DARLINGTON — A battle of the top two teams in the SWAL saw a near-shutout from Darlington over Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg on Oct. 2, 42-16.
The top-ranked Redbirds (7-0, 4-0) pitched a defensive shutout with their starters over the first three quarters, while their offense got to business. What wasn’t business as usual, was how Darlington got its six touchdowns.
The Knights (5-2, 4-1) were the only conference opponent of the year to provide any measurable challenge to the Redbirds’ rushing game, with the host squad earning 167 yards and two scores — both of them in the second half — over 32 total carries. The yardage number was the lowest of the year, and touchdown total was tied for the lowest for Darlington.
Despite the impact to the Redbirds’ rushing game, they lived up to their state ranking as they adapted to dominate BSMS. This adaptation came in the form of Darlington flexing its passing game. Three of Zeke Zuberbuhler’s four passing scores came from over 30 yards out and to three different receivers in Peyton Dempsey (34 yds), Levi Lancaster (45 yds), and Calum Crist (40 yds). The last of the three large-yardage scores came with 11 seconds left in the second quarter on a hook-and-ladder pitch from Lancaster to Crist. Meanwhile, Dempsey was also the beneficiary of a 9-yard passing score early in the second frame.
“Offensively, our starters were stopped on only one drive,” Redbirds head coach Travis Winkers said. “We had many big plays. BSMS was mixing their fronts. When teams do this, our linemen have to really communicate and trust our rules. There were a few times we didn’t do that, and BSMS was able to make it difficult on those plays. Again though, they stopped our starters on only one drive, so our players were able to adjust appropriately.”
The second half finally featured scoring production from the rushing game as Zuberbuhler earned his fifth touchdown of the night on a 39-yard rush three minutes into the third, while Dempsey ran in a 28-yard effort early in the fourth quarter.
It wasn’t until after Dempsey’s third touchdown effort that the Knights got on the board, but a running clock to their second score with 19 seconds left in the matchup eliminated hopes of a comeback.
“Our defense played really well again,” Winkers said. “BSMS has some players who have big stats this year, and our starters basically completely shut them down. Prior to the game, BSMS only had one loss on the season. They are a good football team. For our players to execute and get a running clock early in the third quarter, and then have our backups extend it to 42-0, is pretty awesome. I’m proud of our guys’ efforts.”
Zuberbuhler completed 10-of-14 attempts on the night for 197 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Lancaster (4 rec, 69 yds, 1 TD), Dempsey (2 rec, 43 yds, 2 TD), and Ryder Fitzsimons (3 rec, 36 yds) each had multiple receptions on the night. Darlington’s rushing game saw nine different athletes with an attempt, but Zuberbuhler lodged the most efforts at nine for 67 yards and one score ahead of Crist (8 att, 28 yds), and Parker Mosley (6 att, 44 yds).
Next up for the Redbirds is a trip to Cuba City on Oct. 9. The Cubans (5-2, 2-2) most recently downed a top-2 team in the SWC in Prairie du Chien at home on Oct. 2, 28-18.
