (Scheberl kick)
FDL – Sieloff 1 run (Scheberl kick)
Fourth Quarter
K – D.J. Stewart 52 run (Johnson kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: FDL – Sieloff 15-93. K – Stewart 29-201.
Passing: FDL – Cole 10-17-0-175. K – Rosner 11-12-0-193.
Receiving: FDL – Peyton Nett 6-88. K – Griffin Freimuth 3-84.
Fond du Lac (9-2) at Kimberly (11-0)
About the Cardinals: The second-seeded Cardinals finished tied for the Valley Football Association-South championship with Neenah with a 6-2 record. Fond du Lac is making its fifth consecutive playoff appearance and 16th overall. The Cardinals won the Division 1 state championship in 1987.
Last week: The Cardinals defeated Hartland Arrowhead 17-14 in a second-round playoff game as they built a 10-0 halftime lead and held on from there. Running back Colton Wasieleski paced Fond du Lac with 37 rushes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Jared Scheberl added a 30-yard second-quarter field goal.
Quarterback Jack Cole completed nine of 17 passes for 98 yards.
For the season: Cole leads Fond du Lac, completing 107 of 189 passes (56.6 percent) for 1,924 yards and 20 touchdowns. He has been intercepted seven times. He has also rushed for three touchdowns. Wasieleski is the Cardinals’ top rusher, gaining 937 yards on 178 carries (5.3 average) and 13 touchdowns, while Eben Sauer has carried 30 times for 332 yards (11.1 average) and four touchdowns.
Henry Lange is the Cardinals’ top receiver with 19 receptions for 594 yards (31.3 average) and five touchdowns, while Drew Jorgensen has 17 receptions for 156 yards (9.2 average) and one TD and Peyton Nett 13 receptions for 237 yards (18.2 average) and three touchdowns.
Season opener: The teams opened the season in Fond du Lac as Kimberly rallied for a 35-28 victory, scoring 21 fourth-quarter points. D.J. Stewart scored the game-winning touchdown with 44 seconds to go as the Papermakers erased a 28-27 deficit.
About the Papermakers: The top-seeded Papermakers have won a state-record 67 games in a row and won the VFA-North title for the fifth consecutive season. It’s also the 12th consecutive season where Kimberly has finished either first or second in the conference.
The Papermakers have won four consecutive state championships, one in Division 2 (2013) and the others in Division 1. Overall, the Papermakers have six titles.
Last week: Stewart rushed for 263 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries and quarterback Alec Rosner completed 14 of 20 passes for 288 yards and two scores and also rushed for another as Kimberly held off Milwaukee Marquette 49-33 in a second-round matchup. Kimberly led 14-0 after one quarter and 21-13 at the half before using a 21-13 third-quarter advantage to pull away.
For the season: Rosner has completed 108 of 162 passes (66.7 percent) for 1,791 yards and 22 touchdowns. He has been picked off four times. Stewart is the Papermakers’ leading rusher, gaining 1,652 yards on 243 carries (6.8 average) and 22 touchdowns. John Nett has added 590 yards on 63 carries (9.4 average) and eight touchdowns, while Rosner has rushed 35 times for 333 yards (9.5 average) and three scores.
Zach Lechnir is Kimberly’s top receiver with 41 receptions for 764 yards (18.6 average) and seven touchdowns, while Joe Lemancik has 15 receptions for 269 yards (17.9 average) and four touchdowns. Five other players — Austin Wallace (four), Tanner Johnson (four), Myles Laurent (one), Griffin Freimuth (one) and Stewart (one) — have also caught touchdown passes for the Papermakers.
The series: Kimberly leads 14-11.
The last time: Kimberly won 35-28 (Aug. 18, 2017).
Fond du Lac football aiming to take down Kimberly in quarterfinal game
When facing the four-time defending state champion that is riding a state-record 67-game winning streak, the common perception would suggest that the biggest concerns in pulling off the upset would be what the powerhouse team does. That’s not the case, though. At least not for the Fond du Lac Cardinals.
“The biggest thing we have to be concerned about isn’t necessarily them, it’s us,” senior defensive lineman Garrett Sphatt said. “We have to make sure we’re doing our own jobs and make sure we are assignment-sound. “We all have that bitter taste in our mouths, and it’s sweet we get to take it to them again and get another chance.”
Fond du Lac gets another shot at powerhouse Kimberly on Friday night when the two teams collide in a WIAA Division 1 quarterfinal at Papermaker Stadium. This is the third meeting between the squads in the last year and the second straight season the teams have met in the quarterfinals.
Last year, the Cardinals took the lead with about 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter only to have the Papermakers answer with just more than a minute to play and hold on for the win. Earlier this season it was a touchdown and two-point conversion with 44 seconds left that lifted Kimberly to the win. “We have to be able to finish. I just want our guys — win, lose or draw — to be lying completely exhausted on the field afterward. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said. “We, as a program, have so much respect for what Coach Jones has done. Great kids, it’s a great program and we feel honored to get the opportunity to play them yet again.”
This time, though, the Cardinals are looking for a different outcome. “I think we’ve made the necessary adjustments to come out on top,” quarterback Jack Cole said. “It feels great, obviously. We wanted this the whole season and we’re just ready to go.”
The Cardinals will certainly try to run the ball against Kimberly and did have success in each of the last two meetings. In the season opener, Fond du Lac put up 164 yards on Kimberly and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. In the quarterfinal last year, the Cardinals averaged 5.8 yards per carry and racked up 175 yards on the ground.
Fond du Lac also has a runner who has shouldered a lot of the load over the second half of the season in Colton Wasieleski, who has rushed for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns over the past five games, including 194 yards last week against Arrowhead. “We just have to run hard. It’s a grind. (The Kimberly defense), they all get to the ball and we have to sustain our block and hopefully it turns out good,” said Wasieleski. “We’ve proven we can play with them and we’re just going to have to see how it plays out Friday.”
One-dimensional teams, though, don’t fare well against a Kimberly defense that has held three of its last four opponents to eight points or less, but surrendered 33 in a loss to Marquette University last Friday. So Cole knows he will have to make use of his bevy of talented receivers to try to move the ball on the Papermakers. “It’s really important (to be balanced),” said Cole, who threw for 246 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against Kimberly. “We have to keep them off balance, not knowing what we’re doing.”
As in any game of this magnitude with this caliber of teams, turnovers can have a big impact on the outcome as can a penalty or two at the wrong time. In addition to that, what happens on third down is also going to likely decide the outcome.
Fond du Lac wants to keep its offense on the field as much as possible, so that means picking up first downs when they face third-down situations, while the defense has to stand strong when Kimberly gets into those situations. “It’s been an emphasis of ours, especially as of late, third downs and getting off the field on the defensive side. It’s not that we don’t play hard on first down and second down, but when we get to third down, maybe we have to find a little something extra to get off that field,” Gnewuch said. “We did a really nice job offensively keeping those chains moving (against Arrowhead), especially in the final moments of that game.”
Fond du Lac has proven, more than most teams, that it certainly is capable of going toe-to-toe with the state’s best. The Cardinals now want to show they can beat them. “We didn’t celebrate the win (over Arrowhead) very long,” Wasieleski said, “because it was right on to Kimberly.”
WIAA football playoffs
Division 1 quarterfinals
Fond du Lac at Kimberly
Appleton North at Bay Port
Muskego at Franklin
Madison West at Sun Prairie
2017 Fondy football looking awful lot like 1987 headlining, streak-killing team
Gary Clausius was a reporter and editor at The Reporter for more than 30 years. He covered local sports in the 1980s and ’90s.
Forgive longtime Fondy football fans if they feel as if they’ve stepped into a time machine. This week, the stars are aligned for the 2017 Cardinals in a way that is eerily similar to a landmark game that took place 30 years ago.
In a WIAA Division 1 State Playoff Quarterfinal game on Oct. 31, 1987, Fond du Lac beat Manitowoc 27-15 before a standing-room only crowd of more than 5,000 fans at venerable Fruth Field. In beating the three-time defending state champion Shipbuilders, the Cardinals ended a state-record 48-game winning streak. At the time, it was the longest in the nation. That Halloween-day triumph exorcised the demons from a series of crushing defeats at the hands of Manty and propelled Fondy to its only WIAA state football championship. Flash forward to this week as Fond du Lac prepares to take on host Kimberly at 7 p.m. in the state quarterfinals. The similarities between 1987 and 2017 are — pardon the Halloween pun — spooky. With Kimberly, the Cardinals are facing a team with an even more impressive resume than the Shipbuilders of three decades ago. The Papermakers possess the nation’s longest winning streak with 68 consecutive victories and are seeking their fifth straight WIAA state crown. The winning streaks of Fondy’s opponent then and now and the fact that the games come in the quarterfinal round are just two of a number of striking coincidences between Coach Jim Bond’s Cardinals of 1987 and Coach Mike Gnewuch’s current squad. Consider several other thought-provoking parallels. Number one: Both teams lostregular-season league games to their playoff rivals by a single touchdown.
In the season opener in Fond du Lac last Aug. 18, Kimberly won 35-28 after D.J. Stewart capped a 77-yard drive with a 2-yard scoring run with 44 seconds remaining in a Fox Valley Association crossover game between South and North Division teams, respectively. In 1987, a — you guessed it — 2-yard touchdown run stood up for a 7-0 Manitowoc victory in a Fox River Valley Conference contest in Fond du Lac. Number two: Each of the teams had to rebound from October league defeats. On Friday the 13th, the Cardinals fell 26-24 at Stevens Point after winning seven consecutive games following the season-opening loss to the Papermakers. On Oct. 9, 1987, Fond du Lac lost 18-12 to Sheboygan South despite 218 rushing yards from First-Team All-State running back Ben King.
Number three: The teams each won their previous playoff game by less than a touchdown. Last Friday, Fond du Lac topped Hartland Arrowhead 17-14. Thirty years before that, the Cardinals were taken to the wire before prevailing 21-19 over Sun Prairie. Senior John Muller ran for 220 yards to power Fondy.So, what — if anything — does all of this mean? The epic 1987 streak-ending win over Manitowoc was front-page news. “The streak ends at Fondy!” crowed the headline over the lead story on page 1 of The Reporter the following day, echoing a huge banner hung in front of the Fruth Field student section that predicted, “The streak stops here.” There are many fans who believe that legendary victory is the Cardinals’ most memorable triumph. In their view, the following 26-0 semifinal win over Eau Claire Memorial and 3-0 nail-biter against Oconomowoc in the state-title game were merely icing on the cake. Can history repeat itself? The Cardinals, no doubt, believe that it can. The task is a very difficult one. But Kimberly’s amazing winning streak and WIAA State Championship run is bound to end sometime. Why not at the hands of Fondy? After all, it has happened before.
Fond du Lac football aiming to take down Kimberly in quarterfinal game
When facing the four-time defending state champion that is riding a state-record 67-game winning streak, the common perception would suggest that the biggest concerns in pulling off the upset would be what the powerhouse team does. That’s not the case, though. At least not for the Fond du Lac Cardinals. “The biggest thing we have to be concerned about isn’t necessarily them, it’s us,” senior defensive lineman Garrett Sphatt said. “We have to make sure we’re doing our own jobs and make sure we are assignment-sound. “We all have that bitter taste in our mouths, and it’s sweet we get to take it to them again and get another chance.”Fond du Lac gets another shot at powerhouse Kimberly on Friday night when the two teams collide in a WIAA Division 1 quarterfinal at Papermaker Stadium. This is the third meeting between the squads in the last year and the second straight season the teams have met in the quarterfinals. Last year, the Cardinals took the lead with about 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter only to have the Papermakers answer with just more than a minute to play and hold on for the win. Earlier this season it was a touchdown and two-point conversion with 44 seconds left that lifted Kimberly to the win. “We have to be able to finish. I just want our guys — win, lose or draw — to be lying completely exhausted on the field afterward. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said. “We, as a program, have so much respect for what Coach Jones has done. Great kids, it’s a great program and we feel honored to get the opportunity to play them yet again.” This time, though, the Cardinals are looking for a different outcome. “I think we’ve made the necessary adjustments to come out on top,” quarterback Jack Cole said. “It feels great, obviously. We wanted this the whole season and we’re just ready to go.”The Cardinals will certainly try to run the ball against Kimberly and did have success in each of the last two meetings. In the season opener, Fond du Lac put up 164 yards on Kimberly and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. In the quarterfinal last year, the Cardinals averaged 5.8 yards per carry and racked up 175 yards on the ground. Fond du Lac also has a runner who has shouldered a lot of the load over the second half of the season in Colton Wasieleski, who has rushed for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns over the past five games, including 194 yards last week against Arrowhead. “We just have to run hard. It’s a grind. (The Kimberly defense), they all get to the ball and we have to sustain our block and hopefully it turns out good,” said Wasieleski. “We’ve proven we can play with them and we’re just going to have to see how it plays out Friday.” One-dimensional teams, though, don’t fare well against a Kimberly defense that has held three of its last four opponents to eight points or less, but surrendered 33 in a loss to Marquette University last Friday. So Cole knows he will have to make use of his bevy of talented receivers to try to move the ball on the Papermakers. “It’s really important (to be balanced),” said Cole, who threw for 246 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against Kimberly. “We have to keep them off balance, not knowing what we’re doing.” As in any game of this magnitude with this caliber of teams, turnovers can have a big impact on the outcome as can a penalty or two at the wrong time. In addition to that, what happens on third down is also going to likely decide the outcome. Fond du Lac wants to keep its offense on the field as much as possible, so that means picking up first downs when they face third-down situations, while the defense has to stand strong when Kimberly gets into those situations. “It’s been an emphasis of ours, especially as of late, third downs and getting off the field on the defensive side. It’s not that we don’t play hard on first down and second down, but when we get to third down, maybe we have to find a little something extra to get off that field,” Gnewuch said. “We did a really nice job offensively keeping those chains moving (against Arrowhead), especially in the final moments of that game.”Fond du Lac has proven, more than most teams, that it certainly is capable of going toe-to-toe with the state’s best. The Cardinals now want to show they can beat them. “We didn’t celebrate the win (over Arrowhead) very long,” Wasieleski said, “because it was right on to Kimberly.”
WIAA Level 3 football playoffs
Division 1 quarterfinals
Fond du Lac at Kimberly
Appleton North at Bay Port
Muskego at Franklin
Madison West at Sun Prairie
Fond du Lac (9-2) at Kimberly (11-0)
About the Cardinals: The second-seeded Cardinals finished tied for the Valley Football Association-South championship with Neenah with a 6-2 record. Fond du Lac is making its fifth consecutive playoff appearance and 16th overall. The Cardinals won the Division 1 state championship in 1987.
Last week: The Cardinals defeated Hartland Arrowhead 17-14 in a second-round playoff game as they built a 10-0 halftime lead and held on from there. Running back Colton Wasieleski paced Fond du Lac with 37 rushes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Jared Scheberl added a 30-yard second-quarter field goal. Quarterback Jack Cole completed nine of 17 passes for 98 yards. For the season: Cole leads Fond du Lac, completing 107 of 189 passes (56.6 percent) for 1,924 yards and 20 touchdowns. He has been intercepted seven times. He has also rushed for three touchdowns. Wasieleski is the Cardinals’ top rusher, gaining 937 yards on 178 carries (5.3 average) and 13 touchdowns, while Eben Sauer has carried 30 times for 332 yards (11.1 average) and four touchdowns. Henry Lange is the Cardinals’ top receiver with 19 receptions for 594 yards (31.3 average) and five touchdowns, while Drew Jorgensen has 17 receptions for 156 yards (9.2 average) and one TD and Peyton Nett 13 receptions for 237 yards (18.2 average) and three touchdowns.
Season opener: The teams opened the season in Fond du Lac as Kimberly rallied for a 35-28 victory, scoring 21 fourth-quarter points. D.J. Stewart scored the game-winning touchdown with 44 seconds to go as the Papermakers erased a 28-27 deficit. About the Papermakers: The top-seeded Papermakers have won a state-record 67 games in a row and won the VFA-North title for the fifth consecutive season. It’s also the 12th consecutive season where Kimberly has finished either first or second in the conference. The Papermakers have won four consecutive state championships, one in Division 2 (2013) and the others in Division 1. Overall, the Papermakers have six titles.
Last week: Stewart rushed for 263 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries and quarterback Alec Rosner completed 14 of 20 passes for 288 yards and two scores and also rushed for another as Kimberly held off Milwaukee Marquette 49-33 in a second-round matchup. Kimberly led 14-0 after one quarter and 21-13 at the half before using a 21-13 third-quarter advantage to pull away.
For the season: Rosner has completed 108 of 162 passes (66.7 percent) for 1,791 yards and 22 touchdowns. He has been picked off four times. Stewart is the Papermakers’ leading rusher, gaining 1,652 yards on 243 carries (6.8 average) and 22 touchdowns. John Nett has added 590 yards on 63 carries (9.4 average) and eight touchdowns, while Rosner has rushed 35 times for 333 yards (9.5 average) and three scores. Zach Lechnir is Kimberly’s top receiver with 41 receptions for 764 yards (18.6 average) and seven touchdowns, while Joe Lemancik has 15 receptions for 269 yards (17.9 average) and four touchdowns. Five other players — Austin Wallace (four), Tanner Johnson (four), Myles Laurent (one), Griffin Freimuth (one) and Stewart (one) — have also caught touchdown passes for the Papermakers.
The series: Kimberly leads 14-11.
The last time: Kimberly won 35-28 (Aug. 18, 2017).
2017 WIAA Division 1 Football Playoffs – Level 2
Fond du Lac 17 Arrowhead 14
Colton Wasieleski was the driving force behind Fond du Lac’s 17-14 win over Arrowhead in Friday’s WIAA Division 1 second round playoff game at Fruth Field. He carried the ball a whopping 37 times – out of a total of 70 offensive plays for the Cardinals – and ran for 195 yards and both Fond du Lac touchdowns. His yardage total was more than half of the team’s total offense as the Cardinals earned a second round playoff win for the fourth straight year. Even head coach Mike Gnewuch was impressed with the senior running back’s effort, which included battling through a slight injury but returning to the game each time he had to limp off the field. “We challenged him all week and he wanted to make sure he was impressive and he did that,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said. “We felt like we could run the ball against them and we told him from here on in, it’s his show.” As great as Wasieleski was, it takes more than one player to beat a team the caliber of Arrowhead in a game as pressure-packed as a second round playoff game. And the list of key contributors to Friday night’s win for the Cardinals was certainly length.
The biggest play of the first half for the Cardinals may have come when Arrowhead had the ball. With the Warhawks driving for a game-tying touchdown, Dylan Sieloff picked off a pass in the end zone to thwart the drive and keep the Cardinals in front. “Earlier in the drive, Dylan blew a coverage and we jumped on him and he responded with that beautiful interception,” Gnewuch said. “I’m so proud of Dylan with the way he was able to take the coaching and come back and make a big play.” Dylan Sieloff’s interception in the end zone in the first half thwarted one Arrowhead scoring chance and Fond du Lac was able to build the 10-point lead when Scheberl booted his field goal on the final play of the first half. There was Jered Scheberl’s 30-yard field goal as time expired in the first half that proved to be the winning margin. It was less than ideal kicking conditions on Friday but the boot gave the Cardinals a 10-0 lead at the half. There was Noah Wenger with a huge 76-yard punt return that set the stage for the Cardinals’ second touchdown drive that provided a 10-point cushion early in the fourth quarter. “In practice last week we repped punt return over and over and over because we felt we could make a play there,” Gnewuch said. “Noah, being able to flip the field like that, that was huge that point of the game and we were able to convert.” There was Henry Lange’s 34-yard catch – the talented tight end’s only reception of the game – to pick up a first down with less than two minutes to go that all but sealed the win. And the throw from Jack Cole, too, as the senior quarterback did not have an interception and had some key third-down conversion throws.
And there was the dominance on both sides of the line of scrimmage, the offensive group up front paving the way for Wasieleski’s big night, while the defensive front seven limiting Arrowhead to just 59 yards on the ground. “I do feel like we controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Gnewuch said. “We were able to hold their running game in check and that had been where they had been getting most of their yards.” Fond du Lac now advances for a rematch with Kimberly, the third time in the last year or so the teams have met and the second year in a row they’ve collided in the playoffs.Knocking off the Papermakers will be no easy task – something Gnewuch is well aware of – but the Cardinals have played Kimberly close the last two meetings and would like nothing more than to end the Papermakers’ state-record 68-game winning streak.“They know us and we know them and I’m sure they will have their little wrinkles with things like we will,” Gnewuch said. “I have so much respect for Coach (Steve) Jones and their program and I assume it will be another great game.”
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Fond du Lac 0 10 0 7 17
Arrowhead 0 0 7 7 14
Fond du Lac Statistics
First Downs 20
3rd Down Att. 13
3rd Down Conv. 4
4th Down Att. 6
4th Down Conv. 3
Penalties 3
Penalty Yards 25
TOP 30:58
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
2 9:18 7 Colton Wasieleski 7 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 :04 30 Jared Scheberl, 30 yd FG Kick
4 11:55 14 Colton Wasieleski 14 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 9 17 96 0 0
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Henry Lange 1 34 0 0 15
Parker Veness 1 4 0 0 1
Drew Jorgenson 3 24 0 0 8
Colton Wasieliski 1 1 0 0 1
Peyton Nett 2 25 0 0 1
Hunter Murtha 1 8 0 0 3
Fond du Lac Totals 9 96 0 0 29
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD
Jack Cole 8 14 0
Zavier Ellis 4 9 0
Colton Wasieleski 37 195 2
Peyton Nett 4 35 0
Fond du Lac Totals 53 253 2
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Colton Wasieleski 2 0 0 0 12
Jared Scheberl 0 2 0 1 5
Defensive Stats Asst
Player TCK TCK TFL
Carson Raddatz 5 3 2
Jared Scheberl 1 1
Garret Sphatt 1 3
Julian Murillo
Ben Viau 1 4
Nick Pieper 1
Drew Bonlander 2 1
Dylan Sieloff 2 4 1 (1 Interception)
Sam Hernandez 2
Hunter Hansen 3 5 2
Adam Hopper 2 1
Byron Sabel 1
Hunter Murtha 1
Andrew Stone 2
Fond du Lac Totals 18 27 6
Punt Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Peyton Nett 1 4 0
Dylan Sieloff 1 0 0
Noah Wenger 1 76 0
Kick Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Noah Wenger 1 24 0
Punting
Player Punts Yds. TB In 20
Adam Hopper 2 71 0 0
Kicking
Player FGA FGM XPA XPM
Jared Scheberl 1 1 2 2
Arrowhead (7-3) at Fond du Lac (8-2): Arrowhead has sort of been forgotten since their blowout loss to Muskego in Week 2, but in the last five weeks the defense has shown improvement. Take away a 35-point showing by undefeated Waukesha West Sept. 29 and the unit has given up an average of 191 yards of total offense and 4.5 points per game during that stretch. Fond du Lac shared the Valley Football Association South title with Neenah.
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2017 WIAA Division 1 Football Playoffs – Level 1
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Fond du Lac 14 21 0 7 42
King 0 0 0 2 2
Fond du Lac Statistics
First Downs 15
3rd Down Att. 7
3rd Down Conv. 5
4th Down Att. 1
4th Down Conv. 1
Penalties 7
Penalty Yards 48
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
1 8:12 8 TD Pass from Jack Cole to Drew Jorgenson, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
1 4:35 19 TD Run Colton Wasieleski, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 11:27 1 TD Run Colton Wasieleski, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 6:06 7 TD Pass from Jack Cole to Drew Jorgenson, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 2:07 8 TD Pass from Jack Cole to Henry Lange, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
4 9:55 85 TD Run Zavier Ellis, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 7 11 103 3 2
Ben Birschbach 1 0 0 0 0
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Henry Lange 1 8 1 0 0
Zack Dilling 1 10 0 0 4
Drew Jorgenson 3 29 2 0 7
Peyton Nett 2 56 0 0 29
Fond du Lac Totals 7 103 3 0 40
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD Fum 2PT
Jack Cole 1 -7 0 0 0
James Riehl 1 -3 0 0 0
Dylan Sieloff 4 30 0 0 0
Colton Wasieleski 23 138 2 0 0
Zavier Ellis 3 90 1 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 32 248 3 0 0
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Colton Wasieleski 2 0 0 0 12
Jared Scheberl 0 6 0 0 6
Henry Lange 1 0 0 0 6
Drew Jorgenson 2 0 0 0 12
Zavier Ellis 1 0 0 0 6
Fond du Lac Totals 6 6 0 0 42
Defensive Stats Asst
Player TCK TCK TFL
Carson Raddatz 5 4 2
Joshua Little 2
Garret Sphatt 2 2
Eli Sieckman 1
Ben Viau 2 4
Nick Pieper 1
Julian Murillo 1
Zach Walljasper 1
Drew Bonlander 1 1
Jared Scheberl 1
Moses Riehl 1
Fletcher Haus 1 4
Sam Hernandez 2
Colton Wasieliski 1
Parker Vaness 1
Hunter Hansen 1
Adam Hopper 2
Zavier Ellis 2
Nic Flitcroft 1 1
Austin Baatz 1
Jonah Gutzman 2
Byron Sabel Fumble Recovery
Hunter Murtha 1
Nick Asmus 2
Fond du Lac Totals 19 32 2
Punt Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Peyton Nett 1 0 0
Noah Wenger 4 52 0
Punting
Player Punts Yds. TB In 20
Adam Hopper 1 48 0 1
Kick Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Zach Walljasper 1 5 0
Kicking
Player FGA FGM XPA XPM
Jared Scheberl 0 0 6 6
A fast start helped carry Fond du Lac to a convincing 42-2 win over Milwaukee King on Friday night in a WIAA Division 1 first-round playoff game at Fruth Field. The Cardinals scored on their opening possession and put up 35 points in the first half against the Generals, setting the tone for the playoff contest.
Head coach Mike Gnewuch was pleased with the first-half effort of his squad and knows the margin could have been even bigger at intermission. “We had a couple turnovers that kept it from being 42 or 49 points (in the first half),” Gnewuch said. “I was pleased with the way things went for us. We just have to be smarter with the football.”
Colton Wasieleski continued his strong senior season with a workmanlike 138 yards on 23 carries, while Jack Cole was 7-of-11 passing for 103 yards and three touchdowns, two of which were to Drew Jorgensen.
The Cardinals were also an impressive 5-of-7 on third-down conversions in the game, but did have the two turnovers and had 48 yards in penalties. “It was a good win to get us going,” Gnewuch said. “We just have to go back and fix some things and get ready for next week.”
The win marked the seventh straight playoff appearance where the Cardinals have won their opening-round game and Fond du Lac will try to make its fourth straight appearance in the quarterfinals when it hosts Arrowhead on Friday at Fruth Field. “Being at home is big, especially in the playoffs, where you are often taking road trips to unfamiliar places,” Gnewuch said. “At home, you can keep the same routines, the same schedule and just have that familiarity, which is a big plus.”
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Fond du Lac 7 3 0 14 24
Stevens Point 0 7 6 13 26
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
1 :36 1 Colton Wasieleski 1 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 :00 28 Jared Scheberl Field Goal
4 5:42 68 68 yd Pass Reception Jack Cole to Colton Wasieleiski, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
4 2:07 3 Colton Wasieleski 3 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 16 27 264 1 2
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Noah Wenger 1 41 0 0 0
Henry Lange 3 70 0 0 15
Zack Dilling 3 27 0 0 10
Drew Jorgenson 7 58 0 0 18
Colton Wasieliski 1 68 1 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 15 264 1 0 43
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD Fum 2PT
Jack Cole 5 -2 0 0 0
Noah Wenger 1 13 0 0 0
Dylan Sieloff 6 16 0 0 0
Colton Wasieleski 15 49 2 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 27 76 2 0 0
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Colton Wasieleski 3 0 0 0 18
Jared Scheberl 0 3 0 1 6
Defensive Stats Asst
Player TCK TCK TFL
Carson Raddatz 5 3
Joshua Little 1
Garret Sphatt 4 9 1
Henry Lange 1
Ben Viau 3 7
Nick Pieper 2 4
Drew Bonlander 1 3
Dylan Sieloff 1 1
Sam Hernandez 3 5
Colton Wasieliski 1 1
Hunter Hansen 4 6
Adam Hopper 4 1
Zavier Ellis 1 1 1
Andrew Stone 1 4 2
Joe Schlagenhaft 1
Hunter Thyrion 1
Byron Sabel 1 5
Hunter Murtha 1
Fond du Lac Totals 28 57 5
Punt Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Noah Wenger 1 0 0
Julian Murillo 1 0 0
Kick Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Hunter Murtha 1 11 0
Parker Veness 1 0 0
Colton Wasieleski 1 0 0
Noah Wenger 1 35 0
Punting
Player Punts Yds. TB In 20
Adam Hopper 4 172 0 1
Kicking
Player FGA FGM XPA XPM
Jared Scheberl 1 1 3 3
WEEK 8 WISSPORTS.NET COACHES POLL
Released 10/10/2017
DIVISION 1
RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LW |
1 | Kimberly | 8-0 | 1 |
2 | Sun Prairie | 8-0 | 3 |
3 | Bay Port | 8-0 | 4 |
4 | Fond du Lac | 7-1 | 5 |
5 | Racine Horlick | 8-0 | 6 |
6 | Franklin | 7-1 | 2 |
7 | Badger | 7-1 | 7 |
8 | Middleton | 7-1 | 8 |
9 | Appleton North | 6-2 | UR |
10 | Hudson | 6-2 | UR |
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Neenah 0 0 0 3 3
Fond du Lac 0 0 0 7 7
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
4 2:43 9 Colton Wasieleski 9 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 17 7 68 0 0
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD Fum
Jack Cole 8 -46 0 0
Colton Wasieleski 25 156 1 2
Adam Hopper 1 22 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 34 132 1 2 0
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Noah Wenger 2 16 0 0 3
Drew Jorgenson 4 39 0 0 17
Payton Nett 1 13 0 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 7 68 0 0 20
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Colton Wasieleski 1 0 0 0 6
Jared Scheberl 0 1 0 0 1
Defensive Stats Asst Sack
Player TCK TCK TFL Sacks Yds
Nic Flitcroft ( 1 Interception )
Carson Raddatz 4 4 3
Garret Sphatt 3 2 5 2 16
Drew Jorgenson 1
Ben Viau 5 4 1
Nick Pieper 1
Zack Walljasper 1
Drew Bonlander 2 1
Dylan Sieloff 1 1 ( 1 Interception )
Sam Hernandez 2 2
Parker Veness 1
Hunter Hansen 5 3 2
Adam Hopper 4 2 2 1 7
Zavier Ellis 1
Andrew Stone 1 2 2 1 6
Byron Sabel 2 4 2 1 8
Fond du Lac Totals 33 26 17 5 37
Punt Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Julian Murillo 2 28 0
Punting
Player Punts Yds. TB In 20
Adam Hopper 8 276 0 2
Kick Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Zach Walljasper 1 21 0
Kicking
Player FGA FGM XPA XPM
Jared Scheberl 0 0 1 1
Fond du Lac grinds out win 7 – 3 over Neenah in VFA South showdown
Not every victory is going to be a thing of beauty. But the great teams find a way to notch that ‘W’ even when things are looking pretty ugly.
Colton Wasieleski scored on a 9-yard run with 3:05 to play for the game’s only touchdown as Fond du Lac was able to grind out a 7-3 win over Neenah in a VFA South showdown at a rainy Fruth Field on Friday night. Wasieleski, who fumbled the ball twice earlier in the second half, racked up 37 yards on what proved to be the game winning drive. He gained 10 yards up the middle to give the Cardinals a first-and-goal at the 9 and then exploited a crease in the Neenah defense on the next play to get to the end zone, plowing over a Rocket defender as he crossed the goal line. “After messing up a little early in the second half, it felt really good to get (into the end zone). Electric,” said Wasieleski, who finished with 147 yards rushing on 24 carries. “We just realized we needed to go, I guess.”
The Cardinals, who were playing without injured running back Eben Sauer, had nearly as many punts (7) as first downs (9) in the game and finished with 192 total yards. And nearly half of those first downs and yards came on the final drive. Otherwise, the Cardinals did little offensively the entire night. “We were shooting ourselves in the foot,” Wasieleski said. “But it turned around in the second half on that last drive and that’s what mattered.”
The one drive, though, proved to be enough. “I think it just came down to the grit that our kids showed,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said. “Our guys just decided they were going to respond to a challenge and put the ball in the end zone. That’s all it was. “It’s a whole lot easier for me and I would have a lot less gray hairs if they decided to do that earlier in the game and do it multiple times.”
What wasn’t stressing Gnewuch was the Cardinal defense. And any scuffling Fond du Lac was doing with the ball, Neenah was in the same boat. The Rockets finished with a slight advantage in total yards with 217 and in first downs with 11, but Neenah also had 12 plays that gained no yards or lost yardage and quarterback Sam Dietrich went just 14-of-32 with an interception. Dietrich started in place of Alec Elkin, who did not dress and was not available for the game.
“The defense was great. They knew the challenge that was before them tonight,” Gnewuch said. “I don’t know that one guy stood out as I look at it either. It was just great team defense.” The Fond du Lac defense had its biggest stand early in the fourth quarter when Neenah recovered a Wasieleski fumble at the Cardinals’ 40-yard line and one play later had first-and-10 at the 28. However the defense forced two incompletions and stuffed Dietrich on a run for no gain, before another fourth-down incompletion turned the ball over on downs. Neenah also moved the ball deep into Fond du Lac territory, but the defense stood strong again and limited the Rockets to a 33-yard field goal by Chris Kreider. “We’ve been preparing all week to know what they were going to come out with,” said junior linebacker Adam Hopper. “We just had to make sure every single one of our guys were doing what they were supposed to do, doing their job and then we had a good team win. “I think we came together as a team. We just did what we had to do to pick up the W.”
Neenah 0 0 0 3 – 3
Fond du Lac 0 0 0 7 – 7
Scoring summary:
NEE: FG, Chris Kreider, 33.
FON: Colton Wasieleski, 9 run (Jared Scheberl kick).
Individual leaders:
RUSHING: NEE – Carson Hughes 6-45. FON – Colton Wasieleski 24-147.
PASSING: NEE – Sam Dietrich 14-32-1-145. FON – Jack Cole 7-17-0-68.
RECEIVING: NEE – Rayce Prosser 5-50. FON – Drew Jorgensen 4-39.
Fond du Lac vs. Neenah
In a season of big games at Fruth Field, the Fond du Lac venue gets another one this week. Fond du Lac will host Neenah at 7 p.m. Friday in a showdown between the co-leaders of the Valley Football Association South. The winner will clinch at least a share of the league crown and can win it outright with a victory in the final week of the regular season. “It’s a huge game,” Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch said. “Our kids understand the magnitude of the game as well. We know it’s a huge game and another opportunity to show we have gotten better from last week to this week.”
The Cardinals breezed past Oshkosh West 48-14 last week as Colton Wasieleski ran for four touchdowns and the defense forced a pair of key first-half turnovers that the offense turned into points. But it wasn’t all good news. Starting running back Eben Sauer – who had 102 yards on three carries in the game – was lost for the rest of the season because of an injury. Wasieleski will help fill the void, but the Cardinals may look to other areas to pick up the offensive slack. “Some of other skilled players saw it as a chance to showcase some of the other players we have. (Quarterback Jack Cole) obviously wants to throw the ball more and feels confident in doing so,” Gnewuch said. “That’s our next-man-up type mentality. You lose a talented player like Eben Sauer but you try not to miss a beat. You can’t replace him, so we just hope that we have other guys step up and fill the void that is created with Eben being out.”
Cole ranks second in the VFA South in passing yardage and is completing nearly 60 percent of his passes. Tight end Henry Lange is the Cardinals’ leading receiver, while Cole has a selection of weapons at wide receiver, including Drew Jorgensen, Noah Wenger and Peyton Nett. Fond du Lac comes in as the highest-scoring offense in the conference, averaging about 42 points per game. The Cardinals have scored at least 40 points in each of the past four games and have totaled 104 points the past two games.
Defensively, Fond du Lac has allowed more than 21 points just once all season – 35 in a season-opening loss to Kimberly – and is allowing about 16 points per game, led by Ben Viau, Carson Raddatz, Garret Sphatt and Adam Hopper. That defense will be tested by a Neenah offense ignited by Alec Elkin, who leads the Rockets in both rushing and passing yards. “He’s a dual-threat kid. He runs the ball and throws the ball well,” Gnewuch said. “He’s a really good athlete and hopefully we can contain him.” Gnewuch said that dealing with an option-oriented offense like Neenah’s is reliant on players knowing their roles and doing their jobs. But most importantly, when the opportunity arises, the Cardinals have to make the stop. “We have to tackle. We can’t bounce off and allow extra yards,” Gnewuch said. “When you play an option team like Neenah, you have to make sure you are really sound and basically that is what our (defense) is based on. We’re not going to gamble to get something by giving something up.”
WEEK 7 WISSPORTS.NET COACHES POLL
Released 10/3/2017
DIVISION 1
RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LW |
1 | Kimberly | 7-0 | 1 |
2 | Franklin | 7-0 | 2 |
3 | Sun Prairie | 7-0 | 3 |
4 | Bay Port | 7-0 | 4 |
5 | Fond du Lac | 6-1 | 5 |
6 | Racine Horlick | 7-0 | 6 |
7 | Badger | 6-1 | 8 |
8 | Middleton | 6-1 | 9 |
9 | Eau Claire Memorial | 6-1 | 7 |
10 | Neenah | 5-2 | UR |
Fond du Lac 48 Oshkosh West 14
Colton Wasieleski churned out 186 yards on 26 carries and scored four touchdowns, while the Fond du Lac defense forced two key first-half turnovers, as the Cardinals pulled away for a 48-14 victory over Oshkosh West in a matchup of two of the VFA South co-leaders. “For Colton to get the carries he did tonight and for him to perform the way he did tonight, I’m very proud of him,” Fond du Lac head coach Mike Gnewuch said. “This was a game he needed right now.” Wasieleski, who came on for an injured Eben Sauer in the first quarter, said the offense studied plenty of film on the Wildcats during the week and simply executed the gameplan. “We just ran our assignments really well and executed. And (48-14) is the result,” Wasieleski said. “There were some big holes to run through. It was pretty nice.” The bruising Wasieleski saw the majority of the offensive touches in the second half, after Fond du Lac led 35-7 at intermission. Of the Cardinals’ first 21 plays after halftime, 16 of them were Wasieleski runs and most of them were between the guards right at the teeth of the Oshkosh West defense. Wasieleski’s performance helped back a strong defensive effort by the Cardinals, who held a potent West offense to just 14 points.
But it was the two turnovers in the first half that allowed Fond du Lac to break the game open.
Eben Sauer, who ran for 102 yards on three carries before getting injured, busted out a 64-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play from scrimmage but Oshkosh West was able to answer right back. Ben Kohl led an 11-play, 81-yard touchdown march which he capped with a 12-yard scoring run, before Jack Cole scampered in from 17 yards out on the ensuing possession as Fond du Lac moved back in front.
The Wildcats couldn’t connect on a pitch and the Cardinals’ Carson Raddatz pounced on the loose ball. Fond du Lac then marched 64 yards in eight plays with Wasieleski darting in from 9 yards out for the score. “When we get a stop and (the offense) scores, it’s just the best feeling in the world,” Raddatz said. “Going into the week, we knew this kind of offense is a passing offense. We just had a good gameplan. Coaches did a good job.”
On the next West possession, Kohl had a pass intended for Derek Kroll picked off by Ben Viau and four plays later, Wasieleski powered in from the 1-yard line to give the Cardinals a 28-7 lead.
Jack Cole connected with Henry Lange for a 32-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to give the Cardinals a 28-point halftime lead but Fond du Lac turned the ball over on a fumble on its first possession of the second half and West quickly narrowed the gap.
The Wildcats were unable to pick up a first down after taking over and then had a punt travel minus-2 yards giving the Cardinals the ball at the West 27-yard line. Two plays later, Wasieleski rumbled through the middle of the West defense for a 22-yard touchdown to extend the Cardinals’ lead. “There is that rhythm going, everybody’s doing their job and it just hypes everybody up even more,” Wasieleski said. “It’s really fun.” Wasieleski added one more score early in the fourth quarter for the final margin and Fond du Lac – which holds a half-game lead over Neenah, next Friday’s opponent, in the VFA South – took over sole possession of first place in the conference.
Jack Cole had a quiet night for the Cardinals going 6-of-13 for 113 yards as Fond du Lac racked up nearly 350 yards on the ground in the win.
“You have to capitalize on the turnovers and be efficient. If we take away the ball we have to score and that’s what we did,” Gnewuch said. “They’re a good offense. I think Ben Kohl is a very good quarterback and he has some nice receivers to compliment him so I was really pleased to hold them to 14 points.”
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Fond du Lac 21 14 7 6 48
Oshkosh West 7 0 7 0 14
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
1 11:44 64 Eben Sauer 64 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
1 5:43 17 Jack Cole 17 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
1 :00 9 Colton Wasieleski 9 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 9:44 1 Colton Wasieleski 1 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 :48 32 Henry Lange 32 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
3 2:47 22 Colton Wasieleski 22 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
4 4:51 1 Colton Wasieleski 1 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Missed
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 6 12 113 1 0
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD Fum 2PT
Eben Sauer 3 116 1 0 0
Jack Cole 4 11 1 1 0
Colton Wasieleski 28 190 4 0 0
Moses Riehl 1 1 0 0 0
Jame Riehl 1 1 0 0 0
Jon Vanna 1 23 0 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 38 342 6 1 0
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Noah Wenger 1 17 0 0 17
Zach Dilling 1 17 0 0 10
Henry Lange 3 74 1 0 8
Drew Jorgenson 1 5 0 0 1
Fond du Lac Totals 6 113 1 0 36
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Eben Sauer 1 0 0 0 6
Jack Cole 1 0 0 0 6
Colton Wasieleski 4 0 0 0 24
Henry Lange 1 0 0 0 6
Jared Scheberl 0 6 0 0 6
Defensive Stats Asst Sack
Player TCK TCK TFL Sacks Yds
Nic Flitcroft 1
Carson Raddatz 9 6 1 (1 Fum Recov)
Joshua Little 2 2 1
Garret Sphatt 4 1
Eli Sieckman 1
Ben Viau 5 6 1 (1 Int Return 13 yds)
Nick Pieper 4 1
Drew Bonlander 5 1
Dylan Sieloff 1 1
Sam Hernandez 5 2 2 1 7
Hunter Hansen 2 2 1
Adam Hopper 3 2 1 13
Zavier Ellis 1
Andrew Stone 3 1 13
Byron Sabel 1 3 2
Hunter Murtha 1
Fond du Lac Totals 43 31 9 3 33
Punt Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Julian Murillo 4 82 0
Kick Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Ben Viau 2 34 0
Punting
Player Punts Yds. TB In 20
Adam Hopper 2 96 0 2
Kicking
Player FGA FGM XPA XPM
Jared Scheberl 0 0 7 6
WEEK 6 WISSPORTS.NET COACHES POLLReleased 9/26/2017 DIVISION 1
|
Fond du Lac 56 Oshkosh North 0
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Oshkosh North 0 0 0 0 0
Fond du Lac 35 14 0 7 56
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
1 11:42 19 Eban Sauer 19 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
1 10:50 24 Parker Veness 24 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
1 8:00 6 Carson Raddatz 6 yd Int & TD, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
1 4:12 3 Eban Sauer 3 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
1 :11 27 Carson Wasieleski 3 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 8:21 4 James Riehl 4 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 1:05 11 Jon Vanna 11 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
4 2:12 13 Ben Birschbach 13 yd TD Run, Julian Murillo XP Kick
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 3 4 72 1 0
Ben Birschbach 1 1 28 0 0
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD Fum 2PT
Eben Sauer 7 49 2 0 0
Ben Birschbach 6 14 1 0 0
Jojo Cruthers 3 24 0 0 0
James Riehl 9 52 1 1 0
Colton Wasieleski 2 30 1 0 0
Jon Vanna 7 38 1 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 34 207 6 1 0
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Drew Jorgenson 2 48 0 0 20
Parker Veness 1 24 1 0 0
Jonah Diette 1 28 0 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 4 100 1 0 20
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Eben Sauer 2 0 0 0 12
James Riehl 1 0 0 0 6
Carson Wasieleski 1 0 0 0 6
Jonathon Vanna 1 0 0 0 6
Carson Raddatz 1 0 0 0 6
Parker Veness 1 0 0 0 6
Ben Birschbach 1 0 0 0 6
Jared Scheberl 0 7 0 0 7
Julian Murillo 0 1 0 0 1
Fond du Lac Totals 8 8 0 0 56
Defensive Stats Asst Sack Fum
Player TCK TCK TFL Sacks Yds Rec
Nic Flitcroft 1
Carson Raddatz 2 1 1 1 1 Int for TD
Joshua Little 2
Garret Sphatt 3 1 1 8 1
Eli Seickman 2 1
Ben Viau 3 5 3
Zach Walljasper 1 1
Drew Bonlander 1
Fletcher Haus 1 4
Sam Hernandez 1 1 1 Int 35 yd return
Sam Peterson 4
Hunter Hansen 1 5 2 2 17
Adam Hopper 2 2
Austin Baatz 2 2
Jonah Gutzmann 3 2 1
Jacob Cotton 3 2
Owen Nitkowski 1
Sean Jurgensmeir 1 1
Byron Sabel 1 1 1
Hunter Murtha 2
Nick Asmus 1 5 3
Fond du Lac Totals 22 41 20 3 25 2
Punt Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Peyton Nett 1 18 0
Kick Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Blake Schneider 1 12 0
Punting
Player Punts Yds. TB In 20
Julian Murillo 1 33 0 0
Kicking
Player FGA FGM XPA XPM
Jared Scheberl 0 0 7 7
Julian Murillo 0 0 1 1
WEEK 4 WISSPORTS.NET COACHES POLL
Released 9/12/2017
DIVISION 1
RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LW |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Kimberly | 4-0 | 1 |
2 | Franklin | 4-0 | 2 |
3 | Sun Prairie | 4-0 | 3 |
4 | Bay Port | 4-0 | 4 |
5 | Fond du Lac | 3-1 | 5 |
6 | Eau Claire Memorial | 4-0 | 6 |
7 | Racine Horlick | 4-0 | 7 |
8 | Oak Creek | 3-1 | 9 |
9 | Badger | 3-1 | 10 |
10 | Muskego | 3-1 | UR |
FOND DU LAC 42 HORTONVILLE 19
1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Final Score
Fond du Lac 28 7 0 7 42
Hortonville 0 7 6 6 19
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
1 9:41 12 Pass from Jack Cole to Payton Nett 12 yds, Jared Scheberl XP
1 6:36 31 Pass from Jack Cole to Eben Sauer 31 yds, Jared Scheberl XP
1 2:48 18 Run Eben Sauer 18 yds, Jared Scheberl XP
1 :.05 58 Run Eben Sauer 58 yds, Jared Scheberl XP
2 3:23 84 Pass from Jack Cole to Henry Lange 84 yds, Jared Scheberl XP
4 9:36 12 Pass From Jack Cole to Ben Viau 12 yds, Jared Scheberl XP
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 14 20 283 4 1
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD Fum 2PT
Eben Sauer 13 150 2 0 0
Jack Cole 10 23 0 0 0
Colton Wasieleski 14 66 0 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 37 239 2 0 0
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Eben Sauer 2 35 1 0 10
Zack Dilling 1 5 0 0 0
Henry Lange 3 134 1 0 0
Drew Jorgenson 2 15 0 0 0
Peyton Nett 2 51 1 0 0
Colton Wasieleski 2 25 0 0 0
Ben Viau 1 14 1 0 0
Parker Veness 1 4 0 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 14 283 4 0 10
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Eben Sauer 3 0 0 0 18
Henry Lange 1 0 0 0 6
Peyton Nett 1 0 0 0 6
Colton Wasieleski 1 0 0 0 6
Jared Scheberl 0 6 0 0 6
Fond du Lac Totals 6 6 0 0 42
Defensive Stats Asst Sack
Player TCK TCK TFL Sacks Yds
Nic Flitcroft 1
Carson Raddatz 6 2
Garret Sphatt 2 6 1
Ben Viau 3 8 2 1 11
Nick Pieper 2 2 1
Zach Walljasper 2
Drew Bonlander 1 2
Jared Schberl 1
Dylan Sieloff 2 3
Sam Hernandez 4 1
Adam Hopper 2 5 3 1 7
Andrew Stone 3 4
Luke Mueller 2 3 1
Jacob Cotton 1
Byron Sabel 2 1
Nick Asmus 3
Zavier Ellis 1 3
Fond du Lac Totals 30 46 10 2 18
Punt Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Eben Sauer 4 63 0
Punting
Player Punts Yds. TB In 20
Adam Hopper 1 44 0 1
Kick Returns
Player Ret Yds TD
Eben Sauer 4 69 0
Kicking
Player FGA FGM XPA XPM
Jared Scheberl 0 0 6 6
Fond du Lac 49 Menomonee, Michigan 20
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Fond du Lac 14 14 7 14 49
Menomonee 7 13 0 0 20
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
1 7:11 4 Pass Jack Cole to Parker Veness 4 yd TD Pass, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
1 4:14 77 Pass Jack Cole to Payton Nett 77 yd TD Pass, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 8:02 7 Run Jack Cole 7 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
2 2:40 23 INT Carson Raddatz 23 yd Return for TD, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
3 1:27 74 Pass Jack Cole to Eben Sauer 74 yd TD Pass, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
4 9:57 6 Run Jack Cole 6 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
4 3:22 14 Run Jack Cole 14 yd TD Run, Jared Scheberl XP Kick
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 10 12 267 3 1
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD
Eben Sauer 13 63 0
Jack Cole 6 28 3
Colton Wasieleski 21 83 0
James Riehl 3 21 0
Gavin Baseley 1 34 0
Fond du Lac Totals 44 229 3
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Noah Wenger 1 7 0 0 0
Eben Sauer 1 74 1 0 35
Henry Lange 3 77 0 0 32
Drew Jorgenson 2 15 0 0 9
Peyton Nett 2 90 1 0 41
Parker Veness 1 4 1 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 10 267 3 0 117
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Eben Sauer 1 0 0 0 6
Jack Cole 3 0 0 0 18
Peyton Nett 1 0 0 0 6
Parkver Veness 1 0 0 0 6
Carson Raddatz (Def INT)1 0 0 0 6
Jared Scheberl 0 7 0 0 7
Fond du Lac Totals 7 7 0 0 49
Defensive Stats Asst Sack
Player TCK TCK TFL Sacks Yds
Carson Raddatz 2 5 2
Joshua Little 2 2
Garrett Sphatt 1 6 2 1 11
Ben Viau 4 8
Nick Pieper 4 3
Zach Walljasper 1
Drew Bonlander 3 2
Dylan Sieloff 1 1
Sam Hernandez 2 2 1
Parker Veness 1
Hunter Hansen 2 9 3
Adam Hopper 2 1
Andrew Stone 1 1
Luke Mueller 2
Byron Sabel 3 1
Carson Raddatz Int Yds Td
1 23 1
Ben Viau Blocked Xpt
WEEK 3 WISSPORTS.NET COACHES POLL
Released 9/5/2017
DIVISION 1
RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LW |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Kimberly | 3-0 | 1 |
2 | Franklin | 3-0 | 2 |
3 | Sun Prairie | 3-0 | 3 |
4 | Bay Port | 3-0 | 4 |
5 | Fond du Lac | 2-1 | 5 |
6 | Eau Claire Memorial | 3-0 | 8 |
7 | Racine Horlick | 3-0 | UR |
8 | Verona | 3-0 | UR |
9 | Oak Creek | 2-1 | UR |
10 | Badger | 2-1 | UR |
Cardinals progressing as season wears on
Mike Gnewuch knows there is still room for his team to improve, but after Friday’s convincing 35-21 win over seventh-ranked Appleton North, the Fond du Lac head coach is pleased with the progress the Cardinals have been showing. “Where we are right now, is exactly where we should be right now. We’ve made a ton of progress from Week 1,” Gnewuch said after Friday’s win at Fruth Field. “Actually, I thought we should have been farther ahead of where we were entering Week 1.”
The Cardinals (2-1), ranked fifth in Division 1, have had strong showings on both sides of the ball the last two weeks.
The offense is making big plays. The defense is getting the stops it needs. The defense nearly blanked D.C. Everest in Week 2 and then held a potent Appleton North team scoreless in the first half on Friday, while building a 21-0 lead.
Garrett Sphatt and Adam Hopper led the defensive charge against the Lightning, while Carson Raddatz added an interception in the win.
On offense, the Cardinals used the ground attack of Colton Wasielieski and Eben Sauer to roll past D.C. Everest, while the passing game took center stage on Friday with Jack Cole throwing for 262 yards and four touchdowns to three different receivers – Henry Lange, Noah Wenger and Peyton Nett with two. “We knew coming in we could (throw the ball),” Cole said. “They are a tough team to run on so our guys just got open to make plays.”
Gnewuch knows his team will need to keep evolving and improving as the year goes to be successful – something accomplished during the general grind of practice. But three weeks into the 2017 campaign, there is one other side of the Cardinals that the head coach has certainly been focused on and will continue to be as the season wears on. “We have to continue to add depth on both sides of the ball. That’s our key,” Gnewuch said. “The kids know it and hopefully, we can continue depth with our young kids as we progress through the season.” Fond du Lac didn’t need much depth to dispatch the Lightning on Friday night.
Cole had three of his touchdown passes in the first half as Fond du Lac built a 21-0 lead on the Lightning, while a 48-yard scoring strike to Henry Lange early in the third quarter extended the Cardinals’ lead further.
The Lightning scored on a 75-yard pass to Adam Zeratsky on the possession following Lange’s touchdown and then narrowed the gap further when Carter Robinson scrambled for an 11-yard score on a fourth-down play. Just like that, Appleton North was within two scores.
It didn’t last, though. Fond du Lac answered with a 13-play scoring march that took nearly six minutes off the clock. Colton Wasielieski capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge for a 35-13 lead. “It was huge,” Gnewuch said. “That’s your four-minute offense right there. Fortunately we were able to do that.”
Appleton North did muster a later touchdown before Fond du Lac recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock. The Lightning managed 21 points in the game, but the first half shutout the Cardinals pitched, helped take North’s dynamic running back Will Stewart out his usual routine of carrying the load. And that certainly helped Fond du Lac’s efforts.
When I saw the zero on the scoreboard at halftime, I was so proud of the way our kids were playing,” Gnewuch said. “I was really proud of the way they executed the game plan.” And what was the key to the effort? “We just came together as a team, 3worked together and followed our assignments,” senior defensive end Garrett Sphatt said. “We’re taking great steps and every practice, we’re getting better and better. Everybody is really starting to come together as a group.” “It feels great,” Cole said. “They are a ranked team, a really good team and we kind of dominated them in all phases of the game.”
The win ups the Cardinals mark to 2-1 heading into next week’s non-league game at Menomonie, Mich.
Fond du Lac 35 Appleton North 21
It’s not the run-and-shoot offense or the “Air-Coryell” attack of the 1980s. However, any team that gears up for the run when facing Fond du Lac – and only the run – is going to get a rude awakening.
Jack Cole threw for 262 yards and four touchdowns – to three different receivers – and the Cardinals improved to 2-1 with a convincing 35-21 win over state-ranked Appleton North at Fruth Field on Friday night. “We knew coming in we could (throw the ball),” Cole said. “They are a tough team to run on so our guys just got open to make plays.” Cole had three of his touchdown passes in the first half as Fond du Lac built a 21-0 lead on the Lightning, while a 48-yard scoring strike to Henry Lange early in the third quarter extend the Cardinals’ lead further.
Yet, as impressive as a 28-0 lead looks against the seventh-ranked team in Division 1, Fond du Lac coach Mike Gnewuch had a different view of the margin. “It scares the heck out of me,” Gnewuch said. “It’s the worst position to be in. You’re just worried that a teenager is going to take their foot off the gas and think it’s comfortable. But as a coach, you know that isn’t the case.”
Appleton North proved it. The Lightning scored on a 75-yard pass to Adam Zeratsky on the possession following Lange’s touchdown and then narrowed the gap further when Carter Robinson scrambled for an 11-yard score on a fourth-down play. Just like that, Appleton North was within two scores.
It didn’t last, though. Fond du Lac answered with a 13-play scoring march that took nearly six minutes off the clock. Colton Wasielieski capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge for a 35-13 lead. “It was huge,” Gnewuch said. “That’s your four-minute offense right there. Fortunately we were able to do that.”
Appleton North did muster a later touchdown before Fond du Lac recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.
The Lightning managed 21 points in the game, but the first half shutout the Cardinals pitched helped take North’s dynamic running back Will Stewart out of his usual routine of carrying the load. And that certainly helped Fond du Lac’s efforts.
“When I saw the zero on the scoreboard at halftime, I was so proud of the way our kids were playing,” Gnewuch said. “I was really proud of the way they executed the game plan.”
And what was the key to the effort? “We just came together as a team, worked together and followed our assignments,” senior defensive end Garrett Sphatt said. “We’re taking great steps and every practice, we’re getting better and better. Everybody is really starting to come together as a group.”
Jack Cole was 15-of-17 for 262 yards and four touchdowns. His four touchdowns staked Fond du Lac to a 28-0 lead midway through the third quarter. He also carried the ball eight times for 36 yards.
Noah Wenger had four catches for 114 yards including a 78-yard touchdown reception.
Carson Raddatz tied for the team-high with five tackles and registered a key interception for the Cardinals against Appleton North.
The win ups the Cardinals mark to 2-1 heading into next week’s non-league game at Menomonie, Mich. “It feels great,” Cole said. “They are a ranked team, a really good team and we kind of dominated them in all phases of the game.”
Fond du Lac 35 Appleton North 21
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Appleton North 0 0 13 8 21
Fond du Lac 7 14 7 7 35
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
1 2:52 7 Touchdown Pass Jack Cole to Peyton Nett, Jared Scheberl XP kick
2 6:33 78 Touchdown Pass Jack Cole to Noah Wenger, Jared Scheberl XP kick
2 :23 5 Touchdown Pass Jack Cole to Peyton Nett, Jared Scheberl XP kick
3 7:51 48 Touchdown Pass Jack Cole to Henry Lang, Jared Scheberl XP kick
4 5:55 2 Colton Wasieleski Run, Jared Scheberl XP kick
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 15 17 262 4 0
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Colton Wasieleski 1 1 0 0 0
Henry Lang 2 80 1 0 54
Zach Dilling 1 7 0 0 3
Drew Jorgenson 4 41 0 0 7
Peyton Nett 2 12 2 0 3
Noah Wenger 4 114 1 0 67
Parker Veness 1 7 0 0 4
Fond du Lac Totals 15 262 4 0 138
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD Fum 2PT
Eben Sauer 15 67 0 1 0
Jack Cole 8 36 0 0 0
Colton Wasieleski 21 60 1 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 44 163 1 1 0
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Henry Lang 1 0 0 0 6
Peyton Nett 2 0 0 0 12
Noah Wenger 1 0 0 0 6
Colton Wasieleski 1 0 0 0 6
Jared Scheberl 0 5 0 0 5
Fond du Lac Totals 5 5 0 0 35
Defensive Stats Asst Sack
Player TCK TCK TFL Sacks Yds
Carson Raddatz 4 5 1 1 INT Return Yds 30
Garret Sphatt 5 4 3 1 7
Eli Seickman 1
Ben Viau 2 5
Nick Pieper 4 3
Cole Seigworth 1
Peyton Nett 1 2
Drew Bonlander 3 3
Dylan Sieloff 2 2
Sam Hernandez 3 5
Hunter Hansen 3 5
Adam Hopper 1 4 2 1 9
Andrew Stone 1
Luke Mueller 2
Byron Sabel 3
Hunter Murtha 2
Fond du Lac vs. Appleton North @ Fruth Field in “Friday Night Lights” Showdown
If Mike Gnewuch wanted to gripe a little bit, he would have ample reason. But instead of whining over the rigorous opening schedule his team has faced, the Fond du Lac High School football coach simply focuses on getting his team ready to play.
For the second time in three weeks, the Cardinals will host a state-ranked, perennial playoff qualifier as Appleton North comes to Fruth Field on Friday night. “It’s who we got and we’re going to prepare for each team and get ready to play on a Friday night,” Gnewuch said. “I really don’t get caught up too much and the kids don’t get caught up in thinking it would be nice to be playing this team or that team. It’s the schedule and it’s who we are playing.” After the Cardinals faced top-ranked Kimberly in the opener, the Lightning head to Fond du Lac receiving votes in the large school division of this week’s AP poll while filling the No. 7 spot in the Division 1 coaches poll.
Appleton North enters having won its first two contests by a 76-28 margin, including a 41-14 win in the opener over D.C. Everest — the team Fond du Lac beat 38-7 last Friday night. The Lightning feature one of the top running backs in the Valley Football Association in Will Stewart — who has rushed for 355 yards and eight touchdowns the first two weeks — and benefits from running behind an offensive line that Gnewuch said averages 297 pounds per player. “They are ginormous up front,” Gnewuch said. “We have to make sure we play with great technique up front on the D-line and we have to make sure we are gap solid against Stewart because he’s a back that’s shown he’s capable of taking it to the house regardless of the (offensive formation).”
Gnewuch was pleased with the way his defensive unit played last week against the Evergreens, but knows the Lightning will provide a much bigger test. “I was real happy to see how the defense responded after we thought we played very poorly against Kimberly,” Gnewuch said. “(Against North) it’s just a matter of us being sound defensively against their multiple sets.” The Cardinals have no shortage of offensive weapons either and have displayed a strong balance between running and passing the first two weeks.
Colton Wasielieski is the Cardinals’ leading rusher and scored three touchdowns last week, while quarterback Jack Cole is equally dangerous as a runner and a passer. When Cole does throw it, he has a bevy of targets to get it to, led by receivers Peyton Nett, Drew Jorgensen and Noah Wenger as well as the Cardinals’ rangy tight end Henry Lange. That balance will be key against a usually stingy Lightning defense. “Their defense is always really aggressive. (Head coach Rob Salm) does a great job of getting those guys to attack the line of scrimmage and play downhill,” Gnewuch said. “We have a lot of weapons on offense and we’ve been able to utilize them to keep the defense on their heels.”
Released 8/29/2017
The top five is unchanged from a week ago, as Kimberly is once again a unanimous #1 team. Franklin survived a scare from Wilmot, but escaped with a 14-13 win and remains second. While the top five performed well, the same can’t be said for the rest of last week’s ranked teams, as six of them went down: Oak Creek, Middleton, Arrowhead, Hudson, Badger, and Wisconsin Rapids. All dropped out of the rankings, as we get five new teams in: Muskego, Appleton North, Eau Claire Memorial, Green Bay Preble, and Kenosha Bradford.
DIVISION 1
RANK | TEAM | RECORD | LW |
1 | Kimberly | 2-0 | 1 |
2 | Franklin | 2-0 | 2 |
3 | Sun Prairie | 2-0 | 3 |
4 | Bay Port | 2-0 | 4 |
5 | Fond du Lac | 1-1 | 5 |
6 | Muskego | 2-0 | UR |
7 | Appleton North | 2-0 | UR |
8 | Eau Claire Memorial | 2-0 | UR |
9 | Green Bay Preble | 2-0 | UR |
10 | Kenosha Bradford | 2-0 | UR |
FOND DU LAC 38 DC Everest 7
The Cardinals built a big early lead and cruised past the Evergreens. Junior running back Eben Sauer scored a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 94 yards on seven carries, while senior running back Colton Wasielieski rushed for 164 yards on 13 carries.
Fond du Lac 38 D.C. Everest 7
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Fond du Lac 24 7 7 0 38
D.C. Everest 0 0 0 7 7
Quarter Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
1 8:11 35 Justin Scheberl 35 yd field goal
1 6:33 3 Colton Wasieleski 3 yd run Justin Scheberl XP
1 4:40 44 Colton Wasieleski 44 yd run Justin Scheberl XP
1 1:47 15 Eban Sauer 15 yd Run Justin Scheberl XP
2 2:01 5 Eban Sauer 5 yd Run Justin Scheberl XP
3 9:03 3 Colton Wasieleski 3 yd run Justin Scheberl XP
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 7 14 179 0 0
Ben Birschbach 2 0 0 0 0
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD 2PT YAC
Colton Wasielski 1 16 0 0 12
Peyton Nett 1 11 0 0 0
Drew Jorgneson 2 59 0 0 25
Henry Lange 1 57 0 0 20
Noah Wenger 1 23 0 0 5
Zach Dilling 1 13 0 0 0
Fond du Lac Totals 7 179 0 0 62
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD
Colton Wasieleski 13 164 3
Jack Cole 2 6 0
Eban Sauer 7 94 2
James Riehl 5 13 0
Gavin Baesely 3 3 0
Jojo Cruthers 1 1 0
Jon Vana 1 -2 0
Ben Birschbach 1 -8 0 Fond du Lac Totals 33 271 5
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Colton Wasieleski 3 0 0 0 18
Eban Sauer 2 0 0 0 12
Jared Scheberl 0 5 0 1 8
Fond du Lac Totals 5 5 0 1 38
Defensive Stats Asst
Player TCK TCK TFL Sacks
Eben Sauer 1 1
Nic Flitcroft 2
Carson Raddatz 1 2 1
Joshua Little 1
Garret Sphatt 1 7 2
Ben Viau 2 1 1 Fum Force
Nick Pieper 2 3
Drew Bonlander 4 2 Int
Dylan Sieloff 1 2
Sam Hernandez 1 2 1 Fum Recovery
Colton Wasielski 1
Hunter Hansen 3
Adam Hopper 5 4 6 2 20 Sack yds
Zavier Ellis 1
Austin Baatz 1
Luke Mueller 1
Logan Berandt 1 1
Jacob Cotton 1
Byron Sabel 1 1
Nick Asmus 1
Fond du Lac Totals 18 36 11 2
Fond du Lac 28 Kimberly 35
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Score
Kimberly 0 7 7 21 35
Fond du Lac 0 7 14 7 28
Time Yards Fond du Lac Scoring Plays
2 5:55 22 Pass from Jack Cole to Eban Sauer TD, Jared Scheberl XPT Kick Good
3 4:50 8 Pass from Jack Cole to Parker Veness TD, Jared Scheberl XPT Kick Good
3 1:52 62 Pass from Jack Cole to Henry Lang TD, Jared Scheberl XPT Kick Good
4 3:25 1 Colton Wasieleski run TD, Jared Scheberl XPT Kick Good
Passing
Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int
Jack Cole 14 27 242 3 1
Rushing
Player Att Yds TD
Eban Sauer 3 18
Jack Cole 5 17
Colton Wasieleski 29 117 1
Receiving
Player Rec Yds TD
Eban Sauer 3 57 1
Henry Lange 2 81 1
Peyton Nett 5 46
Noah Wenger 2 41
Parker Veness 1 8 1
Drew Jorgenson 1 9
Fond du Lac Totals 14 242 3
Scoring
Player TD 1PAT 2PAT FG Total
Eban Sauer 1 6
Henry Lange 1 6
Parker Veness 1 6
Colton Wasieleski 1 6
Jared Scheberl 4 4
Fond du Lac Totals 4 4 0 0 28
Defensive Stats Asst
Player TCK TCK TFL
#4 Carson Raddatz 2 4 1
#6 Joshua Little 2
#7 Garrett Sphatt 5 5 1
#9 Eli Sieckman 1
#14 Ben Viau 9 8 1
#21 Zach Walljasper 1
#24 Peyton Nett
#26 Drew Bonlander 2 2
#40 Sam Hernandez 2 1
#48 Adam Hopper 7
#52 Andrew Stone 2
#74 Luke Mueller 1
#96 Byron Sabel 1 1
#97 Hunter Murtha 2 3
KIMBERLY 35 FOND DU LAC 28
FOND DU LAC – The biggest game in the state didn’t disappoint Friday.
Kimberly rallied for the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute to upend Fond du Lac in front of a packed crowd at Fruth Field.
DJ Stewart scored on a 2-yard touchdown with 48 seconds left in regulation to give Kimberly the final score in one of the state’s most anticipated matchups. Stewart’s touchdown capped a clutch drive engineered by Kimberly quarterback Alec Rosner.
Fond du Lac had one last chance to tie, but Jack Cole’s pass into the end zone in the final seconds was intercepted by Kimberly’s Drew Vandermissen.
Stewart also had a 51-yard touchdown pass to Zach Lechnir on a halfback option pass that sparked a wild fourth quarter that say 28 points scored, 21 of them by the Papermakers.
Lechnir finished with 188 yards on four catches, including a 71-yard touchdown haul from Rosner.
Rosner also had a big day, finishing with 286 yards passing 11-of-16 attempts. Stewart grinded out 90 yards on 28 carries.
Cole was 14-of-28 for 244 yards with three touchdowns, including a 62-yard score to Henry Lange near the end of the third quarter.
Colton Wasieleski had a touchdown and 127 yards on 30 carries for Fond du Lac.
Kimberly 0 7 7 21 – 35
Fond du Lac 0 7 14 7 – 28
Scoring Summary
Second Quarter
K – DJ Stewart 2 run (Owen Johnson)
FDL – Eben Sauer 21 pass from Jack Cole (Jared Scheberl)
Third Quarter
K – Stewart 1 run (Johnson kick)
FDL – Parker Van Ess 3 pass from Cole (Scheberl kick)
FDL – Henry Lange 62 pass from Cole (Scheberl kick)
Fourth Quarter
K – Zach Lechnir 51 pass from Stewart (Johnson kick)
K – Lechnir 71 pass from Alec Rosner (kick failed)
FDL – Colton Wasieleski 1 run (Scheberl kick)
K – Stewart 2 run (Joe Lemancik pass from Rosner)
Individual Leaders
Rushing: KIM: Stewart 28-90. FDL: Wasieleski 30-127.
Passing: KIM: Rosner 11-16-0-286, Stewart 1-1-0-51. FDL: Cole 14-28-1-244.
Kimberly uses trick play to beat Fond du Lac
FOND DU LAC – There were plenty of memorable plays in Kimberly’s 35-28 victory over Fond du Lac on Friday at Fruth Field.
The Valley Football Association crossover win extended Kimberly’s victory streak to 57 games, the longest in the nation, and the clash between rivals and ranked teams in front of thousands of fans showcased a pair of outstanding quarterbacks, two dynamic running backs and fleet-footed receivers.
But in a game of big plays, perhaps none was more jaw-dropping than DJ Stewart’s 51-yard touchdown pass off a halfback option early in the fourth quarter. “I think that’s the first trick play I’ve called as a head coach,” Kimberly coach Steve Jones said. “We saw that they were peeking hard in the backfield and we knew that they were going to fly hard to DJ and we thought it was a good time to take a shot after coming off a quarter change. “I just told DJ not to make me look bad. If it wasn’t there, his job was to run it and those guys were able to execute.”
Stewart said the team had practiced the play all week and that the coaches knew that he was going to be the focal point of Fond du Lac’s defense. “(Coach Jones) said just to be ready for it,” Stewart said. Stewart lined up to the right of quarterback Alec Rosner on the play and the play appeared to be a jet sweep to the left of the formation as Stewart took the handoff from Rosner. As the Fond du Lac defense converged on Stewart, Zach Lechnir slipped past his defenders and was all alone 30 yards downfield as Stewart unleashed the bomb. “My eyes were wide open,” Stewart said. “If you could have gotten a camera straight to my facemask, all you could have seen was the white of my eyes. “I saw the DB come up, because he was expecting a run, and he was doing his job. Then I just launched it. Lechnir had a heck of a game. I have to give that to him.” Lechnir caught the ball and raced untouched into the end zone. Lechnir would add a 71-yard touchdown reception later in the quarter and finished with four catches for 188 yards. “It just felt great,” Lechnir said. “I just trust the guys next to me and trust them with their routes and their blocks and when I trust them, everything works out.” Jones said that a gamebreaker like Lechnir was needed Friday. “He’s a special player and we knew to get him the ball,” Jones said. “We knew that we were going to have trouble inside the tackles consistently because Fond du Lac is big and physical, so we would have to hurt them in space a little bit, so it’s nice having Lechnir out there for sure.”