STOUGHTON - Monroe senior Dylan Schwitz didn't need to look at the stat sheet to know that the Cheesemakers didn't even attempt a pass in rolling to a 35-10 win over Stoughton Friday night.
Schwitz rushed for 228 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns to spearhead a dominating performance by the Cheesemakers that sealed their first win. The Cheesemakers gashed the Vikings, racking up 484 total rushing yards in a return to old school football running the single wing. Monroe junior Jon Becker rushed for 133 yards on 25 carries.
"We kept the ball out of their hands," Schwitz said. "We did what we do best - run the ball. We ran the ball and drained the clock. Our line was awesome. Tonight everything was clicking. We came out believed we could win and played with pride."
It was more than playing keep-away for the Cheesemakers' offense. The Cheesemakers had three scoring drives in the second half of 11 plays or more. It was a demoralizing loss for the Vikings who entered the game with a mathematical chance to become playoff eligible.
"We knew our kids had this in them," Monroe coach Curt Miller said. "It's a great reward for the hard work they have put in."
The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Cheesemakers when Stoughton senior Jacob Roso on the reverse returned the opening kickoff 95-yards for a touchdown. It was all Cheesemakers from there.
Monroe marched 49-yards in seven plays with Schwitz capping it off with a 5-yard TD run. Schwitz then ran in the two-point conversion to give the Cheesemakers an 8-7 lead with 2 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first quarter. Becker had a critical 15-yard run on third-and-4 from the Vikings' 20-yard line that kept the scoring drive alive.
Roso was the one big play threat the Vikings had in the first half. He returned the ensuing kickoff 87-yards. The Vikings faced a fourth-and-goal from the Cheesemakers' 1-yard-line and Monroe recovered a fumble at the 8-yard-line to thwart the threat.
The Cheesemakers cashed in on the turnover when Schwitz bolted 79-yards for a score to help give the Cheesemakers a 15-7 lead. Stoughton senior Ryan Nyhagen booted a 23-yard field goal before halftime to cut Monroe's lead to 15-10.
The Cheesemakers set the tone in the second half with a 12-play, 65-yard drive culminating in Schwitz diving in for a 1-yard TD run to give his team a 22-10 lead with 7:04 left in the third quarter.
Monroe marched 96 yards in 11 plays and senior Bryan Tordoff capped the drive with a 20-yard TD run, making it 29-10.
Monroe junior Austin Burandt has a lot of responsibilities as a center snapping shotgun, direct and indirect snaps and blocking in the single wing offense.
"We have been running the spread since freshman year," Burandt said.
However, he said there are some different angle snaps in the single wing that are a little different than the spread.
"It's still a work in progress," Burandt said of the single wing. "We are starting to peak now. Alex Beaver, Jacob Reynolds and Nick Walker knew what we were doing. We didn't have any mistakes. We didn't do any different plays. We did what we do."
The final dagger was an 11-play, 68-yard drive that ended in junior Skyler Stingley's 3-yard TD run.
With several injuries, the Cheesemakers went to a single wing offense three weeks ago at Milton. Monroe entered the season running a spread offense. Since the Cheesemakers have had success running the single wing, that may be a staple of their offense next year in combination with the spread.
"It very well could be," Miller said. "We have seen some success. You have to do what fits your talent. At this point in the season, the single wing offense fits our personnel the best."
Miller said he would love to send the seniors out with their second straight win to end the season next week against Portage.
"We have been competitive in every game we have played and the Portage game is no different," he said.
Schwitz rushed for 228 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns to spearhead a dominating performance by the Cheesemakers that sealed their first win. The Cheesemakers gashed the Vikings, racking up 484 total rushing yards in a return to old school football running the single wing. Monroe junior Jon Becker rushed for 133 yards on 25 carries.
"We kept the ball out of their hands," Schwitz said. "We did what we do best - run the ball. We ran the ball and drained the clock. Our line was awesome. Tonight everything was clicking. We came out believed we could win and played with pride."
It was more than playing keep-away for the Cheesemakers' offense. The Cheesemakers had three scoring drives in the second half of 11 plays or more. It was a demoralizing loss for the Vikings who entered the game with a mathematical chance to become playoff eligible.
"We knew our kids had this in them," Monroe coach Curt Miller said. "It's a great reward for the hard work they have put in."
The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Cheesemakers when Stoughton senior Jacob Roso on the reverse returned the opening kickoff 95-yards for a touchdown. It was all Cheesemakers from there.
Monroe marched 49-yards in seven plays with Schwitz capping it off with a 5-yard TD run. Schwitz then ran in the two-point conversion to give the Cheesemakers an 8-7 lead with 2 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first quarter. Becker had a critical 15-yard run on third-and-4 from the Vikings' 20-yard line that kept the scoring drive alive.
Roso was the one big play threat the Vikings had in the first half. He returned the ensuing kickoff 87-yards. The Vikings faced a fourth-and-goal from the Cheesemakers' 1-yard-line and Monroe recovered a fumble at the 8-yard-line to thwart the threat.
The Cheesemakers cashed in on the turnover when Schwitz bolted 79-yards for a score to help give the Cheesemakers a 15-7 lead. Stoughton senior Ryan Nyhagen booted a 23-yard field goal before halftime to cut Monroe's lead to 15-10.
The Cheesemakers set the tone in the second half with a 12-play, 65-yard drive culminating in Schwitz diving in for a 1-yard TD run to give his team a 22-10 lead with 7:04 left in the third quarter.
Monroe marched 96 yards in 11 plays and senior Bryan Tordoff capped the drive with a 20-yard TD run, making it 29-10.
Monroe junior Austin Burandt has a lot of responsibilities as a center snapping shotgun, direct and indirect snaps and blocking in the single wing offense.
"We have been running the spread since freshman year," Burandt said.
However, he said there are some different angle snaps in the single wing that are a little different than the spread.
"It's still a work in progress," Burandt said of the single wing. "We are starting to peak now. Alex Beaver, Jacob Reynolds and Nick Walker knew what we were doing. We didn't have any mistakes. We didn't do any different plays. We did what we do."
The final dagger was an 11-play, 68-yard drive that ended in junior Skyler Stingley's 3-yard TD run.
With several injuries, the Cheesemakers went to a single wing offense three weeks ago at Milton. Monroe entered the season running a spread offense. Since the Cheesemakers have had success running the single wing, that may be a staple of their offense next year in combination with the spread.
"It very well could be," Miller said. "We have seen some success. You have to do what fits your talent. At this point in the season, the single wing offense fits our personnel the best."
Miller said he would love to send the seniors out with their second straight win to end the season next week against Portage.
"We have been competitive in every game we have played and the Portage game is no different," he said.
