MONROE — Despite a 14-point deficit with four minutes left in the first half, Monroe came back for a 28-20 win over McFarland in a WIAA Divion 3 Level 2 playoff game on Friday, Oct. 27.

The two teams met during the regular season as Rock Valley Conference opponents, where the Cheesemakers cruised to a 59-7 win over the Spartans. In that game, Monroe tallied 489 yards of offense. Last Friday, though, the Cheesemakers had 361 total yards.

“They have definitely gotten better at their offensive execution,” Monroe head coach Toby Golembiewski said. “They came with a little different plan on defense, and we didn’t have the same guys that we did last time.”

Monroe was without senior lineman Taylor Herbst and junior running back Ben Gatdula, who had 108 yards against the Spartans in the first meeting. Herbst remained on the sideline as a precautionary this week after being carted off the field against New Berlin Eisenhower, while Gatdula suffered a broken collarbone. Although the offense missed the pair, it opened opportunities for Lane Meier (32 att, 163 yds, 3 TDs).

“We ripped them pretty good with our sweeps with Gatdula and (Kaden) Kuester,” Golembiewski said. “They were more prepared to take that on, which is why Lane excelled tonight.”

Down 14 points with four minutes left in the half, Monroe knew it had to score to remain competitive. The Cheesemakers turned to Meier for a 5-yard carry before handing the ball off to Kaden Kuester (12 att, 51 yds, 1 TD). It was Kuester’s first touch all night, as the senior was nursing a sprained AC joint.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to play at all or suit up,” Kuester admitted. “Once we started to get down, I knew I needed to go in and be there for my team. I had to act like it didn’t hurt at all.”

Kuester moved the chains with an 8-yard gain. Quarterback Ethan Rosenstiel (4-for-9 passing, 83 yds; 3 att, 14 yds) ran for two first downs before completing a 22-yard pass to Kuester, which put Monroe at McFarland’s 5-yard line. Meier capped the drive with a 5-yard TD run — all with 23 seconds left in the half. 

Although Wes Saunders (2-for-3 PAT) missed the extra point, the Cheesemakers avoided a scoreless first half.

“It was huge. We had to score,” Meier said. “When coach called my play, I knew that it was up to me. The line blocked great for me and led me into the end zone. It gave us a lot of motivation and energy.”

Monroe carried that energy into the second half, where the Cheesemakers scored on their opening drive.

“I knew that if we could get a score on the first drive, we were going to be able to follow through,” Golembiewski said. “If we came out and they adjusted on something, it would have been pretty hard.”

Nathan Fuchs (3 att, 3 yds; 2 ret, 12 yds) returned the kickoff to Monroe’s 40-yard line. McFarland’s defense looked to force a 3-and-out, stopping Brady Wyss (14 att, 47 yds) at the line of scrimmage and tackling Meier for a 2-yard loss. On third-and-12, though, Rosenstiel connected with Meier for a first down. Meier’s ensuing first-down rush put Monroe just outside of the red zone, where Kuester punched it home for an 18-yard TD run. Instead of kicking the extra point to trail by one, the Cheesemakers elected to go for two.

Once again, Kuester’s number was called. The senior didn’t disappoint, tying the game at 14 on the 2-point conversion. 

“When you know your number is called, you just have to step up,” Kuester said. “It was a huge moment and big turning point for us. It was great to be able to do that for my team.”

The remainder of the third quarter was scoreless, as each team turned the ball over on downs. With McFarland’s empty possession, Monroe got the ball at its 38-yard line. After a short gain from Kuester, Meier got three straight carries for back-to-back first downs. 

As the third quarter gave way to the fourth, Rosenstiel picked up two yards, setting up fourth-and-4 at McFarland’s 24-yard line. Monroe turned to Meier, who cashed in with a TD. Saunders’ extra point proved to be the game winner, giving the Cheesemakers a 21-14 lead.

The Spartans made the game interesting, though, as Andrew Kelley caught a pass from Braylan Roder for a 70-yard TD play. With just over nine minutes left in the game, McFarland gambled and went for two. Monroe’s defense, which had just given up a big play, came through when it really mattered. Keegan Dahmen batted Roder’s pass down, as McFarland was unable to complete the 2-point conversion.

“They are a great passing team. We knew that all week and had been working hard on it,” Meier said. “We got caught in a couple situations, but the second half we locked it down.”

In a last-ditch effort, McFarland attempted an onside kick, but James Seagreaves covered the ball at midfield. Monroe ran the clock down, handing off to Kuester and Meier. The drive ended with a 5-yard TD run from Meier, giving the Cheesemakers an 8-point cushion with three minutes left.

McFarland gained traction on its final drive, but Monroe’s defense came up clutch. Fuchs and Seagreaves sacked Roder, who then threw three incomplete passes to Blake Bernhardt. Gavin Foulker was on the coverage. 

The Cheesemakers received the ball at its own 27-yard line on a turnover on downs, and Rosenstiel kneeled out the game.

With the win, No. 1-seeded Monroe advances to a Level 3 playoff game against former Badger Conference opponent No. 7-seeded Stoughton. The Vikings knocked off No. 2 Greendale 41-20 and No. 3 Waterford 22-17. 

The last time Monroe and Stoughton met in playoffs was 2019, where the Cheesemakers beat the Vikings 14-7. The victory came after a 53-18 loss during the regular season.