DARLINGTON - Alex Erickson and Tucker Wiegel have played football together for a long time.
But the Darlington duo didn't have much time to give the Redbirds a thrilling win Friday afternoon against Fennimore.
Darlington needed just a minute to go 61 yards in five plays in its final drive. Erickson, at quarterback, hooked up with Wiegel on a game-winning 25-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds left.
The win was Darlington's first over Fennimore since 2004.
"Words don't explain it," Wiegel said. "It's been so long. They are a great team. We have been playing football for a long time," he said of his connection with Erickson. "We just have that bond together."
The score capped a wild finish. The two teams scored 21 points in the final 5:48. Redbirds senior Trynton Schwartz intercepted the Golden Eagles' last-ditch Hail Mary pass to seal the victory.
"Right now, my heart is still racing," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "As I told the kids, I'm too old for this."
Darlington (3-0, 1-0 SWAL) trailed 14-12 late. The Redbirds founds themselves in a big third-and-12 hole at the Golden Eagles' 33-yard line early in the fourth quarter. But a big play came from, who else, Erickson and Wiegel.
The Redbirds ran a counter for Wiegel, who jumped just as he was getting tackled and lateraled to Erickson, who bolted in the rest of the way for a touchdown. Erickson's two-point conversion gave the Redbirds a 20-14 lead.
"We have been working on that play in practice," said Erickson, who completed 5 of 15 passes for 68 yards and one touchdown. "We needed a play. Tucker made the play. I don't know how he got it there."
Erickson also rushed for 82 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.
Wiegel knew it was a critical time in the game.
"All I was thinking was, 'Where is my boy at?," Wiegel said. "I found him and let him do his work."
Fennimore's quick strike offense answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in Alex Evans' 1-yard TD pass to senior Jared Wiese to tie the score at 20. The Golden Eagles had a bad snap on the extra point and Darlington senior Lincoln Bryson and a swarm of Redbirds blocked the extra point to preserve the tie. That set the stage for the wild finish.
Both teams suffered costly injuries.
Darlington fullback Aaron Stauffacher, who rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, suffered a leg injury on his third carry of the third quarter. He was carted off the field and likely will miss the next couple of weeks, Zywicki said.
"I can't presume he will be out for the year," Zywicki said. "I know we will probably be without him for a couple of weeks."
Fennimore senior starting quarterback Joe Carl injured his wrist on a run late in the second quarter and didn't return. Fennimore senior running back Jeff Winkers suffered a deep bruise on his knee and missed the second half.
Early on, the Golden Eagles took advantage of some good field position. Carl ran for a 14-yard TD on a scramble during which he broke three tackles, but the score was negated by a block in the back penalty. Four plays later, Winkers scored on a 1-yard TD plunge. The highlights of the drive were two Golden Eagle fourth-down conversions. On fourth-and-7 from the 46, Carl connected with Wiese on a 14-yard pass. On fourth-and-2 from the 8-yard line, Carl Zipped a seven-yard pass to Wiese for a first down.
"We wanted to make them one-dimensional," Zywicki said.
The Redbirds did just that, limiting the Golden Eagles to 97 total rushing yards. However, two Fennimore quarterbacks combined to pass for 270 yards. Carl completed 12 of 16 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Evans was 8-of-13 passing for 162 yards with a touchdown and interception. Wiese had 10 receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
"I didn't expect them to have so much success being one-dimensional," Zywicki said. "We had trouble playing pass defense. We have to get better."
The Redbirds' offense struggled early, running six plays in its first two possessions without a first down. That changed midway through the second quarter, when the Redbirds dodged a bullet. Carl was on his way to giving the Golden Eagles a two-touchdown lead, but fumbled on his way into the end zone. The Redbirds recovered for a touchback.
Darlington wasted no time capitalizing. A nine-play, 80-yard drive was capped by Stauffacher's 8-yard run. The Redbirds won the game in the trenches and were sparked by Stauffacher's bruising running and Erickson's mobility.
"Our passing game wasn't working," Erickson said. "I have to give all the credit to the line. We put the ball on the ground and they did the job and got us to paydirt."
Darlington marched down the field on its first drive of the third quarter, and senior Dan Hammer broke loose for a 34-yard TD run at 9:43 to give the Redbirds a 12-7 lead.
"We were fortunate to have the ball last," Zywicki said. "We were lucky enough to make enough plays to outlast them."
But the Darlington duo didn't have much time to give the Redbirds a thrilling win Friday afternoon against Fennimore.
Darlington needed just a minute to go 61 yards in five plays in its final drive. Erickson, at quarterback, hooked up with Wiegel on a game-winning 25-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds left.
The win was Darlington's first over Fennimore since 2004.
"Words don't explain it," Wiegel said. "It's been so long. They are a great team. We have been playing football for a long time," he said of his connection with Erickson. "We just have that bond together."
The score capped a wild finish. The two teams scored 21 points in the final 5:48. Redbirds senior Trynton Schwartz intercepted the Golden Eagles' last-ditch Hail Mary pass to seal the victory.
"Right now, my heart is still racing," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "As I told the kids, I'm too old for this."
Darlington (3-0, 1-0 SWAL) trailed 14-12 late. The Redbirds founds themselves in a big third-and-12 hole at the Golden Eagles' 33-yard line early in the fourth quarter. But a big play came from, who else, Erickson and Wiegel.
The Redbirds ran a counter for Wiegel, who jumped just as he was getting tackled and lateraled to Erickson, who bolted in the rest of the way for a touchdown. Erickson's two-point conversion gave the Redbirds a 20-14 lead.
"We have been working on that play in practice," said Erickson, who completed 5 of 15 passes for 68 yards and one touchdown. "We needed a play. Tucker made the play. I don't know how he got it there."
Erickson also rushed for 82 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.
Wiegel knew it was a critical time in the game.
"All I was thinking was, 'Where is my boy at?," Wiegel said. "I found him and let him do his work."
Fennimore's quick strike offense answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in Alex Evans' 1-yard TD pass to senior Jared Wiese to tie the score at 20. The Golden Eagles had a bad snap on the extra point and Darlington senior Lincoln Bryson and a swarm of Redbirds blocked the extra point to preserve the tie. That set the stage for the wild finish.
Both teams suffered costly injuries.
Darlington fullback Aaron Stauffacher, who rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, suffered a leg injury on his third carry of the third quarter. He was carted off the field and likely will miss the next couple of weeks, Zywicki said.
"I can't presume he will be out for the year," Zywicki said. "I know we will probably be without him for a couple of weeks."
Fennimore senior starting quarterback Joe Carl injured his wrist on a run late in the second quarter and didn't return. Fennimore senior running back Jeff Winkers suffered a deep bruise on his knee and missed the second half.
Early on, the Golden Eagles took advantage of some good field position. Carl ran for a 14-yard TD on a scramble during which he broke three tackles, but the score was negated by a block in the back penalty. Four plays later, Winkers scored on a 1-yard TD plunge. The highlights of the drive were two Golden Eagle fourth-down conversions. On fourth-and-7 from the 46, Carl connected with Wiese on a 14-yard pass. On fourth-and-2 from the 8-yard line, Carl Zipped a seven-yard pass to Wiese for a first down.
"We wanted to make them one-dimensional," Zywicki said.
The Redbirds did just that, limiting the Golden Eagles to 97 total rushing yards. However, two Fennimore quarterbacks combined to pass for 270 yards. Carl completed 12 of 16 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Evans was 8-of-13 passing for 162 yards with a touchdown and interception. Wiese had 10 receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
"I didn't expect them to have so much success being one-dimensional," Zywicki said. "We had trouble playing pass defense. We have to get better."
The Redbirds' offense struggled early, running six plays in its first two possessions without a first down. That changed midway through the second quarter, when the Redbirds dodged a bullet. Carl was on his way to giving the Golden Eagles a two-touchdown lead, but fumbled on his way into the end zone. The Redbirds recovered for a touchback.
Darlington wasted no time capitalizing. A nine-play, 80-yard drive was capped by Stauffacher's 8-yard run. The Redbirds won the game in the trenches and were sparked by Stauffacher's bruising running and Erickson's mobility.
"Our passing game wasn't working," Erickson said. "I have to give all the credit to the line. We put the ball on the ground and they did the job and got us to paydirt."
Darlington marched down the field on its first drive of the third quarter, and senior Dan Hammer broke loose for a 34-yard TD run at 9:43 to give the Redbirds a 12-7 lead.
"We were fortunate to have the ball last," Zywicki said. "We were lucky enough to make enough plays to outlast them."
