MADISON - When Darlington junior running back Hunter Johnson hurdled in for a 6-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to tie the game, the Redbirds' state championship hopes were dealt a crushing blow when he collapsed on the turf in pain.
Johnson, a first-team All-State running back, suffered a lower leg/calf injury that forced him to the bench and on to crutches. Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs capitalized on the misfortunate, scoring 19 unanswered points in the second half to roll to a 39-20 win over Darlington in a WIAA Division 6 state title game Thursday at Camp Randall Stadium.
"I felt my leg really hurt as soon as I scored and I landed on it," Johnson said. "I was having a little cramps earlier in the game. We had the momentum and it just didn't go our way after that."
With the win, St. Mary's Springs repeated as state champions and beat the Redbirds (13-1) for the second straight year for the title. The Ledgers have played in the state title game six of the last seven years.
Johnson rushed for 119 yards on 20 carries, scored two touchdowns and had an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He finished the season with a school-record 2,365 rushing yards and a single-season scoring record with 42 touchdowns rushing and two touchdowns receiving.
But he had an empty feeling after the Redbirds' loss and a third straight year of bringing home the silver ball, finishing as the state runner-up.
"It's nice to get here," Johnson said. "We are just sick of losing every year. We want to finish and win the gold ball. Winning the gold ball next year is our goal. We don't want to go four years without getting the gold ball."
It wasn't just Johnson who got hurt in the game: Darlington junior linebacker and quarterback Jared Meister suffered a leg injury on the Ledgers' second drive and didn't return. Trevor Johnson left with an injury in the second half.
St. Mary's Springs fullback Clay Schueffner rushed for 233 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns. Running back Fintan Floyd racked up 184 rushing yards on 28 carries and scored three touchdowns. The Ledgers gashed the Redbirds for 430 total rushing yards. It was a dominating performance the Redbirds are used to being on the other end of in a playoff game.
St. Mary's Springs fumbled their first drive and the Redbirds recovered at the Ledgers' 22-yard line, but couldn't turn the golden opportunity into points. On their second possession, the Ledgers' nine-play, 65-yard drive, culminated in quarterback Blake Bauer's 1-yard TD run. Floyd then had a 1-yard TD plunge with 7 minutes, 6 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Ledgers a 14-0 lead.
Hunter Johnson gave the Redbirds a jolt, racing for an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to cut the Ledgers' lead to 14-7 about midway through the second quarter.
The Redbirds opened the third quarter with a six-play, 67-yard drive, capped off by Johnson's tackle-breaking 17-yard TD run to slice the Ledgers' lead to 14-13.
It didn't take the Ledgers long to respond with a six-play, 65-yard drive, culminating in Floyd's 15-yard TD run. However, the Ledgers missed the extra point and led 20-13 with 7:04 left in the third quarter. Darlington junior Jesse Sturtz recovered a fumble to set up the Redbirds' next scoring opportunity. Johnson hurdled into the end zone for a 6-yard TD run to tie the game at 20 with 1:38 to go in the third quarter. Johnson went down with an injury and the Redbirds' defense didn't recover. Schueffner rumbled for a pair of 56-yard TD runs with Meister and Johnson on the sideline to put the game away.
The Redbirds' defense gave up three runs to Schueffner in the second half that were 42 yards or more. That was uncharacteristic for a defense that had limited opposing teams to an average of 13 points per game this season.
"We got beat on both sides of the line of scrimmage," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "It obviously was not well executed. They were the more physical team. I was surprised by our lack of recognition. They ran a power play where the fullback leads and the guard pulls. We have stopped that every game. They (St. Mary's Springs) have some great athletes and big linemen. We just couldn't get off of blocks."
Darlington junior outside linebacker Hayden Hardyman had a team-high nine tackles and Sturtz at middle linebacker had seven tackles.
The Redbirds were limited to 116 total rushing yards, which was well below the team's average of 374 rushing yards per game. Darlington senior Conrad Blosch rushed for 33 yards on nine carries.
"When he (Johnson) went down, a large part of our offense went down," Zywicki said. "When Jared went down it took away part of our offense. He's really good at running the option on the perimeter and that is not Ryan's game. Without two of our starters, we had a shell of our former offense."
Darlington junior quarterback Ryan Glendenning completed 3 of 9 passes for 47 yards filling in for Meister. He had three other accurate passes that were dropped.
"There is a lot of pressure on a guy to come in and play in a state championship game," Zywicki said of Glendenning. "He did what he could do. We got behind and we were one-dimensional.
"We had to throw, throw, throw and they could tee off on us with their blitzes a little bit. When you are playing a team like St. Mary's Springs you have to play your best. Ryan will work in the offseason and come back better."
Johnson, a first-team All-State running back, suffered a lower leg/calf injury that forced him to the bench and on to crutches. Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs capitalized on the misfortunate, scoring 19 unanswered points in the second half to roll to a 39-20 win over Darlington in a WIAA Division 6 state title game Thursday at Camp Randall Stadium.
"I felt my leg really hurt as soon as I scored and I landed on it," Johnson said. "I was having a little cramps earlier in the game. We had the momentum and it just didn't go our way after that."
With the win, St. Mary's Springs repeated as state champions and beat the Redbirds (13-1) for the second straight year for the title. The Ledgers have played in the state title game six of the last seven years.
Johnson rushed for 119 yards on 20 carries, scored two touchdowns and had an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He finished the season with a school-record 2,365 rushing yards and a single-season scoring record with 42 touchdowns rushing and two touchdowns receiving.
But he had an empty feeling after the Redbirds' loss and a third straight year of bringing home the silver ball, finishing as the state runner-up.
"It's nice to get here," Johnson said. "We are just sick of losing every year. We want to finish and win the gold ball. Winning the gold ball next year is our goal. We don't want to go four years without getting the gold ball."
It wasn't just Johnson who got hurt in the game: Darlington junior linebacker and quarterback Jared Meister suffered a leg injury on the Ledgers' second drive and didn't return. Trevor Johnson left with an injury in the second half.
St. Mary's Springs fullback Clay Schueffner rushed for 233 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns. Running back Fintan Floyd racked up 184 rushing yards on 28 carries and scored three touchdowns. The Ledgers gashed the Redbirds for 430 total rushing yards. It was a dominating performance the Redbirds are used to being on the other end of in a playoff game.
St. Mary's Springs fumbled their first drive and the Redbirds recovered at the Ledgers' 22-yard line, but couldn't turn the golden opportunity into points. On their second possession, the Ledgers' nine-play, 65-yard drive, culminated in quarterback Blake Bauer's 1-yard TD run. Floyd then had a 1-yard TD plunge with 7 minutes, 6 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Ledgers a 14-0 lead.
Hunter Johnson gave the Redbirds a jolt, racing for an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to cut the Ledgers' lead to 14-7 about midway through the second quarter.
The Redbirds opened the third quarter with a six-play, 67-yard drive, capped off by Johnson's tackle-breaking 17-yard TD run to slice the Ledgers' lead to 14-13.
It didn't take the Ledgers long to respond with a six-play, 65-yard drive, culminating in Floyd's 15-yard TD run. However, the Ledgers missed the extra point and led 20-13 with 7:04 left in the third quarter. Darlington junior Jesse Sturtz recovered a fumble to set up the Redbirds' next scoring opportunity. Johnson hurdled into the end zone for a 6-yard TD run to tie the game at 20 with 1:38 to go in the third quarter. Johnson went down with an injury and the Redbirds' defense didn't recover. Schueffner rumbled for a pair of 56-yard TD runs with Meister and Johnson on the sideline to put the game away.
The Redbirds' defense gave up three runs to Schueffner in the second half that were 42 yards or more. That was uncharacteristic for a defense that had limited opposing teams to an average of 13 points per game this season.
"We got beat on both sides of the line of scrimmage," Darlington coach Scott Zywicki said. "It obviously was not well executed. They were the more physical team. I was surprised by our lack of recognition. They ran a power play where the fullback leads and the guard pulls. We have stopped that every game. They (St. Mary's Springs) have some great athletes and big linemen. We just couldn't get off of blocks."
Darlington junior outside linebacker Hayden Hardyman had a team-high nine tackles and Sturtz at middle linebacker had seven tackles.
The Redbirds were limited to 116 total rushing yards, which was well below the team's average of 374 rushing yards per game. Darlington senior Conrad Blosch rushed for 33 yards on nine carries.
"When he (Johnson) went down, a large part of our offense went down," Zywicki said. "When Jared went down it took away part of our offense. He's really good at running the option on the perimeter and that is not Ryan's game. Without two of our starters, we had a shell of our former offense."
Darlington junior quarterback Ryan Glendenning completed 3 of 9 passes for 47 yards filling in for Meister. He had three other accurate passes that were dropped.
"There is a lot of pressure on a guy to come in and play in a state championship game," Zywicki said of Glendenning. "He did what he could do. We got behind and we were one-dimensional.
"We had to throw, throw, throw and they could tee off on us with their blitzes a little bit. When you are playing a team like St. Mary's Springs you have to play your best. Ryan will work in the offseason and come back better."
