Division 6 quarterfinal
Cambridge (7-4) at Darlington (11-0)
7 p.m. Friday
DARLINGTON - As soon as opposing teams roll into town one of the first aspects many players will see are the yard signs lined up along the street and on hills in support of the Darlington High School football team.
Darlington junior quarterback Jared Meister can feel the playoff fever. He's looking to add more trophies to the case at the school on the heels of the Darlington boys cross country team winning its fifth straight Division 3 state title.
"The support from the community has been amazing," Meister said. "A lot of the alumni from the state championship teams of the '90s have come back. I definitely want to win the game for the community."
Darlington (11-0) enters the WIAA Division 6 state quarterfinal game against Cambridge on Friday with a lot of momentum as the state's No. 1 ranked team. The Redbirds, the Division 6 state runner-up the last two years, are two wins away from returning to the state championship game for the third straight year. With each playoff game, expectations rise.
"I had no idea how good we would be coming into the season," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "The kids have exceeded my expectations. I would have said this was a big surprise in the offseason if you would have told me we would be undefeated up to this point in the season."
Here is a look at the keys to the Redbirds' script for beating Cambridge and returning to the state semifinals where they could have a potential showdown with second-ranked Pecatonica-Argyle next week.
How did they get here
Cambridge: The seventh-seeded Blue Jays (7-4) upset No. 2 seed Cuba City 14-7 in the first round of the playoffs. Cambridge then knocked off third-seeded Lake Country Lutheran 16-13 in an overtime thriller.
Darlington: The Redbirds haven't been challenged in the postseason yet. Darlington defeated Pardeeville 42-0 in a first-round game and rolled to a 55-28 win over Mineral Point in a second-round game last week.
Common opponents
Cambridge: New Glarus-Monticello defeated Cambridge 38-19. Cambridge beat Cuba City 14-7.
Darlington: The Redbirds defeated New Glarus-Monticello 30-13 and beat Cuba City 34-13.
Offensive sets
Cambridge: The Blue Jays run an I-formation and, at times, a twins offense, which is two receivers to one side. The Blue Jays average 20.7 points per game. One of the best weapons for the Blue Jays is running back Josh Owens, who has rushed for 724 yards and seven touchdowns, and is averaging 120.7 rushing yards per game.
"He (Owens) has great speed," Zywicki said. "If he gets the opportunity he will bounce it outside. His combination of speed and vision make him tough to bring down."
Cambridge quarterback Steven DeForest has passed for 916 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions this year. The top wide receiver for the Blue Jays is TJ Parish (30-612 yards and eight touchdowns).
"They have the skill set and are similar to Fennimore," Zywicki said. They are extremely athletic and will try to hit you with a big play. They will take six to 10 shots down the field throughout the game and throw the ball up to one of their gifted receivers."
Darlington: The Redbirds' high-powered wing-T offense is averaging 47 ppg and 370.3 rushing yards per game. Darlington junior Hunter Johnson has rushed for 1,983 yards and 35 TDs. With 981 yards and 17 TDs, Hunter's cousin, Trevor Johnson offers another threat in the backfield. Darlington will lean on a bigger offensive line to set the tone with Hunter Johnson averaging 180.3 rushing yards per game and an astonishing 13 yards per carry.
Meister has been efficient in the passing game when given the opportunity. Meister has passed for 584 yards with eight touchdowns and just three interceptions. He is averaging 11.5 yards per pass.
Defensive sets
Cambridge: The Blue Jays are giving up 21.2 ppg and are surrendering 207 rushing yards per game. That could spell trouble against the Redbirds. No team in the playoffs or regular season has been able to match the Redbirds' size and physicalness on the offensive line this season.
"Bigger is OK if we take proper blocking angles," Zywicki said. "If we don't take good steps they will beat us to the play. Hopefully, our size will help move them off the ball."
Darlington: The Redbirds have thrived at forcing turnovers with 24 this season, which is an average of 2.1 turnovers per game.
The Redbirds are coming off a second-round playoff game where they forced four turnovers that led to 19 points en route to beating Mineral Point. Darlington junior Brayden McDonald leads the team with seven interceptions this year.
Prediction
Darlington 42, Cambridge 13
There will be no Cinderella story. Darlington steamrolled its way through an unbeaten and Southwest Wisconsin Activities League championship season. The Blue Jays' improbable playoff run will come to an end.
Darlington junior quarterback Jared Meister can feel the playoff fever. He's looking to add more trophies to the case at the school on the heels of the Darlington boys cross country team winning its fifth straight Division 3 state title.
"The support from the community has been amazing," Meister said. "A lot of the alumni from the state championship teams of the '90s have come back. I definitely want to win the game for the community."
Darlington (11-0) enters the WIAA Division 6 state quarterfinal game against Cambridge on Friday with a lot of momentum as the state's No. 1 ranked team. The Redbirds, the Division 6 state runner-up the last two years, are two wins away from returning to the state championship game for the third straight year. With each playoff game, expectations rise.
"I had no idea how good we would be coming into the season," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "The kids have exceeded my expectations. I would have said this was a big surprise in the offseason if you would have told me we would be undefeated up to this point in the season."
Here is a look at the keys to the Redbirds' script for beating Cambridge and returning to the state semifinals where they could have a potential showdown with second-ranked Pecatonica-Argyle next week.
How did they get here
Cambridge: The seventh-seeded Blue Jays (7-4) upset No. 2 seed Cuba City 14-7 in the first round of the playoffs. Cambridge then knocked off third-seeded Lake Country Lutheran 16-13 in an overtime thriller.
Darlington: The Redbirds haven't been challenged in the postseason yet. Darlington defeated Pardeeville 42-0 in a first-round game and rolled to a 55-28 win over Mineral Point in a second-round game last week.
Common opponents
Cambridge: New Glarus-Monticello defeated Cambridge 38-19. Cambridge beat Cuba City 14-7.
Darlington: The Redbirds defeated New Glarus-Monticello 30-13 and beat Cuba City 34-13.
Offensive sets
Cambridge: The Blue Jays run an I-formation and, at times, a twins offense, which is two receivers to one side. The Blue Jays average 20.7 points per game. One of the best weapons for the Blue Jays is running back Josh Owens, who has rushed for 724 yards and seven touchdowns, and is averaging 120.7 rushing yards per game.
"He (Owens) has great speed," Zywicki said. "If he gets the opportunity he will bounce it outside. His combination of speed and vision make him tough to bring down."
Cambridge quarterback Steven DeForest has passed for 916 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions this year. The top wide receiver for the Blue Jays is TJ Parish (30-612 yards and eight touchdowns).
"They have the skill set and are similar to Fennimore," Zywicki said. They are extremely athletic and will try to hit you with a big play. They will take six to 10 shots down the field throughout the game and throw the ball up to one of their gifted receivers."
Darlington: The Redbirds' high-powered wing-T offense is averaging 47 ppg and 370.3 rushing yards per game. Darlington junior Hunter Johnson has rushed for 1,983 yards and 35 TDs. With 981 yards and 17 TDs, Hunter's cousin, Trevor Johnson offers another threat in the backfield. Darlington will lean on a bigger offensive line to set the tone with Hunter Johnson averaging 180.3 rushing yards per game and an astonishing 13 yards per carry.
Meister has been efficient in the passing game when given the opportunity. Meister has passed for 584 yards with eight touchdowns and just three interceptions. He is averaging 11.5 yards per pass.
Defensive sets
Cambridge: The Blue Jays are giving up 21.2 ppg and are surrendering 207 rushing yards per game. That could spell trouble against the Redbirds. No team in the playoffs or regular season has been able to match the Redbirds' size and physicalness on the offensive line this season.
"Bigger is OK if we take proper blocking angles," Zywicki said. "If we don't take good steps they will beat us to the play. Hopefully, our size will help move them off the ball."
Darlington: The Redbirds have thrived at forcing turnovers with 24 this season, which is an average of 2.1 turnovers per game.
The Redbirds are coming off a second-round playoff game where they forced four turnovers that led to 19 points en route to beating Mineral Point. Darlington junior Brayden McDonald leads the team with seven interceptions this year.
Prediction
Darlington 42, Cambridge 13
There will be no Cinderella story. Darlington steamrolled its way through an unbeaten and Southwest Wisconsin Activities League championship season. The Blue Jays' improbable playoff run will come to an end.
