Football

Amherst Defends Division 5 Title

Defending champion Amherst (13-1) won its second straight Division 5 championship with an entertaining 38-35 victory over Cedar Grove-Belgium (12-2) Thursday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.

Carter Zblewski kicked a 26-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining in the game to break a 35-35 tie and provide the margin of victory, despite a record-setting performance by the Rockets’ Josh Weiss.

He threw for an all-division finals record 383 yards and five touchdowns in the losing effort. His 51 attempts and 36 completions also were tournament records. Reid Hilbelink also set an all-division record with 14 receptions for 164 yards and two scores. Ethan Bochtrup had 13 catches for 155 yards.

The Rockets opened the game with a 7-play, 64-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead, culminating with a 13-yard pass from Weiss to Hilbelink. The Falcons answered by marching 57 yards in seven plays to knot the score at 7-7. Chandler Benn ran in from one yard for the score. Cedar Grove-Belgium responded with another scoring drive of 71 yards, capped by another Weiss-to-Hilbelink connection from seven yards out. Again the Falcons tied the game at 14-14 with a 3-yard Benn run.

The Falcons scored twice in the final two minutes of the second quarter to build a 28-14 halftime lead. Devin Ostrowski scored on a 4-yard scamper, and Brandon Piotrowski hit Josh Cisewski with a 30-yard touchdown strike after a Marcus Glodowski interception of a Jason von Heimburg option pass set the Falcons up in Rocket territory.

The Rockets rallied in the third quarter with a pair of Weiss scoring tosses to tie the game at 28-28. Matt Dirkse hauled in an 8-yard pass, and von Heimburg added an 11-yard scoring reception. Cedar Grove-Belgium took the lead at 35-28 in the fourth quarter with another von Heimburg touchdown catch that covered 10 yards.

Piotrowski tied the game with 5:12 left in the game on a 2-yard plunge, and a Rockets’ turnover on the ensuing drive set up the Zblewski heroics.

Ostrowski led the Amherst ground game with 71 yards and a touchdown, and Benn ran for 67 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Josh Shude made three catches for 43 yards. The Falcons’ defense held the Rockets to 39 yards on 16 attempts.

Amherst has appeared in the title game in four of the last five seasons with three titles, and Cedar Grove-Belgium finishes runner-up for the second time in their two appearances in the finals.

Complete Statistics

First Half Propels Regis to Division 6 Championship

In the battle of unbeatens, Regis (14-0) defeated Darlington (13-1) 27-14 to capture the Division 6 championship final at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison Thursday.

The Ramblers stymied the vaunted Darlington offense, which averaged more than fifty points a game and 11 yards per rush entering the game, with a ball-control offensive attack and a stingy defense that forced five turnovers.

Regis’ early control of the game was clearly reflected in the statistics, particularly in time of possession with an 18:39 to 5:21 advantage in the first half. The Redbirds were held to 49 yards of total offense in the half and 249 in the game.

Jack Nicolai gave the Ramblers a 3-0 lead with a 27-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. They increased their lead to 10-0 later in the quarter on a 6-yard touchdown run by Caleb Brickner.

In the second quarter, Regis added another touchdown on a 2-yard run by Noel Ortiz, and Nicolai added his second field goal of the game before the half to give the Ramblers a commanding 20-0 advantage.

The Ramblers added insurance late in the third quarter on a 55-yard touchdown strike from Paul Petit to Samuel Forden to take a 27-0 lead.

The Redbirds scored twice late in the game when the outcome was no longer in doubt. Hunter Johnson scored on a 2-yard run, and Ryan Glendenning caught a 36-yard scoring toss from Jared Meister to account for the final score.

Ortiz rushed 24 times for 132 years and a touchdown for the Ramblers’ offense. Petit connected on 6-of-10 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. Forden was on the receiving end of four passes for a game-high 124 yards and a score. Brickner led the Ramblers on defense with a pair of interceptions and four tackles.

Darlington’s Jared Meister completed 8-of-24 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown, but he was intercepted four times. Hunter Johnson ran for 95 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 28 yards. Glendenning led the team in receiving with four catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.

It’s the second State title for Regis in five appearances in the title game. The Ramblers won the Division 7 championship in 2003. Darlington finishes runner-up for the fourth straight season and for the eighth time in their 12 appearances in the title game.

Edgar Downs Shullsburg to Win Division 7 Title

Edgar (11-3) captured its seventh State football championship with a 36-6 victory over Shullsburg (11-3) in the Division 7 final Thursday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.

The Wildcats took control of the game from the opening kickoff, marching 66 yards in seven plays. Alec Hafferman capped the drive with a 1-yard scoring run, and he added the two-point coversion for an 8-0 lead. On Shullsburg’s first drive, Karson Butt intercepted a Noah Wand pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to increase the Wildcats’ lead to 15-0.

Hafferman gave Edgar a 22-0 lead with 2:37 remaining in the first quarter on 2-yard touchdown run. The Miners got on the board on a 9-yard pass from Wand to Hunter Matye, but the two-point conversion failed to narrow the Miners’ deficit to 22-6. Hafferman scored again on a 6-yard run to increase the Wildcats’ lead to 29-6 in the second quarter.

Butt’s second interception of the first half set up the Wildcats in Miners’ territory before intermission. Tyler Matysik ran the ball in from one yard late in the half to give Edgar a 36-6 halftime advantage. Both teams held the other scoreless in the second half.

Hafferman led all rushers with 136 yards for the Wildcats, which ran for 285 yards in the game. Edgar completed 2-of-4 of its passes in the game for 33 yards. The Wildcats intercepted three passes, including two by Butt.

Wand was 7-of-18 passing for 108 yards and a touchdown for the Miners. Ben Sigwarth led the team in rushing with 84 yards on 20 carries. He also caught one pass for a game-high 40 yards.

In their 11th State finals appearance, the Wildcats win their seventh title and their first title since 2010. Shullsburg finishes runner-up in its first-ever appearance in the finals.

Complete Statistics