Shawano downs Waupaca for first football win of the season

It took five games for the Hawks to grab their first win of 2023, but Shawano managed to top Waupaca in a 36-27 shootout. The win also moves them to 1-2 in Bay Conference play, which is crucial to potentially making a late-season run for a playoff spot.

Jerzy Brocker led the Hawks’ aerial attack, connecting on five of 11 for 100 yards. Ayden Bystol went 1-for-1 with a 2-yard touchdown pass.

Brocker also led the ground game with 201 yards on 24 carries and four touchdowns. Kaden Ewert rushed for 38 yards on seven carries.

Logan Sipple caught two passes for 56 yards, and Ewert caught one for 32.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood 27, Amherst 22

In what could have been the game of the week in Division 5, the unbeaten Chargers put their perfect record on the line against D5 powerhouse Amherst. All it took was the continued balanced attack by the Chargers as they improved to 5-0 on the season and 3-0 in Central Wisconsin Conference-Large play. One more win clinches a playoff berth for them as their great season continues.

West De Pere 21, Pulaski 13

Despite a great defensive effort by the Red Raiders, it wasn’t quite enough as the Phantoms battled for a hard-fought 21-13 win. Duke Shovald had a great day for the Phantoms as he threw for 218 yards in the win. Shovald also added a 15-yard TD run in the second quarter to put the Phantoms on top 14-0, with Andrew Kroll picking up the first score of the game.

Once the second half got underway, the Red Raiders seemed like a completely different team as they controlled the tempo. Led by Spencer Hakes and his 120 yards on 14 carries, the Pulaski offense started to move the chains, which set things up for Ethan Schmidt and the passing game. He tossed for two second-half scores with one coming from 12 yards out in the third and the other to Jacob Heston from 2 yards out in the second. The game-winning score came from Joseph Risenberg late in the third as he hauled in a 66-yard bomb from Shovald to pick up the win.

Oconto Falls 48, Tomahawk 14

All it took for the Panthers to get back to their winning ways was to get back to Northwoods play as they made quick work of the Hatchets. Once again, it was the rushing attack by the Panthers that set the tone as Oconto Falls racked up 272 yards on 32 carries with five TDs. Two of those came from Wyatt Laughrin who led the team with 70 yards on the ground, picking up a 10-yard score in the first quarter and a 58-yarder in the second.

His effort was part of a 42-point first half by the Panthers as they opened up a 42-0 lead at the half with Cole Bozile picking up a rushing TD and a special teams TD in the first quarter with Isaac Bramer and Emerich Skarban picking up the other two. The final TD for the Panthers came early in the third quarter. Isaiah Radart took it in from 18 yards out to extend the lead to 48-0 before the Hatchets ended the game with 14 unanswered points.

Kewaunee 42, Bonduel 7

The rough start to the 2023 season continued for the Bears as they fell to 1-4 with a lopsided loss to the Storm on Sept. 15. Looking at that Bonduel record may come as a surprise; although the team has had arguably one of the toughest schedules in the state this season, which doesn’t make things any easier.

Wild Rose 42, Marion/Tigerton 12

The up-and-down season continued for the Marion/Tigerton co-op team on Friday as they fell to 2-2 with the loss to Wild Rose.

Algoma 54, Gillett 37

Sparked by a trio of double-digit quarters, the Wolves offense was far too much for Gillett in this one, topping them 54-37. The Wolves relied on an impressive ground game that saw Algoma top 300 yards while also scoring five times. Grant Vandervest led the way with 170 yards and three scores, with Parker Liscka adding 105 yards and two additional scores.

After Jesse DeBauch tied things up 8-8 with his 18-yard TD run in the first quarter, it was all Algoma as they ripped off 32 unanswered points to take a commanding 40-8 lead. A second TD run from DeBauch made things 40-14 entering the fourth before the Gillett offense made a ton of noise in the final quarter. DeBauch played a role in all three of the fourth quarter TDs, picking up his third rushing TD of the game while hooking up with Brandon DeBauch from 24 yards out and Jed Herzog from 15 yards to make what was a blowout much closer.

Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas 57, Suring 0

Another day and another big offensive performance by Lena as they took care of Peninsula rival Suring 57-0. Sparked by 305 yards rushing on just 32 carries, Lena not only scored 24 points in the first quarter, but put up 44 points in the first half en route to another big win. Calvin Peters paced the Lena ground attack with 131 yards on 10 carries while adding three scores. Peters had scores of 54 yards and 9 yards in the first quarter before adding a two-yarder in the second.

Peters also completed his lone pass of the game that went for 69 yards and a TD to Colt Miller as he continues to make this offense tick. Along with the big game from Peters, Tyler Shallow eclipsed the 100-yard mark with 106 yards on five carries and two additional TDs. Not only did he have a 47-yard score, but he also added a 52-yard score as Shallow showcased his speed on both of those plays. Miller also added a fumble return for a TD during the victory.

Elkhart-Lake Glenbeulah 50, Menominee Indian 12

Four games into the season, and the Eagles are still searching for win No. 1 on the campaign. One positive to take away from the Sept. 15 game is that they were able to score their first points of the season, after being shut out in each of their first three games.