LANCASTER — For the first time since 2012, an 8-seed is a sectional champion. With its 35-32 win over Lancaster on Friday, Nov. 8, Belleville earned a sectional title and will face Lomira in the WIAA Division 6 state semifinal No. 15 at Winneconne.

“We told the kids all week, it’s not going to be perfect. They (Lancaster) are going to get some good plays; they are a good team,” Belleville head coach Mike Nolden said. “But you have to do enough. That’s what we did. I love coaching these guys, and I’m so proud of them.”

The Wildcats were the only 8-seed in any division this year to make it out of Level 1. Even more, the last time an 8-seed advanced to Level 4 in any division was Freedom in 2012. The Irish had upset 1-seed Chilton, 4-seed Marshall and 2-seed Little Chute before falling to Big Foot 45-22.

Belleville (7-6) embraced the underdog mentality against Lancaster (8-4), knowing if it wanted to come out on the winning side, the team would need to create and keep momentum. The Wildcats executed that plan, as Brennan Keyes connected with Sam Arndt for a 50-yard game on the first play of the drive. Two plays later, Logan Derke scored to put Belleville up 6-0.

After the Wildcat defense forced a 3-and-out, Bellville pulled another trick to go up 14-0. Keyes made a backward pass to Arndt, who found a wide-open Derke for a 55-yard touchdown pass.

“You have to take risks to win a game,” Keyes said. “That’s what we did. We weren’t expected to win, so you have to do everything you can to win, even if it’s not very practical. It’s not practical to throw a 50-yard bomb on the first play of the game, but we did. That’s what it takes to win.”

But Lancaster’s own No. 28, Nolan Hanke, was a force to be reckoned with. He had a 47-yard rush in the Flying Arrows’ touchdown drive. 

The track-meet pace continued in the first quarter, as Cooper Nemec returned a kickoff for a score, and Lancaster’s Nolan Wolf had a short, 5-yard touchdown run. When all was said and done, Belleville led 21-14 after the first frame.

The two teams exchanged scores early in the second quarter, the only difference being a blocked extra point by Belleville’s Treyton Myers.

The Wildcats once again looked to put points on the board, getting to midfield in three plays. Facing fourth-and-1, Nolden had a big decision: go for it and keep the pressure on, or punt and potentially allow Lancaster to tie the game with a score. Nolden gambled on his offense.

Keyes made a quick pass to Nemec on the outside, but the Flying Arrows read the play and tackled him for a loss. The result was a turnover on downs.

“That’s poor coaching on my side to give them (Lancaster) a chance,” Nolden said. “We tried to keep playing aggressively, and we might have put our defense in a situation they shouldn’t have been in. But they made the plays when they had to. We trust them.”

Lancaster capitalized on the short field, scoring six plays later. To make up for the blocked PAT, the Flying Arrows went for two, but Riley Weber stopped Hanke short of the goal line, making Lancaster’s deficit 28-26.

After a 3-and-out by Belleville, Lancaster got the ball back with just under a minute left in the first half. On the first play of the drive, Quinton Ploessl caught a pass over the head of defender Nemec to put the Flying Arrows in Belleville territory. Combined with first-down runs and timeouts to stop the clock, Lancaster threatened at Belleville’s 33-yard line with 22.5 seconds left.

That’s when the defense turned it up. Treyton Myers pressured quarterback Wolf, resulting in an incomplete pass. Then, on fourth-and-10, Weber and Ryker Swenson sacked Wolf, resulting in a turnover on downs.

“If they score there, it could have been a complete turnaround of the game,” Derke said. “That was huge for our defense to get a stop there going into halftime up.”

There was still a little momentum left in the tank for Lancaster, though, as the Flying Arrows scored on their first drive of the third quarter. It was a 10-play, nearly four-minute drive where only Wolf and Hanke carried the ball. The Flying Arrows went for two again and were stopped short. It was their third missed scoring opportunity after a touchdown — mistakes that came back to haunt the team.

Trailing for the first time all game, Belleville responded. Derke carried the ball on four of the seven plays, with Swenson capping the drive with a 19-yard rushing touchdown. The Wildcats regained the lead 35-32.

But Lancaster didn’t wither. After a pair of turnovers on downs, the Flying Arrows entrusted the ball with Wolf to get into Wildcat territory. On fourth-and-6 at the 10-yard line, Lancaster went to Hanke. After a measurement, referees ruled Hanke short of the first down, resulting in a turnover on downs.

“I’ve got to call out our defensive coordinator,” Arndt said of coach Jacob Biesterveld. “His game plans are exactly what we need every week. We are playing hard and hitting hard. That’s all it is.”

Belleville got the ball back with roughly six minutes left in the contest. Either the Wildcats needed to score or run enough time off the clock to secure the win. There were a couple close calls — Keyes almost got tackled in the end zone for a safety, and Derke caught a tipped screen pass — but first-down plays by Caden Myers, Keyes and Derke clinched the win.

Keyes kneed out the final three plays, sending the Belleville community into frenzy. Players gave Nolden a Gatorade bath before accepting the sectional championship plaque.

“We’re not supposed to be here,” Keyes said. “You can’t take a single moment for granted. If we aren’t supposed to be here, we have to take advantage of every chance we get and capitalize on every scenario. Everything is thanks to this team.”

With the win, 8-seed Belleville (7-6) advances to a Level 4 game against 2-seed Lomira (10-2) at Oconomowoc. Even though Camp Randall is within sight, Nolden reminded his team to still take it one week at a time.

“You can’t be looking forward to Camp Randall next week because if you overlook next week, you’re not going to get there,” Nolden said. “We are going to take it one week at a time and bring our best next Friday to have a chance.”