Oconto Falls football team scores in final minute to top Oconto

UPDATED: Aug. 23, 2:45 p.m.

The Oconto Falls High School football team scored the game-tying touchdown in the final minute before converting a two-point conversion try to take down Oconto 14-12 on Aug. 20 in Oconto Falls.

Oconto appeared to be on its way to the win in the game dubbed the “Battle for Highway 22” after capping a seven-plus minute drive with a touchdown with just over three minutes to play, but Oconto Falls didn’t panic.

The Panthers struggled throwing the ball all game, but the team had three huge completions on the eventual go-ahead drive. Junior quarterback Carter Hill connected with senior Noah Hirst to convert a third-and-7 play. Oconto Falls picked up another first down when Hill found senior Isaac Raddatz for a 12-yard gain on a third-and-9 play. Hill then found Hirst on a wheel route up the left sideline for a 33-yard gain that set the Panthers up at the Oconto 2-yard line with more than a minute of play remaining.

After the Panthers had two rush attempts net them no yards, Hill powered into the end zone from two yards out with 38 seconds to play to tie the game. Senior Logan Seymour converted the two-point attempt on a run to the left side, beating multiple Oconto defenders to the pylon.

“Practice like you play,” said Oconto Falls coach Nick Bohl. “The last thing we did yesterday, Thursday, was a two-minute drill. We executed it. I told them, ‘There’s going to be a time, it might not have been this game, but there’s gonna be a game or two or whenever that we needed to go two minutes and go down the field.’ And that’s what we did. I just can’t say enough about how you practice like you play, and our kids practiced really hard the last three weeks for this moment.”

Oconto had a nice return on the ensuing kickoff and started its drive with 27.5 seconds showing on the scoreboard. The Blue Devils tried a double pass on the first play, but Raddatz — playing his first year of high school football — read the play perfectly and intercepted the second pass to seal the win.

“I read the play. I saw that (my guy) was kinda running and all of a sudden he went back, so I took a few steps back. He threw it, and I just jumped up and grabbed it,” said Raddatz.

Bohl and Raddatz also both mentioned battling through adversity, something the Panthers saw plenty of in the contest.

The first bout of adversity came before the game even kicked off as a mishap during the coin toss meant Oconto would receive the kickoff to open both the first and second halves.

Oconto Falls was also able to overcome a slow start offensively. The Panthers went three-and-out on their first two possessions, and then after picking up a couple first downs on their third drive, fumbled the ball away.

Oconto Falls ran just 12 offensive plays in the first half but only trailed 6-0 at halftime.

The Panthers scored on their first possession of the second half, with big runs from senior Dylan Thomson and Hill moving the ball down the field before Hill scored from a yard out to tie the game.

“Our defense really stepped up, made a few big stops and then we just finally got things clicking with the offense,” said Hill. “We started putting the ball in the end zone.”

Junior Kody Vorpahl created some momentum and energy for the Panthers after a couple of big defensive plays at the start of the second half.

After Oconto had converted a third-down run, Vorpahl had a two-yard tackle for loss. The next play, Vorpahl registered a sack that pushed Oconto back an additional eight yards. The Panthers’ defense capitalized by forcing a punt, which set up the team’s first score.

“I think the strength of our team is our defense and that really sets the tone for our offense,” said Vorpahl. “I try my hardest to get in there every time; I try to make big plays and get everyone going. When our defense is good, our offense is better.”

Hill had 46 rushing yards on eight attempts, while Thomson had 61 yards on 10 rushes. Hill completed four passes for 59 yards, with Hirst tallying 44 of those yards on two catches.

Senior Weston Borkovec led the Panthers’ defense with eight total tackles, while senior Jake Sager had six. Junior Mitchell Kallies had five total tackles and a forced fumble.

Oconto Falls will look to keep the positive energy going next week when it travels to Clintonville for another nonconference clash.

Oconto 6 0 0 6 — 12

Oconto Falls 0 0 6 8 — 14

First quarter

O: Kyle Bowman 37-yard run (kick failed), 3:01

Third quarter

OF: Carter Hill 1-yard run (run failed), 3:57

Fourth quarter

O: Bowman 3-yard run (run failed), 3:10

OF: Hill 2-yard run (Logan Seymour run), 0:38

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