SOUTH WAYNE — The Warriors are outright conference champions once more, and for the first time under head coach Desmond Breadon. The result came as Black Hawk/Warren (9-0, 7-0) downed second-ranked Potosi/Cassville (8-1, 6-1) in South Wayne on Oct. 17, 28-21. 

“It meant a ton to get the conference championship and not have to share it,” Breadon said. “Those were two of our preseason goals. There wasn’t anyone outside of our locker room that gave us a shot at winning the conference this year. I’m so proud of the players and assistant coaches, and they are the ones that deserve all the credit for their regular season success.”

The Warriors also honored legendary head coach Cory Milz at halftime for being inducted into the WFCA Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Milz compiled a record of 140-60 at Black Hawk, and his teams qualified for the playoffs in 24-of-27 years, with four state championship appearances and winning in three of those games.

“Winning at home with having Coach Milz honored at halftime for being inducted into the WFCA Hall of Fame and having Coach Murphy there made it even more special,” Breadon said.

Despite the final split, the #3 Warriors never played with a deficit, and the only tie was the opening 0-0 score that BH/W broke on the opening drive of the game. The 9-play drive consisted exclusively of running plays during the 65-yard span, and took 4:33 off the clock as Beau Podnar (11 car, 84 yds, 1 TD) crossed the threshold with a 21-yard run. The Chieftains’ woes continued as the Warriors enforced their defensive might, with a Spencer Hay-Skattum sack resulting in a turnover-on-downs at the BHW 40 with 2:13 left in the quarter.

The traveling team didn’t earn the ball back as BHW did what it has been exceptional at all season — wearing down the opponent as it rushed the ball in excess of 40 times per game. Five offensive snaps, including a game-ending kneel, ended the effective conference championship game for the Warriors’ and earned them their first outright title in seven years.

“I knew it was going to be a close game, but was hoping at times we would’ve shut them down more on offense,” Breadon said. “We had a number of guys that stepped up and made big plays that people probably weren’t expecting to be factors, like Brody [Argall’s] interception, and Jackson [Berget’s] touchdown catch-and-run. The plan was to play our type of ball, own the line of scrimmage, and throw some tweaks at them to keep them off balance.”

Woodruff, Podnar, and Paquin accounted for all 270 of BHW’s rushing yards, while a 3-for-7 night for 83 yards and two scores for Podnar was split between VanRaalte (59 yds, 1 TD), Woodruff (17 yds), and Berget (7 yds, 1 TD).

Friday’s game was also a homefield advantage matchup, with the winner earning a 1-seed while the loser was likely relegated to a 3-seed or worse. Unfortunately, BHW does not get an easy #8 opponent, as Six Rivers opponent River Ridge (4-5, 3-4) travels to South Wayne on Oct. 24 for Division 7’s Level 1 game. The teams’ previous meeting on Sept. 5 ended in a 30-22 overtime win for the Warriors. To make matters more difficult, the Timberwolves’ average loss was by just six points, and included a 29-22 loss at PC a week after their loss to BHW. 

“We need to continue to improve in pass defense, communication, and focusing on the small details,” Breadon said. “We need to have better eye discipline this time against River Ridge, and we have to come ready to play. Ridge is not a team you can take lightly, so we have to come with our A-game and play like there’s no tomorrow, because there’s not.”

The Warriors were content running out the clock with an early advantage in hand, though the occasional big play, including a drive-opening 18-yard rush from Jacob Woodruff (20 car, 106 yds, 1 TD), helped in keeping PC on its heels. BHW spent the remainder of the quarter earning its next 14 yards and a new set of downs over three plays.

Podnar opened the second period with an 18-yard run to the Chieftains’ 10, followed by an 8-yard blast from Dax Paquin (17 car, 80 yds). The Warriors returned the ball to Woodruff, who earned his 13th rushing touchdown of the season from two yards out with 10:47 left in the quarter. Podnar punched in a 2-point rush to put the lead at 14-0.

The Chieftains, not wanting to let the game get out of hand, responded with a quick, 1:34 drive and a successful PAT to pull the game within a score. PC forced a punt, and nearly even the score, but on a second down pass that almost certainly would have resulted in a visiting team touchdown, Brody Argall snatched the ball out of the air at his team’s 10-yard line. He brought the ball to the BHW 42, nearly flipping field position in the process. 

The Warriors were running out of options from eight yards out as 18 seconds remained in the half. They turned to a rarely used, but still effective passing game. Podnar fired a laser beam to Jackson Berget, but a defender tipped the ball. The tip was of little consequence as the jump ball made its way into Berget’s grasp. Paquin got the 2-point rush through successfully, putting the game on ice at 22-7, though BHW did not know it yet.

Neither team earned ground on the other in the third quarter, though the Warriors used a significant amount of time in their possession. They forced a turnover on downs on their own five with 7:17 on the clock. Podnar finally crossed the 50 as the clock turned past the 3-minute mark during  an 18-yard keeper. The only reason BHW’s possession stopped was also a turnover on downs, but with 35 seconds remaining in the quarter, it effectively neutralized both of the Chieftains’ 1,100-yard rushers.

PC crawled to within nine points to open the fourth, but the Warriors responded in one of their quicker drives of the night. Podnar rolled out after faking a toss to Berget, and released a running throw to Bryce VanRaalte. The receiver broke two tackles en route to a 59-yard touchdown with 7:25 on the clock. A failed 2-point attempt set the mark at 28-13, and a Chieftains score with 2:19 that included a successful 2-point pass merely brought the final score to fruition with 2:19 to play. 

The traveling team didn’t earn the ball back as BHW did what it has been exceptional at all season — wearing down the opponent as it rushed the ball in excess of 40 times per game. Five offensive snaps, including a game-ending kneel, ended the effective conference championship game for the Warriors’ and earned them their first outright title in seven years.

“I knew it was going to be a close game, but was hoping at times we would’ve shut them down more on offense,” Breadon said. “We had a number of guys that stepped up and made big plays that people probably weren’t expecting to be factors, like Brody [Argall’s] interception, and Jackson [Berget’s] touchdown catch-and-run. The plan was to play our type of ball, own the line of scrimmage, and throw some tweaks at them to keep them off balance.”

Woodruff, Podnar, and Paquin accounted for all 270 of BHW’s rushing yards, while a 3-for-7 night for 83 yards and two scores for Podnar was split between VanRaalte (59 yds, 1 TD), Woodruff (17 yds), and Berget (7 yds, 1 TD).

Friday’s game was also a homefield advantage matchup, with the winner earning a 1-seed while the loser was likely relegated to a 3-seed or worse. Unfortunately, BHW does not get an easy #8 opponent, as Six Rivers opponent River Ridge (4-5, 3-4) travels to South Wayne on Oct. 24 for Division 7’s Level 1 game. The teams’ previous meeting on Sept. 5 ended in a 30-22 overtime win for the Warriors. To make matters more difficult, the Timberwolves’ average loss was by just six points, and included a 29-22 loss at PC a week after their loss to BHW. 

“We need to continue to improve in pass defense, communication, and focusing on the small details,” Breadon said. “We need to have better eye discipline this time against River Ridge, and we have to come ready to play. Ridge is not a team you can take lightly, so we have to come with our A-game and play like there’s no tomorrow, because there’s not.”