BRODHEAD - When Brodhead-Juda's football team needed 12 inches, it got 11. And when Lodi fought for some breathing space on the following possession, it found 99 game-altering yards.
The Cardinals were not able to open many holes for their running backs in Saturday's 17-0 WIAA Division 4 quarterfinal loss at Larsen Field to the Blue Devils.
When Cardinals' fullback Jake Colvert finally saw a gaping hole on the right side on first-and-goal from the Devils' 10, he buried the accelerator as he slipped past linebacker Tony Zeman at the point of attack.
"I just tried to run as hard as I can," Covert said.
He dragged defensive back Tyler Schmitz from the 5 to just inside the 3.
"Then everything went downhill," Covert said.
Covert got a yard on the ensuing dive play. Then fellow senior Ethan Douglas fought to within a foot of a game-tying touchdown. On fourth down, senior quarterback Travis Hull was unable to sneak it in off the left tackle, the ball spotted a mere inch from the end zone's plane.
"It was a big momentum swing," Cardinals coach Jim Matthys said. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda, we'll probably be doing that all offseason."
"That was a huge turning point in the game," Blue Devils coach Dave Puls said. "Then for us to turn around, I was thinking 'Let's just get seven yards and punt this thing.'"
They got those seven yards on two running plays before senior quarterback Lucas Stronach found his 6-foot, 5-inch tight end, Bradey Bauman, over the middle. Two plays after the 240-pound target dragged tacklers for a 26-yard gain, he hauled in a 40-yard fly pass down the left sideline.
On the next play, Stronach hit Dakota Cable on a fullback angle route along the left seam, his pass just over the fingertips of Douglas, for a 17-yard touchdown that gave the Devils a 14-0 lead with 1:10 left in the third quarter.
The drive covered more ground than both teams combined for in the first half.
There were only 11 first downs in the game, four of them picked up by Brodhead-Juda. The Cardinals' formidable rushing game was held to just 37 yards on 28 attempts.
Lodi, which set a school record with its 11th win, and hasn't lost since its 7-0 opener with McFarland, draws Rock Valley South powerhouse Big Foot in the Division 4 semifinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hartland Arrowhead.
Stronach put the Devils on the board with a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from a yard out with 9:58 left in the second.
Freshman Donnie Manke banged home both of the Devils' extra points. But his left foot did the most damage when he drilled a 36-yarder that would've been good from 45 with over 4 minutes left in the game.
Stronach picked off his counterpart, Hull, for a second time on the following possession.
It also meant the Cardinals' football season would end without a competitive contest. With its multifaceted running game, Brodhead-Juda ran away from the opposition in a season full of lopsided wins. But without the speed threat of senior running back Brayden Fritsch, who was hurt in the Cards' playoff opener, they were even less tailored to win in come-from-behind fashion.
Matthys was visibly exhausted afterward, not because of a long run in the playoffs, but because he'd just said "Thank you" to a prolific senior class.
"Our senior class has been the guys who are in the weight room, dragging people in, they do all the right things," Matthys said. "If I asked them to do something, 10 of them would do it."
Puls had rave reviews for the departing Cards.
"I had no idea what we were going to do with (Brandon Booth), he's one of the best high school linebackers I've seen," Puls said. "And Douglas, he's a good running back, but as a lineman, he's fearless."
Covert agreed with his coach's assessment that the departing senior class was the best he's had the privilege of directing.
"Going through all four years of football, I've seen every group of seniors and this is the tightest group we've had," Covert said. "They've had my back through everything. This playoff run have been really fun but I didn't want it to end. Not yet."
The Cardinals were not able to open many holes for their running backs in Saturday's 17-0 WIAA Division 4 quarterfinal loss at Larsen Field to the Blue Devils.
When Cardinals' fullback Jake Colvert finally saw a gaping hole on the right side on first-and-goal from the Devils' 10, he buried the accelerator as he slipped past linebacker Tony Zeman at the point of attack.
"I just tried to run as hard as I can," Covert said.
He dragged defensive back Tyler Schmitz from the 5 to just inside the 3.
"Then everything went downhill," Covert said.
Covert got a yard on the ensuing dive play. Then fellow senior Ethan Douglas fought to within a foot of a game-tying touchdown. On fourth down, senior quarterback Travis Hull was unable to sneak it in off the left tackle, the ball spotted a mere inch from the end zone's plane.
"It was a big momentum swing," Cardinals coach Jim Matthys said. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda, we'll probably be doing that all offseason."
"That was a huge turning point in the game," Blue Devils coach Dave Puls said. "Then for us to turn around, I was thinking 'Let's just get seven yards and punt this thing.'"
They got those seven yards on two running plays before senior quarterback Lucas Stronach found his 6-foot, 5-inch tight end, Bradey Bauman, over the middle. Two plays after the 240-pound target dragged tacklers for a 26-yard gain, he hauled in a 40-yard fly pass down the left sideline.
On the next play, Stronach hit Dakota Cable on a fullback angle route along the left seam, his pass just over the fingertips of Douglas, for a 17-yard touchdown that gave the Devils a 14-0 lead with 1:10 left in the third quarter.
The drive covered more ground than both teams combined for in the first half.
There were only 11 first downs in the game, four of them picked up by Brodhead-Juda. The Cardinals' formidable rushing game was held to just 37 yards on 28 attempts.
Lodi, which set a school record with its 11th win, and hasn't lost since its 7-0 opener with McFarland, draws Rock Valley South powerhouse Big Foot in the Division 4 semifinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hartland Arrowhead.
Stronach put the Devils on the board with a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from a yard out with 9:58 left in the second.
Freshman Donnie Manke banged home both of the Devils' extra points. But his left foot did the most damage when he drilled a 36-yarder that would've been good from 45 with over 4 minutes left in the game.
Stronach picked off his counterpart, Hull, for a second time on the following possession.
It also meant the Cardinals' football season would end without a competitive contest. With its multifaceted running game, Brodhead-Juda ran away from the opposition in a season full of lopsided wins. But without the speed threat of senior running back Brayden Fritsch, who was hurt in the Cards' playoff opener, they were even less tailored to win in come-from-behind fashion.
Matthys was visibly exhausted afterward, not because of a long run in the playoffs, but because he'd just said "Thank you" to a prolific senior class.
"Our senior class has been the guys who are in the weight room, dragging people in, they do all the right things," Matthys said. "If I asked them to do something, 10 of them would do it."
Puls had rave reviews for the departing Cards.
"I had no idea what we were going to do with (Brandon Booth), he's one of the best high school linebackers I've seen," Puls said. "And Douglas, he's a good running back, but as a lineman, he's fearless."
Covert agreed with his coach's assessment that the departing senior class was the best he's had the privilege of directing.
"Going through all four years of football, I've seen every group of seniors and this is the tightest group we've had," Covert said. "They've had my back through everything. This playoff run have been really fun but I didn't want it to end. Not yet."
