BRODHEAD — Brodhead-Juda got the monkey off its back, as the team earned its first win of the 2024 season with a convincing 45-15 victory over Dodgeville on Sept. 20.
“It’s Week 5,” first-year head coach Cristian ‘Gus’ Wedig said. “The puzzle pieces are starting to click.”
Wedig, the defensive coordinator in 2023, took over the Cardinal program in the offseason when former head coach Jim Matthys announced his retirement. Wedig brought extensive football knowledge and experience to the team, as he played collegiately at the University of Minnesota Duluth and coached at UW-Whitewater.
Combined with Wedig’s experience and the fact that the 2023 team was 6-4 and playoff eligible, fans might believe the transition would be smooth. But Brodhead-Juda graduated three collegiate-level football players, and the returners had to learn a new offensive system with all new terminology.
“We graduated a large senior class. Gus told us that we needed to step up,” sophomore Braylon Strehlow said of himself and Nolan Bump.
The wide receiver/defensive backs did just that in Friday’s contest. Strehlow had three interceptions and three catches for 77 yards. Bump caught two deep, over-the-shoulder passes that set Brodhead-Juda up in the red zone.
But more importantly, the Cardinals got out to a quick start.
“It was big to get out early,” Wedig said. “We put up points on the board right away.”
It took just two carries by Grayson Arn to set Brodhead-Juda up at Dodgeville’s 9-yard line. Gabe Bockhop finished the drive with a fake handoff and scamper to the end zone. His 2-point pass hit Brody Riese square to give the Cardinals an 8-0 lead just over a minute into the contest.
But the Dodgers answered with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Johnson to Sawyer Garthwaite, who managed to haul in the catch despite a defensive interference flag thrown on Landan Peterson.
Six minutes left in the first quarter was enough for Brodhead-Juda to march down the field yet again.
On third-and-11 just outside the red zone, Bockhop avoided a sack, flipping the ball to David Masloske. The completion was just a yard shy of the first-down marker, so on fourth-and-1 Bockhop ran to move the chains. Brady Zimmerman capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Brodhead-Juda went for two again, completing a pass to Arn.
A 9-yard sack by Jordan Dix forced Dodgeville to go 3-and-out.
After an encroachment call on the Dodgers gave the Cardinals a fresh set of downs, Strehlow laid out for a 27-yard pass from Bockhop. Although the catch put Brodhead-Juda in enemy territory, the team shot itself in the foot with a holding call. Facing third-and-14, Bockhop launched a 29-yard pass to Bump, who caught the ball in his fingertips.
“After every Friday night game, we (Bockhop) and I are working on executing my routes because I’m not the fastest,” Bump said.
Masloske finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, and Bockhop and Riese connected for yet another 2-point play for the 24-7 lead.
Dodgeville was poised to answer right back, as a block in the back call put the Dodgers just outside the red zone. The visitors got two yards from the end zone when Strehlow intercepted a pass from Johnson.
“That was detrimental,” Wedig said of Strehlow’s interception. “It’s a totally different game if they score.”
Brodhead-Juda made Dodgeville pay, scoring with 11 seconds left on the clock. During the drive, Bump made another over-the-shoulder catch near the same spot of the field as the first.
The Cardinals ran into trouble early in the second half, as they accumulated 24 yards in penalties — the first a 15-yard personal foul and the second a roughing the passer that gave Dodgeville half the distance to the goal. The mental lapses put the Dodgers within striking distance yet again, but this time, it was Riese that hauled in the interception. He ran it back 44 yards, giving Brodhead-Juda prime field position.
Eight plays later, Masloske caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Bockhop to go ahead 38-7. For the rest of the night, the score hovered around the 35-point, running-clock margin.
“It was really nice to get the win,” Strehlow said. “We stayed locked-in and focused. We didn’t overlook this team like everyone thought we would. We deserved this win.”
