MADISON - Shiocton senior Jacob Van Asten gave the Darlington defense fits wherever he lined up, whether it was at quarterback or running back.
Van Asten racked up 258 yards with five touchdowns to propel Shiocton to a 35-0 win over Darlington in a WIAA Division 6 state championship game Thursday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Van Asten rushed for 111 yards yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns and added 147 yards passing with three touchdowns.
"We didn't play well," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "We had a lot of missed tackles and blocks. They (Shiocton) had a lot to do with that. Needless to say, the better team won today."
Shiocton's Patrick Brouillard had five catches for 143 yards and scored two touchdowns.
"They have good size like us," Zywicki said. "Our kids I think underestimated their speed. Their tight end and receivers got behind us. Our whole secondary let people get behind them. Maybe we asked them to do too much coming up to support against the run and to get back in coverage."
Darlington (12-2) entered the state title game as just the sixth team in the history of the state to produce three 1,000 yard rushers in the same season and were averaging 348 total rushing yards per game. The Chiefs led by the 275-pound defensive tackle David McNichols and 300-pound defensive tackle Jordan Collar bottled up the Redbirds limiting them to just 107 total rushing yards. The Redbirds had two golden scoring opportunities early on in the first quarter.
Darlington junior Jason Singer returned the opening kickoff 82 yards to set up the Redbirds' first scoring opportunity. However, the drive ended in a turnover on downs as Cole McDonald's pass was knocked away.
With the two teams still locked at 0-0 on the Redbirds' second drive, senior Tanner Wiegel broke loose for a 40-yard run to put the Redbirds at the Chiefs' 14-yard line. On fourth-and-2 from the Chiefs' 12-yard line, Darlington fullback Myles Leahy was stuffed on a 1-yard run, resulting in another turnover on downs. After the Redbirds' first two drives stalled in the red zone they never got into scoring position again.
"That was really a momentum killer to get into their territory and not be able to punch it into the end zone," Wiegel said. "They are the most physical team we have played. Their defensive linemen did a great job of knocking our linemen off their blocks and there was no one there to open holes.
"It's a dream come true to play at state. We are not leaving empty-handed."
Zywicki said the first two drives that stalled in the red zone didn't lose the game for the Redbirds.
The Redbirds, behind an offensive line averaging 253 pounds and includes the 298-pound A.J. Brandt, couldn't get a consistent push against the Chiefs. The Chiefs penetrated the backfield and made seven tackles for losses against the Redbirds' Wing-T offense.
"It certainly didn't help," he said. "I didn't think we would get shut out. Doubt started creeping into your mind. It was like, 'What do you have to do to score?' They are big like us. Their big kids can really run. It was a shock. I thought our line would have been able to open up more holes."
The Chiefs capped a seven-play, 43-yard drive early in the second quarter with Van Asten's 4-yard TD run. Van Asten then capped a seven-play, 41-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run to give the Chiefs a 12-0 lead about midway through the second quarter. The Chiefs ended the second quarter with a bang as Van Asten connected with Brouillard on a 35-yard TD pass to give the Chiefs a 19-0 lead at the half.
Wiegel rushed for 67 yards on seven carries. Leahy, who entered the game with a team-high 1,549 rushing yards, was limited to just 27 yards on 14 carries.
"I think we left everything on the field we had," said Darlington senior defensive end Michael Ruf, who has talked with Northern Illinois about playing football in DeKalb next year. "Obviously, we gave up 35 points and that wasn't good. On that one drive we had three face mask penalties. We gave it everything we had. We really wanted that gold ball."
Darlington junior Cole McDonald was 1 of 6 passing for 24 yards with one interception. With the Redbirds on the move early in the third quarter, McDonald fumbled after a scramble. Another drive ended in a turnover on downs when McDonald was sacked. It marked the third turnover on downs for the Redbirds in the game.
"It's a learning process for him," Zywicki said of McDonald. "There were times where he has to make quicker decisions or just throw the ball away. He's done a great job for us this year."
Van Asten also tossed two second-half touchdowns. Darlington senior Kyle Johnson had a team-high eight tackles. Senior linebacker Kane Loken had seven tackles and senior linebacker Tyler Leahy had six tackles.
Zywicki said after the win against St. Mary's Springs that the Redbirds' run to state put Darlington football back on the map. It's the first time since 1997 the Redbirds have played for a state title. Now he's counting on McDonald and a 13-member junior class to get back in that position next year.
"Hopefully, he (McDonald) will get better and lead everyone in next year's group into the weight room," Zywicki said.
Van Asten racked up 258 yards with five touchdowns to propel Shiocton to a 35-0 win over Darlington in a WIAA Division 6 state championship game Thursday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Van Asten rushed for 111 yards yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns and added 147 yards passing with three touchdowns.
"We didn't play well," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "We had a lot of missed tackles and blocks. They (Shiocton) had a lot to do with that. Needless to say, the better team won today."
Shiocton's Patrick Brouillard had five catches for 143 yards and scored two touchdowns.
"They have good size like us," Zywicki said. "Our kids I think underestimated their speed. Their tight end and receivers got behind us. Our whole secondary let people get behind them. Maybe we asked them to do too much coming up to support against the run and to get back in coverage."
Darlington (12-2) entered the state title game as just the sixth team in the history of the state to produce three 1,000 yard rushers in the same season and were averaging 348 total rushing yards per game. The Chiefs led by the 275-pound defensive tackle David McNichols and 300-pound defensive tackle Jordan Collar bottled up the Redbirds limiting them to just 107 total rushing yards. The Redbirds had two golden scoring opportunities early on in the first quarter.
Darlington junior Jason Singer returned the opening kickoff 82 yards to set up the Redbirds' first scoring opportunity. However, the drive ended in a turnover on downs as Cole McDonald's pass was knocked away.
With the two teams still locked at 0-0 on the Redbirds' second drive, senior Tanner Wiegel broke loose for a 40-yard run to put the Redbirds at the Chiefs' 14-yard line. On fourth-and-2 from the Chiefs' 12-yard line, Darlington fullback Myles Leahy was stuffed on a 1-yard run, resulting in another turnover on downs. After the Redbirds' first two drives stalled in the red zone they never got into scoring position again.
"That was really a momentum killer to get into their territory and not be able to punch it into the end zone," Wiegel said. "They are the most physical team we have played. Their defensive linemen did a great job of knocking our linemen off their blocks and there was no one there to open holes.
"It's a dream come true to play at state. We are not leaving empty-handed."
Zywicki said the first two drives that stalled in the red zone didn't lose the game for the Redbirds.
The Redbirds, behind an offensive line averaging 253 pounds and includes the 298-pound A.J. Brandt, couldn't get a consistent push against the Chiefs. The Chiefs penetrated the backfield and made seven tackles for losses against the Redbirds' Wing-T offense.
"It certainly didn't help," he said. "I didn't think we would get shut out. Doubt started creeping into your mind. It was like, 'What do you have to do to score?' They are big like us. Their big kids can really run. It was a shock. I thought our line would have been able to open up more holes."
The Chiefs capped a seven-play, 43-yard drive early in the second quarter with Van Asten's 4-yard TD run. Van Asten then capped a seven-play, 41-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run to give the Chiefs a 12-0 lead about midway through the second quarter. The Chiefs ended the second quarter with a bang as Van Asten connected with Brouillard on a 35-yard TD pass to give the Chiefs a 19-0 lead at the half.
Wiegel rushed for 67 yards on seven carries. Leahy, who entered the game with a team-high 1,549 rushing yards, was limited to just 27 yards on 14 carries.
"I think we left everything on the field we had," said Darlington senior defensive end Michael Ruf, who has talked with Northern Illinois about playing football in DeKalb next year. "Obviously, we gave up 35 points and that wasn't good. On that one drive we had three face mask penalties. We gave it everything we had. We really wanted that gold ball."
Darlington junior Cole McDonald was 1 of 6 passing for 24 yards with one interception. With the Redbirds on the move early in the third quarter, McDonald fumbled after a scramble. Another drive ended in a turnover on downs when McDonald was sacked. It marked the third turnover on downs for the Redbirds in the game.
"It's a learning process for him," Zywicki said of McDonald. "There were times where he has to make quicker decisions or just throw the ball away. He's done a great job for us this year."
Van Asten also tossed two second-half touchdowns. Darlington senior Kyle Johnson had a team-high eight tackles. Senior linebacker Kane Loken had seven tackles and senior linebacker Tyler Leahy had six tackles.
Zywicki said after the win against St. Mary's Springs that the Redbirds' run to state put Darlington football back on the map. It's the first time since 1997 the Redbirds have played for a state title. Now he's counting on McDonald and a 13-member junior class to get back in that position next year.
"Hopefully, he (McDonald) will get better and lead everyone in next year's group into the weight room," Zywicki said.
