Division 1: Arrowhead 45, Franklin 24
Arrowhead (13-1) won its second straight Division 1 championship and its sixth title overall with a 45-24 triumph over Franklin (12-2) in the State championship final Friday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
The Warhawks compiled a Division 1 State finals record 465 yards of total offense in the game and tied the record for the most points in a title game. In addition, the two teams combined for 892, which also set a new Division 1 mark. Eleven Division 1 State finals team records and nine individual records were tied or broken in the game.
Arrowhead converted an interception by Thomas Eggert into a 25-yard field goal by Trevor Ostling to take a 3-0 lead with 5:20 remaining in the first quarter. The Warhawks expanded their lead to 10-0 on a 9-yard pass from Johnny Duranso to Jake Miller on the second play of the second quarter.
Franklin fought back to tie the game with a 24-yard field from Austin Manning and a 4-yard run by Chad Walton with 2:40 remaining in second quarter. However, Arrowhead needed only two minutes to take a 17-10 halftime lead on another scoring strike from Duranso to Miller, a 1-yard slant to the middle of the end zone.
Franklin tied the game at 17-17 in the third quarter on an 8-yard run by quarterback Sean McGuire. The Sabers appeared to be driving for a go-ahead score, but the tide turned with Frankin mistakes. The Sabers fumbled deep in Arrowhead territory, and the Warhawks promptly marched 76 yards in 11 plays to grab a 24-17 lead on a Duranso to Ricky Finco 4-yard pass. The drive was aided by personal foul penalty, which would have otherwise been a third-and-17 situation at midfield. The Sabers blocked the point-after attempt and trailed 23-17.
Charlie Reuteman intercepted a McGuire pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown with a successful two-point conversion to give the Warhawks a commanding 31-17 advantage with 1:09 remaining in the third quarter.
The Warhawks erased any hopes of a Franklin comeback when Cody Sellhausen sprinted 66 yards to the end zone to increase the lead to 38-17 with 8:45 remaining in the game. Ty Jager raced 70 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown to expand the lead to 45-17. Franklin added a touchdown on 31-yard run by Walton as time expired to account for the final score.
Miller set a Division 1 State finals record with 11 receptions, good for 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Finco added five receptions for a record 113 yards. Duranso completed 18-of-29 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns. He also contributed 55 yards rushing on 19 attempts. Jager was the game’s leading rusher with 104 yards on seven carries.
Sean McGuire set the Division 1 records for passing completions, attempts and yardage by converting on 21 of his 37 passes for 250 yards. Walton led the Sabers’ ground attack with 78 yards and two touchdowns.
Franklin finishes runner-up in its second State finals appearance.
Division 2: Kimberly 51, Oshkosh North 10
Kimberly (14-0) erupted for 21 points in the third quarter and 34 unanswered points in the second half to cruise to a record-setting 51-10 victory over Oshkosh North (13-1) in the Division 2 championship final. The 51 points are the most scored in a Division 2 State final, and the 37 points in the second half also set a new record.
The Spartans scored first with a 6-yard run by quarterback Nate Neveau to cap an eight-play, 80-yard drive. However, the lead was brief as the Papermakers scored on the ensuing drive on a one-yard run by quarterback Scott Schreiber. Schreiber connected with Weston Guilfoyle on a 33-yard touchdown pass to give Kimberly a 14-7 lead at 4:25 before intermission. Oshkosh North’s Turner Geisthardt added a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to narrow the Papermakers’ lead to 17-13.
The third quarter was all Kimberly. Schreiber sprinted 42 yards down the left sideline and willed himself into the end zone after initial contact at the 7-yardline. Blair Mulholland upped the Papermakers’ lead to 28-10 on a one-yard plunge at the 4:56 mark of the quarter, and Schreiber ran the ball in from 11 yards out to make the spread 35-10 at the end of the period.
Schreiber tied a Division 1 record by rushing for his fourth rushing touchdown on a 24-yard scamper with 9:21 remaining in the game. The Papermakers added a safety on Oshkosh North’s next possession when Connor McCormick tackled Neveau in the end zone to make the score 44-10. The final score of the game came on a 13-yard burst by J.P. Peerenboom .
Schreiber completed 9-of-12 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 100 yards to pace the Papermakers’ offense, and Mitchel Fisher led the defense with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and two passes broken up. The Spartans’ attack was led by Neveau with 192 passing yards and 55 yards rushing. He completed 18 passes, which set a new Division 2 State finals record.
Kimberly won its third State championship and its first since the second of back-to-back titles in 2007-08. Oshkosh North finishes runner-up in its second State final appearance.
Division 3: Monona Grove 21, Greendale 17
Monona Grove (14-0) fought back from a 17-0 deficit to claim the Division 3 State championship with a 21-17 win over previously unbeaten Greendale (13-1) Friday.
The Silver Eagles were denied points on each of their first three possessions of the game despite advancing the ball into the Panthers’ red zone.
Monona Grove’s first drive stalled on downs at the Greendale 14-yard line. The Panthers proceeded to score on their first and only drive of the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. Josh Ringelberg capped the drive with a 6-yard scoring run. Mitchell Brees caught four passes on the drive for 50 yards.
On Monona Grove’s ensuing possession, they marched to 60 yards on 17 plays but turned the ball over on downs on the Panthers’ 3-yard line. Lighting struck immediately after for the Panthers as Ringelberg hit a sprinting Nate Miller on a 97-yard touchdown pass to give the Panthers a 14-0 advantage at 8:08 in the second quarter. The connection was the longest in WIAA State finals history for all divisions.
The Silver Eagles were again denied points on their third straight possession in the red zone, failing to convert a fourth-and-four situation at the Greenfield 14-yard line.
Frankie Rutkowski booted a 31-yard field goal to give Greendale a seemingly comfortable halftime advantage.
Monona Grove found the end zone for the first time on a two-play, 80-yard drive in the third quarter. Tyler Blank connected with Brady Blang on a 37-yard strike followed by a 46-yard scoring toss to Jackson Riley to cut the Silver Eagles’ deficit to 17-7. The Silver Eagles pulled to within a field goal with 8:18 to play on a 34-yard scoring pass from Blang to Trey Powers.
The Silver Eagles completed the comeback when Brock Offerdahl found the end zone from a yard out with 53 second remaining in the game.
Tyler Blang and Toren Young led the Monona Grove comeback win. Blang completed 9-of-17 passes for 217 yards and two scores, and he rushed 13 times for 58 yards. Young ran for a game-high 150 yards on 31 carries.
Ricgelberg finished with 270 yards passing for the Panthers, which set a Division 3 State finals record, and a touchdown. Brees also set a single-game Division 3 State record for receptions with nine for 98 yards. Miller added four catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Monona Grove wins its third State championship in its fourth State finals appearance, and Greendale finishes runner-up for the second time in its two appearances in the final.