MIDDLETON - Darlington's one-two punch of junior cousins Hunter Johnson and Trevor Johnson were a lethal combination in powering the Redbirds to a 42-12 win over Melrose-Mindoro in a WIAA Division 6 state semifinal Friday night at Breitenbach Stadium.
Hunter Johnson rushed for 188 yards on 21 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead a Redbirds' attack that racked up 410 total rushing yards. Trevor Johnson had 260 total yards (145 rushing yards on 13 carries and three receptions for 115 yards) and two touchdowns.
Darlington (13-0), the Division 6 state runner-up the past two years, advances to Camp Randall Stadium for the state title game for the third straight year and Thursday will play the winner of today's semifinal between St. Mary's Springs and Grantsburg.
"You may think we take it for granted because we have been to the state championship game three years in a row," Hunter Johnson said. "It's a great opportunity. We have had some great leaders show us what it takes."
Early on, it looked like Melrose-Mindoro (10-3) was up to the challenge against the state's top-ranked Division 6 team. The Redbirds drove 71 yards in 14 plays on their first drive. The drive was thwarted when the Mustangs recovered Darlington junior quarterback Jared Meister's fumbled snap at their own 2-yard line. The Mustangs struck first when junior quarterback Sam Boone hooked up with Devon Christopherson on a 30-yard TD pass in the second quarter. The Mustangs missed the extra point and led 6-0.
The Redbirds answered when Meister connected with Trevor Johnson on a 43-yard pass. That set up Hunter Johnson's 1-yard TD plunge to give the Redbirds a 7-6 lead. The Redbirds responded again in the second quarter. Meister connected with Trevor Johnson on a 26-yard TD pass with 13 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Redbirds a 14-6 lead at the half.
"We started out great," Melrose-Mindoro coach Tom Wisniewski said. "We were in it up until the end of the first half. When they scored it gave them a big boost."
The touchdown at the end of the second quarter sparked Darlington, which scored 28 straight points from the second quarter that spanned into the third.
"That made the defense spread out," Trevor Johnson said. "It just jump-started us. We really got going after that."
Darlington took control of the game early in the third quarter with a six-play, 72-yard drive, culminating in Hunter Johnson's 12-yard TD run that gave the Redbirds a 21-6 lead.
Trevor Johnson then made a juggling catch of a Meister pass early in the third quarter and raced for a 46-yard TD to give the Redbirds a 28-6 lead. Meister completed 5 of 7 passes for 150 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
"The further you get in the playoffs the tougher it gets," Wisniewski said. "We ran into a tough team in Darlington. They have a fantastic running game. They are big and physical. They wore us down a little in the second half."
Melrose-Mindoro's Aaron Scafe returned a punt for a touchdown late in the third quarter to cut the Redbirds' lead to 35-12.
Hunter Johnson responded by punching in a 1-yard TD run, his fourth of the game, on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Redbirds an insurmountable 30-point lead.
After giving up the second-quarter touchdown, the Redbirds' defense stepped up. Darlington senior Taylor Evenstad had three sacks, and junior Logan Muhlstein had one sack. Boone completed 16 of 30 passes for 130 yards with one touchdown. Melrose-Mindoro's Clay MacDonald had six receptions for 45 yards. The Redbirds stymied the Mustangs' running game, limiting them to 19 rushing yards.
"The kids take a great deal of pride in our program and ability to prepare," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "I was very worried about their skill kids. They have a quarterback with a lot of speed who can extend plays. This is the best game our secondary has played all year."
Hunter Johnson rushed for 188 yards on 21 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead a Redbirds' attack that racked up 410 total rushing yards. Trevor Johnson had 260 total yards (145 rushing yards on 13 carries and three receptions for 115 yards) and two touchdowns.
Darlington (13-0), the Division 6 state runner-up the past two years, advances to Camp Randall Stadium for the state title game for the third straight year and Thursday will play the winner of today's semifinal between St. Mary's Springs and Grantsburg.
"You may think we take it for granted because we have been to the state championship game three years in a row," Hunter Johnson said. "It's a great opportunity. We have had some great leaders show us what it takes."
Early on, it looked like Melrose-Mindoro (10-3) was up to the challenge against the state's top-ranked Division 6 team. The Redbirds drove 71 yards in 14 plays on their first drive. The drive was thwarted when the Mustangs recovered Darlington junior quarterback Jared Meister's fumbled snap at their own 2-yard line. The Mustangs struck first when junior quarterback Sam Boone hooked up with Devon Christopherson on a 30-yard TD pass in the second quarter. The Mustangs missed the extra point and led 6-0.
The Redbirds answered when Meister connected with Trevor Johnson on a 43-yard pass. That set up Hunter Johnson's 1-yard TD plunge to give the Redbirds a 7-6 lead. The Redbirds responded again in the second quarter. Meister connected with Trevor Johnson on a 26-yard TD pass with 13 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Redbirds a 14-6 lead at the half.
"We started out great," Melrose-Mindoro coach Tom Wisniewski said. "We were in it up until the end of the first half. When they scored it gave them a big boost."
The touchdown at the end of the second quarter sparked Darlington, which scored 28 straight points from the second quarter that spanned into the third.
"That made the defense spread out," Trevor Johnson said. "It just jump-started us. We really got going after that."
Darlington took control of the game early in the third quarter with a six-play, 72-yard drive, culminating in Hunter Johnson's 12-yard TD run that gave the Redbirds a 21-6 lead.
Trevor Johnson then made a juggling catch of a Meister pass early in the third quarter and raced for a 46-yard TD to give the Redbirds a 28-6 lead. Meister completed 5 of 7 passes for 150 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
"The further you get in the playoffs the tougher it gets," Wisniewski said. "We ran into a tough team in Darlington. They have a fantastic running game. They are big and physical. They wore us down a little in the second half."
Melrose-Mindoro's Aaron Scafe returned a punt for a touchdown late in the third quarter to cut the Redbirds' lead to 35-12.
Hunter Johnson responded by punching in a 1-yard TD run, his fourth of the game, on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Redbirds an insurmountable 30-point lead.
After giving up the second-quarter touchdown, the Redbirds' defense stepped up. Darlington senior Taylor Evenstad had three sacks, and junior Logan Muhlstein had one sack. Boone completed 16 of 30 passes for 130 yards with one touchdown. Melrose-Mindoro's Clay MacDonald had six receptions for 45 yards. The Redbirds stymied the Mustangs' running game, limiting them to 19 rushing yards.
"The kids take a great deal of pride in our program and ability to prepare," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "I was very worried about their skill kids. They have a quarterback with a lot of speed who can extend plays. This is the best game our secondary has played all year."
