DARLINGTON - Kyle Johnson understands the Darlington football team took a big first step in pursuit of a conference championship by pounding Iowa-Grant 34-6 in a Southwest Wisconsin Activities League clash.
Johnson, a Darlington senior, played a major role in the Redbirds win Friday, Sept. 6 at Martens Field. He had two interceptions including an interception he returned 43 yards for a touchdown to propel the Redbirds.
"Coach (Scott Zywicki) was telling us if we win this game, we are in the driver's seat and we control our own destiny," Johnson said. "We just want to keep winning and rolling through conference."
It didn't take the Redbirds (2-1, 1-0 SWAL) long to get on a roll. The Redbirds gashed the Panthers for 356 total rushing yards.
The Redbirds opened the game with a seven-play, 76-yard drive capped off when junior Cole McDonald hooked up with Michael Ruf on a 19-yard TD pass on third-and-15. McDonald kept the drive alive with a 7-yard run on a scramble on third-and-6 from the Panthers' 20-yard line. The Redbirds also overcame holding and false start penalties on the opening drives.
Ruf, who has visited Northern Illinois University a couple times about the prospects of playing college football, was excited to start on defense and enjoyed the fast start on offense.
"They wanted to take the ball first and run it at us," Ruf said. "We took that as a slap in the face. It felt really great to gain momentum (with the touchdown) and hit them in the mouth first."
The Redbirds cashed in on an 11-play, 66-yard drive capped off when Jason Singer raced around the end on a counter for a 17-yard TD run to give the Redbirds a 13-0 lead.
Darlington junior fullback Myles Leahy rushed for 142 yards on 23 carries. Darlington senior Tanner Wiegel rushed for 133 yards on 11 carries and scored one touchdown and Singer had 69 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Leahy was excited to beat the Panthers, who defeated the Redbirds in the state quarterfinals last year.
"It's nice to take control of the conference," Leahy said. "We knew it would be a tough game. As soon as I woke up today, I was nervous. We controlled the line and did what we wanted to do."
Darlington coach Scott Zywicki credited the blocking of Leahy and Kane Loken at fullback for helping spring some big plays. The Redbirds were 11 of 16 on third downs.
"At 210 pounds, he (Leahy) takes pride in his blocking," Zywicki said. "Both he and Loken relish blocking on sweeps. They set up our sweep series for our halfbacks. If you can stay out of long distances, there are not going to be a lot of teams who can stop us from getting 3 1/2 yards. If they (Singer or Wiegel) get the corner you will have to take a good angle or they will go the distance."
Iowa-Grant quarterback Isaac Anderson tossed a pass to Trent Milliken who broke a tackle and raced 74-yards for a touchdown to slice the Redbirds' lead to 13-6 about midway through the third quarter. Then Darlington answered when Singer scored on a 16-yard run late in the third quarter to give the Redbirds a 20-6 lead. Then came Johnson's game-changing interception return for a touchdown that gave the Redbirds a three touchdown lead at 27-6. Wiegel had a 16-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
The defense by the Redbirds was just as dominant as the offense. The Redbirds had sacks from Ruf, Cole Whalen and A.J. Coulthard and Johnson had a second interception in the second half that thwarted a Panthers' drive.
"Those were big plays," Zywicki said. "I thought our defense was exceptional stopping the run. I thought we made them one dimensional. Turnovers are big in high school football. He (Johnson) was a state qualifier in track in the hurdles. He has some speed. His anticipation was outstanding and he's an excellent athlete."
Johnson, a Darlington senior, played a major role in the Redbirds win Friday, Sept. 6 at Martens Field. He had two interceptions including an interception he returned 43 yards for a touchdown to propel the Redbirds.
"Coach (Scott Zywicki) was telling us if we win this game, we are in the driver's seat and we control our own destiny," Johnson said. "We just want to keep winning and rolling through conference."
It didn't take the Redbirds (2-1, 1-0 SWAL) long to get on a roll. The Redbirds gashed the Panthers for 356 total rushing yards.
The Redbirds opened the game with a seven-play, 76-yard drive capped off when junior Cole McDonald hooked up with Michael Ruf on a 19-yard TD pass on third-and-15. McDonald kept the drive alive with a 7-yard run on a scramble on third-and-6 from the Panthers' 20-yard line. The Redbirds also overcame holding and false start penalties on the opening drives.
Ruf, who has visited Northern Illinois University a couple times about the prospects of playing college football, was excited to start on defense and enjoyed the fast start on offense.
"They wanted to take the ball first and run it at us," Ruf said. "We took that as a slap in the face. It felt really great to gain momentum (with the touchdown) and hit them in the mouth first."
The Redbirds cashed in on an 11-play, 66-yard drive capped off when Jason Singer raced around the end on a counter for a 17-yard TD run to give the Redbirds a 13-0 lead.
Darlington junior fullback Myles Leahy rushed for 142 yards on 23 carries. Darlington senior Tanner Wiegel rushed for 133 yards on 11 carries and scored one touchdown and Singer had 69 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Leahy was excited to beat the Panthers, who defeated the Redbirds in the state quarterfinals last year.
"It's nice to take control of the conference," Leahy said. "We knew it would be a tough game. As soon as I woke up today, I was nervous. We controlled the line and did what we wanted to do."
Darlington coach Scott Zywicki credited the blocking of Leahy and Kane Loken at fullback for helping spring some big plays. The Redbirds were 11 of 16 on third downs.
"At 210 pounds, he (Leahy) takes pride in his blocking," Zywicki said. "Both he and Loken relish blocking on sweeps. They set up our sweep series for our halfbacks. If you can stay out of long distances, there are not going to be a lot of teams who can stop us from getting 3 1/2 yards. If they (Singer or Wiegel) get the corner you will have to take a good angle or they will go the distance."
Iowa-Grant quarterback Isaac Anderson tossed a pass to Trent Milliken who broke a tackle and raced 74-yards for a touchdown to slice the Redbirds' lead to 13-6 about midway through the third quarter. Then Darlington answered when Singer scored on a 16-yard run late in the third quarter to give the Redbirds a 20-6 lead. Then came Johnson's game-changing interception return for a touchdown that gave the Redbirds a three touchdown lead at 27-6. Wiegel had a 16-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
The defense by the Redbirds was just as dominant as the offense. The Redbirds had sacks from Ruf, Cole Whalen and A.J. Coulthard and Johnson had a second interception in the second half that thwarted a Panthers' drive.
"Those were big plays," Zywicki said. "I thought our defense was exceptional stopping the run. I thought we made them one dimensional. Turnovers are big in high school football. He (Johnson) was a state qualifier in track in the hurdles. He has some speed. His anticipation was outstanding and he's an excellent athlete."
