DARLINGTON - The competition in the backfield for Darlington junior Jason Singer pushes him to get better.
All of Singer's skills were on display in a 56-7 win over New Glarus-Monticello on a scorching game at Martens Field Friday, Aug. 30. Singer scored three touchdowns and had 226 all-purpose yards -139 on kickoff returns and 87 yards rushing on nine carries with two touchdowns during a game when it was 95 degrees at kickoff and the heat index was 102.
"Jason is one of those special athletes you don't see come by too often," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "He does have that burst you like to see. He's strong enough to shed arm tackles. He has a great chance of taking it the distance every time he touches the ball."
Singer set up the first scoring drive for the Redbirds with a 49-yard kickoff return. The Redbirds (1-1) cashed in on the golden scoring opportunity when Tanner Wiegel raced in for a 10-yard TD run to help the Redbirds take a 6-0 lead.
New Glarus-Monticello (0-2) answered with a seven-play, 77-yard drive capped off by Patrick Elzen's 1-yard TD run to give the Knights a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter. The Redbirds trailed for just 17 seconds. Singer took a reverse handoff and bolted for a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Singer's kickoff return for a touchdown sparked the Redbirds, who scored on five straight drives and scored 50 unanswered points.
"Kade Carey just decleated a kid and that opened the whole play up," Singer said. "There was only one person to beat and that was the kicker and I thought I was faster than him."
Darlington junior fullback Myles Leahy had 97 rushing yards on 13 carries and senior Tanner Wiegel had 94 rushing yards on six carries and scored two touchdowns.
"We have three great backs," Singer said. "There are no weak spots. Our line is great. We just have to run through the holes and make a couple of guys miss."
The Redbirds continued to roll pounding the ball on the ground. The Redbirds' had a quick strike drive early in the second quarter with Leahy rumbling for a 35-yard TD run. Singer ran in the two-point conversion to give the Redbirds a 20-7 lead.
Singer recovered a Glarner Knights' fumble at the Knights' 42-yard line to set up the next scoring drive. The Redbirds' six-play, 73-yard drive culminated in Singer's 12-yard TD run on a counter with 3:03 left in the second quarter. One highlight of the drive was Cole McDonald's 28-yard pass to Dane Siegenthaler. McDonald hooked up with Ben Muhlstein on a 22-yard TD pass on third-and-6.
"Both sides of the ball we have to play better," New Glarus-Monticello coach Desie Breadon said. "Darlington is a big team and they play physical. Our assignments have to be a lot better to stop the run. They killed us on those traps and counters because we fell asleep backside. The potential is there."
The Knights played most of the second quarter without senior running back Jim Chenoweth who battled the heat and couldn't play. He returned in the second half.
"For most of the second quarter, Jim Chenoweth was out," Breadon said. "I think that took the wind out of our sails. He's a three-year starter out of the lineup and it changed up the guys' mindset. Once we got fluids in him, he was all right."
McDonald completed 3-of-5 passes for 77 yards with one touchdown. For the Knights, Elzen was 3 of 8 passing for 88 yards. Tanner Hofer had three catches for 88 yards.
The Redbirds rolled up 349 total rushing yards. Singer had a 33-yard TD run in the third quarter and Wiegel broke loose for a 50-yard TD run. Darlington's Weston Ritchie capped the scoring with an 8-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
"I have seen him the last two weeks and he (McDonald) is playing at a high level," Zywicki said. "You don't worry about Cole. He has an excellent arm and he's an excellent runner. We have to get him to make quicker decisions sometimes because he is a dual threat."
All of Singer's skills were on display in a 56-7 win over New Glarus-Monticello on a scorching game at Martens Field Friday, Aug. 30. Singer scored three touchdowns and had 226 all-purpose yards -139 on kickoff returns and 87 yards rushing on nine carries with two touchdowns during a game when it was 95 degrees at kickoff and the heat index was 102.
"Jason is one of those special athletes you don't see come by too often," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "He does have that burst you like to see. He's strong enough to shed arm tackles. He has a great chance of taking it the distance every time he touches the ball."
Singer set up the first scoring drive for the Redbirds with a 49-yard kickoff return. The Redbirds (1-1) cashed in on the golden scoring opportunity when Tanner Wiegel raced in for a 10-yard TD run to help the Redbirds take a 6-0 lead.
New Glarus-Monticello (0-2) answered with a seven-play, 77-yard drive capped off by Patrick Elzen's 1-yard TD run to give the Knights a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter. The Redbirds trailed for just 17 seconds. Singer took a reverse handoff and bolted for a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Singer's kickoff return for a touchdown sparked the Redbirds, who scored on five straight drives and scored 50 unanswered points.
"Kade Carey just decleated a kid and that opened the whole play up," Singer said. "There was only one person to beat and that was the kicker and I thought I was faster than him."
Darlington junior fullback Myles Leahy had 97 rushing yards on 13 carries and senior Tanner Wiegel had 94 rushing yards on six carries and scored two touchdowns.
"We have three great backs," Singer said. "There are no weak spots. Our line is great. We just have to run through the holes and make a couple of guys miss."
The Redbirds continued to roll pounding the ball on the ground. The Redbirds' had a quick strike drive early in the second quarter with Leahy rumbling for a 35-yard TD run. Singer ran in the two-point conversion to give the Redbirds a 20-7 lead.
Singer recovered a Glarner Knights' fumble at the Knights' 42-yard line to set up the next scoring drive. The Redbirds' six-play, 73-yard drive culminated in Singer's 12-yard TD run on a counter with 3:03 left in the second quarter. One highlight of the drive was Cole McDonald's 28-yard pass to Dane Siegenthaler. McDonald hooked up with Ben Muhlstein on a 22-yard TD pass on third-and-6.
"Both sides of the ball we have to play better," New Glarus-Monticello coach Desie Breadon said. "Darlington is a big team and they play physical. Our assignments have to be a lot better to stop the run. They killed us on those traps and counters because we fell asleep backside. The potential is there."
The Knights played most of the second quarter without senior running back Jim Chenoweth who battled the heat and couldn't play. He returned in the second half.
"For most of the second quarter, Jim Chenoweth was out," Breadon said. "I think that took the wind out of our sails. He's a three-year starter out of the lineup and it changed up the guys' mindset. Once we got fluids in him, he was all right."
McDonald completed 3-of-5 passes for 77 yards with one touchdown. For the Knights, Elzen was 3 of 8 passing for 88 yards. Tanner Hofer had three catches for 88 yards.
The Redbirds rolled up 349 total rushing yards. Singer had a 33-yard TD run in the third quarter and Wiegel broke loose for a 50-yard TD run. Darlington's Weston Ritchie capped the scoring with an 8-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
"I have seen him the last two weeks and he (McDonald) is playing at a high level," Zywicki said. "You don't worry about Cole. He has an excellent arm and he's an excellent runner. We have to get him to make quicker decisions sometimes because he is a dual threat."
