SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk homecoming king Michael Wolff probably couldn't wait until the dance to show off some of his dancing moves.
Wolff guided an explosive offense and the Warriors rolled to a 41-6 win over Weston Saturday. Weston came in ranked 11th in the WisSports.net Division 7 Coaches Poll, but the Warriors looked like the more dominant top-11 ranked team. The Warriors' offense was clicking on all cylinders in the first half scoring on their first four drives.
"It feels great to win on homecoming," Wolff said. "Last year we played Potosi and lost in the end. It's great to come in here in front of a big crowd and win the game."
The Warriors (3-3, 2-3 Six Rivers East) opened the game with a seven-play, 65-yard drive culminating in Wolff's 7-yard TD pass to sophomore Cory Rupnow with 9 minutes, 14 seconds left in the first quarter.
Black Hawk sophomore Logan Stietz recovered a Weston fumble at the Silver Eagles' 30-yard line to set up the next scoring drive. The Warriors cashed in on the turnover with a six-play, 70-yard drive capped off by junior Hayden Schliem's 9-yard TD run to give the Warriors a 14-0 lead with 4:09 to go in the first quarter.
"I thought the kids came out really focused for a homecoming," Black Hawk coach Cory Milz said. "We were able to get the big plays early to soften up the defense."
Wolff made big plays in the passing game on the Warriors' next drive with a critical 28-yard pass to Jace Johnsrud on third-and-13 from the Silver Eagles' 30-yard line. The Warriors capped the eight-play, 53-yard drive when Wolff scored on a 1-yard TD run. Wolff completed 8 of 11 and passed for 85 yards.
"It really helps having the balance running and passing," Wolff said. "First of all, the guys up front did a great job blocking for the run and pass. We worked really hard in practice on both aspects of our game - running and passing."
After Black Hawk stuffed the Silver Eagles on fourth-and-5 from near midfield, the Warriors' offense went to work again. The Warriors' 11-play, 46-yard drive was capped off when Walker rammed in for a 1-yard TD run to give Black Hawk a 27-0 lead with 6:17 left in the second quarter. Schliem returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter to give the Warriors a 34-0 lead. Walker rushed for 64 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown. He had three sacks for minus 19 yards and forced a fumble.
"Our line was blocking well and we had big holes to run through," Walker said. "We came out strong and stayed strong in the second half."
Milz wanted to use more blitzes to shut down the Silver Eagles' option attack.
"Mike likes to blitz," Milz said of Walker. "You don't blitz your inside backers often. We wanted to blitz him to stop their fullback. He relished the role and executed it well."
The Silver Eagles' best drive in the first half came at the end of the second quarter when Weston quarterback Marcus McCauley connected with Tucker Arneson on several passes. However, the 12-play drive ended in a turnover on downs when McCauley's pass on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line was dropped in the end zone.
The second half started a lot like the first half when Black Hawk senior Christian Krahenbuhl tipped a McCauley pass up to himself and snagged the interception and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown to give the Warriors a 41-0 lead.
It was a dominating performance by the Warriors' defense. Black Hawk forced two turnovers and two turnovers on downs. Weston's Nate Duren caught five passes for 78 yards.
Milz isn't worried about the passing defense giving up future big plays.
"It was not a breakdown in technique. It was a breakdown in assignment," Milz said. "We can clean that up."
Black Hawk now prepares for a Six Rivers Conference game as they host Pecatonica-Argyle Friday. Both teams are fighting to become playoff eligible. Pecatonica-Argyle at 3-3 has a leg up since they are 3-2 in conference. The Warriors, at 2-3 in conference, will have to win two of their last three games to become playoff eligible.
"It's huge," Walker said. "Every year it's a close game no matter whether both teams are good or bad. We want to make the playoffs and they want to make the playoffs. It will be a good game."
Wolff guided an explosive offense and the Warriors rolled to a 41-6 win over Weston Saturday. Weston came in ranked 11th in the WisSports.net Division 7 Coaches Poll, but the Warriors looked like the more dominant top-11 ranked team. The Warriors' offense was clicking on all cylinders in the first half scoring on their first four drives.
"It feels great to win on homecoming," Wolff said. "Last year we played Potosi and lost in the end. It's great to come in here in front of a big crowd and win the game."
The Warriors (3-3, 2-3 Six Rivers East) opened the game with a seven-play, 65-yard drive culminating in Wolff's 7-yard TD pass to sophomore Cory Rupnow with 9 minutes, 14 seconds left in the first quarter.
Black Hawk sophomore Logan Stietz recovered a Weston fumble at the Silver Eagles' 30-yard line to set up the next scoring drive. The Warriors cashed in on the turnover with a six-play, 70-yard drive capped off by junior Hayden Schliem's 9-yard TD run to give the Warriors a 14-0 lead with 4:09 to go in the first quarter.
"I thought the kids came out really focused for a homecoming," Black Hawk coach Cory Milz said. "We were able to get the big plays early to soften up the defense."
Wolff made big plays in the passing game on the Warriors' next drive with a critical 28-yard pass to Jace Johnsrud on third-and-13 from the Silver Eagles' 30-yard line. The Warriors capped the eight-play, 53-yard drive when Wolff scored on a 1-yard TD run. Wolff completed 8 of 11 and passed for 85 yards.
"It really helps having the balance running and passing," Wolff said. "First of all, the guys up front did a great job blocking for the run and pass. We worked really hard in practice on both aspects of our game - running and passing."
After Black Hawk stuffed the Silver Eagles on fourth-and-5 from near midfield, the Warriors' offense went to work again. The Warriors' 11-play, 46-yard drive was capped off when Walker rammed in for a 1-yard TD run to give Black Hawk a 27-0 lead with 6:17 left in the second quarter. Schliem returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter to give the Warriors a 34-0 lead. Walker rushed for 64 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown. He had three sacks for minus 19 yards and forced a fumble.
"Our line was blocking well and we had big holes to run through," Walker said. "We came out strong and stayed strong in the second half."
Milz wanted to use more blitzes to shut down the Silver Eagles' option attack.
"Mike likes to blitz," Milz said of Walker. "You don't blitz your inside backers often. We wanted to blitz him to stop their fullback. He relished the role and executed it well."
The Silver Eagles' best drive in the first half came at the end of the second quarter when Weston quarterback Marcus McCauley connected with Tucker Arneson on several passes. However, the 12-play drive ended in a turnover on downs when McCauley's pass on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line was dropped in the end zone.
The second half started a lot like the first half when Black Hawk senior Christian Krahenbuhl tipped a McCauley pass up to himself and snagged the interception and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown to give the Warriors a 41-0 lead.
It was a dominating performance by the Warriors' defense. Black Hawk forced two turnovers and two turnovers on downs. Weston's Nate Duren caught five passes for 78 yards.
Milz isn't worried about the passing defense giving up future big plays.
"It was not a breakdown in technique. It was a breakdown in assignment," Milz said. "We can clean that up."
Black Hawk now prepares for a Six Rivers Conference game as they host Pecatonica-Argyle Friday. Both teams are fighting to become playoff eligible. Pecatonica-Argyle at 3-3 has a leg up since they are 3-2 in conference. The Warriors, at 2-3 in conference, will have to win two of their last three games to become playoff eligible.
"It's huge," Walker said. "Every year it's a close game no matter whether both teams are good or bad. We want to make the playoffs and they want to make the playoffs. It will be a good game."
