BRODHEAD — Following a 14-6 loss to Platteville in Week 4, Brodhead-Juda had two options: let the loss define its season or rebound. With a 54-19 win over River Valley on Friday, Sept. 15, the Cardinals chose to rise above.
“It’s a big confidence builder coming off of a loss last week,” Brodhead-Juda head coach Jim Matthys said. “I told the kids we are either going to climb or fall. I felt like we climbed.”
Brodhead-Juda, ranked No. 5 in Division 5, got off to a quick start on both sides of the ball. The defense forced a three-and-out and the offense scored in under three minutes. The Blackhawks’ punt went out of bounds, positing the Cardinals at River Valley’s 48-yard line. Two first-down rushes by Isaac Saunders put Brodhead-Juda in the red zone, where Brody Riese ran for a 7-yard touchdown. Gunner Boegli made the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
The Cardinals had the chance to extend their lead to 14-0 in the closing minutes of the first quarter, but the Blackhawk defense came up with a big stop. Saunders ran for back-to-back first downs, setting Brodhead-Juda up in the red zone again. Gabe Bockhop’s second-and-7 pass to Boegli slipped through Boegli’s hands, and Saunders was stopped just short of the end zone for a turnover on downs.
“We stubbed our toe,” Matthys said. “I wasn’t very happy with that. It’s what we did consistently last week. It comes down to our offensive line. You have to develop a killer instinct to be able to punch the ball in inside the 10.”
The next five possessions, which ended in touchdowns for both teams, were characterized by great field position.
Brodhead-Juda’s defensive kept River Valley’s offense pinned inside the 10, forcing a punt within their own endzone. The result was a Boegli return to the Blackhawks’ 29-yard line. In a matter of two minutes, the Cardinals scored on a 6-yard run from Saunders. Boegli’s extra point was good for a 14-0 lead with 8:29 left in the first half.
Two minutes later, River Valley’s Keagen Heiser found the end zone after hauling in a 48-yard catch from Lucas Klein. Heiser used his six-foot frame to catch the pass over the 5’7” Saunders, who was on the coverage. The extra point was no good, as River Valley trailed 14-6.
For the second possession, Brodhead-Juda started with great field position. Marcus McIntyre returned the kick off to River Valley’s 28-yard line. After two first-down rushes by Saunders, McIntyre capped the drive with a 4-yard TD run for a 21-6 lead.
River Valley gave Brodhead-Juda a taste of its own medicine, as Noah Radtke returned the kick off to the Cardinals’ 30-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Klein ran to the outside for a 30-yard TD rush. With another unsuccessful point, the Blackhawks trailed 21-12.
The Cardinals answered the call yet again, beginning at their own 15-yard line. Saunders and McIntyre ran for back-to-back first downs before the offense faced third-and-1. A 16-yard rush from Saunders put Brodhead-Juda at River Valley’s 40-yard line. Bockhop’s pass to David Masloske took the Cardinals to the 15-yard line, setting Saunders up for a 10-yard TD run.
River Valley started at its own 38-yard line, looking to continue the back-and-forth action. A tackle for loss by Nick Lobeck pushed the Blackhawk offense back two yards. On the next play, McIntyre intercepted Klein’s pass and ran it back 50 yards for a pick-6. The score gave Brodhead-Juda a 35-12 lead going into halftime.
“It’s a lot of adrenaline when you get the ball,” McIntyre said. “I saw the hole and the field open up. My eyes got really big. It was a good flip of the switch and changed the course of the game.”
Brodhead-Juda kept its foot on the gas to start the second half, scoring in the first three minutes. A first-down rush from McIntyre set the offense up at River Valley’s 33-yard line. On the next play, Bockhop took it the rest of the way for a 48-12 lead.
Following a Blackhawk three-and-out, Brody Riese began the Cardinals’ next drive with a 26-yard rush. Later in the possession, he had a 13-yard gain that set Brodhead-Juda up at the 3-yard line. McIntyre took it to the end zone for a 48-12 lead with 4:56 left in the third quarter. With a 36-point Cardinal lead, the rest of the game was played with a running clock.
River Valley had the ball for just two snaps before Brodhead-Juda regained possession on a Boegli interception near midfield. Following a carry from Jameson Wallin, Boegli completed the drive with a 45-yard TD pass to Riese.
For the remainder of the fourth quarter, the Cardinals’ JV players got reps. Wallin, Grayson Arn and Dane Huffman got carries before Brodhead-Juda kneeled to end the game.
The Cardinals relied on three backs to accumulate 356 rushing yards — Saunders (20 att, 181 yds, 2 TDs), McIntyre (14 att, 67 yds, 2 TDs) and Riese (6 att, 75 yds, 1 TD). Due to injuries, Matthys has had to shift players around. He believes they are finally coming into their new positions, especially Riese.
“With the loss of Blake [Matthys], we had to move some people around in several positions,” coach Matthys said. “They are starting now to get comfortable where they are at. I think that is a contributing factor. Brody did a phenomenal job for us at running back.”
With the win, Brodhead-Juda improves to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the SWC. River Valley drops to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in conference.
