NEW GLARUS — The New Glarus Glarner Knights grabbed a share of the Southwest Wisconsin Conference title with a 21-18 win over the Lancaster Flying Arrows on Friday, Oct. 17.
The Knights share the title with Prairie du Chien, as both teams finished with 6-1 conference records. Prairie du Chien defeated New Glarus in a head-to-head matchup.
New Glarus scored on its first possession, going 65 yards in 14 plays with Will Pinnow catching a 7-yard touchdown pass from Matt Roth. Ashlin Mihlbauer added the extra point and the Glarner Knights led 7-0 with 7:54 left in the first quarter. Lancaster scored a touchdown early in the second quarter as quarterback Toay Ragatz ran up the middle on an 18 yard TD run. The Arrows tried a two-point extra point but failed, and the Knights held on to a 7-6 lead with 10:40 remaining in the first half.
New Glarus countered with an eight-play, 52-yard drive for a score. Quinn Marty found Roth for a 29-yard completion to the four-yard line and Marty scored on a one-yard run. Mihlbauer’s extra point put the Knights up 14-6 with 7:26 before halftime. Lancaster answered with a nine-play 80 yard drive. Ragatz connected with Taylor Williams on a 36-yard pass to the red zone where Ragatz scored on a three-yard run. The Flying Arrows again went for two but came up short and New Glarus held a 14-12 lead with 2:50 left before halftime.
The Glarner Knights quickly moved the ball from their own 32 to the Lancaster six-yard line where Pinnow carried the ball into the end zone and Mihlbauer tacked on the extra point to give New Glarus a 21-12 lead with 58 seconds left in the second quarter. On Lancaster’s next possession, Mihlbauer intercepted a pass at midfield and returned it to the 28-yard line with 28 seconds left in the half. But, the Knights failed to score as Mihlbauer’s 30-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left on the final play of the half.
In the third quarter, New Glarus began a possession at their own 35-yard line with 5:27 left in the quarter and carried into the fourth quarter. The Glarner Knights reached the one-yard line but the drive stalled out as the Flying Arrows put up a big goal line stand.
Lancaster marched 99 yards in 17 plays in almost six minutes as Nolan Hanke ran in from five yards out. The Flying Arrows tried to run it in for a two-point conversion, but came up short and the Glarner Knights maintained a 21-18 lead with 4:33 remaining. Lancaster tried an onside kick, but Mihlbauer recovered at the 49-yard line. New Glarus went three-and-out and had to punt. Lancaster took over on their own 15-yard line with 3:21 left on the clock.
Without any time-outs, the Arrows moved the ball to the 50-yard line and converted a fourth-and-three with 48 seconds left. Lancaster reached the 11-yard line with two seconds left. They decided to go for the win instead of trying a field goal to tie it. On the final play, Ragatz rolled to his left and, under pressure, fired into the end zone where his desperation pass was batted down by the Glarner Knights.
New Glarus coach D.J. Schuett was elated his team got the win and a piece of the conference title.
“They did exactly what we asked them to do. Even the scoring drive by Lancaster in the second half. They had to make really long drives to be able to make that score. We held them in the end and we won. We came home with a win and that’s all that matters,” said Schuett.
Roth was 14 of 25 passing for 108 yards and a touchdown. Pinnow caught nine passes for 72 yards and a score.
Now, the Division 5 playoffs begin for the Glarner Knights (8-1) where they will be a No. 3 seed and will host No. 6 seed Clinton at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24.
