DEFOREST — For the first time in seven years, Darlington (12-1, 7-0 SWAL) is going to Camp Randall after a 34-28 win over fellow No. 1 seed Kewaunee (12-1) in a WIAA Division 6 Level 4 game on Friday.
Darlington opened the thriller by choosing to kick off, and nearly forced a 3-and-out from the Storm. The Redbirds didn’t anticipate a 55-yard blast from Owen Carlton, though, that reached the end zone just 1:30 into the first quarter.
Tye Crist scooped up the ensuing kickoff, and he brought the ball to the Redbirds’ 26-yard line.
The Redbirds gained eight yards on three carries from Crist (13 att, 40 yds, 1 TD) and Maddox Goebel (12 att, 83 yds, 1 TD). On fourth down, Darlington chalked up a trick play.
The Redbirds lined up in punt formation at fourth-and-2, but Maddox Goebel had other plans. He eyed a punt first but put on the jets when light coverage from Kewaunee left an open hole. The result flipped the field, as he brought the ball to the Storms’ 27-yard line.
With an incomplete pass from Breylin Goebel (7-for-13, 122 yds, 2 TDs) to Crist, Darlington faced another fourth down, this time from seven yards out.
The Redbirds went for it again, but more by design.
Breylin Goebel shot a pass to Reagan Jackson (1 rec, 25 yds, 1 TD), who turned and sprinted 24 yards for the touchdown. Denilo Ramos-Godoy’s (2-for-3 XP) PAT sailed through the uprights, tying the game at seven points with 7:07 left in the first quarter.
Ramos-Godoy was crucial to the Redbirds’ efforts this season, as he’s the only SWAL kicker that’s made 90% of his kicks with more than 10 attempts.
“I just hate losing so much that I focus on making sure they go through the uprights,” Ramos-Godoy said.
On the first play of the following drive, Kewaunee fumbled on the rush, and Jackson was there to scoop up the recovery. The Storm brought him down at Kewaunee’s 19-yard line.
The Redbirds’ first play off the turnover was a successful pass to Will Murray (3 rec, 65 yds) at the 5-yard line. Despite a Storm timeout, Crist crashed through the end zone three plays later.
Ramos-Godoy’s second PAT found its mark, giving the Redbirds a 14-7 lead with 5:50 left in the first quarter. Kewaunee tied the game two and a half minutes later, though, with a rushing touchdown from 26 yards out.
For over an entire quarter of play, tough defense reigned, as Darlington forced a pair of turnovers on downs, while the Storm garnered two punts and one turnover on downs from the Redbirds.
With 1:34 left in the half, Kewaunee broke the stalemate, scoring on a 26-yard passing play. A successful PAT put the Storm ahead, 21-14.
On the kickoff, Maddox Goebel found a lane along the sideline, nearly breaking free for the score, but a final defender popped him out of bounds at the Kewaunee 43-yard line.
Following two incomplete passes and holding penalty, Darlington sat 20 yards from a first down. On the fourth-down attempt, Murray scooped Breylin Goebel’s pass out of the air, giving Darlington the first down 16 yards from the end zone with 53 seconds left in the half. Crist claimed a 9-yard rush as the clock crept past the 38-second mark. After a false start, the Redbirds reached the end zone on a 15-yard pass from Breylin Goebel to Maddox Goebel 30 seconds before the break. Ramos-Godoy had a rare miss on the PAT, putting Darlington at a one-point, 21-20, disadvantage.
That would’ve been the score going into the half, but madness ensued on the kickoff.
The Storm caught the ball around their own 10-yard line. At the 25, Breylin Goebel punched the ball out and into the arms of Carlson, who turned and ran 75 yards for the touchdown. The score put the Storm ahead, 28-20, going into the half.
The Redbirds got the ball to open the third quarter at Kewaunee’s 42-yard line. The Storm remained stout, stopping Crist at the line of scrimmage on his third-down rush. Rather than punting, Darlington opted to pass on fourth down. Breylin Goebel found Maddox Goebel, who sprinted to the Kewaunee 24-yard line.
On the next play, Breylin Goebel shot the ball to Murray for an immediate first down. The dual-threat quarterback found the end zone moments later on the ground from two yards out. The game-tying 2-point attempt didn’t pan out, however, as the Redbirds fumbled the ball in the backfield.
The Storm marched down the field on their next drive, but at the Darlington 6-yard line, Breylin Goebel forced another fumble that the Redbirds recovered.
Kewaunee locked down, again, forcing a punt from Darlington that put the Storm at their 18-yard line at 1:44 in the third quarter. Kewaunee gained 11 yards to its 29-yard line, but then Brady Long came into the picture.
The 2023 WFCA all-region defensive back didn’t allow a single touchdown all season, as well as allowing a minimal number of catches, but Stangel still tried testing Long with a pass. He picked the ball out of the air and took it to the end zone for the touchdown with Carter Murray and Maddox Goebel leading the way. Breylin Goebel connected with Will Murray for the 2-point conversion, as the Redbirds claimed a 34-28 lead with 12 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
“I just saw the ball,” Long said. “I got it, and I took it to the crib.”
The Storm moved methodically down the field on their next drive, consistently converting third-and fourth-down attempts while knocking minutes off the clock. With just over two minutes left in the game, Long came up big yet again.
Kewaunee faced another fourth down too far from the first down to consider a run play. Stangel caught a glimpse of Coy Kleiman, and shot a dart to him. Long shadowed Kleiman on man-to-man defense. As Kleiman jumped to catch the ball, Long reached in and knocked the ball out before Kleiman could catch it. The result was a turnover on downs, as the Redbirds received the ball on their own 13-yard line.
Darlington was already electric from Long’s pick-6, but this is when the Redbirds knew they were going to Camp Randall. The quarterback kneels were just a formality.
“We got a lot of really talented kids,” Darlington head coach Travis Winkers said. “You don’t win games like this unless your kids are really good.”
