PRAIRIE DU CHIEN — New Glarus-Monticello advanced out of Level One in the WIAA Division 5 playoffs with a stunning 28-24 win over Prairie du Chien thanks to a late touchdown pass from Connor Siegenthaler to Darris Schuett.
The Glarner Knights (5-5) came into the game as the underdog to the Blackhawks (8-2), ranked No. 10 in Division 5 in the final WisSports.net Coaches Poll, but escaped anyway thanks to a brilliant performance under center by Siegenthaler, who was 13 of 18 passing for 225 yards and four scores in the game.
Prairie du Chien led 6-0 after a first quarter touchdown by Tyler Smock, who had 194 yards rushing on 29 carries. Early in the second, Siegenthaler connected with Zach Feller on touchdown passes of 26 and 27 yards to take a 14-6 lead. But the Blackhawks would not back down. Smock scored from 88-yards out on the ensuing kickoff and Prairie du Chien added another touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Gavin Gillitzer to Carter Pederson to take an 18-14 advantage into the break.
In the third quarter Siegenthaler connected with Trevor Gassman from 17-yards out to re-take the lead, but Smock followed up with a 9-yard scamper early in the fourth quarter to put his team up 24-21.
Gassman finished the game with six catches for 124 yards. Schuett had 44 yards rushing on four carries and caught the big TD to give the Knights the win. Feller had four catches for 69 yards. Defensively, Siegenthaler and Adam Marty each had nine tackles, with Patrick Craker and Mason Martinson gathering seven tackles.
Prairie du Chien had a balanced offense not only in the game, but all season, collecting over 2,000 yards rushing and 2,100 yards passing with an average of 37.4 points per game. The Knights have now gained 1,200 rushing yards and just over 1,700 passing yards with a 23.0 points per game average.
New Glarus-Monticello advances to play Horicon-Hustisford (9-1), which went unbeaten in the Trailways Large Conference and scored major wins over Markesan (8-2) in Week 6 and Belleville (6-4) in the first round of the playoffs. Horicon-Hustisford is a run-heavy team, collecting 2,335 yards on the ground through 10 games, with another 1,105 yards through the air and a 37.4 yards per game average.
The winner of the upcoming Oct. 26 Level Two game will play either No. 2 Lake Country Lutheran (10-0) or Mayville (6-4) in Level Three Nov. 2.
Darlington 15, Melrose-Mindoro 13
MELROSE — After a subpar start to the regular season under first-year head coach Travis Winkers, the Redbirds have started putting it all together. Darlington won its fourth straight game with a 15-13 victory over Melrose-Mindoro (8-2) in the opening round of the WIAA Division 6 playoffs.
The Redbirds (5-5) fell behind in the second quarter when MM running back Brett Gerdes busted off an 86-yard touchdown run. Not long after Darlington answered with a 53-yard touchdown pass from Braden Davis to Carter Lancaster. Blake Whalen ran in the two-point conversion to put the Redbirds ahead 8-7.
Early in the fourth quarter, Whalen added a 1-yard touchdown run and Darlington went ahead 15-7. Melrose-Mindoro scored on a 53-yard run late in the fourth by Patrick Corcoran-Evans, but the two-point run was unsuccessful.
Davis finished the game 4 of 6 passing for 156 yards and Lancaster had two catches for 97 yards. Kolbe Ubersox led the Redbirds with 108 yards rushing on 16 carries.
Next up for Darlington is Lancaster (7-3), which dominated Brookwood 42-13 in Level One. The Flying Arrows average 32.9 points per game and have gained over 2,500 yards on the ground this season. The winner will take on either sixth-ranked Fennimore (9-1) and Cuba City (6-4). Earlier this season the Redbirds lost to Cuba City by a touchdown in Week 3 and was pounded by Fennimore in Week 5.
Racine Lutheran 20, Pecatonica-Argyle 19
KENOSHA — The Vikings nearly accomplished a comeback for the ages but fell an extra point short in the WIAA Division 6 playoffs Oct. 19.
Colton Schraepfer connected with Gavin Johnson on a 57-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter but the Vikings missed the game-tying extra point.
Earlier in the game, Pec-Argyle, ranked fifth in the final WisSports.net Coaches Poll in Division 6, took a 7-0 lead on a 9-yard run by Schraepfer in the first quarter. Schraepfer added a 7-yard score in the second as the Vikings (8-2) took a 13-0 lead into the break.
Racine Lutheran (No. 8, 8-2) scored on a Tyler Tenner 70-yard punt return for a score in the third quarter to make it 13-7. Early in the fourth, Colton Kraus connected with Tenner on a 33-yard score to put Racine Lutheran ahead 14-13. Tenner then added a 74-yard rush, but the extra point missed, leaving the score at 20-13.
Tenner finished the game with 90 yards rushing on 15 carries, but outside of the last touchdown had just 16 yards on 14 carries. Kraus was 5 of 13 passing for 63 yards.
Schraepfer was 3 of 13 passing for 65 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he added 49 rushing yards on 20 carries. Clay Ritschard had 44 rushing yards on 14 carries and Keegun Brunker had 32 yards on 10 rushing attempts.
