Division 4: Winneconne 28, Platteville 14
Winneconne (9-5) scored 28 unanswered en route to a 28-14 victory over Platteville (9-5) in the Division 4 championship game Thursday evening.
The Hillmen took its only lead of the game in the first quarter with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Logan Butson to Derek Schambow at 9:48 in the first quarter. The Wolves tied the game on a 3-yard run by Mitchell Markert 44 seconds later. Riley Kallas scored on a 1-yard run in the closing minute of the first quarter and added a 58-yard burst to give Winneconne a 21-7 lead with five minutes to play in the half.
Kallas found the end zone again on the Wolves first possession of the second half. Mitchell Fenrich lofted a perfect pass to Kallas streaking down the sideline to extend the Winneconne lead to 28-7.
Platteville scored with 7:56 remaining in the game on a 15-yard run by Jacob Bernhardt to cut the deficit to 28-14, but that’s the closest the Hillmen would get the remainder of the game.
Markert rushed for a game-high 120 yards and a touchdown, while Kallas added 58 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground and 120 yards receiving with a touchdown to pace the Wolves’ offense. Zachary Henderson intercepted two passes, and Alex Ford had 11 tackles to lead the defensive charge. Platteville was held to 42 yards rushing in the game, and Logan Butson was picked off three times despite throwing for 174 yards and a touchdown.
Winneconne wins the State championship in its first-ever appearance in a championship final. The Wolves’ improbable path to the State title came after a 4-5 finish to the regular season and being seeded sixth in their playoff grouping. Platteville finishes runner-up in its second State final appearance.
Division 5: Stanley-Boyd 21, Lancaster 16
Stanley-Boyd (14-0) won its third State championship and its first since 1995 with a 21-16 win over Lancaster (13-1) in the Division 5 championship final Thursday.
The Orioles took the opening drive 72 yards and scored on a 4-yard toss from Tyler Sorensen to Craig Mason on fourth down grab a 7-0 lead. They scored on their second possession as well, driving 69 yards capped by a 1-yard sprint to the pylon by Mason at the 5:15 mark of the first quarter.
The Orioles’ defense contributed to the scoring with a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown by Dusty Spaeth to increase their lead to 21-0 with 7:44 remaining in the first half. Lancaster got on the board with a nifty 34-yard scamper by Brett Snyder to cut the deficit 21-7 at the half. The Flying Arrows threatened to score late in the half, but were denied by the Orioles defense on a fourth down pass play from the Stanley-Boyd 8-yard line.
Lancaster pulled to within a score with a 1-yard run by Tyler Glass with 11:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Orioles responded with a time-consuming drive and held the Flying Arrows on a fourth-and-one at the Stanley-Boyd 10-yard line with 1:23 to play in the game. The Orioles took a safety in punt formation with 12 seconds left to cap the scoring.
Tyler Sorensen passed for a Division 5 State final record 172 yards and a touchdown to lead the Orioles offense. Tyler Glass rushed for a game-high 152 yards and a touchdown for Flying Arrows. The Orioles tied a Division 5 State final record with three interceptions.
Lancaster finishes runner-up in its 10th championship game appearance, which ranks as second most among all schools. It’s the third straight season the Flying Arrows have finished runner-up.
Division 6: Shiocton 35, Darlington 0
A hard-hitting and stingy defense employed by Shiocton all season propelled them to the Division 6 State championship Thursday with a 35-0 win over Darlington. It was the 11th shutout of an opponent by the Chiefs this season.
The Chiefs defense was put to the test early when the Redbirds returned the opening kickoff deep into Shiocton territory, but they were unable to take advantage of the field position when the drive stalled on the Shiocton 14-yard line. The Redbirds drove to the Shiocton 11-yard line on their ensuing drive following a 41-yard run by Tanner Wiegel, but again failed to convert the drive into any points.
Shiocton took advantage of the missed opportunities to score 35 unanswered points to decide the game. Jacob Van Asten ran to pay dirt from four yards out to give the Chiefs a 6-0 lead with 11:18 remaining in the second quarter. He added a 2-yard plunge at 6:57 of the quarter to extend the lead to 12-0. Patrick Brouillard caught a 35-yard strike from Van Asten to give the Chiefs a 19-0 halftime advantage.
Van Asten and Brouillard hooked up again with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter on 47-yard halfback option play to balloon the lead to 27-0. The Chiefs broke out the trickery to extend their lead to 35-0 when Van Asten threw back to Talon Heinemeyer on the option play for a 22-yard touchdown pass.
The Shiocton defense allowed only 131 total yards and six first downs in the game. Jacob Van Asten led the Chiefs, having a hand in all five touchdowns. He ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns, passed for 147 yards and three scores. Wiegel led Darlington with 62 yards rushing.
It’s the first State championship for Shiocton (14-0) in three tries in the title game. Darlington (12-2) finishes runner-up in its ninth appearance.
Division 7: Black Hawk 44, Glenwood City 22
Black Hawk (14-0) dethroned Glenwood City (12-2) as champion in Division 7 following a 44-22 victory in the title game Thursday.
The Warriors jumped out to a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 17-yard run by Jayden Rufenacht and a 5-yard scamper by Tanner Sweeney. On the next play from scrimmage, the Hilltoppers cut their deficit to 14-6 with a 68-yard run by Nick Mrdutt. Mrdutt tied the game with a 1-yard plunge with less than a minute left in the half.
The Warriors regained the momentum with a score on their ensuing possession on a 24-pass from Heath Butler to Tyler Peterson with 21 seconds left in the half. The drive was set-up by a 38-yard kickoff return by Sweeney into Glenwood City territory. Black Hawk led 22-14 at the half.
The Warriors score on their first two possession of the second half on a pair of 65-yard dashes. Sweeney scored at the 11:43 mark of the third quart and Brett Lovelace duplicated the feat with 9:18 left in the third quarter to extend the lead to 30-14.
Butler scored on a 16-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to cap the Black Hawk scoring. Glenwood City added a token score with under a minute to play in the game. Jake Logghe caught a 25-yard pass from Nick Schone to account for the final score.
Sweeney rushed for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Heath Butler completed 6-of-7 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown to lead the Warriors’ attack. The Hilltoppers were paced by Isaac Tuttle with a game-high 151 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Black Hawk wins its first State championship in its second appearance in the State final. 2012 champion Glenwood City finishes runner-up in its fourth State final.