SOUTH WAYNE — Top-ranked Black Hawk-Warren (10-0) rolled to a 52-8 win over Cashton (5-5) in the opening round of the WIAA Division 7 football playoffs Oct. 25.
The Warriors are aiming to defend their state title and opened the postseason playing the part.
Black Hawk-Warren led 14-8 after the first quarter, but tacked on 26 points in the second quarter to go ahead 40-8 at the break.
Cayden Milz had 90 rushing yards on just seven carries, three of which went for scores. Jaylen Rufenacht had 69 yards and a touchdown on four rushing attempts and another 23 yards and a touchdown on two catches. Lucas Milz and Ethan Williams each had rushing scores for Black Hawk-Warren, and Lucas Flanagan added a receiving touchdown.
Williams was 9 of 16 through the air for 69 yards, two scores and an interception. The Warriors accumulated 326 yards on the ground on just 33 carries — an average of 9.9 yards per rush. Six different players caught a pass and eight Warriors rushed the ball in the blowout.
Black Hawk-Warren will host Ithaca (8-2) in the second round at 7 p.m. Nov. 1. The winner will take on either River Ridge (7-3) or Potosi-Cassville (8-2), two teams that the Warriors toppled in the regular season en route to the Six Rivers Conference championship.
Division 6
Darlington 35, BSMS 34
BENTON — What a comeback it was.
The Redbirds fell behind Benton-Scales Mound-Shullsburg 28-0 with less than two minutes to play in the first half of their WIAA Division 6 playoff opener. But there was no quit on the visitor’s sideline.
Darlington, ranked 10th in the final Division 6 WFCA Coaches Poll, scored with 1:04 left in the first half on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Braden Davis to Cayden Rankin to make it 28-7 headed into halftime. Just 19 seconds into the second half, Easton Evenstad scampered 78 yards to cut the deficit to just two scores at 28-14.
With sixth-ranked BSMS on its heels, the Redbirds continued to take advantage of opportunities. Davis scored on a one-yard run with 3:33 left in the third and Darlington immediately got the ball back. Despite a failed onside kick attempt, Parker Fitzsimons picked off a pass on the next play. Three snaps later and just 21 seconds after Davis’ TD, Evenstad scored another on a swing pass from 63 yards out. The 28-point deficit was erased in full in less than a quarter’s worth of action.
Fourth-seeded BSMS scored with 2:43 left in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard run from Will Lawrence, but the two-point conversion failed against the Redbirds’ defense.
Darlington tied the score with 1:11 left in regulation on a 3-yard run by Rankin. Cole Crist hit the PAT to give the Redbirds the advantage. Moments later, Rankin intercepted a Chandler Kelly pass to seal the come-from-behind victory.
Davis was 10 of 17 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns with two INTs, while Evenstad had 89 yards on the ground on just five carries. Darlington had 122 yards rushing in the game. Evenstad added 90 yards receiving on four catches, with Carter Lancaster adding another 77 yards on three catches.
Kelly was 9 of 18 for 94 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. Lawrence had 20 carries for 135 yards and Kaelan Shetler had another 20 yards and a score. Both Schetler and Lawrence also caught touchdown passes.
Darlington (7-3) advances to face top-seeded Mondovi (10-0), which was ranked sixth in Division 5 before dropping to Division 6 for the postseason. Mondovi, which won the Dunn-St. Croix Conference title this year, has rushed for over 2,900 yards while passing for another 1,500 yards this season.
The Level 2 game will be played at 1 p.m. Nov. 2 at Mondovi High School.
Division 5
Prairie du Chien 35, New Glarus-Monticello 14
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN — The Glarner Knights saw their season come to an end in the opening round of the WIAA Division 5 football playoffs.
New Glarus-Monticello (5-5) had early ambitions of knocking off the second-seeded Blackhawks (9-1). The Knights, seeded seventh, scored the first touchdown of the game as Mason Martinson connected with Darris Schuett on a pass in the first quarter.
The Blackhawks scored their first touchdown in the second quarter on a 7-yard run from Dylan Coleman, but a missed extra point kept the Knights on top 7-6. Coleman threw a 6-yard TD pass to Ben Riter later in the second, which led to a 12-7 lead at halftime for the home team.
The score remained 12-7 until the fourth quarter when PDC running back Tyler Hannah scored on a run from two yards out. Martinson then connected with Schuett for a 57-yard TD moments later to bring the Knights back to within four at 18-14.
The Blackhawks scored back-to-back TDs to close out the game, the first, a 20-yard run by Traeton Saint, and the last a 23-yard run from Coleman.
Hannah led all rushers with 116 yards on the ground while Coleman was 16 of 21 for 221 yards, a TD and two INTs. Riter had nine catches for 122 yards.
Martinson was 7 of 16 passing for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He added 29 yards rushing on four carries. Schuett had three catches for 141 yards. Robert Chenoweth had 27 yards receiving and another 20 rushing for NGM.
Division 4
River Valley 42, Brodhead-Juda 0
SPRING GREEN — The seventh-seeded Cardinals saw their season come to a close in the opening round of the WIAA Division 4 playoffs Oct. 25.
Second-seeded River Valley (9-1) led 21-0 at halftime and tacked on another 21 points in the second half. Brodhead-Juda ends the season with a 4-6 record.
