CRANDON — The Belleville Wildcats apparently didn’t get the memo about lower-seeded teams in the WIAA Division 6 football playoffs.

One week after the No. 7-seeded Wildcats knocked out No. 2 seed Markesan, Belleville hung on to beat No. 6 seed Crandon in a second round playoff game, 38-36. 

The Wildcats made the 240 mile trip to face the Cardinals (6-5) who had pulled off an upset of their own a week earlier when they eliminated No. 3 seed Auburndale 40-33.

The Cardinals got a touchdown and a two-point conversion and held an 8-6 lead after one quarter. The Wildcats turned things around in the second quarter by scoring two touchdowns and led 18-14 at halftime.

After halftime, Crandon looked like they were going to pull away with two touchdowns and a 30-18 lead. Near the end of the third quarter Belleville brought it back to 30-24. Later the Wildcats lined up to punt on fourth down. But, the Wildcats faked the punt and got the ball to Jesse Luchsinger, who picked up 24 yards and the first down. On the next play, Marcus Hebgen scored on a 44-yard touchdown run and Brody Funseth’s extra point gave the Wildcats a 31-30 advantage.

In the fourth quarter, quarterback Rayden Taylor connected with wide receiver Cooper Nemec on a screen pass that Nemec took 37 yards to the house. Funseth tacked on the extra point with 5:31 remaining to put the Wildcats in front, 38-30.

Crandon responded quickly and scored a touchdown with 2:10 left to make it 38-36. Needing a two-point conversion to tie the game, the Cardinals’s play call was a halfback option pass throwback to quarterback Nolan Bradley, but the pass fell incomplete. Crandon tried an on-side kick, but the Wildcats recovered and ran out the clock to secure the win.

Taylor was 13-for-20 passing for 249 yards and four touchdowns. Hebgen carried the ball 16 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Nemec had a big night catching the football, as he finished with nine receptions for 239 yards and three scores.

Belleville (7-5) will face a familiar opponent in Level 3, as the Wildcats travel to Darlington (12-0) to take on the SWAL champions and top-seeded Redbirds on Friday, Nov. 6. Darlington defeated Belleville 42-21 on Oct. 17 in Week 9 of the regular season.